APEX SHIFTER OMNIBUS

A Portal Adventure Boxset

MARCUS SLOSS

Copyright © 2023 by Royal Guard Publishing LLC

All rights reserved.

No part of this book may be reproduced in any form or by any electronic or mechanical means, including information storage and retrieval systems, without written permission from the author, except for the use of brief quotations in a book review.

Contents

Apex Shifter

Prologue

Chapter 1

Chapter 2

Chapter 3

Chapter 4

Chapter 5

Chapter 6

Chapter 7

Chapter 8

Chapter 9

Chapter 10

Chapter 11

Chapter 12

Chapter 13

Chapter 14

Chapter 15

Chapter 16

Chapter 17

Chapter 18

Chapter 19

Chapter 20

Chapter 21

Chapter 22

Chapter 23

Chapter 24

Chapter 25

Chapter 26

Chapter 27

Chapter 28

Chapter 29

Chapter 30

Chapter 31

Chapter 32

Chapter 33

Epilogue

Apex Shifter 2

Chapter 1

Chapter 2

Chapter 3

Chapter 4

Chapter 5

Chapter 6

Chapter 7

Chapter 8

Chapter 9

Chapter 10

Chapter 11

Chapter 12

Chapter 13

Chapter 14

Chapter 15

Chapter 16

Chapter 17

Chapter 18

Chapter 19

Chapter 20

Chapter 21

Chapter 22

Chapter 23

Chapter 24

Chapter 25

Chapter 26

Chapter 27

Chapter 28

Chapter 29

Chapter 30

Chapter 31

Chapter 32

Chapter 33

Chapter 34

Chapter 35

Chapter 36

Chapter 37

Chapter 38

Chapter 39

Chapter 40

Chapter 41

Chapter 42

Chapter 43

Chapter 44

Chapter 45

Chapter 46

Chapter 47

Chapter 48

Apex Shifter 3

Chapter 1

Chapter 2

Chapter 3

Chapter 4

Chapter 5

Chapter 6

Chapter 7

Chapter 8

Chapter 9

Chapter 10

Chapter 11

Chapter 12

Chapter 13

Epilogue

Afterword

Also by Marcus Sloss

Apex Shifter

Prologue

TORAN - THE GUARD

Kerxon Planet

The sound of giggling from above echoed unexpectedly through the alley. Toran craned his neck so he could scan the fire escapes at the top of the brick building. The metal grates revealed the same thing they had the last dozen times he checked, nothing unusual. The crunching sound of his partner scuffing his boot against gravel grated his ears.

A heavy plume of cigar smoke blossomed in the dark alleyway until it bothered Toran. His fellow enforcer puffed on the stick as if it were heavenly. He hated the damn things, and worse, the stench it baked into the fur on his ears and tail was hell to get out. Even a dozen washes was ineffective.

Toran wound up, ready to smack the cherry red stick out of Weston’s grasp.

Splat!

The sudden noise caused the duo to jolt in surprise.

“Shit,” Toran blurted.

A teenage boy lay dead only a dozen paces away. The skull oozed blood, brain, and fluid into a puddle from a nasty split. Both the gruff men scoffed, not fazed by the sight of the dead body, but clearly aware of what his death meant.

“Uh oh,” Weston grumbled.

Toran glanced up, finding Canossa peering over the fire escape’s edge. Her flared eyes filled with concern. The beautiful woman’s fox ears twitched, and her normally swaying tail tucked into her body nervously.

This wasn’t part of the plan, and suddenly, Toran’s world was turned upside down.

The goal and the plan were basic. Canossa was sent to seduce an Emblem Lord’s son to a romantic getaway. Exploit the teenager's insider status to lure him into a trap with a relic so valuable that nations fought wars over them.

In this case, young lust was the exploit, Canossa was the bait, and the dead teenager in the alleyway the target. Toran and Weston were the wolfkin enforcers meant to acquire the emblem and race it to their boss in the fancy new contraption called a car.

Except, the kid wasn’t supposed to die. Canossa was meant to seduce and then drug him. The heir was almost worth as much as the relic, and here he lay, dead as dead could be.

Canossa glanced over her shoulder and bounced with a surprised eek. He couldn’t see what startled her, but he didn’t need to because it was over so quickly.

Crack!

A high caliber revolver barked once before unleashing six rounds in rapid fashion. Canossa staggered before toppling down. She died before she completed the five-story fall. Her splattered body joined the young man on the pavement.

The clinking clack of a circular object rolled to Weston’s feet. He plucked the relic off the gritty alley concrete, breaking into a run. Toran joined him, catching the briefest of glances from the fire exit.

Bear shifters peered down with eyes of fixated determination. Toran knew that look, hunters hunting their prey.

Bullets zinged by them, somehow missing the duo in the confined area. They turned a corner, picking up speed.

“I can’t believe the kid robbed his father’s vault for a piece of fox tail,” Weston said.

“I had faith, Canossa was a professional,” Toran replied with a mix of sadness and determination.

The trip down the side alleyway resulted in another sharp turn. The duo sped along the tight corridor and arrived at a road where a motorized carriage with the door splayed open waited.

They both ducked in with Toran slamming the door.

As the vehicle sped away, he couldn’t believe it. An emblem hadn’t been stolen in a thousand years, but one sat right beside him in his partner’s hand. Staring at the trinket had saved his life because he caught the motion as it happened.

The driver wasn’t supposed to have a passenger. A panthkin popped up, his revolver aimed right at Weston.

Boom!

The weapon’s discharge in the small carriage was deafening. Worse, it killed his friend and coated him in gore. With his left hand, he snatched the wrist of the surprise visitor. With his right, he whipped out his double action revolver from its holster.

Crack! Crack!

Two rounds killed the black furred male in front of him. He shifted to aim at the driver who sped down the road at a reckless speed.

The revolver lined up to the driver’s skull.

Crack! Crack!

The car careened into a park, bouncing over a trail, shattered its way through a bench, and splashed into a pond. Toran knew how the emblem worked. All kids were told stories of their wonders while growing up on Kerxon.

There are six devices that will take a shifter from Kerxon to Earth. Hold the device, say the other planet’s location six times, and disappear to a whole new world that was a century more advanced.

While the car slowly filled up with water, he contemplated going to his boss. He really did. Success was rewarded within the pack. Except he recognized the passenger, Harnn was one of the boss’s top sub-alphas.

The boss had decided to kill him and cover up his nefarious plan.

This meant everyone he loved, and everything he cared about, was ruined. His life on Kerxon was stripped by this stupid emblem, and he knew exactly how to get his revenge. He would hide the emblem on Earth. Or better yet, help a human keep it out of the Emblem Lords’ hands.

He closed Weston’s wide-open eyes as a final goodbye to the wolfkin he called his brother.

He clutched the emblem and said, “Earth, Earth, Earth, Earth, Earth, Earth.”

A swirling blue and white portal opened, and Toran left everything he knew behind, determined to start over in the biggest city he could hide in.

Chapter 1

NEW YORK CITY

“Refill!” I heard from the gravelly voice in booth seven.

The strange man in the trench coat waved me down, as if I were deaf. Over the last month, he had kept coming to my diner, each morning ordering a raw steak with a cup of joe for breakfast. He never said much, tipped well in cash, and guzzled four cups like clockwork.

Seeing a line for the restrooms blocking the staff path to the server’s area, I had to hop the bar. Peter, the manager, hated it when I did this, but my feet never touched the counter and I was still limber enough to pull off the vault flawlessly.

After snatching the pot of coffee, I deftly vaulted the counter again to reach his small table. The liquid sloshed into his barren cup, filling to the point where I knew he’d demand I stop.

“Neat moves, kid,” the stranger said, keeping his eyes on his plate.

I wasn’t a kid. At twenty-six, I worked three jobs, had my own apartment, and aspired to get into real estate flipping. Definitely not a kid.

But… I liked to shave every morning. My smooth face, blond hair, and blue eyes tended to give a youthful impression that some might mistake for youthful exuberance.

I didn’t respond, leaving his table to continue filling up coffee mugs. I even shifted to Bethany’s tables and Maurice’s booths. No one could ever call me lazy or unwilling to help a friend.

The time flew by with the customers coming in, orders slinging onto their tables, and ending with me shoveling the plates into a bin for Brody to wash. Over and over it went, except, this time, the brooding stranger thanked me.

I wasn’t sure why it mattered, but those two words did and I almost detected a sadness in his voice. The moment faded, and before I knew it, I rotated from my breakfast job at the diner to lunch at Marcellus.

The fancy restaurant meant a change of outfits, a constant fake smile, and absolutely no hopping counters. I grabbed a bite on my breaks, replied to Terrell about how I didn’t want to go out for the thousandth day in a row, and the grind continued.

Marcello's four-hour shift resulted in less tips than the diner. Rich people were stingy, but I always had max tables. It all added up and I earned more serving tables than my bachelors in business did.

After Marcello’s, I transitioned into becoming a bartender at an Olive Garden nearby.

Serving folks who waited for seating was great, and that shift always ended up being the most lucrative. It didn’t hurt that the prettiest girls worked there. Something about that restaurant called to them like a Volkswagen Jetta.

Jessica kept finding reasons to visit me while I managed a mountain of fruity drink orders with light splashes of booze. I held a hidden hope that someone had a better night because of the buzz I crafted.

The lightly freckled brunette always grew nervous in my proximity, and tonight was no different. It didn’t take a genius to figure out she had a crush on me. She was downright gorgeous, but I still held her at bay.

Over the last six months, Jessica had grown more and more confident until we became good friends. She was one of those people I could talk to for hours, getting lost in the conversations. Either text, in person, or on an actual call, we always had this way of making each other laugh. I just couldn’t give Jessica more than an hour here or there, or the occasional talk, but the spark was there.

Today she smiled beautifully, her hazel eyes directly letting me know she was happy to see me. On her third pick up for a Bellini, she stopped to talk.

“What are you doing after your shift?” she asked over the din of the echoing talk. I flashed her a warm smile, but the facade of being energetic faded. She read me all too well. “Let me guess. Going home, putting on a movie, and crashing to do it all over again at five in the morning.”

“Pretty much. Terrell might be around,” I guessed.

My best friend had a habit of turning the key I gave him into an unlimited use of my streaming services and high-speed internet. Terrell was more than welcome and I almost never cared.

“And tomorrow?” she asked, accepting the drink I made for her table. I raised an eyebrow in confusion. “It's your three days off. The ‘doing it all over again’ was a hint. You finally have days off.”

I snickered with a headshake. “Already?”

“You’ve been that busy?” Jessica asked with light laughter, giving me an excuse.

I slung the dish rag over my shoulder, playfully pretending to count on my finger. “You’re right. One more shift at the diner in the morning, then three days of bliss. I was hoping to get out of the city. Maybe take the train to Syracuse.”

“About that… I was planning on touring the botanical gardens in Scranton. My dad is letting me take his truck.” Jessica smiled nervously. When I didn’t cue in she added, “You’re welcome to come along.”

Hard pass. I didn’t want to walk around and stare at plants, even if there was a pretty woman on my arm.

“Are you going all by yourself?” I asked. “It's a few hours’ drive.”

“I like the flowers,” she said dryly, not loving my lack of interest. “I figured we could maybe check out some historical -”

Hariet, the hostess slid up beside Jessica. “I seated seven c for you, and the Ogre is trying to find you.”

The Ogre was Gina, the floor manager. I winced, hoping she didn’t hear the nickname she loathed. Even I didn’t say it so brazenly and she loved me. Probably why.

“Thanks, Hariet. Old homes ripe for the flipping, Marvin. I want to take you to some historic homes. You might find a flipping target. You have my number, use it sometime tonight or in the morning and let me know if you want to join me. I - I - I.” she huffed. “You’re coming, and you know it,” Jessica said confidently before fleeing to return to her work.

I seriously considered her offer. I had planned on laying around in pajamas, catching up on my investing, and binge watching some videos about home repairs before taking a day trip, but this could be fun too.

When Jessica vanished through the throng of people grabbing pickup, paying tabs, and waiting for seats, Hariet said, “She’s the kind you take home to mom.”

I opened my mouth and shut it, not going into my tragic backstory. Instead, I said, “Yeah, she is. She just wants something I can’t give. Time.”

“Chin up, Marvin. She’s really into you. After six months of constant flirting, long conversations, and texting without dick pictures, I think you have an in. If not, no biggie. It's not like you have a lack of options,” Hariet said, patting my shoulder delicately.

I wanted to complain that I overworked myself too much to attempt a relationship again, but she hurried back to her work so I could return to mine.

The sun set on the glorious city, helping the time slide by. My three-shift endeavor ended at ten; a full fourteen hours after it began. This was a long day and average, leaving me eager to get to bed. Sometimes the hustle felt like too much, and others, I knew I made significant progress when I checked my savings account.

After handing off my station to the shift manager, I returned to the streets of the city that never slept. The glories of New York never ceased to amaze.

A flickering building light pulsed over the busy sidewalk, cars clogged the roads, and horns competed with the whirl of sirens. I became another person needing to get from A to B and not willing to pay to sit in traffic. Ever since the economic recovery, tourism had surged, rents spiked, and roads snarled.

Halfway home, the hairs on the back of my neck stood, giving me all the warning that I needed. I ducked behind a staircase to spin and check behind me. Sure enough, I had a tail - the stranger from the diner.

The black man waved, happy to be seen, and when he flashed me a smile, I swore I saw canines. I tilted my head in confusion. They weren’t fangs like a vampire, more like the kind I’d see on a tiger or a wolf. His long stride kept up with traffic, and I let him go by.

He didn’t glance back or decide to stop. A minute later, he turned right, taking a path away from my apartment.

I stood there, trying to figure out how to process this. My phone buzzed in my pocket and when I stared at the screen, I saw Terrell asking where I was.

I typed out a quick ‘omw’ and jammed the phone back in my pocket.

During the walk home, I never had that tingling sensation of being watched again, but I sure as hell glanced over my shoulder a dozen times.

Chapter 2

NEW YORK CITY

The elevator chimed before the doors slid open. I stepped onto the worn hallway carpet that lay flat from years of abuse. The building needed renovations, since forever, but I didn’t hold my breath they’d get done.

I reached door 714 and hung my head at the sound of laughter. My feet begged for a couch, my back wished for a hot tub, and my head yearned to lay on my soft pillow. I twisted the handle, not needing to even use my key.

The creak of the door opening killed the giggling. I strode into my small one-bedroom apartment like I owned the place, because, I kinda did.

Terrell sat on my couch, flanked by two young ladies. Both were unknowns to me and this wasn’t the first time he’d brought me a date without asking. True friendship knew no bounds.

My best friend transitioned from high school to the same college. He dropped out after getting hurt during a football game we already won. A fact he never lived down. The man worked full time as a mover, making more than I did, but struggled to always have gigs lined up.

He swigged a beer, giving a friendly tip of the bottle in greeting. The two ladies eyed me from head to toe. Their light tanned skin, tight ponytails, and warm smiles were welcoming.

The young woman on the left plucked my bottle of Aviation Gin off the table to wag it at me.

“You got a problem,” she said, using the bottle’s neck to point at my decor.

I pegged her as being from the Bronx. I tended to not judge people too harshly, but in this case, I immediately became grumpy.

My witty reply had to wait though because the other young woman asked, “Are you gay? It’s okay if you are. Like, I have gay friends, nothing wrong with it, but your place is very…” She let the sentence hang.

I sighed. I didn’t invite these ladies over and this was the last thing I wanted to deal with. Maybe my memorabilia had gone a smidge over the mild-fan level, to the fanboy range. In the corner of my living room a green lantern cutout went where a plant probably should be.

On the walls, I had movie posters, all of them featuring Ryan Reynolds. Prominently behind the television hung my favorite movie from him, Blade 3. A personal favorite and one I always recommended so that I could embarrass his career. That movie was partially why I also shaved religiously, I shuddered at the thought of his horrid beard.

My bookshelf contained signed movie copies I bought on eBay, and because I studied Ryan’s handwriting, these were all legit or damn good forgeries.

Everyone had their quirks, mine was watching bad movies and rooting for an actor to make them better. My disappointment in his failures became my joy, and I couldn’t help but love them more.

Terrell broke the awkward silence and said, “He hates the movies, admires the man, and could get laid without any effort. Marvin is many things, friend to most, and accepting, but not gay.”

My phone buzzed, and I pulled it out to see Jessica sent a text.

The contents were a long-winded vent about how Hariet said she was coming on too strong, and Jessica wanted clarity that she wasn’t. Then she sent three more texts in rapid fashion, leaving me in a rock and a hard place on how to deal with two problems at once.

I picked neither. I didn’t want to answer Jessica or justifying my taste in decorations. Something else bothered me more.

“I was stalked on my way home,” I told Terrell with concern.

“Need me to call my brother?” he asked without hesitation.

Terrell’s face grew serious and he scooted forward.

I bobbed my head side to side, contemplating my answer.

The New York I knew was a mix of protection on the streets from locals or protection by calling the cops. I never got called to help with a show of force, because I had a clean record and worked my ass off. But if they needed help with a move, putting up drywall, or general labor, I helped.

“The cloak guy in the morning who has become a regular at Joe’s Diner, tailed me for a bit. And no, he… he made it seem happenstance, but it wasn’t, and I know it wasn’t. I’ll confront him in the morning at work.” I pointed to my glorious bottle of booze. “As for the gin, I was saving that,” I said, swapping topics.

“For this moment, I guarantee it,” Terrell said, nailing the line.

The ladies rolled their eyes. The first one swigged straight from the bottle, pausing to gasp from the burn. “You’re movie buffs, how quaint.”

“Yeah, not gay. I have a love-hate relationship with Ryan. It's nothing serious, but it is the theme of my living room. My bedroom is tame beside a poster of the Spice Girls my dad gave me. It drives the girls crazy since it objectifies women,” I said.

“I find the female body rather enticing. I’m Alejandra, and that’s Maria. Thanks for letting us drink your gin,” she said thumbing her friend who seemed uncomfortable. “Care to join us?”

“I’d love to, I really would, but I need to shower and get some sleep,” I said.

“Bro! No, no, no. We’re going to visit Carlos at work, you gotta come,” Terrell all but demanded.

“Fourteen-hour workday, and I think I’m going to Scranton tomorrow,” I said.

Terrell burst into laughter, stomping his feet lightly on the carpet. At least he knew better than to piss off Mrs. Davidson below us by pounding on her roof. His laughter faded and he swiped a forearm across his cheek to remove a happy tear.

“You can’t drive bro,” he teased.

Out came another string of laughter, bigger than the first. He had a point. I couldn’t legally drive because I didn’t even have a license.

I rolled my eyes, sticking palms up with a shrug. “Jessica has her dad’s truck. Just because I’ve never driven doesn’t mean I can’t,” I said defensively.

“Never driven?” Alejandra asked.

I sighed. “Dad left when I was young. Mom never owned a car. I grew up here, in New York. The city where owning a car is a waste. When I moved out, I realized I didn’t want to pay for the parking space, the insurance, and have a car that sat since I never left. Have I driven a car? Yes. For more than a few minutes? No.”

Terrell calmed, gazing at me with a stern demeanor and asked, “You’re getting serious then?”

Maria thought she connected the dots. “You said you had a single friend. He doesn’t seem single.”

Terrell smacked his lips, giving her a crazy stare. “Marvin is single. Jessica is a friend who wants to be more. She may have messaged me on social media, asking questions about this handsome hunk.”

I didn’t know if I should smirk from his wingman line or frown at the fact Jessica had vetted me.

Terrell continued, “The getting serious is because he worked his ass off to pay off college. When he finished that, he packed away money to buy a house. A ‘shit you not’ home. The man is moving up in the world,” Terrell said proudly and added, “It’s about time. You have enough to get a place?”

Alright this time I did frown, not wanting to disclose my bank account. Especially not in front of two girls who perked up at these words. “The market is finally in a downturn and I’m just seeing something for real for the first time. I may hate Scranton,” I said with a huff. “Firm no to Carlos, and no crazy fun tonight. This is a big step for me. But hey, take the bottle. It’s on the house for having to kick you guys out.”

Terrell and I exchanged a manly hug with back pats. I figured Maria would set the bottle down, but she flicked her nose up and left. Alejandra gave a cute wave and a thanks before leaving.

When the door clicked shut, Terrell used his key to lock the bolt, just how I liked it. Good friends were hard to come by, and he was well intentioned. I didn’t mind one bit that he had arrived unexpectedly and his departure was a fitting end to my evening.

That pride in his voice was sincere, and I couldn’t help but bask in it.

I texted Jessica - I’m in. You, me, old homes, and gardens. I promise to help pay for gas and be a gentleman. Sorry for the slow reply. I was busy getting ready for bed.

I flicked on the shower, seeing the three dots start then vanish over and over. She must have typed a dozen replies and deleted them all.

When my shower ended, I saw her reply. Sweet dreams. Come by my place tomorrow after your diner shift. Make sure you bring your ID in case you do something crazy like buy a house. I’m taking my birth certificate and SSN card.

I confirmed with a simple - Makes sense and it may finally be the time. Looking forward to it and then laid down for a good night's sleep.

Chapter 3

NEW YORK CITY

The diner bustled with people cramming the weekend line until it was already out the door. All before six, telling me the shift would be great. The odd thing was that my tables were seated already. Bethany, who had the day off, hustled a plate of eggs with hash browns to my morning zone.

I frowned, wondering if Peter had brought in extra help. It’d mean less money, but I could live with that before a mini vacation.

A heavy hand landed on my shoulder before I could approach Peter to see what was going on. When I glanced back, I saw the stranger looming over me. His curly beard stretched as he smiled happily.

“I paid her to cover your shift. We need to talk,” he said in a chipper tone. Something about his demeanor changed. “And yes, your shift is still being paid too. I’m buying your time this morning.”

Now, I was all for getting paid without working. However, talking to the creepy guy with bushy eyebrows, a constant sneer, and the build of a linebacker? Well, that wasn’t on my to-do list.

When Peter beamed a smile with a thumbs up, I exited the diner feeling stunned. I knew better than to cause a scene at work and with the verification, it was time to figure out what the hell was going on.

“What is it?” I asked, keeping my tone level.

“I need your help,” he said with a bit of a growl.

If I had to guess, he hated asking for help. I knew men like that, understanding the disdain of owing someone a favor. I tended to like being owed for just in case scenarios. However, I rarely was asked for help, always having work as an excuse.

A justification he cleanly removed. I tried to think of a place we could talk at, but on a Saturday morning, most joints would be packed.

“Walk and talk?” I asked.

“Probably hardest to record since we’re on the move… Yes, that’ll work,” he replied.

The guy likely had a few screws loose, but for six hours of pay, I’d give him an hour of my time. I certainly didn’t hate the idea of leaving the city in early morning traffic instead of afternoon congestion.

“Marvin,” I said, jamming my hands in my pockets.

He eyed me skeptically. “You may call me Toran.”

“Sure,” I replied, entering the flow of pedestrians on the busy sidewalk.

Horns honked, pigeons perched, and the sun peeked between the towering skyscrapers. The pedestrian jam wasn’t too bad at this hour; the bike lanes stayed busy, the joggers found their space, and we left Joe’s Diner behind rather quickly.

Toran pointed for us to turn right after we crossed the street. His hyper vigilance relaxed a bit after a second turn without anyone following us. We shifted by a competitor's diner, finding an outside table open up.

The bulky man stole the table before an elderly couple could sit. He eyed them with a glare that could kill, and they gave up the spot. I hesitantly slid into the seat across from him, deciding to keep my mouth shut about his rude behavior.

“So much for walking,” I said.

“Spontaneity is an ally,” he replied.

A waitress came over with heavy bags under her eyes and coffee stains on her shirt. Her pale complex spoke of a hangover, and I cherished not going out with Terrell at that moment.

I ordered a basic breakfast of bacon and eggs with a side of orange juice. He went with a rare steak and coffee.

Shocker.

“You quit football. Why?” he asked.

I danced my fingertips on the table, assessing him, along with this question. My high school and college playing days weren’t what I expected to be talking about.

“I reached a plateau, an insurmountable ceiling,” I replied honestly. “I didn’t want to change schools to pursue a career as a running back. I played for fun. I wasn’t good enough, anyway, just almost good enough.”

“Debatable,” he replied, and I shrugged. “When you captained the team, you didn’t lose a game, and across the board achieved record results.”

“We were two divisions higher than the rest of the league,” I said, not sure where he was going with the conversation...

“The year after you left, those record numbers vanished and never returned. Same with before you played for that team. Coincidence? I think not,” he said, sticking his elbows on the table. “You're a born leader, at least I think so.”

I scoffed. “Look, Toran, Mr. Secrecy, I put down that I could lead on my resumes. I asked for manager positions. I was told to work my way up the ladder before I could get a shot. Guess what, bussing tables pays more than an entry level gig at a corporation. All I need is the capital to start my own thing. Being a boss is what I want, but on my terms, for my business.”

“I know. You made the right call, I just wanted to hear the why,” he said.

“So what’s this -” I thanked our waitress when she delivered our drinks, “About? What do you need help with?”

“I can’t go home,” he grumbled, tossing a purse that clanked when it landed onto the table. “Open that.”

I opened it, closed the top quickly, and chucked the velvety sack back to him. I didn’t expect to see dazzling gems, but I did, and that concerned me. Those didn’t look like cheap gems either.

“Sell these for me,” he said.

“Assuming I could, I’d have to jump through hoops to avoid committing a crime, I don’t want the problems, and you should just do it yourself. If they’re stolen, I sure as hell don’t want to be involved,” I said.

“They’re not stolen, they’re from Kerxon.”

“Never heard of it,” I admitted. “Is that in Canada?”

“That’s Jasper. I’m from Kerxon, a place that doesn’t exist on Earth.”

I snorted my coffee through my nose from a sudden fit of laughter. When I saw his reaction, I grew worried that I had crossed a line.

“Sorry, sorry. That was not where I thought this conversation was going. Okay, you’re into aliens and think you’ve been abducted. You paid for a shift of work, so I’ll happily listen to whatever you say. Just know I’m not a big believer in the paranormal or extraterrestrial,” I warned.

“Kerxon is a planet in a distant solar system. A deity arrived during a brutal war, demanding a new way forward. Their offering was six medallions, granted to the champions of each humanoid species. These medallions would grant an outlet for our aggression. A way to make life better while elevating ourselves.

“I’m going to be translating a bit because of the emblem's power. Each species comes in all colors and sizes, much like humanity on Earth. However, there are some features that split them apart.

“There’s the angelic species, humans with feathered wings, sharp features, and when they shift, they increase in size. This species builds towers in the cities with the only access being flight. Or they live in the mountains. They are the self-anointed supreme species. Really snooty for the most part.

“There’s the wolfkin, or werewolves. When in human form their furry ears come to a point with yellow or green eyes. They come in all colors like humans do. When they shift, they become a standing werewolf. They’re the backbone of the policing force that the angelics try to control.

“There’s the kitsune, or foxkin. Their human forms are sleek, predispositioned to being lithe and dexterous. They’ll have a single tail, different colored ear tips, and many eye colors. Their ears and tail tips make them a dead giveaway. They do just about everything on Kerxon, often getting in trouble for trying to be too cunning. When they shift, they’re speed demons and extremely agile.

“These three species preach that the way forward for Kerxon is to praise and pray to the deity who granted us the medallions. They work together to reign in crime amongst the seven and swear that when they die, they’re treated better in the afterlife for their efforts.

“And one hundred percent, there’s bad apples among the good, a saying I grew fond of during my time here on Earth,” Toran said with a smile.

Our waitress arrived with our food, the line at the hostess already backing up. I smiled before digging in.

His story was keeping me entertained, and the thought of a shifter planet would make a good movie. Maybe I could write it and pitch it to someone other than one of the superhero studios because they’d just ruin it.

“Interesting stuff. Three out of the seven, but six medallions. Something gives,” I said.

He picked up his steak, chomped into the meat, and ripped the chunk in half. I about shit myself when his face contorted into a wolf. The transformation was fleeting, and when I sought validation from the others eating, I saw only I had caught it.

“Oh, shit,” I blurted.

He somehow swallowed the hand sized chunk of steak down in a single gulp. The wicked grin on his face confirmed he had shown me his true form on purpose.

“Wolf was good... right?” I asked hesitantly.

“Not all of us. And no, I have sins. I’m not here to kill you. Quite the opposite, really.”

He used a knife and fork to continue with his meal. The corner smile left me very conflicted. I had a mix of dread twirled together with a splash of curiosity. When the server ensured we were doing fine, I ordered a mimosa only to hear they were out of champagne.

I knew I had gotten into the deep end quick. At the same time, we were just exchanging words. The tale wasn’t over, and I found myself wanting to hear more.

“Alright, Toran, you have my interest,” I told him. “Please continue.”

“The packs struggle to enforce the good, and yeah even the chaotic species believe there should be some rules. The species of Kerxon tend to create groupings in cities and neighborhoods, also not too different than on Earth. Our establishments are not discriminatory and welcome all, but you see some segregation. Let me continue with the next three species.

“There’s the panthers or panthkin. Their human bodies come built for endurance with black circular ears, all black tails, and normally black hair. Their emerald green eyes are a dead giveaway as well. They’re hunters and normally associate with the demonic faction in open rejection of the wolf policing. When they shift, they’re nearly as fast as a fox, but twice as powerful and they excel in the dark.

“There’s the bearkin or bears. They have brown nubs above their butts and fluffy brown ears. They’re big, too big to blend in on Earth very easily. When they shift, just stay away. They’re not fast, but good luck hurting them. The phrase bear hug exists for a reason.

“Finally, there’s the demonic race. They’re a mix between demon and vampire. They go by seroci and are mostly active at night. They run the dark markets while maintaining order once the sun sets. They have horns and bat-like wings, close to a succubus description on the females. Even though they appear evil, there’s plenty who are good and plenty of innocent foxes who will dupe you in a heartbeat,” he said with a snorting headshake.

I finished my eggs and hash browns, cleaning up my eating area out of habit.

“And the seventh species?” I asked.

“Humans. The six medallions open a small portal big enough for ten to travel to and from Earth. If you convince a human to come back to Kerxon ten at a time, they start to add up. Note, they must be willing to come.

“Humans are not given a emblem or even recognized by our deity. Humans are meant to be controlled and used as the superior shifters deem necessary. The best part is that they birth either a full shifter or a full human, meaning we don’t have an excess of humans like this infestation,” Toran said with a snarl.

I listened intently to this last line, and it convinced me. The way he vomited this sentence led me to believe he was telling the truth. Sure, the face trick could have been a con. Absolutely I’d think the story was fake without it, but his sheer hate for humans left me a believer.

“What do you need help with and why live here if you hate us?” I asked.

“I have no tax information. For those gems, I have a buyer, Dan’s Jewelry in Columbus Circle. He pays in bitcoin to you, legally. You lose the money to me, and I disappear to a farm in Alaska or Northern Canada where I can shift into a wolf whenever the hell I want.

“I’m here because I stole a emblem that was supposed to go to my boss. Short story, my boss died, I got screwed, and I’m hiding. If I show my face on Kerxon, I’m dead.” He took an extra-large coin out of his pocket. “I rather like living, and this is a compromise I can stomach, barely.”

The flashing gleam of the emblem faded when he jammed it back into its protected spot. I eyed him skeptically, becoming interested again. That bag of gems was worth a fortune. I busted my ass off to make pennies and I couldn’t help but lick my lips with envy at the wealth that purse held.

“You want Monero, not Bitcoin. I dabble in crypto and Monero can’t be traced and can be lost really easily too. Monero, to Bitcoin, to debit card USD, or Canuck funny money. As long as I pay the taxes on it, Uncle Sam doesn’t care if I forget my password and it goes missing.

“I just have to report it as a loss and lie about where it went. I can do that for a fee. You’ll bump my tax bracket up too, meaning my year of hard work will take a clobbering,” I said. “Adding to my fee. Assuming this isn’t some entrapment thing.”

“Real deal. Dan himself offered seventeen million. Said it was worth five times that and had the gems verified a dozen times by his co-workers and outside experts. While that has been happening, I’ve been hunting for someone like you,” Toran said.

“They could take the gems, never pay me bitcoin, and you’d kill me,” I said.

“Wrong, I’d kill them. Do the deal, keep enough to cover your losses, and take a small fee. In return, I grant you an amazing revenue opportunity. The emblem. Use it on Kerxon. They’ll never expect a capable human to have the emblem,” Toran said with a sinister grin. “Exploit those assholes, amass a fortune, and become a king among men on Earth. You have the capabilities, except you have too much heart. I don’t know if that is good or bad yet.”

I shook my head. “Look, I can bullshit my way out of selling gems I legally earned. I can bullshit my way through pretending to lose money, because no shit, it’ll literally be gone to the wind with Monero - not Bitcoin. This emblem thing seems silly. I what, sneak into Kerxon, break out some woman in chains and be the hero?”

“No, she would willingly need to go with you. Gems are our currency, and they’re a mix between plentiful and rare. Here they’re cherished. In Kerxon, a silver bar is worth a million in gems there. Kerxon exploits Earth for servants, technology, and other items. You can finally turn the tables. It’d be a sweet irony if you exploited Kerxon to live like a king here,” Toran said, his grin only growing wider and wider.

When he flashed his canines, I didn’t even react this time. I heaved out a long exhale before pulling out a pen. I scribbled down a note on a napkin, creating a receipt between Toran and I.

I offered financial advice for gem compensation, after I signed the bottom, he did too. It wasn’t much, but it was better than nothing.

“Alright, it’s an hour walk to Columbus Circle, and I have a date. Start making your Monero account. I’m on a schedule,” I said, leaving my chair.

This guy was likely crazy, but so was I. I was sick of busting my ass to ever so slowly build up my account. Maybe I’d go to Scranton with enough cash to finally start my renovation business.

I applied a pep to my step, feeling damn good about the future.

Chapter 4

NEW YORK CITY

“You look like someone kicked your puppy,” Jessica said as she welcomed me into her parent’s fancy apartment.

I’d had a rough morning. Toran was the real deal. The money was real, the gems were real, and he even told me how to activate the portal. The downside was that he only let me keep ten thousand out of seventeen million after he watched me pay the taxes on the transaction.

The IRS fee was insane, and watching the government get their cut left me shocked. But Toran expected this.

The guy ended up being good at math, which was a bit of a surprise. Then again, he had a calculator on his phone. When it came time to apply my fee, he showed me a knife and watched over my phone while I sent all that sweet, sweet money away. Sure, it was never mine, and yeah, ten thousand over my taxes due was amazing, but it hit right in the feels to see it go away.

“You must be Marvin,” a spitting image of Jessica said.

This had to be her mother. She had aged well. Her foyer extended down a hallway and into a kitchen. A fancy vase sat on an end table with family portraits on the wall. Jessica was an only child and dearly loved based on the happy images.

Her mom ushered me in as if we were in a hurry. One of the few lines from dad that I remembered was, ‘If the mom is ugly, that’s your wife in thirty years.’ I shook the sour thoughts away, applying a better attitude with a sincere smile.

“I want to say this witty line, asking Jessica if she has a sister, but I see a brooding father’s shadow in the kitchen,” I said.

Jessica’s eyebrows shot high in surprise.

“Not brooding!” the father quipped.

Her mom hooted out a laugh, loving the jest. “I’m Margaret, that’s Steve, super poppa bear. You’re going in his truck, which he loves, and with his daughter, which he’d… well, let’s just say he’s protective. We learned some lessons from prom a few years ago.”

“Mom!” Jessica said in that perfect way of a daughter disliking what their parent said. I couldn’t help but smile. Jessica inched toward the door. “We gotta go. I wanna beat lunch traffic.”

I shot my palms out, pumping the proverbial brakes. A few minutes could be spared to take the time to enter the kitchen. I offered Steve, a stern shorter man with salt and pepper hair, my hand.

I told him, “I’ll ensure her phone’s on and fully charged. She’ll call every morning and night. And when we arrive and leave. I’d do the same for my mom.”

He death-gripped my hand, and I crushed his back.

“Not asking much, is it?” His stern gaze warned me, but I wasn’t fazed.

“Nope and Jessica’s lucky to have the oversight. She’s in good hands, mostly,” I teased, and he couldn’t help but smirk back. “Nice to meet you Steve, Margaret, you could pass for a sister. You’re a lucky man, Steve, you’ve got a fantastic home and two beauties.”

And just like that, I was feeling good again.

Jessica rolled her eyes, leading me out the door. I could hear her parents talking when the click sealed us off. I could only imagine how they felt. Jessica was in her early twenties, studying to be a teacher, working night shifts, and old enough to cross state lines with a new boy.

I could tell they were nervous, and that resonated with me.

“You're early,” Jessica said, breaking the silence as we walked to her elevator.

I rubbed the back of my neck and said, “You want the crazy truth or a white lie?”

We stepped onto the elevator, and she jammed the B4 button.

“Wait, you’re serious. You’d lie to me?” she asked with her brows tucked down.

I shrugged, guiltily putting hands in the air. “I didn’t tell you I had Terrell and a date unexpectedly show up at my flat last night. Pretty woman too, interested from what I could tell from the brief interaction.”

She folded her arms, not liking what she was hearing. “Busy getting ready for bed?”

“Was me kicking them out so I could see you today,” I said, stepping back to give her space.

“You consider that a white lie?” she prodded.

The elevator picked up another couple who chatted away. Jessica had no problem entering my personal space so we could talk. Apparently, honesty was a winner with her.

“Yeah, I do. Which means I don’t want to tell you where I was this morning unless you want a crazy truth or a white lie. It's so crazy, you might not let me in the truck,” I said.

“Brave of you to tell me. Let me ask a question first. The question all us girls ask each other whenever you're brought up. Why are you single?” Jessica asked.

Before Olive Garden, I worked at a dance club, bartending the early hour when it was mostly dead. None of the late-night tenders thought it worth their time, and I had shifts in the morning. However, I had met Trisha there.

“Trisha was my last girlfriend. We both were workaholics. She shared my interests, then shared her bed, without me. She was double dipping, content to play both of us. He found out about me from one of her friends. I didn’t have time for that or the drama, so I quit working at the same place she did and entered a jaded time in my life.

“Terrell has been trying to get me out of my funk, but I like my funk. I like collecting silly movie posters, watching movies in bed, and not having to get drunk to have fun. I crave the flesh of a supple woman. At the same time, I find it hard to sleep with a woman and only have it be about the sex,” I said.

The guy in the elevator scoffed, but I ignored him. He probably thought I banged girls and was telling a lie to Jessica. I understood, it was a smooth spiel, it also happened to be the truth.

“He thinks you're full of shit. I know the truth, well, I know as much as I can without gaining stalker status,” Jessica said and I groaned, not surprised. “What! Inviting you on a hotel trip is a big step.”

I pinched her ass and she jumped with an eep. Her squinting eyes didn’t disapprove. The space between us closed and right as she leaned up to kiss me, the elevator chimed. The doors opened to reveal a parking garage.

After living in a city my whole life, I almost never went down here besides to try pot, have a make out session in high school, or to skateboard. All those times were long gone. The nostalgia faded when I smelled piss from a corner spot.

We stepped out, walking among the rows of cars and into fresh air.

I said, “A man has been stalking me for a business proposal of sorts. He had me move money around for him today in a very public place and paid me handsomely. The kicker? He’s batshit crazy. He had a bundle of gems worth millions that he said he brought from a different planet with shifter aliens who abduct people on Earth.”

“And he didn’t steal you?” Jessica said with a snorting laugh. She covered her face quickly from the embarrassing gaff. To ease the situation, I pinched her butt again. “Will you stop that! Smack it if anything.”

“This is going to be a fun trip,” I said with a playful chuckle.

She grabbed my hand. “Tell me every detail, it's going to be three hours before we get there. Oh, and I have a surprise waiting for you in Scranton too.”

“Well, don’t I feel special. Maybe today is my lucky day.”

Jessica pulled me behind a parking pillar, shoved me lightly against the concrete, and inched up to passionately kiss me on the lips. She tossed her bag down, pushing into me with two roaming hands. I dropped my bag to grab her by her ass, hoisting her up so she could wrap her legs and kiss down.

She was light in my arms, her hands running freely over my lean frame. She devoured my lips and her ass in my hands felt as soft as her breasts mashed against my chest. Blinking as she disengaged from our lip lock, we both gasped for air. Her hands slid over my bulging arms, and I could tell she wanted more.

"Drop your pants," Jessica whispered into my ear.

I stared at her with wide eyes as she held herself on my large frame with her legs alone.

"Uh... Okay."

I was a little taken aback by her aggressiveness as she unbuckled my pants with ease from her position at my waist. I was still held in the grips of her surprise feistiness as she dropped to the ground of the parking garage and pulled my pants down to my ankles.

The audacious woman stayed on her knees and I smirked, fully understanding what was happening.

"Not just a keen mind for money and a banging body, you have been hiding this monster from me as well. I wonder how bad Trisha felt when she thought she was getting something better," Jessica said while admiring what was in her hand.

I stiffened during her question. Jessica’s eyes sparkled with a mischievous desire.

“Stay quiet. The cameras don’t show this spot but we need to hear anyone approaching,” Jessica said, eyes fixated on my large cock in her hands. I nodded when she glanced up. She playfully whispered, “I may be wholesome, until we get naked!”

She stroked my penis, her fingers barely touched as they encircled it.

She gave the vein running down my shaft a teasing lick with an excited giggle after her comment, and I was too far gone to correct her.

I watched her take my dick into her warm wet mouth with a little trepidation. We had just finished talking to her mother and overprotective father only a few minutes ago and now the parking garage blow job. This was New York City, a little hanky required creativity at times.

“I’m going to cum all over this big cock later,” Jessica said, stroking hard and harder.

Her mouth wrapped my tip and her combo jerk and suck were about ten levels better than I expected. My toes curled as she tried to take me to the base, the jerk of my hips as my cum threatened to fill her mouth.

"I have waited too long for a chance at this," Jessica said as she gripped the base of my dick almost painfully.

The months of her efforts to pin me down were coming to a fruition. She managed to keep the clingy at bay. If she let it slip out during an incredible blowjob – I’d allow it.

My fingers glided through her hair working in tandem with her as I approached the point of no return.

She increased her tempo, releasing her own grunts of pleasure, nearing my peak. Five minutes of nervous blowjob later, I knew about ten days of pent up cum were about to explode.

“I’m cuming,” I moaned out.

A warning always served me well in the past and she chose to keep my dick deeply in her mouth as I exploded.

Jessica gulped with long swallows as my cum filled her mouth. I held her there for as long as I could soaking up the sensation of her throat contracting around my dick.

“Yum.”

“You were fucking amazing,” I said with a sigh of contentment.

“Marvin, one question before we get in the truck. It's bugging me to the point I’m distracted during our kiss and that last tasty bit. How did he get to this alien planet and back?”

I chuckled, pulling my pants. She helped me put them back to rights under the guise of an attentive girlfriend adjusting my clothing.

“I’m sure there’s a meme somewhere where a guy is wondering what a girl is thinking during a blowjob and it’s a mystery of epic proportions, not the big cock in her mouth,” I said with a playful tease.

Jessica giggled. “It is interesting and I had your pre-trip present planned for a while. Not like I can give you road head.”

I hung my head in pretend shame. “Right, because I can’t drive. I can try for you though.”

She giggled harder when I bounced my eyebrows. “Nope. We will save it for our romantic hotel. Not going to lose the feeling in my feet from an orgasm and kill us.”

We shared another laugh and she folded into me in a hug. I reached down into my pocket and revealed the emblem. She raised an eyebrow before pulling me down for another kiss and forcing my hand to smack her ass. I took the opportunity to again pull her up by those soft cheeks.

“So much yum. Now answer the question please. How did he get to this alien planet and back?”

Jessica, turned tucking her ass into my crotch to study the relic. She clearly had no qualms being the aggressor in our budding romance.

I set the emblem on her ample chest and said, “He said to hold this thing up, say Kerxon six times and if I really wanted to go I’d go. I could only take -”

Jessica interrupted, “Kerxon, Kerxon, Kerxon, Kerxon, Kerxon, Kerxon. Oh, shucks the crazy man was wrong, because I really wanted to go too…”

The ground below us opened in a swirling circle of blue and white. We both stared down, dumbfounded. Hell, I still held her in my arms with her wrapped around my hips.

“Not good!” I muttered and we fell through the world.

Chapter 5

KERXON - LOCATION UNKNOWN, DATE UNKNOWN

“My dad is going to kill you,” Jessica hissed into my ear.

We drifted in nothingness, a pure void. While we exited, the same as we had on Earth, we floated in space. We seemed to be in an area that continued forever. Everywhere I looked kept going until infinity. I was gob-smacked, utterly speechless until I realized I shouldn’t be.

“So… Yeah, about this,” I said guiltily.

“Where are we?” she hissed my ear with an angry whisper.

I plucked her off my hip, letting her stand in front of me. She hesitantly put her feet down, finding something solid to stand on.

I told her, “I don’t have a clue where this is. While I’m trying really hard not to freak out, I’m also curious as to why you’re whispering.”

“It just feels right. How could you do this? This is insane.”

“Jessica, you said the magical words, not me,” I replied with a finger wag.

She huffed, stomped a foot and looked damn cute doing it. “Fine, this is still your fault. Assuming we make it home, I’m not going to be happy. But you’re right, be calm, be calm.” She rambled, watching me remain chill. “What did he tell you? The alien?”

“Uh, say the word six times and you have to want to visit. I could take ten people each way, I could stay forever, but there was an hour-long cooldown. He never mentioned we’d be stuck in… whatever this place is,” I said gesturing around us.

The infinite room condensed, and we ended up in a six-sided cube. Up, down, left, right, front, back, all had an image. None of those images were of the parking garage we left behind and all of them were of something familiar, but different.

“These all look so grimy. They’re alleys, but they don’t say to what city or section of town you’re going to. Oh neat,” Jessica said when the portals shifted to a widening view. “Whoa, they’re in six different cities and these two are daytime. Is that a woman wearing a chain being pulled by a hulking man with a… bear tail, yup, that's a bear tail and bear ears. What the shit!”

“Yeah, he mentioned they’ve been stealing humans for thousands of years. Six species rule the planet, and our kind serves them,” I said, glancing between images. “None of the cities are species specific. There’s a man in a uniform with a wolf tail in three of these. They have tommy guns, how odd. Those are peacekeepers or police.”

When I glanced at the next scene behind us, I blushed. “Oh… oh!”

Jessica saw the camera pan down to a couple of fit people with green eyes and black tails rutting in an alley. The trademark panther ears made it clear they weren’t just human and what species they belonged to.

“They’re human, so very human. I always thought they’d be more animal and less… sexy,” she admitted with a blush. “Like that girl is a ten and he has the body of an Olympian. Yowzers, I must be worked up from our kissing.”

The cities showed clubs, diners, and general shops located around five to six story buildings. No one texted, had phones to their ears, and yet, fluorescent tubes flickered advertising signs for establishments. There clearly was technology present, just in a different era.

Old school cars puttered down the road, a team of bulky men carried carriages, and a few hybrids rode horses. The setting and the clothing spoke of the roaring twenties.

“Incredible,” I said, noting the room shrank, forcing us to choose. “Do you trust me?”

“Uh, yeah, you didn’t lie. Kinda wished you had now. Even gave me the option. If you had just lied, I would have never said anything, and we would be on the road. I'd be teaching you about driving and hoping to steal kisses at traffic lights. But no… you just had to be Honest Abe didn’t ya?” Jessica asked, rambling again.

I picked her up and jumped toward the city with the most police officers. It had a lot of cars, a bunch of servants, and looked the ritziest of the bunch.

Jessica’s mouth opened in shock, but nothing came out. A blinding light forced me to shield my eyes and when I opened them, I was in the alleyway that was first displayed for this selection.

I snatched Jessica’s wrist, yanking her behind a series of boxes on a crate. Her outfit changed. She went from the summer dress with illustrious flowers to something sheer, plain, and see through. Her underwear? Yup, it was gone.

I glanced down at my body, seeing I wore a shirt and shorts, both consisting of light fabric with only modest covering because of the loose stitching. Why we were basically naked in servant's garb was beyond me.

My phone sat in one pocket, the emblem in another, and I lacked my bag that I set down when I hoisted Jessica during our kiss. Nothing about our situation was good. We were trapped on a planet where humans were slaves, and we were in slave garb. Maybe that was good. Maybe that was bad. I had no idea and tried my best to not panic.

“Where the hell is my bra?” Jessica said, staring down at her pert breasts she covered with a forearm.

“Whisper,” I shushed her. “My underwear is gone too. Also, you look great.”

“Most embarrassing date ever!” she whispered. “What’s the plan?”

“We sit here for an hour and hope to god no one finds us,” I said.

“I saw humans in fancy clothes, how come we got rags?”

I shrugged. “My guess is we came in basic clothes, we got basic clothes. Maybe elastic underwear isn’t a thing here. Based on the overview before we jumped in, I’d assume this is closer to a nineteen twenties development.”

“You don’t want to explore?” she asked.

“Jessica, we're basically naked, have no money, and I have an item that can get us killed in shorts so thin it’ll stick out. No, we don’t explore… today,” I said.

“I love this era,” she said. “The twenties are so hot. Swing dancing, lavish cars, fancy dresses, no computers or phones. If any style needs to come back, it’s this one. Minus prohibition and smoking. Oh, and modern medicine. Damn, maybe the twenties were glamorized.”

“Yeah, I don’t get it. You’d think they’d be at par or more advanced than us,” I said.

She tapped her chin. “Maybe they have to reverse engineer. Our phones made the trip, but they’re bricked. Mine isn’t even showing the time. Abducting a street kid is harder than convincing a scientist to visit your planet willingly.”

I scanned the alley, finding a door that led to this pile of boxes. The alley didn’t have a dead end flowing for quite a while behind us. Ahead of us the street was only a hundred or so feet away. The walls went high with steel fire escapes leading to exterior windows.

If anyone walked by, they’d see two people hiding. That would appear incredibly suspect. Taking a gamble, I stood like I was supposed to be here.

“What are you -?” Jessica started to say. I picked her up and plopped her butt on the boxes. She panicked a bit, but I slid in close, kissing her neck. “Oh, oh! That feels nice, but I’d rather not die, and I doubt you can do this for an hour. Hey, your arms seem bigger. Hell you seem taller.”

She paused, eyeing me up and down. Her confusion caused her to pinch her face.

“Fake the funk. If anyone comes by at least we’re not cowering by property we don’t own like we’re about to steal it. Where’s that passion from earlier?” I asked.

“Back in my building. Plus, there’s a kid watching us,” Jessica said, pointing up a stairwell.

A mother with bear type ears saw me necking Jessica, covered the kid’s eyes, and smirked. She vanished a moment later and I sighed in relief.

“That was three minutes. What the hell do we do for the next fifty-seven?” Jessica said with a scoff.

“Fifty-seven what?” a bulky man in a blue uniform said coming down the alleyway from the main street. His tommy gun hung from his side in a relaxed manner, and he flashed a clicker light at us.

Damn, his hearing was amazing to hear us from so far and we should have realized that. I raised my hands defensively.

“We got a special break for an hour and were trying to find a private place for uh… um…” I stammered, pretending to be nervous.

“I get it, Tesori pays to keep loiterers away from his stuff,” the man swished his tail and Jessica fixated until I plucked her off the boxes. “I see everything is intact.” he patted the boxes, seeing the seals were solid. “Head to the park but keep it to the bushes. And human, I don’t find your kind appealing, so stop flirting with me.”

Jessica tilted her head in confusion, and I said, “You're staring. Sorry, she’s been overworked.”

“And over fed it looks like,” he snorted.

Jessica gasped but I led her deeper into the alley, turning left at the second intersection. I didn’t know if this led to the park, but it got us away from him and away from that guy’s protected store.

“Overfed my ass. I’m one-forty,” she said, and I set her down. “Fine, one-forty-five, but not overfed. My hips feel wider though and I went from a solid B-Cup to a big C. You’re about six inches taller now, too.”

“Uh, you’re smoking hot, babe, but I need your head in the game,” I told her.

“A compliment and a cutesy name. Alright, babe.” She smacked her lips when saying the first b. “That’s a busy road, and that’s another alley on the other side.”

I frowned, watching a stream of humans with slight animal features walk by. A few glanced into the alley, most focused on their journey. I stuffed a hand in my pocket over the emblem and held Jessica’s hand with my other. The phone would be somewhat seen through the loose garment, but I could live with that, the emblem I tried to cover.

“We own this city, and we are going to the park,” I said confidently. “We’re just two servant humans stealing a moment with nothing on them worth a damn. Keep your eyes down, don’t stare, and we stop for nothing. If we get chased, no matter what, stick to me. I made a promise to your dad.”

Jessica grabbed a chunk of my butt and smirked, “I like it when you take charge. Lead the way, hero.”

I rolled my eyes. “Take this seriously.”

“I’m trying not to freak out, this is what you get… Are we good?” she asked.

“Super green,” I replied, heading to the street.

She followed my lead, acting calm in the face of a crazy situation. I took a stab in the dark, turning right since it led further from the officer. We melded into the congested foot traffic and immediately relief washed through me.

A few blocks down a park rested on both sides of the road, meaning I didn't even need to check over my shoulder.

I could feel her release a breath she held, relaxing to ingest the sights. We both tucked our chins down, stealing glances at the opulent sights.

The glamor of the street shone bright and glamorized Kerxon in a way I never expected. The dazzling dresses sparkled in the streetlamps and the refined suits of the males were magnificent.

A man sold papers from the corner, pausing his shouting to check his pocket watch. When he could feel me inspecting him, I shifted my gaze to the gritty sidewalk. His orange tail with white tip swished happily, and I could feel his lingering gaze settling on Jessica.

A bar room door opened and out stumbled a demon with fire red eyes, two short horns, and wings. He cursed at the bouncer who tossed him out before taking flight. Watching a man fly away, even a demon man, left us in awe.

I tugged on Jessica’s hand, keeping her focused. Every human we passed kept their heads down while the six main species stood strong and proud. Well, five species. The angelic were missing.

The streets didn’t have lights to control traffic or pedestrians - which was where most of the people were walking - and we crossed the roads without slowing. I stayed at a calm pace, listening to two foxes talking about kid problems.

They were ecstatic to finally have their slave back after a childbirth. Now they could go back out and the stupid thing was warned to keep her legs closed. She even had the audacity to birth a female human.

The fox couple shifted away from the park. We crossed the final street, bee-lined it right onto a trail, and when I heard water, I led us down an unbeaten path.

Right in the middle, between the water and the trail, I hunkered down in a thick set of bushes. My adrenaline pumped my heart so hard, it slammed against my chest. Jessica crawled into my lap and nuzzled into me.

“I loved the city. It truly is something out of an urban fantasy. However, the humans are scum here,” she whispered. “It's so awful.”

“I always had this notion that humans suppressed the paranormal, but the reality is, it's backwards.” I sighed, rubbing her back. “You did great,” I said.

“He had a tail. He had a tail. He had a tail. I couldn’t stop staring. He had a tail.”

I rocked her gently, shushing her. Time melded and she held me tight. Occasionally we could hear people walking by, spooking us enough that we went rigid and motionless.

When a good chunk of time passed, and nature enveloped us, Jessica shifted.

“Thanks,” Jessica said, running a hand down my face and kissing me gingerly. “You saved my life. I would have hidden behind the box and froze when the cop arrived.”

“I’d be in your truck if it wasn’t you,” I said with a grin.

She slowly shook her head with a quiet giggle. “You have a fair point. Hey, how do you think they understood us?”

“There’s magic at play here. It may not be fireballs and dragons, but you don’t go from Earth to Kerxon without -” the emblem flared in my pocket. “Earth, Earth, Earth, Earth, Earth, Earth.”

A portal opened up below us, and a few seconds later, we left Kerxon.

Chapter 6

NEW YORK CITY, NEW YORK

A bright light flared, forcing me to slam my eyes closed. When they opened, we were in the parking garage, standing behind a noticeably confused father.

“Where the hell did you two take off to?” Steve said in dismay. “And how did you sneak up on me?”

He hovered over our bags with a noticeable jitter.

“Dad, what are you doing here?” Jessica asked, folding her arms.

“You never triggered the gate exit. I figured Blue was having trouble starting. I came down since your mom mentioned Corbin knows nothing about vehicles. Funny thing is, Blue started up, your bags were abandoned, and security lost sight of you,” Steve said, looking like he was ready to punch me.

I held up my hands defensively. “She started the kissing, and it didn’t go further than that.”

“It’s Marvin, not Corbin, dad. We found a quiet spot, allowing me to steal kisses before the long trip. Our bags are safe, the property is guarded, and you’ve embarrassed me,” Jessica said.

He pinched the bridge of his nose. I think he realized he became caught in a daughter’s scorn that would lead to a mother’s anger as well.

“I worry. I worry a lot. Really struggling here pumpkin,” Steve said.

I remained stoic, staying out of it. Jessica stomped away from me, waving her dad over angrily.

“Uh, sorry,” I said. “Cross my heart, we only kissed.”

“Eh, sorry as well. Have a safe trip. I’m going to get my scolding,” he said, slapping me on the shoulder. “Coming darling. Pumpkin slipped out. I blame the news.”

I picked up our bags, heading to a blue truck with enough personality to earn a name and have problems starting. The thirty-year-old truck had a single bench seat, dents, nicks, and scratches.

After waiting near the hood for five minutes, I grew bored. I checked my phone: it worked, nothing had changed, and I had no messages. When I checked my bank account, almost four hundred thousand dollars showed - the highest it had ever been.

I smirked, quickly closing the banking app when Jessica returned.

“You still wanna go?” Jessica asked.

I raised a single eyebrow and said, “You look like you lost weight.”

“And you’re shorter. Interesting. I’m freaking out a bit, but either I lose my shit and scream into a pillow, or my month of plotting is put into action,” Jessica said with a frustrated sigh.

“Plotting?”

“Oh, did that slip out? Yeah, Marvin, plotting. This was your big chance. I had about a dozen things lined up to convince you tomorrow if you didn’t say yes last night.”

I smiled, kissing her forehead when she hugged me. I could tell she was processing our short adventure.

She asked, “Are you okay?”

“Yeah, I miss being taller and stronger, whatever that was. How are you?”

“I think I can drive. I mean, this is the defining moment of my life. Do I flee, or do I brave the storm? I even told dad we might stay a few extra nights and he asked me if I were sure. I told him you were taking me dress shopping, as in gowns. That shut him right up,” Jessica said, walking away to get into the truck.

She popped her door open and stretched across to unlock the other side. She was right. What made a man was what he did when a storm comes. For years, I kept my head down, and today, everything was testing me.

I tossed our bags in the bed, entered the truck, slammed the door to shut it properly before buckling up, and sealed my fate for a nice vacation at the very least. Blue rumbled to life, and she drove us toward the exit. I waved to Steve with a concerned Margaret now at this side.

“They really love you,” I said.

“I’m awesome,” she said, swiping a key card to raise the metal gate. “He totally thinks we screwed in the stairwell.”

“We’d have reeked,” I said.

“Yeah, well, babe…” She giggled. “Sex makes more sense than traveling to a different planet.” She parted the clog of pedestrians with a slow departure.

The moment we were on the road and heading toward Pennsylvania, she sighed. “He noticed my hair was a mess, which it is, but enough about that. Tell me everything you can about the shifter.”

I said everything I could three times. When I finished, we still hadn’t left the stop and go traffic of the city.

“Okay. There’s a shadowy bad guy that pretended to be a deity. Maybe an alien wizard. Or maybe a god, but I doubt it. Why connect the two planets so - so - minimally?” Jessica asked, finding the word she wanted.

“Are we spit balling or…?”

“Best guess.”

“Brutal wars tend to only get worse. Maybe a genocide or extinction type event was coming. The minimal part is simple, to me at least. If everyone wants six medallions, they’re focusing on that. Plus, the humans probably sated pack behaviors. Every alpha male could have a beta male and three females,” I guessed.

“They needed the servant species to find stability. I can buy that. Based on what you said, the champion competition stopped, and powerful lords own the medallions.”

We shifted lanes in traffic, joining a long line of cars trying to get onto a divergent road.

“We will need a local to find a lot of these answers, but yes. I feel like the medallions had homes they were meant to be protected in,” I mentioned. “You’re great at driving.”

“Blue is the best. We saw pimps, strip clubs, bars, general shops, and limited technology. To top it all off, pure humans are a fodder species, likely only useful until they are killed for not being useful. We couldn’t save them if we wanted to because their ancestors willingly went to the slaughter, and I bet all of them have Stockholm,” Jessica said.

I adjusted the radio to a low volume classical. “I think I have some big decisions to make. Let’s start with an assumption. The six medallions have become treasures. As in, no one wants to travel to Earth, risk an agent dying, and lose the emblem to humanity. The government may reward me for this emblem.”

She frowned, processing this statement. “Or the risk is worth the reward. The government makes sense once you're rich. Expecting them to make you rich is a fallacy. Somehow, I doubt the guy at the CIA who handles these things has a hundred million discretionary fund to dump into your bank account,” Jessica said with a snicker.

She merged onto a packed freeway that led to a bridge. The traffic trickled just a bit faster, still way too slow for my liking.

Jessica’s thumbs danced on the steering wheel, and she huffed a loose strand out of her eye. I couldn’t help but admire her beauty, the type of gal mom would have loved. She blushed, seeing my gaze.

“A few trips to Kerxon, and you’re set for life. Get a big retirement amount and stash even more. Okay, more than a few trips, but you get the point,” Jessica said. “My point is, wait until you give the government the emblem. Once they lock it in a vault, the bad guys have to break into that secured facility - instead of where you sleep.”

“Uh, hmm…” I grew conflicted. “Before we plot further, I guess I need to figure out where you stand on things. I want to date you. I should have asked you out months ago, instead letting our friendship grow naturally. I kept you at arm’s length because of my hectic life. I do and I don’t have time for you now,” I told her directly.

She smiled tersely, confliction evident on her face.

“I want to be your girlfriend,” she said, surprising me with her bluntness. “I’ve tried the bad boys, but I hated the deception and drama. I crave a strong, commanding, and honest man. You know, the kind like parking spaces.”

“Huh?”

“All the good ones are taken,” she said with a soft giggle.

I stared out the window, wanting to get this next part right. “I would happily make you my girlfriend. You’re funny, witty, make me smile, and are a wholesome woman I could see settling down with. Notice, I didn’t mention your supple curves are as delicious as your runner’s butt until I complimented your personality first,” I said.

“We’d make cute babies,” she said and instantly winced. “That slipped out.”

I reached over and patted her thigh in friendly support. “Talk about embarrassing. You send me to an alien planet then mention babies on a first date. Some men would leap out of this moving truck.”

“Har, har. You’re such a nerd at times. A buff and handsome nerd, almost as cute as Ryan, way hotter than that Jackman fellow. Poor Hugh won the sexiest man alive out of pity. He’s cute, but not that cute. The point stands,” she sassed playfully, “with my dashing good looks and a sprinkle of your handsomeness, we’ll make cute babies.”

I laughed with her silliness. Over the months, she excelled at going from serious to goofy to keep a conversation from nosediving.

“Never drop the moxie, Jessica. With all this said, I’m conflicted. The last thing I need on my conscience is to ruin your life. If you stick with me, and we go to Kerxon, I’d rip you from your comfy family to join me on a whirlwind adventure. You have school and work on Tuesday. That is just the tip of the issues,” I said, and her head turned.

She eyed me with a mischievous grin. “Just the tip, but you were so big!”

“Hmm... Not sure if I should be offended or not,” I said. “All playful banter aside, I saw humans in nice suits and gowns, as if they had a smidge of status. Pretending to have status is probably better than being a runaway servant.”

“You’re losing me on your point. You gave me compliments, then left me hanging,” Jessica said.

“It’s a Saturday on a holiday weekend. If I want to get a custom suit made without elastics, it’ll probably cost me a few thousand dollars. Or I can wait until Tuesday. I need to get silver and gold small bars.

“Buying at a pawn shop on the weekend will leave me spending more than I need to. If we do our research, and wait for businesses to open their doors, I may save tens of thousands. Or some may be open on the weekend. Basically, I need to get this right and that requires research,” I said with a frustrated huff.

The truck picked up speed and we entered a decent flow for once. Blue ejected additional air conditioning and I basked in the cool gusts.

“I think I understand where you’re going with this. You can drop everything to adventure on Kerxon. I can’t,” Jessica said.

“Yeah, I should still call all my bosses and start plotting, but I need to figure out if I want to use my apartment as a base, or somewhere else. Do I want a fixer upper in Scranton, or do I want a luxury hotel for a few months before I buy a yacht? How do I keep you safe when I feel like a mouse myself?” I admitted.

“Okay, how about this? We extend the vacation until next Monday. If we get fired, we get fired. It’s not like server jobs are in short supply. School won’t care, and we can invite my parents to visit us to alleviate their fears,” Jessica suggested.

I tapped my foot on the floorboard, thinking it over. I’d owe the phone calls to my bosses now to tell them I was taking more time off. That way the managers could adjust. I also couldn’t help but wonder if I had dragged Terrell into this.

Was I going to be rich alone? I couldn’t hide this from him. He’d also want to just rob Kerxon because who cared if they lost some gems, or we busted some noses. I knew him well enough to know how he’d react - aggressively.

“We could rob buildings once the cooldown is overusing weapons like that officer said. Come home at the end,” I said, thinking out loud. “Which… if I go that route, I need to tell a whole lot of people. Terrell would keep it quiet, the others, maybe.”

“And my parents couldn’t be invited. I didn’t think you had it in you to do a Bonnie and Clyde criminal spree,” Jessica said with a snort. “Jessica and Marvin, coincidence, I hope so. I’d be all for being as wily as a fox but bashing down doors like a bear might be a bit much.”

“I see what you did there… I told you that you were witty.” I smirked, and she passed a big rig like a pro. “You sure do handle, Blue.”

“Ugh, you’re my boy, Blue… I heard that line a thousand times. Can I be honest with you?” Jessica asked.

“Of course.”

“What if I just want a bunch of money myself? Say we don’t work out. This could be my big break too, assuming we find a way to not get in trouble with taxes,” she said.

“And this goes back to our problem. We could be at this for months. Buying a plot of land known for mining and discovering gems on our site would be the ideal cover, but I honestly don’t know. I’d need to figure it out,” I said.

“And my share?”

“I’m not here to rob you, Jessica. We’ll figure out something fair, but no promises. I might just sell the emblem to big brother,” I said with a hint of anger. “I’m not mad at you. The situation… there's no clear path forward. I want to roar out my anger. My whole life has been cut and dry.

“Graduate high school, make it through college, and finally get a good job. Save up, work your ass off, and stop working once you have your money working for you. The entire rat race is destroyed by saving money and earning the most money you can. And now, I… I just don’t know. I guess I’m still adjusting,” I said.

“You and me both. How about we enjoy the drive and refocus on this once we get there?” Jessica said.

I leaned my head against the glass and let my mind drift through the thoughts of what to do.

Chapter 7

SCRANTON, PENNSYLVANIA

I didn’t twiddle my thumbs during our silent drive. I called three angry managers, and to my shock - Peter fired me. Of the three, I expected him to be the most understanding, but his emotions got the better of him.

This kinda hit me hard. Two years, two stinking years I had worked at Joe’s Diner. I never called off, always arrived early, and customers loved me. The friendly conversations went poof, vanishing in a minute from a phone call. I was dead to him, and he’d mail me my final check.

Instead of moping and trying to vindicate my side of the story to Jessica, I searched the internet on all things Kerxon. The first result, Kerxon Mining Minerals & Exchange, was a dead giveaway.

Clearly Toran had arrived on Earth with some magic applied to his appearance. This led me to believe the other medallions were being used to exploit Earth even to this day. Maybe they no longer stole humans, but for technology, metals, and resources, it seemed likely.

The company didn’t disclose much more than the fact it was in South Africa, the home of diamond mining. It was a legit cover to me. The downside was that I had zero desire to move to South Africa. The idea of starting a company, leaving a proxy in charge, and cashing in through taxable payments didn’t seem right.

I searched for local gem mining and found Bushkill Falls, Pennsylvania. The spot was a known area between the New York City and Scranton that offered a rare chance to find illustrious rocks. I found a dozen prospective land lots to buy within my price range. Most of the offerings were likely malarkey, a bogus spiel to sell homes in the hope a sucker would pay more without ever finding gems.

The discovery was a bit of a shocker, mainly because I figured I’d have to go somewhere like the Dakotas or Wyoming. I never could spell that name right, and more importantly, I didn’t want to live there. I was certain the people were nice, but I wanted to stay next to the New York City.

My continued research hit a halt when the GPS on Jessica’s phone said, “You have arrived.”

The brakes squeaked, and I pressed my face to the glass to glance up at the estate. We stopped on the side of an old mansion that had been beautifully restored. A wrap around balcony held intricate columns and comfy looking rocking chairs.

“Uh, where are we?” I asked.

“This was the surprise. I booked the third suite. It's a bit romantic, but it is also the price of the other hotels. We can’t go clubbing and bring a couple home with us, but I don’t think that’s your style,” Jessica said with a tease.

“I knew the innocent thing was a cover.” She bounced her eyebrows. “This is a what, a bed and breakfast mansion?” I asked in a perplexed fashion. I caught on that she was nervous. “It’s fabulous. I’d love to own something like this and update it. The perfect getaway. Absolutely fantastic.”

“The Frederick Stegmaier Mansion is a treasure. We will need to find another place after Monday because it's booked in advance, and I kept calling to see if someone canceled. They finally said I could have the third floor, but we mustn’t disturb the other guest under any circumstances,” Jessica said using a proper British tone at the end.

“It’s even got Wi-Fi. Well… how about we drive through downtown. There’s a tailor that’s open, specializes in alterations and fantastical creations. Sounds like a good place to start,” I said.

“You don’t want to check in?” Jessica said, clearly wanting to explore the premises. “Oh, there’s a wedding photographer. It all makes sense now why she caved. We’re crashing a wedding event. Awe man, the manager must have asked and gotten approval - hence the warning. Alright, we will come back after they’re liquored up and we can sneak up the staircase. Where to?”

“The tailor sounds great,” I said.

Ten minutes later, we pulled into a tailoring shop meant for weddings. When the truck shifted into park, Jessica unbuckled to face me directly.

The beauty put on her stern face and said, “I want in. Worst case, I miss a semester. This is probably my only chance to become a rich teacher. I love kids. I love the idea of teaching them. I don’t want a one-bedroom apartment with no doorman. With enough money, I can build a private school and make it free or whatever. The options become unlimited.”

“Okay,” I said.

“Just like that?”

I nodded at her and explained everything I had discovered about using the local area of Bushkill as a cover.

She listened intently then asked, “Where do we stay in the meantime? And are you going to buy land?”

“Land and a camper to start, I guess. Most of the houses with the land are out of our price range. This way I can sell the camper at a loss, and we have an excuse for finding gems on random land. If I had more money, I’d just buy a mansion, but we gotta start somewhere,” I said.

“The hotels around here are pretty old. Some of the RVs are super nice now, too,” Jessica said. “How much do you have?”

“Four hundred thousand,” I said, and she gasped. “For a fleeting moment it held millions, and then poof. Gone to the IRS or off to Toran.”

“We need to create a story for that,” Jessica said.

I smirked. “Yeah, I checked the laws, followed the rules, and most importantly, paid the taxes. The jewelry shop had a lawyer present too, helping me straighten out the paperwork. Basically, I gave advice to someone who was gem mining, and he paid me handsomely. I paid my taxes and foolishly invested in crypto. Which, I shit you not, I wasn’t expecting this area to have gems. So, it only helps my excuse because here we are.”

“And you want to do this? With me, I mean,” Jessica said.

“Yes and no. Yes, I want to keep you around. No, I don’t want you getting hurt. I guess I’m like your dad in that regard, feeling like you’re a princess instead of a queen,” I admitted with a rub on the back of my neck. “Sorry, not sorry. I don’t want to see you become a slave to a shifter.”

“Then we better get our cover down to the T and I have to give dad back Blue. That means RV instead of a fifth wheeler and a campground. Or a truck and a trailer,” Jessica said.

“Or I loan you money for a truck and I buy the trailer. If we -”

My phone rang, it was a call from Terrell.

I answered, “How ya feeling?” expecting him to be hungover.

“Like I just got beat up by a hundred-pound woman that is quicker than humanly possible,” Terrell said with a cough.

I stuck him on speaker.

“Well, Terrell, this isn’t rocket science. Ask before you grab her ass,” I told him with a snicker.

“No, you dumb shit. She was in your apartment. I stopped by after work to make sure you actually went to Syracuse on the train. Imagine my surprise when a kick boxer beats the shit out of me,” Terrell said with a grunt. You could hear his pain. “She took off, mentioning how shitty of an actor Ryan is. That bitch, she clearly didn’t watch R.I.P.D.”

I slammed a hand over Jessica’s mouth and stuck a finger over my lips. I knew Terrell and his tells. He was scared. Like terrified. A shifter probably kicked his ass and was standing over him trying to extract information. Deep down, I knew I might be going to his funeral if I didn’t think of something witty.

“That’s a cult classic for how terrible it was. And yikes, lock... the... - up, and I’ll call - cops when I get home depending - what I - missing. Sorry - had - deal - this. What can - do to - it - you?” I asked, pretending to break up.

“This building and its damn reception. Where are you staying? And did that girl Vanessa join you?”

“Nope,” I lied.

“I was thinking of coming to join you,” Terrell said.

“Hey, - phone - up, stupid - concrete. Head outside - call - back,” I said and hung up the phone.

I had to hope it worked. He called back right away. I didn’t answer, instead having Jessica look up hotels in Syracuse. Eventually, a few minutes passed, and he called again.

When I answered, I could hear the exterior traffic, giving me hope that he convinced his assailant to let him go outside.

“Hey, I hear the traffic, are you okay?” I asked.

“Just a bruised ego, probably best to get out of town. Where are you staying in Syracuse?”

“Hotel Skyler, but it’s a romantic getaway. There’s a girl I’ve been talking to who lives up here. I came into some money recently. Like just today. Which worries me that you were assaulted. Anyway, I’m not sure if you can afford this hotel. Sorry bro, not trying to be rude,” I said.

He adjusted quickly. “There’s some cheaper places. Hey last question, what room number?”

“One, one, seven. But I’m waiting to see if a penthouse suite cancels so I may go to the top floor, which is the fourth floor,” I lied.

“Awesome, I’m getting on the train here before dark, see you tonight,” he said and hung up the phone.

Jessica let out a whistle. “Maybe we need to get further from the city.”

“Yeah. We have birth certificates, ID’s, cash, and the ability to get around. If I were to guess, the assassins are given six portals to arrive on Earth. After that they must make their own way. Just like we would have to blend in to travel far on Kerxon. If we go to Wemoning, we could -”

“Wyoming,” she corrected.

“Ugh, the point remains. It could be ten agents brought through,” I said.

“Yeah, they don’t have to go home. They could drop a hundred soldiers every month or whatever. However, I do wonder if eventually it releases the shifter suppression magic,” Jessica guessed.

I wagged a finger at this. “Toran seemed to be struggling. I’m feeling a bit out of my element here. I’m seriously considering leaving this area and this dump of a town even if it does have a good cover.”

“I bet she broke Terrell’s phone too. There’s so much we don’t know, and there’s so much they don’t know. Someone must have connected you to Toran at the diner. I doubt you had a tail to my place, and we left at a random time. I watched my rearview to see if dad was following me in mom’s car, and no one turned with us repeatedly,” Jessica said.

“I know you just said you were in, but this is your chance out. Shit just got real and dangerous. They want the emblem, as expected,” I said.

“I’m in, but how about we start with outfits. I have no idea what it takes to get a gun, but I’d like one,” Jessica said.

“One expensive dress and suit coming right up,” I said, popping the door open. “At the very least we get to look good when we turn in the emblem.”

“Jessica and Marvin, the slave freers. Is freers a word?”

“Uh, I don’t think so,” I replied, opening the store’s door for her.

I frowned at the metal bars on the glass door and in the windows.

“Welcome to Matilda's bridal, I’m Matilda,” the store owner said, looking up from a tablet behind a counter. “How can I help you?”

Chapter 8

SCRANTON PENNSYLVANIA

“Did you happen to love the way the roaring twenties was?” Jessica asked with a twinkle in her eye. “Thinking mid-twenties with the glamour and glitz.”

Matilda rolled her wrist. “Obviously, I love fashion, so yes.”

“Authentic twenties’ outfits. No special elastics or new age synthetics. The real deal. Can you do it?” I asked.

Matilda frowned, sticking her hands on her hips. “It’s possible I could finish in a few hours if you kept it simple. A bit labor intensive, which means, not cheap.”

“A single outfit for each of us, rush order,” I said. “Spare no expense, but remember I’m not a rich old white guy with an amber cane.”

She huffed, tapping away at her tablet. “You’re lucky I don’t have weekend plans. Scranton is in a slow spiral of decay, but just because I can use the work, doesn’t mean it’ll be cheap. I do want the project, though.”

A screen behind her flickered to life. She swiped through outfits for men. The fifth one had what I wanted. A nice, collared shirt, no vest, a tie, suspenders, and bellybutton high trousers.

“This with tux shoes like those,” I said pointing to a shoe rack.

“No vest? The vest is the sexy part,” Matilda said.

I bobbed my head in thought. “The shirt needs to be bigger. Imagine I was getting a hand me down from a taller and thicker older brother.”

“Son, they don’t make men much bigger than you,” Matilda scoffed.

“Oh, but they do,” Jessica said in delight.

Matilda shot her a stare and went there with an “Ouch, you’re a dick. Far be it from me to judge.”

Jessica giggled, not getting upset in the slightest. “Mine is going to be a larger bust, loose on the hips, and an inch taller.”

“Loose fit is easy. No modern materials. I’ll include pins so you can adjust the tapering,” she said, coming around to measure us roughly. “It will speed up the process significantly. I can get the first one done in an hour or two, but more than that will need time. For you, we can do a bridesmaid dress. It won’t be an exact match to the theme but damn close.”

“Start with one on a rush. I’m going to step outside and do some research while Jessica picks out her outfit. Just let me know when it’s time to pay,” I said, receiving a kiss on the cheek as I departed.

“Careful out there. The city isn’t what it used to be,” Matilda warned.

I waved over my shoulder. “I’ll be fine. I’m a big boy.”

“Not big enough,” Matilda sniped in tandem with the chime of her door.

I shook my head with a grin, walking to a bus bench not far away. The clear plexiglass was cluttered with stickers advertising bands, carvings, and a big dick drawn on the side. You know, common stuff.

The downtown city street held a mixture of shuttered stores and buildings clinging to life. Rent here was likely cheap, meaning Matilda could operate her business. I’d pay what she asked, assuming it was reasonable. I had no problem respecting her pricing and efforts to make ends meet with honest work.

Across the empty street, a teenager used a roller to apply brick red paint, covering up graffiti. What was likely his father, watched unhappily. Cars drove by and I started to pick up on a common trend.

Scranton wasn’t a ritzy town; it was in the shitter and that was putting nicely. The man waved and Matilda was nice, so it obviously wasn’t all bad, but it had seen better days. I did a quick search on my phone, seeing that the city had soared above the state average for poverty.

A car pulled up, the brakes complaining as the old Impala stopped right in front of me. The tinted window rolled down, not the powered kind either. I sighed, wishing I had stayed inside the store.

A bandana wearing white kid in his teens glanced down at my recently upgraded phone.

“That the note eleven?” he asked bluntly.

The female driver beside him snickered.

I lied, “The seven, just has a fancy case.” I pulled off my wallet portion, jamming it into my pocket. “Nice town.”

“The best.”

I thumbed over my shoulder. “The shops need some work, but it seems like things are improving here.”

“Oh, you don’t say. Hey, there’s a bench fee, twenty dollars or a note seven,” he told me.

“You’re what, a hundred pounds soaking wet? You gonna rough me up?” I scoffed with a headshake. “I don’t have cash, I’m not going to an ATM, and I grew up on much harder streets than these.”

The driver belted out, “Oh, snap. He just made you his bitch. Damn, Jordan, you're just a punk little girl. Whatcha gonna do about it?”

She didn’t need to encourage him. I was fairly certain he had committed the moment he asked about my phone. He couldn’t outfight me, he was confident he could steal my phone, which meant a weapon was likely in play.

A few things happened in a flash, but his eyes. Those eyes gave it all away.

A primal surge coursed through my veins. The power hungered for violence, and a resonating growl escaped my chest.

He popped his door open, his left foot smacking the road. The first traces of a gun barrel were all I needed to commit.

I chucked my phone fast and hard in a horizontal throw.

The device whipped across the distance, nailing the kid in the temple and bouncing out the window to land on top of a storm drain.

He swirled before falling inside, clutching his head. The gun clattered to the stained concrete.

I lunged, securing the pistol.

“Damnit!” the driver said in panic.

The car peeled away, driving with the door open.

I stood there, panting with a burning desire to rip them both to shreds. Hell, an animalistic part of me wanted to chase the car down.

They’d deserve to be beaten down and yet, I found a measured calm. I flicked the safety on, seeing this had to be at least a thirty-year old weapon. I ejected the cartridge smoothly to see it was loaded and pulled the slide back, popping out a chambered round to add to the top.

“Loaded with hollow points. How quaint. Probably a murder weapon,” I said unhappily.

After I ensured the weapon was ready to be put away, I jammed into the back of my pants, and plucked my phone off the grate before I sat back down.

I wasn’t a veteran or some navy seal, but I grew up in New York City. I knew how to handle a pistol, mostly thanks to Terrell’s brothers who were veterans. I could own one if I wanted, but I didn’t want to - until now.

I sat there confused as to what to do next. It had happened so fast, my heart still pounded, and my anger reigned supreme. Even the dad who watched his kid fix graffiti didn’t realize what had transpired because it had ended so quickly.

I stared down at my shirt and noticed my increased size had ruined the garment.

“Well now, this is interesting. The anger. The power of the anger. I… minimally shifted. Not good, but exhilarating at the same time. Best to get off the street before they come back and do a drive by,” I said, hurrying into Matilda’s shop.

When I entered, both ladies flipped through dresses on the big screen. Dazzling reds splashed against sleek black designs. They turned to face me, hearing the door’s chime.

“By God! Your eyes, they’re glowing golden,” Matilda said.

Jessica snickered. “Told you he grew bigger. It’s part of our act. He’s just testing to see if it worked.”

“Yup, now I understand the loose fitting. I really like those eye contacts, but they’re spooky,” Matilda said with a slight concern.

I controlled my breathing. “I’m going to need to put on new clothes. Apparently, I’m able to do this better than I thought.”

“How is it done?” Matilda asked.

I smirked. “Where’s the fun in magic if you reveal the secrets. Perfectly executed trickery should be a guarded secret. Excuse my frightening appearance.”

Jessica glanced at herself in a mirror, frowning that she hadn’t changed.

I turned to a nearby mirror, seeing my blonde hair standing like a mane. My eyes blazed yellow, my muscles bulged, but other than that, I was still me. No fur, no claws, no tail, and I wasn’t one of the six species based on Toran’s descriptions.

I excused myself to the bathroom where I calmed. My size slowly decreased as my rage simmered. A knock on the door preceded a slow opening.

“You okay?” Jessica asked, bringing my bag.

I stripped, fished out new shorts and a fresh shirt, and changed. “I… No, I’m not okay. The emblem is changing me, and I have a gun now. Scranton sucks, no offense to the nice people who live here, but how about we catch a plane out of here.”

“A plane?”

“Yeah. We grab our outfits and head to somewhere less murdery. I want to be left alone if I’m going to be shifting. If anger causes me to shift, best to avoid conflict. It’s gone from me worrying about being hunted, to worrying about what happens when I become a hunter,” I said.

“Oh,” she replied, not sure what else to say. I stuffed the pistol into the bag, zipping it up. Jessica gently stuck a hand on my shoulder. “This is all my fault.”

“I would have tested the emblem for giggles, Jessica. Everyone looked in the mirror to test fate by saying ‘Bloody Mary’. It’s not your fault, but I’m freaking out a bit and now I have a gun to dispose of,” I said.

“Huh? What happened?”

She still hadn’t seen the weapon. I explained everything to her about what happened on the street. Her answer was to call her dad.

“Uh, dad. Why don’t you take mom to Scranton? Enjoy our room. We tried to go shopping and got mugged. They didn’t get anything, but we decided to leave here for somewhere more hospitable.” She paused as her dad talked. “I don’t know.”

I kissed her forehead while she talked, and she slid her freehand into mine.

“We’ll decide at the airport and the truck will be parked there. Yes dad, I’m sure. Yes dad, we’re safe. Ha, I understand that you told me Scranton had gone downhill. You were right, I was wrong. We are going somewhere safer, and I’ll keep in touch,” Jessica said, hanging up the phone.

“Seemed understanding,” I said.

“He busted my balls for weeks about how shitty this town was. I’ll be texting my mom for hours, so it's not that simple,” she replied.

“What’s the deal with Matilda?” I asked. “What did you tell her?”

“Oh, she seemed to be placated by what you bullshitted. I tipped her to keep her quiet and she said because she wanted us gone, she’d hurry up. We just need to kill an hour or two and I think we should stay in here until she is done. I doubt they pegged you to Blue or this store. On the way to the airport, we’ll get some bleach or whatever and wipe the gun, ditching it in a bush,” Jessica said.

“Jesus, this is nuts,” I said, tilting my head back in frustration.

“Come on, we need to get out of here before she thinks we’re having sex. Time to see where the nearest airport is and what flights we can catch next to a mining area,” Jessica said.

“And so the adventure continues,” I said, pulling her in for a passionate kiss.

∞∞∞

"This feels a little naughtier than I expected, sneaking off to a motel room without anyone knowing. Matilda's prediction about us bumping uglies might have been more in the money than she might have guessed," Jessica said as I dropped our bags just inside the door of our room.

"I didn't think you would mind after your performance in the parking garage," I said as I stripped out of my shirt and dropped it next to our bags. I didn't miss her appraising look that shifted to my similarly destroyed jeans.

"Hmm? What did you say I was distracted by something tasty," Jessica said salaciously as I saw her undressing me with her eyes. Doing the same as she dropped her purse on the table next to the bed, I didn't let my gaze waver as she looked over her shoulder at me.

I felt a primal urge from the attempted mugging rise to the surface of my mind as I imagined how it would feel to take her from behind. I tried to shake off the strong desire as she bent over to check if there was anything to drink, but the impulse remained despite my attempt to control it.

"Are you ok? Your eyes are flickering a little, are you still angry from earlier?" Jessica asked.

"No, not angry, just want you in the worst way right now. Like bend you over and take you, want," I said as I began to smell her scent.

I tried to shake off the strong desire to follow through on my words, and almost missed her eyes flickering a golden hue. She seductively sauntered to within inches from me and rose on her tippy toes to whisper into my ear.

"That sounds so gooood to me right now too strangely. I wouldn't mind your big cock in me. The pulsing of your cumming cock filling me!"

I felt my body beginning to shake with my swiftly rising need as she let out a soft growl after her examination.

I knew my reason wasn't going to last much longer, and I wished we had grabbed some condoms on our way here as she ground our pelvises together. As she tore off my pants, I thought we were going to have a re-enactment of our garage tryst. I was surprised as she leaped into my arms after quickly shimming out of her sundress.

"Fuck I need you so bad right now, babe. Fuck, Marvin, it feels like I am burning up," I dimly heard her almost panicked plea as I held us both up with my back against the room door. I held on to the last thread of my reason as the drenched lips of her pussy slid along the top of my cock.

"We need to calm down, if we keep going you could get pregnant."

When my eyes opened to look down on her I saw her bright golden eyes staring at me hungrily. She bit her lip, controlled her hips with a growing grin, and slid her sopping sex along the top of my shaft.

I felt the back of my head hit the door as she used her legs around my waist to lift enough to sheath my cock into her tight slit. My hands moved of their own accord to the softness of her ass as she began to lift and lower herself on my rock-hard erection.

Time melded as passion ensued and we rotated from the door, to the bed, to the floor. She belted out an orgasm while I pounded her little pussy with a savageness I didn’t realize I had.

"Fuck Marvin, I shouldn't be coming so quickly, but it feels so fucking good. What is going on with me?" Jessica asked before she moaned her second orgasm into my neck.

As I used both my hands and hips to fuck myself into her spasming pussy, I felt her almost insignificant weight grow heavier in my arms as she shifted partially. Her thrusts down on my cock accompanying the pumps of my hips became frenzied.

Her teeth dug into my neck as another, stronger, orgasm overtook her.

An instinctual need to dominate my intense girlfriend came over me. I threw her off of me and onto the bed across the room with a growl.

I stalked toward her with my dripping cock leading me. She propped herself up on her elbow with a pouting purr. Grabbing her by her hair, I spun her around to her stomach on the bed before roughly sheathing myself in her once more.

Taking Jessica with barely restrained thrusts into her moistening pussy, I heard her moans and growls of pleasure. The loud smacking of my hips against her ass echoed, giving me incentive to wake the neighbors.

"Fuck babe, I'm coming all over that big... thick... cock. Don't stop, don't you dare fucking stop, fuck!!!" I listened to Jessica's screams of savage bliss as I growled out my own as the delicious drag of her walls against my cock drew my impending orgasm closer.

"Fucking shit, Jessica I am fucking going to cum in this tight fucking pussy," I growled out as my balls began to tense before my release.

"Yes, babe fucking fill me with your cum. Fuck your cubs into me!" Jessica almost roared out her release.

Her walls clenched around my swelling shaft killing my willpower. The intense need to breed her overwhelmed me with the first pulse of my cum leaving my cock.

Growling savagely, my cock exploded into her, setting off another massive orgasm for Jessica as well. I felt my slowly ebbing need return with a vengeance.

"Fuck that was great, amazing, the best sex ever, but can you... fuck I hope we aren't going to be late for our flight," Jessica said with excitement as my cock softened in her cum soaked pussy. “I want to lick a pussy while you fuck me next time.”

The softening suddenly stopped. Clearly my penis liked hearing what she was offering.

“A threesome?”

“Yes. I don’t know what is going on, Marvin, but we clearly are changing. I desire a female mate to help hunt with. Someone to help protect us. And I’ve always wanted to have some toe curling threesome or foursome sex.”

“A harem?”

My cock went rigid again. The idea of fucking a harem of women never seemed fun. No toilet paper, endless clogged drains, and it’d take an hour to ever get out the door. But the bedroom fun and now this primal instinct in me thrived for it.

“Yeah, but I see you’re ready for more. Put a baby in me, my alpha. Fill me all over again, you sexy man,” Jessica said, scooting up the bed on her back.

Her large tits threatened to smack her in the face and I found myself more than ready for round two. The prospect of flat stomach swelling with my child hardened me almost painfully.

I was fully held in the grips of whatever my shift had done to me and I liked it. I had more than enough money to ensure our future together, and as I began thrusting into her once again the sight of her heavy breasts rippling with the power of my strokes pulled a pleased growl from me.

I felt... right. The changes in my body were more than welcome. With more money than I could have imagined waiting for me to exploit Kerxon, I would gladly fill my moaning and screaming girlfriend with as many of my cubs as I could.

∞∞∞

Jessica cat napped on me, causing me to smile as she twitched in her sleep. We had fucked ourselves into exhaustion.

I chuckled lightly as I remembered how much she had liked the rougher parts of the sex, ending up in our current position with her asleep on top of me.

"I think I need more people with us, intimately that is," Jessica said sleepily as my movement woke her from her nap.

Apparently the harem talk wasn’t finished. The heat of the moment transitioned to rational conversation. Or so it seemed to me anyway. Giving her my full attention, the idea of more women in our bed resulted in me grinning like the lucky man I was.

"I don't know if it is the change or the fact you fucked me to the moon, but I don't mind that other women might get what I just thoroughly enjoyed," Jessica said with a playful shimmy so her supple breasts slid against my side.

Giving the prospect a little more thought, she pulled my head to fully face her with a firm hand.

"You will get to fuck them only after I ok them to join our family," Jessica said as she held my eyes with hers that we're beginning to grow golden. I stopped my unspoken words in their tracks as I put some thought into her statement.

"Oh, we are a family now?" I asked as I gripped her soft ass while wagging my eyebrows at her. I didn't mind having Jessica as mine forever, our family might already be growing inside of her as we talked.

"Yes, a family, white picket fences and all. Is that ok with you stud?" Jessica asked before burrowing her face into my chest hair.

I enjoyed the sight and somehow I knew she was marking me as her own, to share if she chose.

"I will agree to that if I have a say also, understood?" I gave her a hard glare that she returned until I began stroking myself into her wet pussy once more.

I watched as her eyes became unfocused after looking at the clock next to the disheveled mess we had made of the bed.

"We have more than enough time Jess, a good twenty minutes of pleasure before we have to return to the real world," I said before I rolled her to her back.

I saw by her blissed-out expression that she wasn't going to object as she began to moan in pleasure.

I knew the danger we would be stepping back into would be worth it. If I could add to the family we created - along with the mountains of money to be made - then I wouldn't complain one bit.

Chapter 9

DENVER COLORADO

“Yer smart, kid,” the man with the handlebar mustache said.

We sat at an airport diner outside of security. It was almost noon on a Sunday. After jumping two flights to arrive in Denver, Colorado, we finally finished the airport shuffle.

We slept in an airport hotel in Atlanta last night, catching the early flight to Denver. And by sleep, I meant that we had copious amounts of sex followed by a hard crashing from stress and exhaustion.

Before we even arrived, I knew Denver was the right choice. Infinite gem mining nearby would give a great cover, it put us well away from New York City, and it was a freaking city. Stay out of the bad areas and you were fine.

That didn’t mean Denver was perfect. This bustling airport with a dozen car rental stands left much to be desired because there were no rental cars apparently.

Absolutely bullshit.

I even tried U-Haul to get a moving van, figuring that was better than nothing.

Nope.

To counter this, we could uber or taxi, but we wanted to do some stuff we’d be judged for. Knowing this, I bought a damn truck, sight unseen. It had sixty thousand miles, a crew cab, and four-wheel drive. I directly deposited the twenty-seven thousand in cash and signed the line upon arriving at our airport.

I was committed. Like five years of busting my ass committed.

“I feel like I’m dumb, but you offered a fair price,” I said.

The man didn’t reply, just nodding instead. I signed the final line and Jessica held up a paper and said, “Thirty days to register it and this is the temp tag.”

“Yup. Follow me, it's a five-minute walk. Assuming that's all ya brought?” he asked, inclining his head at our carryon.

I nodded.

We followed him out to the Silverado 1500. He popped the doors open, taped up the temp onto the back window, grabbed his glasses, then dropped the keys in my palm.

“She’s fine. You’ll be able to sell her for more than ya bought her for if you’re patient. You’re lucky my son is going to medical school,” he said with a grumble.

A nice Mercedes pulled up with a woman about his age behind the wheel. He hopped in, and that was that. We watched him drive away with big smiles.

“Damn, Denver is awesome,” Jessica said, snapping photos of the truck. “Look at all this space and those glorious mountains. It’s so cool too.”

“Uh, I see an airport.”

“I was talking about the landing and when we get out of the parking garage, you’ll see beautiful mountains.”

I chuckled at our banter that bordered on married couple status. I tossed Jessica the keys, and she fired off a few texts.

“Sorry, Naomi was asking how my vacation was in Scranton. I mentioned you stopped a mugging, and, well, now I’m showing off the truck you bought me for a cross country drive home. Dad said he liked the truck and mom was impressed you booked a romantic mountain cabin,” Jessica said.

“Uh… you oversaw the hotel. So, no hotel?” I asked. She grinned mischievously. “What did you do?”

“I booked a home in Idaho Springs. It’s only an hour away from the airport according to the GPS. The small town is right beside a dozen gem mines in the area. It’s a tourist trap, super safe, and I booked a lovely home for a full month. I even convinced the owner to help as well as give a discount. Got me ten percent off,” Jessica said, unlocking the door. “This gave us a lease agreement, and she added a water bill in our name too. We’re off to get Colorado IDs.”

“Good thing you told me to bring my birth certificate and social security card. If I didn’t know any better, you had this planned,” I said, getting into the passenger side.

“You need that to buy property. Not because I planned to abduct you to Kerxon. Speaking of which, any comment on our changes during our… primal mating?”

I snickered, strapping myself into the seat. “Whoa, it has cooling seats. Oh! How awesome.”

“Men. Amazed by simple air blowing and ignoring the giant thing where I grew stronger than ever before. I picked up a mini fridge like it was a pillow,” Jessica said, driving us toward the parking garage exit. I watched intently. “I see the hunger in your eyes. Down, tiger.”

“Lion. I think I’m a lion, and you’re my lioness. I probably put six cubs in you last night,” I said, and she swatted my arm. The attendant we paid to leave the parking lot stared at her with amusement.

“Thanks!” we said in unison.

The GPS chimed directions, leading us west to go up the mountain. I kinda wanted to stay in the city, but if we were going to pretend to strike it rich mining, then a base near a mining town made a hell of a lot of sense. If we made it rich, we could always buy the home.

Jessica sang a song along with the radio, and I loved her voice. I let my thoughts drift. Yeah, when we started having sex, nothing happened, then the climax occurred – and, well, it was good we were naked.

I bulked up, and she did too. While appearing more feminine than normal, she gained strength and could even wrestle me. The lessons I learned about how rambunctious a female lioness can get when she is in the mood would never be forgotten.

The shifter thing grew on us, feeling more natural every hour that went by. We didn’t know if that was magic, or our minds accepting our fate.

Our bonding also solidified our relationship in ways I never expected. We may have said some crazy things about our future while enhanced, which left me wondering how much of that was me.

The swirling questions continued even when we reached the DMV. Jessica and I spoke in hushed tones about the what ifs. We were curious as to why we didn’t shift completely. Would we grow fur and if so, did we want fur? Did we want tails or animal ears?

On and on, our side conversations went about guessing, and it passed the time quickly. We left the DMV in under two hours with shiny new identification cards.

We had two final stops before we arrived at our vacation retreat. The Pew-Pew Emporium. The site had just opened and was a conglomerate of gun stores all operating in a mini-mall type setting.

I got to learn from a very reputable gun dealer that a 1911 was around during the twenties, but it was ahead of its time. I passed on this weapon, figuring if they were behind, I’d arrive with a dud.

The saleswoman handed me a single action revolver that was small, plain, and shot a .357. An Uberti 1890 revolver. It was a replica with a six-shot cylinder. She even had cool holsters custom built for it. The single action part sucked, meaning I had to pull back the hammer and then squeeze, but I loved the feel of the weapon in my palm.

She had a Thompson sub-machine for sale from the early twenties. I had to pass because it cost forty-five grand and was a sought after collector’s item. For fifteen hundred, I bought two revolvers, two holsters, and a whole bunch of extra ammo.

To round the trip off, I bought thin knives, hiking boots, and flashlights. The saleswoman ran a background check, we pinged as okay, and to my surprise, I walked out of the store with a firearm.

“Uh, that was easy,” Jessica said in dismay, closing her door. “Like, I super thought they’d have a problem with new IDs or the fact we weren’t military or had training.”

“Military folks aren’t perfect, just ask Terrell’s brother. But yeah, it’s not New York City, that’s for sure. You need a course and a permit, for legal guns anyway,” I said. “I think we have everything we need now besides something to trade with.”

“A single outfit to match the time period, guns in case something goes wrong, a base to explain our unique gains, and unless the emblem hunters have access to banking records, a trail even Carmen Santiago couldn’t follow,” Jessica said with a smirk.

“Alright, doll, take me to Jerry's Pawn, he said he had the right stuff,” I said, pulling out my phone. She started the truck, following the GPS. “Are you excited about going back?”

“Nervous. Exceedingly nervous. I am excited to find some answers and see how the transition handles our clothing and replicas. And my body. I’m -”

My phone rang. I had tried calling Terrell a few times, straight to messages. I called his brother, same thing. I even called his mom. I left them all messages and finally Mrs. Jensen called me back.

“How is he?” I asked.

“You know?” the woman I called mom for years said. “How?”

“I got involved in something out of this world,” I admitted.

“The witness said she broke his phone, put three bullets in his guts, and blended into the crowd who feared the shots. She missed his organs but messed him up real bad. Tarshawn is chasing down leads, but I told him to let the police handle it,” Mrs. Jensen said with concern.

I heaved out a sad sigh, concerned for my friend. “And his odds?”

“That’s the thing, he’ll be fine. As fine as any man can be for getting shot three times. She missed his organs. Terrell, before he went under, was rambling about how she mentioned he was being taken out of the equation, but she was sorry. She apologized to him,” Mrs. Jensen said.

“I can believe it. Not everyone is a mindless killer, sometimes they’re just doing a job.”

“The police wanted to know about you. He was at your building after all. Don’t be surprised if they track your phone. We said you were in Syracuse, wherever you are, be safe,” Mrs. Jensen said.

I bounced my leg, watched the lovely Denver street slowly pass by because of traffic. Dog walkers, couples pushing their babies, and joggers on Sunday afternoon caused me to pause.

“You there, son?” she asked.

“Thinking. Terrell should be safe now. It’s me they want. Give the officer you talked to my number, and I’ll tell him I’m on a whirlwind vacation. Someone probably overheard me telling my bosses I was staying out of town,” I said.

“And they broke into your place, Terrell saw them, they shot him. Robbery gone bad. They find the girl, and the case is closed. She didn’t care that she was being recorded. The security cameras caught a good glimpse of her. She seemed off, like an animal with her sneering snarls, but the odd thing was, there was no one there for the crazy bitch to make those faces to,” Mrs. Jensen said.

“Be strong, you're his rock. If you need a hotel near the hospital let me know, it’s yours. I know that hip bugs you,” I said.

“You’re a good man, Marvin. That doesn’t mean a hotel will make up for one boy going hunting and the other in the hospital. I want answers,” she said, putting her foot down.

“Not over the phone, but yes. I never lie to you,” I said, knowing that was mostly true. “Well, besides when we stole your car. But I promised I’d lie. That one was a pretty pickle.”

“It seems that you keep getting into those. Stay safe, I want to hear what the cause of all this is,” Mrs. Jensen said.

“Power, money, and… something bad that I hope to exploit,” I said, giving her enough.

She hung up the phone and I stared out the window until it was time to change some tip money for silver and gold slats. I’d be going back to Kerxon soon, and hopefully I could make a difference and get some answers.

Chapter 10

IDAHO SPRINGS COLORADO

“Kerxon, Kerxon, Kerxon,” Jessica started.

I continued, “Kerxon, Kerxon, Kerxon.” The emblem grew hot, the runes flaring golden with a spurt of power. The flare reached a crescendo before cooling. We waited a good minute or two before calling it. “Fail number three.”

“Alright, it has to be one person. We tried in the shower, in the middle of the living room, and now out in a clearing in the backyard,” Jessica said.

“At least the outfits help with the summer heat,” I said, smiling down on her. “You had a point, Colorado really is beautiful.”

“Can you believe this house. It has a flipping creek and a bridge to get to the front door. I thought it was some bullshit advertising gimmick, nope. There’s even fish in it and I so badly wanna try to catch them with my bare hands,” Jessica said, faking trying to catch imaginary fish in the air.

Those hands rotated toward my belt line. We had been itching to rip each other’s clothes off since our arrival to this romantic retreat. I had to pull her hair a few times to calm her down. It sorta worked. Focusing on leaving helped the most.

She really was in love with the five-bedroom secluded cabin. The home was only a mile from civilization, but in the middle of the woods, making it almost perfect. The only thing missing was a gate and a big fence around the property.

Jessica ran a hand over my ass while I ingested the scent of the forest. I swatted it away, and she giggled.

“Your Indiana Jones fanny pack makes me want to flop down on all fours,” she said, licking her lips like I was a yummy treat.

I clutched the emblem, realizing she had lost the battle controlling her lust.

“Kerxon, Kerxon, Kerxon, Kerxon, Kerxon, Kerxon.”

The emblem shook, vibrating quicker and quicker. A blast of light resulted in a blue and white portal swirling below us and a second later, blackness.

I opened my eyes to the selection realm, the place of nothing between the worlds.

“Hello!” I shouted. “I wish to speak with the creator.”

My voice boomed, but never echoed, fading in the distance. We had decided to try to talk to whomever was in charge.

“May I speak with the manager, please,” Jessica said politely.

Nothing.

The next three minutes or so, we continued to try to gain the attention of whomever was in charge to no avail. The walls started to close, presenting six sides.

The options were all outside cities this time. The zoning spread out, showing farming villages next to major metropolitan areas. Three were dark from night, three bright with sunshine.

One of them seemed the most refined of the three. When the room closed in, forcing us to pick or randomly be dumped into an area, I selected the sunny farming area with well-dressed citizens.

We arrived in a grove this time. A flight of birds spooked from our sudden arrival, and when I glanced up, the sprinkling of sunlight crashed into the woods.

The puttering of an engine came from a few hundred feet away and if the angles lined up right, I could spot the machine through the forest.

“You did that to avoid sex,” Jessica said with a jovial laugh. “I don’t know if I should be offended or not.”

“We can shag on a pile of diamonds later,” I said with a grin.

“Atta boy. Your lioness is in that new toy mode,” she admitted. “Consider me enthralled and purring.”

“Well, we do need to kill some time. However, do you recognize anything in this glen?” I asked.

While she glanced around, I pulled out a .357 revolver. I opened the cylinder. That worked. I cocked the hammer back, and dry fired the weapon. While that was not ideal, I needed to know. The firing pin shot forward with a clack. The revolvers would work so I returned it to its home.

I pulled out a pocket watch from the pawn shop. The hands ticked, the gizmos clicked, and I snapped it shut happily. The modern flashlights, they clicked but didn’t power on so I tossed them in a bush to avoid having to explain them if we were inspected.

The gold and silver one ounce bars lost their imprints confirming their validity. On the surface, one of the symbols from the emblem replaced the markers. I gave an inspection of my clothes with a few hops, and they stayed on. The shirt was a bit snug, but the pants were good with my increased size.

My hands checked the key parts that would give away I was changing, not finding hair on our ears or tails.

“I don’t know these trees, but the birds look like African swallows. And no, not a European swallow, I looked them up not too long ago,” Jessica said.

“So much for walking around a city for an hour and then trying to exchange some gold ounces,” I said, stepping towards the road. “Let’s walk away from the city. This one had checkpoints that we may want to avoid. A little town rested in the opposite way. I think we should try that first.”

“Probably get a shitty rate,” Jessica commented.

I shrugged, crunching the forest leaves with each step. We snaked between the trees, avoiding spiderwebs and thick bushes. After a few minutes, I saw the gravel road devoid of people.

As I approached the tree line, I peered out each way. City on my right, town on my left. The only car was the one heading toward the city and it chugged along in the distance. A few wagons used the road going each way and people were purposely traveling.

I stepped out, turned left, and walked like we belonged.

“No one is carrying weapons,” Jessica noticed.

“Yeah, the walls mean there might be some unknown threat or even war between city nations, but you’re right, the people seem confident they are safe,” I said.

“It’s lovely. A brisk breeze, forest scent, and a nice trail to walk along. Almost like a nice park with shifter folk going about their day,” Jessica commented.

Of course, a moment later, a wagon rolled onto the main road from up ahead. A demonic man with wings and horns lazily whipped four human men so they could hurry. Their pace was moderate, not increasing from the mediocre whipping.

The white men looked lost in their efforts, zoned out and likely pretending to be in happier places. The demon, or seroci as Toran called them, yawned as if bored. He entertained himself with his whip with half-assed swings.

We stuck to our side of the road, pretending to talk. The wagon passed us by with the wheels grinding the gravel. When I stole a glance back, I noticed the bed filled with a ferret type creature inside cages and the men’s backs were scarred but not raw.

“And there goes my joy,” Jessica said.

I nodded and replied, “So much we don’t know.”

During the twenty-minute walk into town we passed by mostly people on a stroll for whatever reason. A few wagons and two more cars rolled over the road. The trees stopped and massive fields spread out as far as the eye could see in rolling hills filled with crops of all sorts.

If I had to guess, the cities might be experiencing a lavish mid to late twenties lifestyle, but the farmers suffered. Most picked berries by hand or reaped summer oats by scythe. The town had two distinct sections.

The nice buildings in the middle were likely held by the six and the run-down, dilapidated structures scattered in the fields were for the human workers. Intermittently amongst the workers, a were-beast of some kind watched them toil.

Those guards carried compact guns much like that wolf enforcer did. Even as horrid as it was to see, the workers did their tasks in peace, and the average person carried on.

Humans could be free of collar and chain, but those with, outnumbered those without. The glamorous outfits shifted to working clothes, and we looked like we came from the city, without a doubt. Even a pair of towering bearkin eyed our outfits with disdain.

“They dislike us, but it’s because they think we’re rich humans instead of… well whatever,” Jessica said.

“Yeah, this isn’t a place where someone asks for your citizenship if I had to guess. There might be paperwork for proving you have freedom, so we should keep that in mind. I’m going to keep pretending like the gravel is interesting and reach the town center,” I said.

The road transitioned into wooden beams below flattened stones. Each step had a hollow thunk to it, but the rocky road smoothed considerably. The town had maybe a hundred buildings in it and most of them were wood with a few being bricks.

An inn sat across from a general store as the opening locations we could pick from. A half dozen shops into the town, I noticed a bookstore, picking that as our target. We continued to walk around like we belonged, never making eye contact besides for a fleeting moment here and there.

The citizens of this area went about their day and for the most part, I felt like this town could have been on Earth. Well, minus the swishing tails, odd ears, and flagrant class welfare. Most of the humans in chains were skinny, but not starving and to be fair, I didn't see a single fat person.

Different times and diets. Even the rich fat-cats in their cars and expensive suits weren’t fat.

I paused out front, already having a plan for a place like this. We had two primary goals, knowledge and gems. Our cover was a mystery master sent us on errands to exchange metal and buy books. I checked the sign, and then the other signs.

Without a doubt, the magic was helping me read the runic type of language. Brea was either the name of the town, or they owned more than half the shops.

Jessica pushed open the door and I extended the frame, letting her enter the windowless store first. The building had that musty old book smell mixed with scented candles. A single stain glass window from the back of the building allowed in minimal light that was accented by candles.

A series of women of various shifter species sat at a table at the back of the store. They halted their discussion at our entry. The leader of the group peered forward to see who entered and I saw my first angelic.

Her gray hair and age barely diminished her radiant beauty. The wings on her back were folded neatly down to her butt. She wore a white summer dress with golden trim.

I smiled warmly and said, “My master celebrates a second child. He wishes for books of history from outside the city. Is there anyone who can help me?”

The angelic woman eyed me. “Of course, welcome to Brea’s Tomes, I’m Kori. I have the scribes duplicating the history of Kerxon by Freniock, the historian from the capital. Very famous, his work is renowned.

“Three weights of gems though, so not the cheapest, but it is the most thorough and I have a copy ready to go. It might be in the Treno, and he may already have it, but I can return it for a small fee if that is the case,” Kori said, dusting off her hands as she stood.

She walked to the front of the store, grabbing a book far bigger than I expected. I smiled, knowing better than to react surprised.

“I was given these to shop with,” I said, flashing out a baseball card sized bar of silver. “Should I go to the bank to exchange, or can you?”

“Ugh, your master must be part of Hargo’s crew. Those thugs are always expecting us to mess up conversion rates. I bet he told you to do this,” Kori said with a grumble.

She snatched my silver bar out of my hand, resting the tome on her counter. She reached into her aging bust to grab a sack attached to a leather necklace. Kori plucked four big emeralds out and set them on a scale. The bar weighed against the gems, not even close to even but she smiled as if they matched.

“Done. The rest of the price is in the book. Anything besides history?” Kori asked.

“It might be superstition or a child’s fairy tale. The mistress of the estate was… how do I say this,” I huffed.

Kori stuck her hands on her hips and glanced at Jessica. “What’s she trying to find?”

“Lion shifter romance,” Jessica said with a smirk.

The ladies in the back snorted with a mix of giggles. “Imaginations can run rampant as authors try to create fantasy. I have something less romantical and something more. Which is it?”

“Both please,” I said. “The master wants to disprove they exist.”

“Hand me a stone back,” she ordered, and I did.

I wanted to give her another bar of silver, but I knew better than to rock the boat. The other ladies started sorting through the shelves of books, helping Kori find some titles she called out. Jessica and I waited patiently by the entrance.

I checked the time, seeing a half hour had passed. To my surprise, the ladies spent the better part of ten minutes hunting through the thousands of books. Eventually, she returned with four airport sized books.

“This one, this one is borderline heresy, and I warned you,” Kori said, adding the books to my stack.

A part of me wanted to ask why, but I hefted the big tome with the small books on top, heading towards the exit. Jessica held the door open, and Kori thanked us.

Once we were a few stores down, Jessica said, “Where to next?”

“This general merchant seems like a good spot,” I said, nodding to a shop we passed.

She opened the door and I stepped. Inside the store, a few patrons shopped the neatly organized racks. Right at the front stood a bulky bear guarding against people stealing.

A fox man working a counter from nearby, noticing our entrance. The way the fox guy eyed us had me instantly disliking him. It was like I could feel his deception.

I made a one eighty and left his store, ignoring his calls to come back.

Across the street, on the other side of the wheel where horses drank from troughs, rested the big bank. A bell sat idle atop the three-story brick building, and the stairs were guarded by numerous species with expensive looking guns.

While I wanted to brave it to get all our metal converted, I figured it would be the one place trying to ensure I wasn’t a slave.

The quality of the stores deteriorated as we left the center of the town. A circle intersection held a park where kids played with observant nannies or mothers. The further we got from the city side entrance, the more brooding the setting became.

“This one,” I said to Jessica.

A female wolfkin with raven black hair stood in front of the store, watching the drifting people of Brea. She was malnourished with her cheek bones showing. Her ear had bite marks and her swishing tail missed splotches of fur.

The greeter opened the door for us and the smell of damp air mixed with mold. We stepped into a store with a roof problem. Wooden barrels sat under water spots, and some of the barrels themselves leaked.

“Who is it?” a voice shouted from the back.

“Free humans, fancy clothes, and they’re carrying valuable books,” she shouted from the front.

Not a single person shopped inside the store. A sneering man with dark gray fur with brown stripes stomped toward us. His tone softened when he saw we were what he expected.

“Who sent you?” he said, folding his arms.

“Our master told us to inspect every store for potential deals,” I said. “We’re looking for weapons, outfits, and a pack to carry items with.”

“I’d tell you to buy a slave,” he said, roaring in laughter. “But you’re already slaves without a collar. Your master was wise to visit the further shops. You were wiser to listen to your master. Right, Judith?”

The female wolfkin bowed with a cower. She held in her retort, leaving to guard the door outside.

“Her sister left me for a city bear. Can you believe that? How could she allow that? Disgraceful. Absolutely disgraceful. An esteemed member of the town down to a single wife. We will fix that soon though and maybe I’ve been too harsh on her. Or maybe she needs to be more obedient. Speaking of which, I may buy this one, she is pretty. Probably a good breeder,” he said, eyeing Jessica up and down.

That simmering rage hidden within boiled. I really hated this guy, but I needed him at that moment.

“And worth a lot to our master. Enough that he let her travel today,” I said. “If you extend your best offer, I’m sure he will listen to it. I’d wager it would be expensive to transfer her services.”

He solemnly nodded. “You’re probably right. The city lords do like expensive things. Which I have just the deal for you. Assuming you can pay.”

“I have these, the master was hoping to get them exchanged. For a fee of course,” I said.

I set down the books, pulling out a dozen bars of metal from my side satchel.

He let out a low whistle, thoroughly impressed by the sight. “A fee indeed. You may call me Master Simmo. I don’t want trouble so the fee will be minimal and the deal on my wares - good,” Simmo said with a wicked grin.

He grabbed the flat metal slabs and left before I could even say a word. The door slammed closed, and Judith entered a moment later. She glanced at our books with interest.

“I was ordered to keep you entertained,” she said, her eyes no lower fixed on the floor. “What were you hoping to buy?”

“How bad will his cut be?” I asked.

“Don’t mistake my current status as weakness,” she replied dryly. “You forget your place, human. Your master made a mistake, and you will pay the price. No one trusts Simmo because he cheats, steals, and swindles.”

“How did you get stuck with him?” Jessica said.

Judith unleashed a backhanded attempt to smack Jessica.

Smack!

Judith gasped when her strike never landed, the noise coming from Jessica stopping her. I chuckled at the sight of Jessica grasping the wolfkin’s wrist. She twisted the wrist, bringing Judith to her knees.

“Impossible. So strong. Humans are meek. You’ll pay for -” Judith started but Jessica backhanded her hard.

Jessica let go, allowing the hybrid woman to tumble across the wooden planking. When Jessica started to growl, I placed a hand on her shoulder. I maneuvered between the two ladies.

“Arise little wolf. Answer my mate’s question,” I said. “How did you get stuck with Simmo?”

Her grey eyes flicked between us, uncertain of how to react. She regained her feet, brushing off her knees.

“You’re inquisitors?” she asked. I didn’t answer, letting her assume. “Your disguises are amazing. Simmo didn’t lose my sisters wife to another alpha. She was screwing Kessir, the wily fox on the other side of town. I don’t have proof, but I was forced to clean up blood after he found out. You’re here to investigate. My prayers to Ivor have been answered.”

“Are there gems he is hiding?” Jessica asked, getting right to the point.

“Maybe. He keeps telling me he’s broke. The bank will be taking some of your gems for sure. He will…” she paused as if a lightbulb went off. “Shit. You gave him more metal than this whole store is worth. If I were him, I’d flee.”

“Are you saying -”

The door swung open and Simmo popped his head in. “Hey, keep shopping around. I need Judith to verify my account for an amount this large.”

I didn’t miss a beat, saying, “Well, shit. I have more bars.”

His eyes lit up, and he hurried into his shop, slamming the door closed. I dug through the satchel, finding three more golden bars. When I pulled them out, both ladies stared at me in confusion.

I fumbled the handoff, dropping the bars until they clinked across the dusty wood flooring.

“Stupid human,” Simmo said, bending down to retrieve the gold.

While he fumbled on the floor, I slid a hand into my satchel to retrieve a blade. When the weapon was free of the leather, I stepped closer, as if to help him.

He huffed, not noticing my true intent. With lightning-fast speed, I shoved the gleaming dagger into the side of his throat.

This shocked everyone but me.

Simmo yanked the blade free, tossing it in abject horror. He clutched at the wound that unfortunately didn’t spurt blood.

A swift kick knocked him onto his back. I pounced on top of him, wrapping my hands around his thick neck. His eyes flared with understanding. I think he tried to shift, his face mixing between human and wolf.

My grasp on his throat kept his howls from escaping. He struggled, wanting so badly to call for help. I watched him squirm while growling in desperation. I obviously had never killed anyone before.

I probably should have shot him, but that would have been very loud. In this case, it was personal. He wanted to rob me. I knew it. He just realized he wanted his submissive wife to go with him before he fled.

Claws raked my arm and I chuckled at the feeble attempts mixed with flaring pain. He tore gashes into my flesh, but this was for keeps. I understood that pain was needed for a victory. No football player beat the shit out of their bodies without being somewhat of a sadist.

“He keeps looking to you to save him,” Jessica said to Judith with a snicker. “How pitiful.”

My inner rage chuckled with glee, watching the man die calmly.

“You’re bear inquisitors. Not even a panther could hold him down like that,” Judith said.

Her words, they crushed his spirit more than my hands crushed his neck. Whoever these inquisitor folks were, Simmo knew and feared them. He stopped fighting, stopped trying to shift, and gave me the biggest doe eyes ever.

While he pleaded for mercy, I clamped down harder and harder until…

Snap!

He died with his eyes open and a pile of piss under his body. I flicked his nose, testing if he was faking it and he didn’t react. It was almost like I didn’t believe what I had done. The craziest part, I only had a smidge of anger.

The vile wolf got what he deserved, but I did have a smidge of guilt lingering on my conscious.

“What a pathetic man. He knew. He knew he died for his sins,” I said with a sneer. “Get bandages and a new shirt.” I ordered Jessica. “Lock the door and retrieve a bag,” I told Judith.

I stripped my ruined shirt off, wiping trailing blood off before it could descend to my pants. They’d heal, with time and likely without stitches. Realizing time was important I checked my watch. Twelve minutes until an hour was up.

Not wanting to get caught with a dead body, I quickly patted him down. Keys, he only had keys…

“Judith, all he has are keys,” I said.

She scrunched her face, contemplating what to say or maybe trying to figure out the riddle.

“May I see them, master?” Judith asked.

“Marvin,” I replied, handing her the keys.

“You killed my mate, you’re my master until the proper documents declaring my freedom are arranged,” Judith said while studying the keys. “These are private vault keys. Clever man. He converted the gems and stashed them.

“They wouldn’t let him leave without paying his debts, which are monumental. This way, he’d run away, send a cousin or someone to grab the stash tomorrow, and then be free of his debt and able to travel to Eshonia. If I had to guess, he lied to both guards. Yeah, he had to. They’ll be here soon when they figure it out.”

I couldn’t help but smile, realizing this scrawny damaged woman was worth mountains of gold and gems.

I said, “Best to hurry up then. I have a place I can take you. All the food you can eat, comfy beds, beautiful outdoors, and all you need to do is really want to go. Well, and answer questions for me.”

“I can’t find anything in this store, it’s organized by a buffoon,” Jessica said with a flustered frustration.

“Yes master, I’d love to go. Let me get you a shirt and some bandages,” Judith said with a nod of respect.

Jessica arrived, taking my shirt out of my arms to pat down my wounds. “I have to admit, I didn’t see that coming.”

“Yeah, she has a wealth of knowledge. We lack so much information about customs and such that I think we need to take her to Earth. Adding her to our home will be fruitful, and we can always give her back” I said, noting no heat from the emblem when I mentioned Earth.

“Oh, hmm… well… I meant you strangled him.”

“Ha. I’d rather be hung than be a slave. This world is mine to exploit. Men who beat and kill their wife, deserve this, not a jail cell. Plus, I wanted the gems I thought he was carrying,” I said. “We should grab some of his guns.”

“Humans can’t carry weapons,” Judith said. “All of these weapons need repairs; he swaps out working for not working and pockets the difference. At least he used to.”

I recalled every human I saw, and one did carry a sword. “Hey Judith, we’re from a whole different part of Kerxon. Our rules and laws are much different. What about swords?”

“Allowed for human guards. They’re meant to defend from full shifter attacks,” Judith said, returning with some shitty bandages that were filled with dirt. “Stick these to your wounds.”

“Ah, no. That has some insects literally moving around on the surface. Give me that shirt and that jacket,” I said, winching once both garments were on. “Full shifter?”

“What part of Kerxon doesn’t have full shifters?” she asked.

“Colorado and we can talk about that later. Best to focus on the core elements here. The gems. I take it you can’t get the gems?” Jessica said.

“They’d never let me leave without taxing them all. I can trade the bars at a different vendor, but that would raise suspicions,” she said.

“Right, I can just take you to another place later and have you help after you get to see how awesome working for me is,” I said with a smile. “What’s worth stealing from here?”

She walked with the keys to the back office. A moment later, she returned with a small purse.

“It’s not much, but he was holding out. A few weights. I have to -”

A knock on the front door caused us to tense. “Simmo, it’s Frand from the bank. We need your key. You told the vault guard you were withdrawing to pay your fee, but you deposited.”

“Give them the key, say Simmo is crying because he wanted to keep the money, but you wouldn’t let them,” I whispered to Judith, hoisting Simmo to hide him under a shelf.

Jessica and I stood out of the way. The bank guy and his guards wanted that key just as I expected. They stole Judith to verify, and she closed the shop up with us inside.

I waited patiently trying to find anything of value in the building.

“You’re not worried they’ll come barging in here?” Jessica asked.

I shook my head. “It's an alpha society. If the beta is alive and helpful, it means the alpha is admitting wrongdoing and avoiding the shame. In the end, it's always about the money. He committed no crime besides lying to the bank. If the bank has my gold slats and his gems, they don’t give a shit about him. Hell, they’ll probably discover his body tomorrow when they try to extend a new loan to him.”

Jessica picked up a sub-machine gun. “Think we can sell these?”

“Not a chance. Bringing home an unregistered gun is more drama than we need. All this is junk. The other store had some nice stuff at least. We can pack away the books and shop around,” I said.

“To Earth?” Jessica said and I could feel the emblem heating. She cued in, coming close. “Let’s take some of the tools back at least. This is good rope too. At least we can look like we have mining gear. The more authentic our supplies, the less problems we experience on the next trip.”

I nodded, walking with her through the store to snag a bagful of shitty tools that needed some TLC. I filled the rest with peasant garb, noting that Simmo didn’t have anything fancy.

“If I had to guess, he sold everything of value, keeping the store in hopes of paying off his debts,” I said.

The door creaked open. Judith entered and quickly shut the door.

“That was so odd. They extended him a small second loan, and gave it to me,” Judith said.

“That means the gems were over what he owed,” I said with a grunt. “Or it could have been a string to keep him always in debt.”

“Are you ready to go?” Jessica asked.

I grinned and said, “Do you wish to come to Earth with us?” I asked, waving the battered woman forward. She neared and I gave her my elbow. “Interlock. I think we have to touch for the magic to work.”

“Magic?” she asked.

I lied and said, “Inquisitor magic. Are you ready?”

“Yes master.”

I wanted to roll my eyes. Instead, I said, “Earth, Earth, Earth, Earth, Earth, Earth.”

The emblem flared to life, Judith shrieked in surprise, and a second later, we returned to Earth.

Chapter 11

IDAHO SPRINGS COLORADO

The next day, my claw marks itched like crazy. They healed abnormally fast, and we guessed it was a gift from being a shifter. Jessica did run to the nearest CVS to get rubbing alcohol and clean bandages.

Since it was a holiday, we were forced to wait for most things. This gave us time to browse the books and prepare for a hike. Unfortunately, the books were useless in giving any solid answers about what a lion shifter was. The best bit of data was the fact that the deity themselves mentioned the six would not always be regulated just to the six.

The history about the deity was a mixed bag. Judith said they were female. The history book said they were a male in some stories, a female in most, and a gender fluid being in others. Their image and form changed too, and it didn’t take a genius to figure out they wanted their anonymity.

The big takeaway was the emblem championship contest.

In sixty days, if the emblem was lost to the six, the medallions would all reset. There would be a new championship battle. I wanted to think that simply giving the emblem to someone, killing them, and stealing the emblem back would reset things, but I had no idea.

Deep down, I kinda felt like my sixty days started when Toran traded me the emblem. I also suspected he knew this, and it was part of why he picked me, to screw the five other emblem holders.

At the same time, I don’t think he knew what the medal of the champions would do to me. I concluded that he’d be shocked to learn I had the speed of a fox but the strength of a bear.

Terrell called this morning. He was super high on painkillers, to the point he was just telling me he loved me. I wired his mom some money. She yelled at me but didn’t return the five thousand. She worked for the state, and Terrell was on her insurance policy - so I knew the funds would go to something.

“Hey, Mr. Blank Stare, anyone home,” Jessica asked, kissing my cheek.

She was in a good mood. I swore we would break the bed last night, but the old wooden frame was made of stern stuff. Her lust finally reached a limit, I earned a good night’s sleep, and we had a day to spend doing whatever we wanted.

“Yea, go grab Judith. She should have recovered from her food coma,” I said.

The woman popped her head out of her room and her gray eyes sparkled with delight. “Are we going to this McDonalds place again?” she asked with a grin.

“For a nature walk. Everyone had a relaxing evening and a nice rest. Time to have a talk. Make sure you wear your hoodie and tuck your tail away,” Jessica ordered.

Last night I wanted to discuss how she still had a tail while Toran didn’t, but I kept my mouth shut. Judith was happy in her bliss and wowed by the small Colorado town in the mountains. She wasn’t an idiot, when we explained or showed her something, she generally got it.

We said the inquisitors lived somewhere more advanced and if she helped, she’d be rewarded. Maybe she bought it as truth, maybe she didn’t care. Simmo was forcing her to do things that made me shudder when she divulged how bad it was.

The young woman left her room wearing jeans and a hoodie with an ‘I love NYC’ on the front. She luckily fit Jessica’s clothes.

“We’ll go clothes shopping tomorrow,” Jessica told her.

Again, this was her telling, not asking. A dominance between the girls had been established and Jessica cemented her place in the house.

I cracked the door open, seeing a mild storm brewing over the mountaintop. The shade provided a lovely summer temperature and the gurgling brook begged for me to gaze upon it. I too, felt the primal urge to splash in the water trying to catch the small fish.

A trail connected to the back of the house, and I stepped across the stone path until it became worn dirt. The narrow path cut through pine trees. Insects buzzed around, some getting caught in the spider webs stretched across the light forest. The sound of fast footfalls neared, inhumanly fast.

Judith transitioned to a walk to keep pace with me, Jessica not far behind her. “What did you want to talk about, Master?”

“Marvin.”

“Fine, but only because I don’t smell anyone nearby to inform someone else,” Judith said. “Once you free me with the official forms, I may address you as Marvin publicly. Until then, this is how it works. You defeated my alpha. You can release me, sell me, or claim me, but I am not free, and neither would you be if you agreed to a binding to a superior male or female.”

“Oh, a female can be a matriarch?” I asked and she nodded. “If she has men and is defeated by another female?”

“I’m surprised you don’t know this, but it is the same thing. The agreements and honoring our bonds - bind us, not if you have a dick or vagina. However, females struggle to achieve alpha status,” Judith said.

Jessica grunted at the absurdity of this statement. “Alright, clearly we are not from your part of Kerxon. Assume we are inquisitors from another realm, sent to right wrongs from the past. Start with paperwork, what it looks like, and what it does.”

Judith reached into her bust and handed Jessica a document. The weathered piece of parchment looked ready to fall apart. I paused our walk to glance at the data. The message was very basic.

Judith’s father sold her to Simmo who promised to care for her. The cost was a dozen stone weight. If something happened to Simmo, Judith would follow Kerxon regional laws. Both males placed bloody thumbprints. Below their imprints rested her imprint as well.

She willingly let her father extend a dowry and approved it, without love. I didn’t really expect this, but it did help my feelings on the subject.

Hmm...

“This looks easily forged,” I said, handing it to Jessica to study.

“Of course, but I would lose status if I were caught, and I’m not talking about working the fields,” Judith said.

“I’m confused, you agreed to this,” I said.

She nodded. “Simmo was a store owner with a healthy first wife. For me, my father received compensation for my upbringing and would buy a wagon to help his farm. This would mean my younger sisters and brother would have a better life.”

“But you have no say if Simmo was killed or defeated?” I asked.

She sputtered her lips. “Defeated if he agrees to a bet. If someone walked by and hit him with a shovel, I’d need to help him recover, not go off with the male. The altercation in a death needs to not be a murder for no reason either.

“Shooting my alpha in the back of the head does not mean I’m his property. In our case Simmo tried to rob you. You fought him over fallen gold and he died. If I felt you had cheated, I could go to a magistrate and plead for a hearing. If the circumstances were not within allowances I would be freed without your permission and new paperwork issued.

“I need new paperwork regardless. If I refuse to indent my thumb to bind us as family, then you would either convince me to do so, or drag me before a magistrate. There are rules, but they’re loose.”

“Interesting. I thought you’d have no rights,” Jessica said.

Judith shrugged. “We do, it's not a great system, but it has been around for ages. The strong help their family. Some leaders are good, some bad.”

I continued our walk after she handed her the paper back. I ingested the smell of the pines, the sight of chipmunks, and the relaxing atmosphere. The outdoors resonated in me in ways I never expected nor experienced before.

Jessica glanced down at her and said, “You could oversee your own pack? And is it pack, pride, family, or?”

“A female can be a matriarch. It does happen, but it requires wealth, established powers, and luck. I had none of that, but by no means are all women powerless. My father was poor and a beta to a poor alpha. My mother was his only wife and while my sisters looked like me, my brother was likely the alpha’s son.

“The city dwellers have it different in some ways. Power, wealth, prestige, and obedience determine who controls what. Land makes a big difference in the rural areas. If it is species specific, of wolfies for instance, it's a pack. Most of the powerful alphas have a family. Since you’re bears and I’m a wolf, family,” Judith said.

I plucked a branch off a sapling that extended into the path. It would have been removed at some point and I wanted to pluck the leaves off.

“All adults can make their mark on Kerxon. How you start bears a lot on how far you will go. A rich alpha’s daughter will have advantages a poor beta’s daughter won’t,” I surmised.

“Pretty much. Before Wobina was caught cheating, she was saving up to bribe a different alpha to challenge Simmo for his wives. If she couldn’t, we could buy our freedom through the magistrate at a bad rate. Divorces are expensive to discourage them. I encouraged Wobina, and I think Simmo knew. He kept my punishment as less… fatal.”

Jessica sighed. “Dowries happen here to this day. Some open, some hidden. They are normally the father giving the husband money to help keep his daughter in a safe home. Not a fan of either system. A woman should pick love.” Judith nodded at this with a smile. “You did it for your family, true love. The past is in the past, tell us about the human classes of society please. We need to know to get the right paperwork.”

“Oh, I would have assumed -” Judith started to say.

I told her once again to expect us to not know. I knew I needed to tell her the truth here soon, and I’d do exactly that, once she revealed more.

Judith continued, “There are criminals who are slaves that must work off their punishment or die for their crimes while working. Even those who have hope for freedom are normally worked to death.

“The goal is to keep them so starved and pitiful that crime is kept low. They’ll have ankle irons as a dead giveaway to prevent running and are normally in the mines or somewhere horrid. The bodies are fed to the birds and the carrion swirls are meant to let the rest of us know, do not break the laws.”

“Can anyone earn this status?” I asked.

“Yes and no. The rules say yes, the reality is no. Angelics are just hung, same with the seroci demon spawn. They don’t want their kind mingling with the common criminals, so they kill the really bad offenders or lightly punish the rest,” Judith said.

“And above the criminal status?”

“The common slave. Paid for in gems, metal, trade, or favors. They must be fed, or owners get a reprimand if they starve to death. Both male and females are used for their labor or personal pleasures. They have no rights besides to earn food for work. If they die from over work, then yeah, the owner gets in trouble.

“The goal is to keep humans producing and keep the upper alpha’s rich from their work. That doesn’t happen if everyone is dead. Simmo could have bought five human slaves instead of me, but he thought they were abhorrent. ‘If the tail doesn't swish it gross,’ he used to say.”

We headed right at a fork in the trial, crunching grits from an uphill climb. I increased my stride, enjoying the exertion on my muscles that begged to run.

“And then there are the free humans. You need paperwork from an official of many types - normally a magistrate. It is easy to, as you said, to create such a document. However, there are a few things that happen when a slave escapes. They’re likely without funds, their collar is almost impossible to remove, and a manhunt is conducted.

“The owners shift with their scent, and often, they end up in a collar again. For some, they end up with leg shackles after their attempts. Others are given a slap on the wrist or sold away at a loss.

“The system is ingrained in our society where humans are serfs. At the same time, free humans are common. All it takes is an owner to free them after purchase. If they rack up debts, they are sold to recover said debt,” Judith said.

“The vicious cycle. I assume finding jobs for free humans is hard,” Jessica said.

“Indeed. Why hire a free person when you can buy a slave. But sometimes food prices go up and hiring a servant is easier. Contract work can be more profitable,” Judith said.

“Thank you for your candor. Now tell me about this full fey threat,” I said.

She blew her cheeks out, eyeing the woods and said, “The six aren’t here, are they? I don’t even smell anything besides humans. Even a month-old stench should permeate the area.”

“There are some, but not many. If you smell them, let me know,” I told her.

“Yes alpha.”

“No longer master,” Beck teased. “What do we smell like?”

“Scentless. Humans are heavy in the air, but I sniffed you directly, finding you odorless. In a world of overwhelming smells, the odorless are the hardest to detect because you need to assume, if that makes sense,” Judith said.

“We are different. Some would call us inquisitors, others, abominations,” I admitted.

She paused, all but trembling and asked, “You’re not bearkin, are you?”

I turned, walking until she was within arm’s reach. I smiled down on her with fondness, having no desire to hurt her.

“Lions,” I said, grabbing the back of her sweater. I lifted the hundred- and twenty-pound woman with ease. She tucked her arms and legs in, submitting to my power. “I don’t know enough. Hence the questions. We are not from Kerxon, you are in a place called Earth. If you are good to me and my mate, you have a home, food, and freedom to find joy in these woods.”

“But not a job?”

Jessica growled, but Judith didn’t cower. Hell, she didn’t even acknowledge Jessica, staring into my eyes. I let the anger surge through me, the commanding power begged to be released. I could feel my hair standing along with my body expanding.

Judith watched in fascination as I grew, then calmed. I smiled happily at her.

“You will be treated with respect. I cannot let you roam among the locals too much. You have a tail they will not understand. You have ears they will vilify. I can return you if you wish, or let you have a nice life here,” I said.

“The yellow eyes, what do they mean?”

I gently placed her down, walking away. “I was hoping you would know.”

“I do not. You’re incredible,” she said in awe. “Can you shift for me? I am not in heat but will submit if you desire.”

“Uh… This is the extent of my changing so far,” I said, continuing to downsize as I calmed. “You also misunderstand the situation. I am your…” I sighed but kept my long stride. “Alpha or Master. But you are a member of my pride or pack if you want to stay and be our liaison to Kerxon. A member with rights. You need to recover and choose your mate based on affection not dominance.”

“Oh, that is nice of you. Do you wish to create a haven or a commune?” she asked.

“Can you expand?” I asked.

She nodded happily. “My father lives on a commune. Our alpha had his family while his lieutenants had their families. The leader built a custom home for his people, ruling them.”

“Hmm… I haven’t considered it seriously. You were not planned, but I have thought about it briefly. It brings merit. People brought from Kerxon to here will need to stay under the radar. A hidden commune would allow this, I will think about it. Why did you say you would shift for me?”

“A new pack member is normally bred unless the master wishes to maintain value. If Simmo bred me, trading me would come at a loss. Leaving my womb barren increases my value if that was not clear enough. He ensured to never impregnate us which is common. In this regard, I’m happy he was cheap,” Judith said.

Jessica asked, “May I ride on your back?”

I nodded in a quick and short manner.

She hopped up, and I caught her. “Marvin is a good man. Not a weak man. I have known him for half a year and his character is regal with a leader's ethics. You are in a good place. I suggest you stay, heal, and wait to return home.”

“It is your turn to misunderstand again. I’m bound to my alpha and wish to submit to make him happy. This is my choice, not a forced choice. It is my way of saying I am happy and wish for his protection. Only he can release me, or someone can bribe him from me.

“I do understand the sentiment and it is really, really appreciated. I cried for joy all last night while watching those awful things you call movies,” Judith said.

“Hey, they’ll help you through the tough times. We covered some good topics, but I want to know about the full shifters,” I said.

“I can become an animal, and one day, I think you will too. We don’t have to shift, and it is generally bad. We become animals when we enter a primal rage or enter a fight or flight setting. Both are not conducive to civilized society. There are… people, who lose control. They become the animal, never calming, only becoming more and more violent.

“If they survive for a few days, they calm in a different way. Instead of becoming a humanoid, they stay as an animal. There are cases where this type of shifting reverses, but it is normally done with a loved one and an enclosed space. They’re lured or coaxed back to their human form. Most are killed though, deemed a threat to the greater good,” Judith said sadly.

“You can hunt them through scent?” I asked.

“Yup, the militaries have shifting experts. Those who can shift with ease to lead the chase and shift back. It is something you can master with time. Most fighters want to stay as a human, teasing the transformation to gain strength, much like you do, only more.

“There are others who shift for mating. After the climax and decoupling, the process results in a return to a humanoid form. It has a high pregnancy rate if the female is in heat,” Judith said with a tinge of embarrassment.

Jessica said, “Oh…”

I set Jessica down, turning us around. “Shifting can be good or bad, controlling it is important. Raw emotions trigger transformations and calm emotions reverse them. There’s threats everywhere, but most wild shifters are not near cities.”

“When was the last competition?” Jessica asked.

Judith frowned. “The species championships that give out the medallions as prizes?” I nodded. “Thousands of years ago.”

“Uh oh,” I said with a gulp. “There’s only been the one event?”

“No, at least a dozen. There’s always a war to find the lost emblem that some human captured. If it is not found in time, there’s always a war to steal the emblem from whomever was gifted enough to win it.

“Just because you win a emblem, doesn’t mean you get to keep it. That’s the whole point of the strong winning them,” Judith said and then snapped her fingers. “You have a emblem. I don’t know how I didn’t figure it out earlier.”

“War is coming and may be coming to here. I also think I may be competing in… fifty-six days or so,” I said.

“And what are you going to do until then?” Judith asked.

Jessica snickered. “Become filthy rich by selling gems here on Earth. We will have a wonderful home, live in luxury, and be kings of this planet. Which Marvin is inviting you to, assuming you like lavish and eccentric?”

“We will teach you about internet shopping, set up finances for you, and treat you with dignity and respect,” I told her. “All that will take time. We must establish a lot of things and learn more about Kerxon.

“At the same time, there is danger. Yes, we are officially being hunted by the six to get the emblem back, are on a timer because of the competition, and local authorities will not like us suddenly becoming wealthy. I will need your help as we grow our team and navigate the intricacies of both planets. Assuming you want to help.”

“Kerxon would be brutal for me as a single woman. I like eating. Funny how a basic need is so cherished when it’s robbed from you. The rest is a bonus. I will help anyway I can,” Judith said earnestly.

I knew at that moment she had joined our team on her own volition.

Chapter 12

ASPEN COLORADO

I stared out the window, lost in the beautiful views as they whipped by.

“You okay?” Jessica asked from the driver’s seat. The early morning sun shone down on the picturesque mountains. I couldn’t help but fall in love with Colorado as we drove to Aspen. “You're not worried about Judith, are you?”

“Chicken Nugget? No. No I’m not,” I said with a chuckle.

“Ha! What a great nickname. The woman has been in a food coma. I was going to say, she’s the happiest she’s probably ever been, the poor thing,” Jessica said. “You’re a good man Marvin. You didn’t have to save her. Thank you.”

“We need to know how Toran and the one who beat up Terrell were able to hide their appearances,” I said with a grumbling growl. “We are at a disadvantage, and it doesn’t help that she is clueless about such things. I do worry about her being there alone because she can flee if she wants to. We will see if she was being sincere yesterday.”

“She is safe where she is, my alpha,” Jessica teased.

I groaned, rolling my eyes. “Yeah, I didn’t think about that. After reading their history. I guess we know how to grow our forces. Kill an alpha, steal his pack, and repeat.”

“Yeah, but you’re an alpha lion. Most of these alphas or matriarchs have other men in the pack,” Jessica said nervously.

“I’m not sharing you,” I said with an even tone.

She caught onto my hidden anger at the thought.

“Easy tiger. Not asking for that. Just saying, there’s lions on Kerxon just like on Earth, like the animal only kind. They will have a brother or two sometimes that share a pack. But it's not like a wolf pack with lots of betas. If you kill an alpha, you may inherit some betas. If we build a little community, it can’t be all women,” Jessica said.

I continued to stare out the window, loving the sight of the mountains we drove through. We drove by a few gated mansions and a couple of private neighborhoods. The Aspen area spoke of wealth everywhere you looked.

I said, “I think finding Judith a beta husband would be nice for everyone. I could use a fighter or two. I’m not gay. However, naked men don’t bother me, and I’m not frightened by having other men around. I’m not your typical lion, assuming I am one.”

Jessica pulled into a community jeweler in Aspen, ending the short drive. This place was infinitely nicer than Idaho Springs. Aspen Gems flashed a closed sign, set to open in five minutes or so.

“I think you are one. I also think I’m changing and hear me out because this has a purpose. Remember Naomi?” Jessica asked.

“College friend, set you up on blind dates, and is a great listener,” I said.

“You know, for a guy, you surprise me sometimes with the fact you actually listen to even passing conversations. We met through one of my girlfriends. As in, experimental, sick of guys, sort of girlfriends,” Jessica said with hesitation.

I could see her worrying that I had judged her.

“I slapped naked guys’ asses and said good game… A lot. I’ve seen more swinging dicks than you probably have, but I’m not gay. Zero issue with it, and I certainly won’t judge you for you being you. Your past is your past, and I’m here to help make your future better,” I said with a winning smile. “Or get you kidnapped and enslaved, never to see your family again.”

Jessica gasped. I shrugged and said, “Semantics.”

“You suck at killing a mood. I think I’m growing a tail, my pubic hairs I shaved this morning were tawny brown, my hair is not only lightening, but also thickening, and I’m so horny for my man that it consumes me,” she said.

“You’re having great self-control. We get actual work done all day without having to stop. The exploratory hiking trip was fun,” I told her. “Especially the two hours of running after. I feel like there is so much more to us than before. That and it’s exhilarating to run outside instead of on a treadmill.”

“Ugh… you’re missing the cues. A lioness needs a pride, Marvin. I want a family, as in other to work with besides a wolf. I want to go to the shooting range, and I want to wrestle more,” Jessica said. “I yearn for these things that I cannot explain.”

I think I was starting to catch on. “Hey, pump the brakes, babe. We will get all the training we can. It was a holiday yesterday. We can go shooting today. I hear you though. You want a pride, or a pack. You’re feeling the animal. I didn’t think you’d be keen on sharing?”

“Hariet has a crush on you too. She said if this failed, she’d entice you and I could always join. I never took her seriously, but I have had threesomes and I’ll admit, the thought crossed my mind. What’s the saying, kill, marry, screw?”

“Close enough. If you couldn’t marry me, you’d screw me, and you were okay if the screw was casual fun. Hariet is pretty at least,” I said.

Jessica scoffed. “Our Olive Garden is a lesbian heaven. If I wasn’t pining over you, I bet Ogre would have invited me to one of her house parties. Anyway, the gem seller just opened up, and I want to go shooting so time’s a tickin’.”

“Hey Jessica, hold up. I’ve been meaning to talk about Simmo. Are you okay? You watched me kill a man,” I said.

Jessica replied, “And. He was a wife beating murderer. I’m on team Jessica and Marvin.”

“It’s still a good time to get out,” I said.

She patted my cheek. “Go ahead and drop that nonsense. It was cute the first time. I’m committed. I -”

My phone rang. A NYPD phone number. I talked to Terrell’s case manager. He seemed pretty chill. My apartment, which my landlord opened, was fine. The woman in question was still being sought.

He didn’t ask about the sudden money in my bank account or the fact I sent the IRS a huge check recently. So, if I had to guess, he didn’t have access to my accounts. When I hung up the phone, we left for the medium sized store.

Aspen Gems was a shop that reminded me of a tourist trap. The main premise of the store was to showcase expensive pieces in dazzling displays. Below the enticing exhibits a second shelf rested at a kid height level. Inside, jewelry of a similar gem type was displayed to lure in buyers.

The man who opened the store was old, maybe in his mid-seventies. White hair adorned his head, glasses sat on the edge of his nose, and he wore a collared shirt with slacks. A name tag over his heart told me he was Frank, the owner.

“Welcome to Aspen Gems, my name is Frank, can I help you folks with anything?” Frank asked.

“I’m Marvin. These hills are known for gems, or so your website says,” I mentioned, and he smiled with a nod, waiting for me to continue. “You're an expert in gems.”

“Absolutely. It’s my passion and this is my personal collection on display. Been a gem expert for almost fifty years now. If you have any questions, I’m one of the foremost experts in the country. After touring the world, I have seen it all. Now I teach and share my knowledge with local schools when I’m not here. What brings you into my store?” he asked, huffing his glasses before shining them.

I walked over to his counter, pulling out one of the cubed emeralds. He took one glance, turned to a chair on the back wall and sat down unhappily. He knew. Without a doubt, he knew. He didn’t even inspect the stone.

Based on his calm unhappiness, I worried.

“Well… Interesting that one of these finds me after all these years. You’ve been to Kerxon,” Frank said.

I shrugged and replied, “What makes you say that?”

“Kerxon Mining in South Africa. They only sell to governments. Their goal is to create the gem standard. Ever heard of it?” Frank said.

I bobbed my head as if thinking how to reply. He knew of the Kerxon shifters hiding among us, but not about Kerxon if I had to guess. I decided to play it cautiously, but whatever he knew, might help. That left me leaning toward giving some information for getting some information.

“I have, but likely not in a way you would readily understand. Wanna hear where this really came from?” I asked.

He winced. “You shouldn’t have that. Son, this isn’t a game. Kerxon Mining is powerful,” Frank said. I could see the curiosity overwhelming him. He grabbed his eyepiece and approached the stone on his counter. “So brutal. Makes me want to cry.”

“Why’s that?” Jessica asked.

“This was part of a massive stone, cut to fit the needs of the owner without a care about the larger gem’s destruction. I lived a long and good life. Yes. Yes. I deserve this. Give me a moment. Let me call Darla. Then I’ll be back, and we’ll go for a walk. No phones,” Frank said, leaving the stone with a heavy sigh.

Five minutes later, we closed the store and Frank used his cane to amble down the sidewalk. We arrived in a nice park where a mom pushed her toddler in a swing. He gently sat on the bench to watch the duo interact in the lovely morning’s sunshine.

“Let me tell you what I experienced. It was the early nineties. I finally earned enough prestige to get invited to a private gem fair in Israel. This was it, the annual event everyone yearned to get invited to.

“While I toured the most illustrious gems in the world, I stumbled upon something that didn’t make sense. The biggest men I’d ever seen flanked the booth of Kerxon Mining. On display were gems so big, they seemed to have been mined from an asteroid in outer space.

“I was and wasn’t their target audience. They wanted experts like me to make the case of backing government fiat to the gem standard. Much like the gold standard. They even said, storing the gems could be done in a much smaller Fort Knox.

“While they had cubes of various stones, the massive gems stole the show. They…” His eyes glazed over in remembrance.  “Like I said, out of this world. To a collector like me, I’d sell everything for one and live in a camper.

“Well, I would have, too old for that now. I never forgot. I tried for ages to get even a fraction of one, and right as I get diagnosed with cancer, you show up a week later,” Frank said sadly.

I pinched my face at the news, sliding into the seat beside him.

“Open your ears and more importantly your mind. There’s another world connected to ours. For thousands of years, a type of... people from Kerxon have been coming to our world. They use the gem standard on planet Kerxon. I traded an ounce of gold for these,” I said, dumping four of the gems into his lap.

“Let me get this straight. Hypothetically, you’re saying you didn’t rob a government facility and your wife’s uncle doesn’t work for Kerxon Mining. You’re saying aliens brought these?” Frank asked.

“How else would you explain it?” I asked.

“That was a theory. I wasn’t the only collector left yearning for answers. They flaunt the same stones over and over and over. We have no idea how many government buyers have sold to them. Which means they probably have connection, deep seeded connections,” Frank said with concern.

“Likely. I can’t endlessly worry though. I need cash and can explain I got these from the local area on a hike. You want those gems. You verify they are local, sell them to your buddies and I get financing. I need to stop those who wish to harm us,” I said.

“How do I know you’re not one of them?”

Jessica snorted and said, “We are selling the gems. Are you a government?”

He caught on, mumbling. “You make a point, a weak one.”

“Frank. Here’s all my information,” I said, giving him the pouch from Simmo first. After I handed him my banking information written on the back of a realtor’s card. “Is there a form I have to fill out to say how I got these?”

He opened the purse and about fainted. Jessica steadied him from falling over with a grin.

“Thanks, and not really. You could GCI these for a fee, but the buyers won’t care. They’ll know, but there’s a problem. Only a few of my friends are trustworthy enough not to resell these, and even still, they might. The moment these are for sale, to enough people, the cat will be out of the bag.

“Kerxon Mining was very serious. Absolutely no one can own their gems besides the governments. No one. Not even former world leaders were allowed. I say this because I can maybe get together ten, maybe fifteen people to sell these to. These are cut, too. I think most would want raw,” Frank said.

“Frank, I’ll admit. I was coming to hopefully make a sale. I need a secure home behind a gate and fence. The bigger the better. I can use some disposable income too. What are those gems worth?” I asked.

He bobbed his head. “One thing at a time. Where are you staying now?”

“Idaho Springs. A forty-year-old cabin that oozes charm. There’s wallpaper on the walls and everything has tacky gold plating, but I love it,” Jessica said. “The issue is we can’t expand without running into someone else and we may start a commune. A big home, barns, stables, and all that costs money. Consider this a teaser though, we can get more.”

“Let me visit my friends so I can organize something. I’m going to close up shop today and tomorrow. Visit back on Thursday and I’ll hopefully have a secure place and at least a few hundred thousand in your account.”

“Sorry about your cancer. I can deal with one of them if you need,” I said sincerely.

“The doc said I have at least six months. I have to admit, I may have a heart attack from all this excitement.” He held up a hand. “Before you try to deter me, this is exactly what an old man like me needs,” Frank said with a smile. “I’m going to be honest, Marvin. I want uncut gems. These are destroyed.”

I bobbed my head in understanding. “I’ll see what I can do. Just knowing I have a trading partner has me willing to spend more to make more sort of deal.”

When I stood, he tugged on my pants. “Kerxon, can I go?”

“Uh yeah, you might hate it though. It’s a mix of dark and light, glamor and grit. I can even take the missus, for the right price,” I said.

He chuckled, handing me back the bag of gems while keeping ahold of the large emerald cubes. “I’m not filled with money, just ask my wife. But I’ll try. Thursday.”

“Thursday,” Jessica and I said in unison.

We left him on the bench with the shiny green cubes. I had to trust someone, and the old man with cancer who devoted his life to gems - well, he seemed like the right man. The trip to Kerxon tomorrow would give me another opportunity and we had plenty of spending gems this time.

But first, we’d have some practice shooting and I’d need to get a new shirt. Hopefully, if I killed someone, they didn't ruin my outfit this time.

Chapter 13

MING - FORT CARSON COLORADO

Ming waited near a convoy of all black SUVs. She leaned against the lead vehicle seeing the helicopter kicking up a light dusting as it landed.

Two of her best men hustled out of the Blackhawk, hauling a tied-up man like a rag doll. Once the trio were out of the rotor wash, the helicopter sped off for somewhere else.

This was a delta site, a real hush hush area of the base with hesco barriers blocking line of sight in. One Sixtieth Aviation was known for its shady dealings, and Ming only increased the persona with today's antics.

The roar of the helicopter faded away and Ming punted Toran for no reason other than to kick the enforcer while he was down. All her problems rested squarely on his shoulders. The audacity of the brute never ceased to amaze her.

She could feel her inner panther begging to come out when he glared at her with disdain. His lack of training would make any fight not a competition. This goon was nothing more than a gun wielding stand-in.

“All you had to do was ship the emblem to any number of our drop points. Such a simple task. The timer would have never started, we would have gotten the emblem, and you may not have been hunted,” Ming said, seeing him look concerned for the first time. “But you knew this, and you chose not to do it.”

“What are you talking about and who are you?” he asked.

Ming tisked, wagging a finger. “I’m your executioner.” She popped open a door. “You see that gagged man and woman?”

“Yup, don’t know them either. I know about the emblem, obviously. I can’t hide my scent from a panthkin. The frightened humans mean nothing to me,” Granvil told her with a sneer.

She bent over, getting inches from his face. “The kid. What was his name?”

“Marvin,” Toran replied. “Clean record, moves of a dancer, and the build of a fighter.”

The couple in the back seat groaned in recognition of the name. Ming hadn’t told them why they’d been extracted from their romantic retreat in the middle of the night. They’d been gaged the entire time, and this was the first reveal.

“So… I’m impressed. I really am,” Toran said, and she believed him. “I didn’t realize we had this kind of power here.”

“We don’t normally. Years of back door dealing tend to leave people owing you favors. A snatch and grab against US citizens is a pretty steep ask and was granted with conditions. Even I have my limits,” Ming admitted.

“What’s the play and what do you need me for?” Toran asked.

“I’m going to kill you in front of the kid to show him I’m serious. Then he will get to pick, hand over the emblem or watch his girlfriend's parents die. You really didn’t know?” Ming asked, locking eyes with the pathetic wolfie.

“No, Emblem Lord Korrin never once mentioned if I had to use the emblem in desperation - to find agents here. All he said is Earth had hidden dens of our kind here and I should hide there. Which is what I was doing,” Toran scoffed.

She shook her head. “Those are the drop points. They don’t do much good if you don’t know where they are.”

His eyes lit up with understanding. “Is there one in Canada?” Ming nodded and he deflated, realizing a better future existed but he’d never find it. “I gotta know, how did you find me?” he asked.

She didn’t see the harm in telling him. “There’s millions of cameras in New York City. I had access to all of them. You made your mistake by partial shifting in the open. Until then, we didn’t have a clue as to where you were.

“After you received your funds, you got in a taxi, and then swapped taxi’s three more times until you went into a garage and drove out of an unmarked white van. Satellite history did the rest. Technology truly is amazing. My only issue was I lost the kid when he went into a building, and I couldn’t find him leaving. It took some time, but his work helped me figure it out.”

“This is it then?” he asked with a resigned sigh.

She stepped back, firing a bullet into each knee before he made his move. She wasn’t dumb, most wolfies had their tells. He cried out in agony, and it was sweet music to her ears. She should be back on Kerxon, running her bar and reading to her daughter.

Not on this shit hole cleaning up this mess for the Alpha Council of Earth.

“Gag him. Toss him in the back of the convoy,” Ming ordered. “Oh, and tourniquet his thighs. He won’t need the limbs anyway.”

She skipped around the SUV with the couple in the back. A guard closed their door and the couple muttered under their gags. Ming ignored them basking in the midday sunshine with the beautiful mountain background.

She grew bored, hating that she had to wait for the satellite to get into place. The best way to kill time was to have a little chat. The werebear who sat in the driver seat, he stayed facing forward, as mute and numb as a robot. He was a good minion, a minion who’d be rewarded after this mission with a fresh toy or extra pay.

He embodied the spirit of the six, unlike that shit Toran. She plopped down into the passenger seat and dramatically removed her gloves. After, she leaned back and undid the wife’s gag.

“It’s soundproofed in here, and if you yell, I’ll blow his brains out. I only need one of you,” Ming said, being deadly serious. “Do we understand each other, Margaret?”

“Water, please,” Margaret said.

She handed the hulking guard a water bottle from the dash. He left the SUV to force water down her throat, once again proving to be a capable and silent worker.

“Tell me about Marvin Spence,” Ming said.

“Mid-twenties, has a degree he doesn’t use, works three jobs, wants to get into real estate, and has a minimal social life,” Margaret said quickly.

“More than I was expecting,” Ming said with a nod of approval.

Margaret huffed and said, “Jessica has been grooming him for months. She made up this whole flower trip nonsense. She has zero green thumb. That boy flirted with my daughter for six months, showed interest, and refused to date her.” The husband's eyes flared wide at this revelation. “What Steve? A daughter confides in her mother. She’s in love with that boy, and for a while, I thought he was gay. Nope, he was just being sweet and not wanting to commit.”

“Then they travel across the country, making my life a living hell. Did she at least tell you what she got involved in?” Ming asked.

“A mugging in Scranton?” Margaret asked with a head tilt of confusion.

Ming shook her head. “Honestly, not surprised something dumb like that would ruin my luck. I believe her though, it makes sense. I wondered why they suddenly left Pennsylvania. Oh well. Thank you for not being hysterical.”

“Marvin seems like a good kid.”

Ming leaned back in her seat, staring at the roof. “He is. This is actually not his fault in the slightest. He gave me the slip in Scranton, which was kinda embarrassing really. Jessica chose well, Marvin was just in the wrong place at the wrong time. It's over now though. Not much to do about it.”

“Can we go now?”

“Nope. But you’ll be free once I get what is mine. Unfortunately, or fortunately, you’re protected. Too many people saw your apprehension to make you… disappear. The official statement will be we mixed you up with a terrorist couple and no amount of complaining or whining to the press will change that. It will be over soon. Your daughter will be safe, with you, and the whole ordeal will be over,” Ming told her.

Her phone rang and when she answered it a voice said, “Mission is a go, oversight is in place.”

She hung up, sent out a group text of the address, and a minute later, the convoy headed toward the Fort Carson gate. In a few hours, she’d have the emblem back and this fiasco would end.

Ming couldn’t be happier because her boss was about ten levels of pissed off and she knew she’d be rewarded for doing what the other agents failed to do, retrieve the emblem.

Chapter 14

IDAHO SPRINGS COLORADO

“I can’t wear this,” Judith said in complaint. She adjusted the loose dress meant for Jessica. It really was too big. “I don’t have boobs anymore.”

“It’s the best we have and be confident in the body your parents gave you. We have gems to spend so we will get in better attire as soon as we can,” Jessica replied.

She was trying hard to not get snippy, and I kissed her cheek for the effort. The two ladies weren’t exactly lovey dovey at the moment. They were great yesterday and this morning. Their teamwork went to shit the moment the plan required Judith to act like she was in charge.

Naturally, humans did not alpha the six. Hell, even my dominance of Judith was predicated on her thinking I was a bearkin. The reality was, yes, humans could have a shifter wife or even three, but they would draw more attention than if she was in charge.

“I will be laughed at. It takes more than two days to put on weight,” Judith complained.

Jessica snickered with a headshake, keeping her comment in when I eyed her. We stood in the living room of our rental, wanting to test if space was required. Based on the fact the last portal spawned in the middle of a cluttered store, I figured it’d work.

“Judith, you look great. We have metal to exchange for gems, gems to spend on dresses, and I want you to treat yourself. If you need to say your other dress was ruined and a nice lady donated a replacement, or whatever, do it. I’m sorry we couldn’t get a custom dress made because of your tail on short notice,” I said, hoping to smooth the situation over.

“Oh Marvin, it is nothing, I will make do,” Judith said, linking her arm with mine while smiling brightly. Jessica contained her eye roll. “You two look dashing. Sorry for my self-confidence issues.”

And there it was, the attention she desired.

“I ordered a sewing machine and rolls of material, but they won’t be here for a few days. Some of this will take time,” Jessica said.

I did a last scan of the bag, noting a dozen ounces of silver and four ounces of gold, two revolvers, a bunch of knives, a purse of gems, a jar of beef jerky, some painkillers, and a flask of water.

That is what, at least to me, it meant to be an alpha. To prepare and defend. Feeling ready to go, I said, “Kerxon, Kerxon, Kerxon, Kerxon, Kerxon, -”

The portal opened without the sixth Kerxon being said. We glanced at each other in confusion before falling through the world.

“Interesting,” I said with a sputtering of my lips. “You’re the only difference.”

“What the hell is this!” Judith said, clinging to me tightly. Her face flared, transforming into a wolf.

Jessica walked away, floating over the void and walking back. Her voice was calm and comforting. “This is the selection process. We return home at our departure point. I think as long as the emblem is set for Earth as home, the time counts down.”

“The magic is picking out six locations for us to select from. Did you travel much?” I asked.

Judith calmed, her face returning to humanoid form. She may have only had two days to heal, but those two days were doing wonders. I stroked her back, helping her breathe easily.

“I never went outside Brea. Never had a reason to, besides to visit Lemore,” Judith said. “The maps our alpha had showed vast amounts of untamed land and mighty cities scattered over a whole bunch of space.”

“Was it rare for strangers to come around?” I asked.

“Nope,” Judith said, squinting as the six sides approached.

“Marvin, are you seeing this?” Jessica said.

Of course I was. It was impossible to miss that each side had two options now. “Twelve locations… We said one less Kerxon and now have double the options. If I had to guess, if we add another foxkin, we will get three options per side and only need to say the planet name four times.”

Jessica gasped and said, “My changes.”

“What about them?”

“Either I’m becoming more like a lion from moving through the portals, or because we gained magic from bringing Judith into our pack,” Jessica guessed.

“Bears merit,” I said, chuckling at my pun.

Judith said, “A bearkin female would die before joining a human, even if you said that you were inquisitors.”

“What are inquisitors?” I asked.

Judith stuck her palms up, studying the encroaching selections. “They’re the secret police that parents tell their children about to keep them honest. I thought they were a myth but heard about them my whole life.”

The walls closed in, and I said, “We need to pick, you’re up Judith.”

Half the selections were early morning daylight, the other half were a fading evening. Each starting point was inside a park and when the overview zoomed out, the sight revealed each park was inside a city. Judith tapped her chin, being completely indecisive.

I spied a lavish park with extra servants pushing strollers or watching children play.

“I don’t recognize any of -” Judith started to say when I yanked her into the nice city.

“Stop! Stop daddy!” a little girl screamed in delight as her panthkin father chased her through a nearby trail. He never saw us, fixated on his target with a loving gleam in his eye.

We arrived in thick bushes mixed with trees. The undergrowth was the kind you hacked or trample through to even move a few feet. I struggled to lead us out of the concealed spot in the park until we reached a different path.

Once we were free, I dusted off the leaves and twigs that decided to attach themselves to me. I pulled out my pocket watch, seeing it worked and memorizing the time.

“Where are we?” Judith asked, shifting her dress uncomfortably. She glanced up at me and said, “Damn, you grew.”

“I know. I worry I might draw too much attention with my bulk,” I said.

“It’s why I thought you were an inquisitor, but I’ve seen bigger men,” Judith said.

Jessica snickered with a headshake. “Ironically, I said the same thing recently.”

The three of us walked the trail, hearing fewer people as we enjoyed the morning stroll. Judith struggled in her ill-fitting gown. The dress on Judith really was sized for a bigger woman and hung off her frame awkwardly. I turned us around when I figured we might be on a long walk and were likely heading away from a city road.

“May you carry me?” Judith asked, wincing as if I’d hit her for such an audacious request.

I scooped her up, holding her tight against my chest. She relaxed, enjoying the moment. Jessica ran a hand down my back, not upset in the slightest. The three of us returned to the park area, seeing a nearby exit.

Apparently, no one cared if a human carried his mistress and we strolled out of the park with smiles on our faces. The sun was just starting to set on the large city. This one had the tallest skyscrapers. Numerous cranes hoisting steel beams revealed the city was in a boom period and the roads were unusually busy.

A horse drawn buggy waited on the side of the road with double rows of seating and exquisitely wheels. The driver wore a fancy suit, his legs propped up while he read a newspaper. His twin fawn horses watched traffic pass by, enjoying their morning.

We approached and I didn’t even ask, hopping into the back.

“Name’s Hulo. Where to, Madame?” the human driver asked, folding up his paper and greeting us with a warm smile.

“I find myself in need of a new dress after a weary road trip. How much does it cost to reach the nearest moderately priced clothing store?” Judith asked.

“Half a weight, and it's only a few blocks,” he said, pointing down the road. “Before you complain about the price, I don’t set it and if you’re out of town, get used to Urik being expensive.”

“At least you are honest about it. It is quite alright. I’d rather keep you around, we have other matters to attend to. Give me my purse,” Judith ordered.

I sat her on the bench, fished out the purse, and stayed quiet. I glanced around, not noticing a single automobile on the bustling street. The sidewalks were so packed, the pedestrians occupied the middle lanes of the road. The more I tried to find a non-commercial carriage, the more I failed.

This city forced you to walk, or to hire people to move you around. I guessed, “At night and before the morning traffic, the roads move goods for the day.”

Judith handed him a series of smaller stones. On the front of his carriage, he managed a scale, noting the weights onto a clipboard.

“Yeah, this is downtown Urik. Not sure where you’re from, but the last mayor changed the whole way we moved traffic. There’s even talk of making underground roadways. Where are you from if you don’t mind me asking?” Hulo asked.

“New Springs City. It’s very, very far from here. The mistress wanted a new start. Unfortunately, we had a rough go getting this far,” I lied.

“Times, they’re just changing. I’ve never seen such expansion and prosperity, but the news,” he wagged the paper, “is nothing but doom and gloom. The Emblem Lords are defying the Emblem Councils. Armies march, war looms and I… I just wish people would get along. Thanks for the fare, Mistress. Burlesque Clothing coming right up.”

He situated the gems, tucked his paper into a pouch holder, and secured his reins. A light snap alerted the horse to clomp forward, and we entered traffic. Without a doubt, we were underdressed for this section of town.

Instead of stressing about it, I simply enjoyed the view.

Urik was a beacon of prosperity, and I wonder who paid the price to make all this happen. Not a single alley held muck or the destitute. The sidewalks, while busy, were litter free. The awnings over the windows shone in the orange hues of a rising sun.

The windows lacked bars, the entry ways didn’t need guards, and I barely noticed the constables. They were there, but it was almost as if they weren’t needed. A thud from a piling being driven into the soil resonated through the city.

“Nothing to worry about, just a smidge of construction. Can’t be helped and by smidge, it's been like this for over a decade. Old four-story homes are torn down in clumps, becoming ten story apartments. That latest boom is likely the new arena foundation,” Hulo said.

“Arena? We didn’t have one?” Jessica said. Hulo looked over his shoulder, staring at her like she was crazy. “We had one, but only for sports. It wasn’t set for large audiences.”

“Oh, we have smaller ones for sports. The current fighting pit only holds a few thousand folks, but with Urik’s trade, wealth, and population soaring, it was inevitable to be replaced with the fancy and shiny. An all-too-common theme,” Hulo said, taking our buggy to the side of an outfit store.

Judith cued in that I didn’t want to go shopping and said, “I will secure you with new attire, stay here and ensure my property is guarded.”

Jessica helped her down, and the duo hurried into the store.

“How’d you end up with her?” Hulo asked, turning to face me so we could converse.

I smirked. “A series of unfortunate events. How did you escape slavery?”

“I was born free. I’ve done what it takes to keep my wife and children provided for. As the city expands and grows, I must travel further and further to rent a home. Urik doesn’t allow humans to own. Still, we make do. What was so bad about this…? Yew Springs City?”

I couldn’t help but smile. “New Springs. I love New Springs, the Mistress heard a whisper in the winds about Urik having raw gemstone so big she dared the wilds, the seas, and even the plains to reach this far,” I said, spreading my hand dramatically.

“Umm… Not really what we are known for. There are no nearby mines. Our wealth comes from our manufacturing, banking, and shipping business. Marino’s of fifteenth would have raw gemstones, but they’re collector things, no one would take them as currency like me,” he said. “Worse, if you cut them, they’re worth less than just buying the stone already cut for trade.”

“We all have our quirks, right?” I said and he nodded, resonating with this statement. “The mistress likes raw stones.”

“The missus like wind chimes. They make her happy, that makes me happy.”

“Well said, Hulo. Well said. What would you recommend for us to do besides going to Marino’s?” I asked.

“Depends on where you’re staying?” he said. “One human to another, why do you serve her?”

“Life, love, the pursuit of happiness,” I lied. “But she treats me really, really well, if you know what I mean. One human to another, where would you recommend that we stay that is affordable and worth it?” I saw him contemplating and added, “Short term, for a single night.”

“Oh, you’re shopping and going home. You gotta see the fights tonight. Kirkons has wonderful views of the arena from the upper floors. Worth the extra cost and the missus works there cleaning rooms,” Hulo said, recommending a place that would help him.

“How bad is the extra cost?” I asked.

He shrugged. “Depends on the quality of stones you deal in. These are clouded grade cut to a decent rate. They’re fine but require more. Did your city only use one grade?”

“Mostly. We have metal to trade for the gems, will that be a problem?” I asked.

“Smart, very smart. You’re lucky you made it to the city without losing them,” Hulo said with a bit of shock. “Umm… Marino’s will be able to sell direct but there’s a casino in the bottom of Kirkons. They won’t ask for you to open an account but charge you more to exchange than versus a bank.”

“You really like Kirkons. I don’t blame you. Is the arena any good?” I asked.

He smirked, appreciating that he was winning me over. “The arena is fantastic. Tonight is open night. Winner earns three exquisite servants at working age. It’s barbaric, but they do it for the crowds and excitement. It will bring crowds and the fighters.”

My inner rage boiled. I closed my eyes, letting the wicked grin spread wide. “Open night. Consider me very intrigued. Enough so that I’d want to register for that before we do the other errands. What’s the entry cost?”

“Really. You’re big but there’s much bigger.” He said and I couldn’t help but grin wider. “The upper tiers are almost all bearkin. That and there’s a lot of death,” he said with concern.

“No human only bracket?” I asked

Hulo shrugged. “I don’t think so. There’s something comforting about seeing a human getting pummeled in a fist fight. The crowds love it. As for the entry fee, I think they pay you. At least how it was explained to me. Not exactly a fighter. I would assume you only pay if you want to buy insurance in case of a death.”

“I would assume these servants are worth a lot of stone?” I asked.

“Yes, the rarest of beauties.”

I frowned, not understanding. “Humans are worth that much though.”

“Right, you’re not from here. They’re a mix of human and non-human daughters or sons. It's a surprise until the end. They are paraded out before the final match which makes it that much more interesting for the crowd.

“I’ll be honest though, it's normally two humans and a misbehaving fox or wolf daughter. I don’t watch much, but the missus likes to talk about some of the fighters. In a city this big, it brings in a lot of revenue and tourism. The city council puts big money behind just about every night,” Hulo said.

I leaned back in the buggy, comfortably relaxing. While I wanted to enter the fight, I may not. If there was no prize money for second place or if it wasn’t guaranteed stones, I would probably just skip.

While my mind wandered in its thoughts, I watched the pedestrians passing by and only saw a few humans walking with collars. If I had to guess, the slaves and criminals were in the warehouses or docks. I didn’t bother to ask if this was the case, knowing it wouldn’t help.

Hulo continued the small talk, with me divulging as little as I could. My inner beast couldn’t help feeling excited at the prospect of fighting.

Chapter 15

URIK - KERXON

“I like it,” Judith said, walking through the casino’s gambling floor. Kirkons was slammed with people gambling on their lunch break. “Marvin will do well. At least I think so.”

We paused at the back of a cashier line for casino chips, and I tried my best to act natural. I find it infinitely easier this time and for a few reasons. The ladies spent an eternity shopping and wore outfits that blended in with the locals.

They weren’t fancy but fit their station. We even ate a nice meal, keeping Hulo on the clock, and for the first time we didn’t rush our experience. Jessica and Judith bonded somewhat, with Jessica deferring to her pretend dominance. For now, anyway.

Jessica said, “What if he dies?”

“He won’t. Not in a fist fight,” Judith said confidently. “Fighters are alphas. They can walk with swagger and lure in those wishing for the prestige or to hang on to a man capable of making gems.

“Even if he loses, free men and women will approach him to see if he is taking on apprentices or looking for love. Some might actually be worth accepting.”

A nearby gathering cheered when a disk fell down a towering wall, plinking to the bottom. When it found its final resting spot, most groaned, and a few became jubilant. A manager let everyone know the next drop was in ten minutes.

The line continued to grow shorter, the people who were seeking to cash in or out being processed quickly. I soaked in the glamour of the casino. Fancy chandeliers sparkled with colored light streaming out of gem-stained coverings.

People of all shapes, sizes, and beastkin loitered, shifted, or gambled. I even saw an excess of seroci and angelics, telling me the prestigious species soiled themselves to gamble.

The dresses ranged from sheer to modest, but most of them were there to enhance bust or show off long legs. I couldn’t help but notice that everyone on Kerxon was fit and sexy. Even the faces were above average compared to Earth. I saw most tails on full display, their fur a status thing if I had to guess or maybe comfort.

Collared servers were generally hunky handsome or sleek beauties. The older slaves worked the tables and seroci or angelics managed the pits. Noticeably gone from the era was the awful smoking associated with this time frame on Earth. However, lunch time drinking was a thing with the four bars on the outskirts of the room fully packed.

“I want to fight. I can submit if things go poorly. Urik is safe, and we may not always have these long shopping opportunities. I can learn a lot about myself, and the local ways by competing, compared to sitting in a buggy,” I said.

Jessica huffed in disappointment. “I just worry. There are millions of people we can’t save. There’s a system here we can’t break. Instead of prisons, there’s labor camps. Even if we upended the social norms, those camps need workers and machines are far off. My point is, we can’t save everyone.”

“I know,” I said.

“Next!” the teller shouted, and Judith led the way.

She opened her palm to me, and I fished out a half dozen bars of silver. The manager noticed, immediately coming over to inspect the metal. A second manager scraped a sliver off and weighed each bar. He quickly hauled the metal off to a back room and handed a report to the teller.

“Here in Urik we use six stages of gems to determine weight: poor, clouded, moderate, clear, pristine, and perfect. I can issue a ninety percent valuation based on the weight of this metal,” she said.

“The least weight at the best rate,” Judith said. “And a few tokens to gamble with. I want to start small at first.”

The teller looked to her manager who told her to use clear gems and we waited patiently. The other windows had patrons coming and going while our large order was processed. Eventually, we checked out and went to book a room. Once we had a secure meeting place, we parted ways for the day with me promising to meet up with them later.

After asking some employees where to go to register for the arena. I found myself in front of another receptionist behind bars. This one barely paid me any mind and I grew beyond confused after hearing her initial breakdown of how the fighting worked.

“Excuse me!” I said with such dismay my voice almost cracked.

The distracted attendant behind the counter watched a hunky fighter slug another fighter's arm playfully.

In this case, the immense bearman had her full attention. Even I became a bit lost when I spied the bulky fighters. The men were easily eight feet tall, and their bulk was truly impressive. They did give me a bit of pause, but this would be a great test.

“What did you ask?” she said, remembering I existed. Her furry red ears held white tips, and she was a mix between homely and cut. She did wear a union bracelet, signifying she had an alpha.

I hadn’t asked anything. The last thing she said was the guaranteed prize was a hundred pristine stone weight or the three exquisite servants. Second through ten earned a payout and the math didn’t add up.

“I’ll admit. I’m confused. I fight, and if I win, which you clearly think I won’t, I’m guaranteed a hundred pristine stone weight. How is that possible?” I asked.

“Entry fee, concession fee, city tourism infusions, gambling fee, and private donations. I see your paperwork is from somewhere I don’t know, so let me make it clear. Urik is wealthy and we pay well. The fighters already want a raise,” she said with a snort.

“Insurance, for my mistress if I die?” I asked.

“We offer ten clouded stone for a twenty clouded stone payout. If you don’t die you get eight stones back,” she said with a bored tone.

I wanted to ask, why not just make it a non-refundable two stone deposit, but I didn’t push the issue. The ladies were wealthy, and Jessica had the emblem because I couldn’t exactly sneak it into an arena match.

“And you’re offering a bonus to human fighters,” I said.

“Yup, for the next three to sign up. Five moderate stone weight guaranteed,” she said, checking over her shoulder while saying this.

The tall manager behind her approached. The seroci unfurled his wings, his purple eyes locking to mine. He pointed to a resigned young man who accepted his five-stone weight with his head hung low.

“Two sign up bonuses left now. Let me be honest with you, human. You are small and will get hurt. The healing will take time and you seem… eager, not desperate. Maybe try your luck at the tables,” he advised.

“I guess I have one question left. The servants. The winner owns them as slaves or as an agreed family?” I asked.

“What does it matter?”

I shrugged. “There’s a lot of mystery here. We just fight where I come from, not conceal it in a shroud of unknowing mystique.”

“You humor me, human. Sign up and I will take you to see them. They’re prisoners and yours to do with as you wish. They hold value at least. I think… Yes, the hero. How interesting. I love finding men like you. The crowd expects to witness foolish humans like the one you saw earlier, fighting the professional competitors. You, you’re different,” he said.

I stuck a finger to my chest with a winning smile. “Me, nope I’m just that guy. Hell, call me Guy if you want.”

“His paperwork says Hugh Bignose,” the attendant said.

“Gotta love when the magistrate listens to your mistress,” I grumbled.

The manager loved this. “Bignose. Too funny. Alright sign up and I’ll give you a tour. It’s a heavy card tonight so you may even get a win or two in,” he said with a condescending tone. “Also, take a bath before you compete, your mistress is all over you. Young wolf in love, how quaint.”

The attendant raised her eyebrows and said, “Master Jarbinan is a sucker for love. Don’t let him fool you.”

“Ugh… I go to one romantic play. One play and everyone at work thinks I’m a big softie. Not the case, not even close,” he protested with animated gestures of frustration.

I was offered a contract that I read carefully. I had to follow the rules, was guaranteed protection once inside the arena from other competitors, and my items would be returned to me on my safe exit. The teller pulled out a small purse and offered the option for insurance. I accepted the first two and declined the third.

Jarbinan waved me over to a security point where an angelic halted me.

“Name?” the handsome man asked.

“Hugh Bignose is on my paperwork.”

“While true, it is not your true name. Do you care?” the man asked the seroci who shook his head in response. “Do you intend to follow all these rules?”

He pointed to a board beside him.

I read the sign out loud. “No shifting into full form during fighting. Yup, I’ll follow that one. No biting. Yup. No eye gouging. Yup. No violence outside of the arena or before the bell inside. Yes, it sounds easy.

“Have you directly bet on your match or plan to directly bet on your match? I have not and do not intend to. Do you have any agreement or insider knowledge on your opponents? Um… I want to say no but those two guys seemed like friends. Outside of that, no.

“Do I agree to an initial doctor consultation only? Yes, I understand that after I leave the arena I need to take care of my own medical. If you fail to force an opponent to submit, you will be disqualified. I understand.

“If I kill an opponent, their contracted family will be set free. You do not earn anything from this arena besides the prizes awarded, is this understood. Yes, yes, it is. You may not directly or indirectly approach a defeated foe's family if they are defeated. Their family may approach you, is this understood. Yes, and I get it. That was a lot of rules. Obviously, you missed one. Rule number one of fight club is you never speak about fight club,” I said, laughing at my joke.

The winged man ignored me and dryly asked, “Are you devoid of items?”

I glanced at Jarbinan who pointed to a bin. I tossed three knives and two sacks of gems into the bin. He handed me a toe token.

“I am devoid of items minus my token for my items,” I said.

“You may enter,” the man sculpted by the gods said in a mundane tone.

We walked down a hallway and when we were out of earshot I said, “That guy sucks.”

Jarbinan snickered and replied, “The angelics do not suck. They read people to the point they can detect lies. Worth every penny. We don’t want thrown fights or friendly agreements to trade wins.”

“How’d you get into this work?” I asked.

He scoffed. “You got balls on you. All those stones.” He shook his head. “You could have a wife, a lavish apartment, and kids. The human dream. I guess you don’t want that.”

“My mistress sent me to compete,” I lied.

Again, he snorted with a grunt. “Lie. You didn’t hear this from me, but seroci can smell moods. Your wolfie is submissive, over the moon happy, and worried she will upset you. I get it though. The dynamics are bullshit. You having a lapping wolfie on your hip would piss some big alpha wolf off, and you’d get your teeth knocked in.”

I had a few avenues to take in my response; for a second, I mulled them over. We turned down a spiral staircase, passing a checkpoint after dissenting a few floors. The brick walls were extra-large square sections painted tan.

We reached a bearkin guard who eyed me with a squint, clearly unhappy I was being given access to his floor.

“I’m impressed you ascertained all that from just a smell. Thank you for keeping it quiet. I doubt you’d do so on your morality. I also have been hankering for a fight anyway. My blood, it boils for violence, and I feel this is a great outlet,” I said, noting we passed cells with mostly women inside.

Each cell held a bed, a table, and a toilet. Outside of that, the occupants seemed content and well-fed. Most read, drew, or bounced a ball to pass the time. Based on the shocked faces of the men and women, I was not a normal visitor.

“The very best outlet. Welcome to Urik’s most exclusive underground market. These cells contain the best of the best that this city has to offer to the privileged. You may think this is a prison, and it looks like one, but it’s not exactly.

“We only have about half of our guests arrive because of run-ins with the law. The other half are the beautiful seeking comfort and gems, or parents of the beautiful arriving to exchange gems for servitude until a handoff occurs. They swear to agree to all contracts as part of our deals,” he said, and we paused in front of a cell.

To my dismay, a woman with a thin spiked tail waited behind the bars. A seroci female in her early twenties rose to greet us, folding her arms under her ample breasts. I tried very hard not to notice her exquisite female form. My motto was to judge a woman by their personality first, but this woman tested that resolve.

I did notice vibrant purple eyes and ruby red hair with soft youthful skin that lacked all blemishes. Two horns rose a few inches before bending back as if to protect her skull.

Beside her was a young man about eighteen. Beside him was another male with wolf ears and a fluffy tail. Both men eyed us with scorn.

“What do you want, Jarbinan?” the succubus looking woman asked.

He waged a finger at her and said, “Larisa, you asked to get out of solitude, I expect some gratitude.” She heaved out an exhale and curtsied. “Better. You three are going to a winner tonight. Except one of your two vagrants is staying. This one will be a prize in your place.”

I laughed, heartily. “You didn’t bring enough of an army to make me go in. Plus, I read the contract, it forbids this.”

He cracked a wide grin. “I like this human. I really do. I run this arena. Even the casino will be mine one day. I’m Jarbinan Kirkons.” He boasted and I nonchalantly shrugged. “Huh. You really don’t get it. I will give you one chance to come clean and you need to use your brain. I can smell everything, except you, meaning you’re hiding something.”

Larisa gasped and whispered, “Oh shit. I know what he is.”

My hand shot out, snatching Jarbinan by the neck in a flash. He never saw it coming. I hefted him off his feet before putting him back down. The instant demonstration was enough. When a guard perked up from his desk, Jarbinan waved him down while coughing.

“Why did you spare him?” Larisa asked with folded arms and a raised eyebrow.

Jarbinan walked to the door, fished out a key from his vest, and unlocked it. He still coughed, using his head to tell her to exit the cell. He walked us back to a private room meant for interrogations.

When the door closed, he slugged me right in the guts. I let him take the win pretending to be winded.

“You dick, that didn’t even hurt,” Jarbinan said.

I stayed by the unlocked door. “This is a turn of events I didn’t see coming,” I said.

“How are you scentless?” Jarbinan said.

Larisa snickered and said, “You fool, what's in every paper right now.”

The demon stared at the scantily clad succubus, taking a moment to piece it together.

“Emblem Lord Korrin stole a Emblem and paid the ultimate price for it. His tribe has been disbanded, his generals killed, and the Emblem restored,” Jarbinan said.

She plopped into the seat, focusing on him. “I’m here because I have a gambling problem, and the moment I became an eligible adult I racked up a thousand perfect stone weights of debt that I’d never pay off. You’re where you are because you’re supposed to be the next genius to take Ukri and make it into an empire. And yet you fail to see what is before you.”

The demonic man rubbed his throat, his purple eyes glancing at me from top to bottom. He rotated to glance at Larisa. “Just bloody say it.”

“He’s an inquisitor, they’re the only known scentless, not criminals. You’re looking at a champion in the disguise of a human,” Larisa said with conviction.

They both glanced at me for confirmation. I didn’t say shit.

“May we know why you are here?” Jarbinan asked, buying the inquisitor stuff.

For all I knew, inquisitors were Earthmen. Either way this benefited me.

“To compete, obviously. You should read what the news is not talking about,” I said. “Doom and gloom means…”

Larisa snapped her fingers and said, “By the six hells. A emblem is missing.”

“It’ll be returned in time,” I lied.

Jarbinan reminded me of someone in too deep and suddenly realizing it. He held up palms to slow the situation. I didn’t let him.

I wanted out of this room, and I wanted to steer the conversation away from me. “I need to go train so I can win. And Jarbinan, I don’t want to add this pathetic seroci if she is going to try to gamble my family's gems away,” I told him, propping the door open.

“Easy tiger,” Larisa said with almost a purr. Jessica liked to say that. I knew she had no connection to Jessica, else I’d be worried. “I’ll put it in my contract to never gamble family money. However, there’s some good fighters out there. Jarbinan, and more importantly the Ukri council, will want me to go to a Emblem Lord’s Champion over some random competitor.”

Jarbinan finally caught up to the situation. “Champion Bignose. This was always a joke for you. I want to be clear. You’re not here to investigate. The Emblem Lord Council is ruthless in -” I held up a hand, shaking my head no. “You want to compete.” I folded my arms and nodded. “What can we do to make your time here enjoyable?”

I smirked, finally feeling like we were getting somewhere. “Walk me down your cells. A record prize going to a human will set this arena into a tizzy,” I said.

“None will respect you unless they know what you are. The other species will never scent your nothing underneath that wolf in heat stench. Well almost in heat. Kinda shocked you haven’t bred her,” Larisa said.

“I’m just building my… family. Not all will be love interests. A balance on the team seems wise, and I actually am okay with men on my estate,” I said.

“Fine, but I can get the right ones. The wolf boy and that human were plotting to kill whatever master they received,” Larisa said.

Jarbinan’s face shifted from a clean-shaven handsome man to snarling vampire. “They’d bring dishonor to Urik. I will have them flayed at once.”

“To the factories seems fitting, and I may not win. I am in disguise after all,” I said. “It is harder to fight in this form, but I have faith.”

Jarbinan laughed and said, “This is politics now. I’ll consider your calm response to me trying to lock you up as payment of Larisa. She really will correct her ways. I guarantee it.”

“I’d do just about anything to work with an inquisitor. I’m young, but eager to learn,” she said. “I’m actually pretty smart. I just figured I could outcount the casino and they cheated.”

“Of course we cheated. Sometimes smart people are dumb,” Jarbinan countered.

“Maybe. I want you in a modest dress, no more selling your flesh appeal. Make it something a father would want their daughter to wear. If I win, you stand on the podium with two loyal people willing to sign to my family. If I lose you greet me at the arena exit with a contract ready to help me even when my secrets are revealed,” I said.

“Secrets,” Jarbinan said.

“Talk about making a girl feel shitty and then special. Cover up but I’ll make you mine and give you the inner secrets of the inquisitors. Sign me up,” she said. “Assuming my debt is released.”

“Yeah, yeah. Hurry up, I need to get him to the training pit so he can listen to orientation before warmup,” Jarbinan said, writing down notes before handing Larisa the paper.

The red haired pink eyed woman kissed my cheek before racing out the doorway.

“Keep her away from your finances, but I shouldn’t have to tell you that. Even her father was smart enough to do that. I think if she is busy, she isn’t plotting, but what do I know. Apparently, I’m a dumb shit who didn’t connect scentless to an inquisitor. Look, Hugh, do me a favor in exchange for my favor of letting you take the seroci problem child of our generation,” Jarbinan said.

“Yeah,” I said with a grunt and folded arms.

“Keep the fights clean. Last thing I need is a bunch of dead fighters from a meager human,” he said.

“I’ll keep that in mind while they try to kill me,” I replied.

He accepted this as enough, leading me toward the training room. I let the anger course through me ever so slightly, grinning with glee at the coming event.

Chapter 16

URIK - KERXON

I bent down to pick up the arena rubble, noting the grit was coarse but firm. I’d be able to grip it in a run instead of losing my footing, but it would mean extra sliding if I needed to come to a sudden stop.

To a running back and avid runner, the surface you treaded mattered. I dusted off my hands, inspecting the oval space that was maybe triple the size of a boxing ring with plenty of room to run.

No obstacles rested in the space and the smooth walls lacked spikes or other dangers. I honestly expected something more. The crowd perched above the rim going higher as they went further back. A judging booth rested to my left, having the best observation point.

Below the booth that held three angelics, rested a big ben type clock. Beside that a gong’s hammer was connected to a simple lever.

I still couldn’t get over how basic the pit was: two doors, hard terrain, and the roar of a few thousand people.

Our orientation ensured we understood each match only lasted five minutes, points were attributed to strikes, takedowns results mattered, and a submission was a clean win. I listened intently, learning where a strike landed mattered.

After the briefing, I stretched, warmed up, stretched some more, then beat up a dummy. One by one, competitors were called out of their private training room.

I watched them walk by towards the arena and most fights never lasted more than a few minutes.

With sixty-four competitors, I’d need to win seven matches and the queue went by quickly until I was called.

Unfortunately, I was given a bearkin as my first opponent. Honestly, I think this was Jarbinan cheating on the beating rings. I probably had horrendous odds and he probably wagered a fortune on me.

This was the true cost of Larisa. I bet if I lost this, she’d be squirreled away in a hole for me to never see again.

“No pressure,” I muttered with a grin. I lied to myself. “At least he is small.”

My competitor stood a head taller than me and probably close to double my mass. The bearkin were truly impressive with their sheer size. He had a mutton chop beard, dark brown eyes, and smacked his fist into his palm while eyeing me with a sneer.

We both were shirtless, him having a dad bod. I wore my full trousers, and he wore shorts I wished for. We were barefoot, bare knuckled and just waiting for the -

Gong!

The immense man nodded to me from across the arena, giving a show of respect. I returned the gesture, picking up a slow trot to close the distance. Running away or cowardice cost points and I didn’t want that.

I had fought in high school and played football. Nothing too serious, but violence never fazed me. The butterflies in my guts and the slick of my palms never happened. Instead, I felt more alive than ever before as I closed the distance on my superior foe with the hidden beast encouraging me.

He lunged to close the distance, certain that his trajectory would snarl us both in a tangle. His speed didn’t startle me, even if it was faster than a big man should move.

I sidestepped the attempt to wrap me up. His fingers dragged across my stomach and his eyes flared with shock. The exposed side of his body lined up right as I planted my feet.

I lanced a blow into his ribs with all my might.

Crack!

His body rippled from the impact, his trajectory altered, and he rolled across the arena.

Two things happened that stunned everyone besides me and Jarbinan. The crowd barely saw me move from my dodge and attack, bewildering them into silence. My competitor rolled on the tan terrain, crying out in pain as he clutched his ribs.

A defeated foe and a quiet arena. Humans didn’t strike down champions with a single blow. I flexed my wrist, popping my right knuckles.

“Yup, nothing's broken. I bet that hurt,” I muttered, hearing him grunt.

My opponent dragged himself backwards.

“I can’t surrender,” he said between clenched teeth. “Come get me you pathetic human. Such bullshit. Your luck is incredible.”

I paused, staring down at him while he lost points by gaining distance.

“Shit. Shit. This is at least three ribs broken,” he said, and I confidently loomed from a distance. “Hey, my kids are watching, knock me out. Don’t make me sit here suffering,” he said without pleading.

I solemnly inclined my head once, surging forward. He brought his arms up to protect his face and take us to the mat. I could tell he wanted to grapple. It wasn’t lost on me that he could still win.

Since he protected his upper body, I punted his stomach with a powerful kick.

“Argh!”

He instantly projected his stomach contents.

While he heaved out his vomit, I came in from the side, and broke his jaw with a precise and controlled hit.

His eyes rolled into the back of his head, and I rolled him over so he wouldn’t choke on his vomit. I casually walked to the door and waited for it to open.

One of the employees opened the door while a medical team hurried out with a stretcher. Before I left, I inclined my head with respect. He never begged or pleaded, taking his loss with dignity.

I casually returned to my private training room where I read a local newspaper.

My heart never pumped that hard and I couldn’t help but half-read while feeling bad for that man. I had to keep telling myself he was a shifter. I brewed over the fact that the shifter society was inherently evil, and then the other half of me said his kids watched him take a pummeling in the first round.

I let the angst drop. If you compete, expect to lose sometimes.

The newspaper spoke of expansion, a new trade agreement with some nation called Farfo, and mostly told stories of local celebrities. This famous man married a daughter of some other famous man, and their union would bring prosperity.

This famous woman added another building to her empire and to celebrate she was keeping a rent freeze for ten years on all new tenants. A disclaimer noted the initial price was above market value.

A steamboat netted a sea creature that was thought to be merman, but it turned out to just be a mutated frog fish. That caught my eye, and I was fairly certain it was nothing more than a teaser to get me to pass the ads between pages.

“You ready?” Larisa said from outside my training room. She wore a very form fitting little black dress that left little to the imagination. My eyes may have lingered. “This is me being modest.”

“We’re setting up a private sewing shop, but sweats and hoodies will hopefully work, else any guy who comes by will think you’re a movie star, the triple x kind. I could just imagine, oh help step-bro Green Lantern, I’m stuck in the dryer,” I said with a snicker.

“I have no idea what you’re talking about,” Larisa said.

I snorted. “That’s probably for the best. Look, Larisa, this dress isn’t working for me. I want you in combat gear. That will probably take the sexy off you.”

She didn’t pout, becoming curious instead. “Are we going into a fight?”

“Unlikely, I just want to get my point across. A little black dress may be fine to you, it is sexually appealing and failed to meet my desire of having you be a person first, sex appeal second,” I told her.

“Do you think I’m beautiful?” she asked.

I shrugged. “I judge a woman by what is in here,” I tapped my forehead and my heart, “and here first. It’ll take time for me to see you for what you really are. But yes, all the seroci women I have seen are beautiful.” She folded her arms, and I rolled my eyes. “Larisa, your radiant purple eyes, smooth skin, and perfect curves are a cut above them. It doesn’t take much to make me happy. Honesty, loyalty, and a desire to help those around you.”

I exited my waiting area, seeing an attendee waving me forward.

“I think I understand, Master Bignose,” she said with a proper curtsy. “Good luck in your next fight and I will acquire matching outfits. Can I have anything waiting for you?”

“Yeah, send runners for books on history. I want to know everything this city knows about the championships,” I said.

“As the master commands,” she said, leaving me while humming a happy tune.

The attendant raised his eyebrows at the exchange. He knew better than to say anything and we walked up a gradual incline until I approached the door for a second time. He gestured for me to wait in a side room.

After a few minutes of listening to the crowd roar, cheer, and quiet their elation, a battered man limped down the hall.

“Collect your things at the door,” the attendant said, confirming my assumption that the man lost his match.

“Thanks George,” he said, sitting on a bench. “Going to need to lay down for a bit.”

The attendant waved for me to enter the arena, sealing me in. A glance back through the small window showed George retrieving a medical team to help the man who clearly was hurt. The man was stretchered into the arena’s belly for treatment, or so I hoped.

The gong rang loud, startling me into action. My care for the wounded distracted me and I immediately rotated to see my opponent.

A foxkin bobbed and weaved closer, each step light as a feather. He didn’t hurry, giving me ample time to inspect him while he floated over the terrain. He wanted to flaunt his dexterity if I had to guess.

The man was half a head shorter than me and weighed at most one fifty.

His bright red ears came to white points and his swishing tail danced happily while he glared at me with hatred. His face contorted from human to beast, back and forth with amazing control. He held the knife’s edge of his shift to enhance his powers.

“Come to papa little mouse,” the man said.

I raised my fists and slowly approached. He burst forward with a swipe, and I hopped back. His clawed fingertips gleamed in the sun, barely missing my chest, and coming close enough that a whoosh of air splashed over my torso.

“Ah, the quick one. I heard about you,” he said, attacking again.

Unlike the bearkin, this fox was incredibly fast.

To the point I had trouble tracking him.

We entered a dance of sorts. He tried to claw, I tried to punch. We both dodged. When I shifted to snatch his wrist, he adjusted and nails clawed under my left side, directly below the ribs.

I didn’t inspect the damage, or even gave it any thought, backing up as he pressed the attack.

I feinted a strike to increase our spacing - knowing I was now losing the match on sheer points.

Unexpectedly, I staggered. My wound flared with an unexpected pain so intense that I cried out.

“Argh… What the hell?”

While I had remained calm and in control during my first fight, an unbridled anger ignited within my chest. The power of the beast coursed through my veins, empowering me.

A primal roar belted from my lips and my human voice cracked at the end. The light footed foxkin stopped his two-step shuffle.

“That was almost animalistic. You surprise me,” he said with a bounce of his eyebrows.

The inner animal within me begged to be released. My instinct kicked in and a power filled my very being to the brim. Every muscle in my body flexed before expanding.

The foxkin darted in, trying to land a kick. I shot backwards with an agile leap no human could achieve.

My opponent tilted his head in confusion. I glanced down at my wound, seeing green goop dripping out of my wound.

“Interesting, you should be slowing,” he sneered.

I smirked and replied, “I’m impressed. You had the audacity to use poison. Why break the rules?”

“Me… never. Just because you get weakened from repeated wounds, doesn’t mean I cheat. I’d never cheat. You have no honor for such accusations. Now keep running so I can rack up enough points to crush my over under on the bet,” he said with a confident smirk that matched his swagger.

“Would I heal from this?” I asked.

“No idea what you’re talking about,” he replied.

I fell to a knee, much like a sprinter does before bolting off the starting line. I watched him, pretending to act like a dizziness washed over me.

He paused, seeing me for what I was, not a human.

“You’re eyes. They’re yellow. I -”

I shot off the terrain, erupting with a stride of an apex predator. He kind of expected this, reacting quickly. The lithe foxkin somersaulted to the left, trying to escape my wrath.

The toes of my right foot dug in, and I pivoted.

The chase was on.

I witnessed the true speed of the werefox. He snickered, recovering from his initial dodge, and bounding forward with ease.

His eyes flared wide when he realized I closed the gap.

“Shit! Shit!” he cursed, utterly shocked that a wounded human out sped the fastest of the six.

We circled the oval arena, kicking up dust. Foot by foot, inch by inch, I neared my prey. A hunger drove me, an anger consumed me, and I wanted nothing more than to catch this asshole.

I smacked his heel with a foot sweep, tripping him up.

“Oh shit!” he blurted.

His momentum launched him into a flight straight toward the wall. He picked up so much speed, never expecting me to catch him and that… that was his downfall.

His arms shot out, trying to slow him. Upon impact, his clawed finger snapped a fraction before his arms shattered. His face impacted the wall with an echoing boom.

I had to run a half circle to slow down, and once again, the crowd deafened the arena with the muted silence of shock.

To my utter dismay, he sat up. Not only did he live, but he slurred out some nonsense. I glanced up to the arena box and yelled, “Is that a surrender?”

The angelic on the left pointed to a time that counted down. The big hand and little hand revealed a little over two and a half minutes left.

“Damn, not even half the time. He seems incapacitated.” The judging team ignored me. “Well, best be certain,” I said.

I strutted closer to the downed shifter whose face transitioned, becoming more and more beastly.

“Trying to stay alive. Sad really. You tried to poison me. I have no sympathy for people who try to kill me,” I said, snatching his small ankle.

I planted my feet to yank him off the ground with a spin. The powerful move left me worried I’d tear his foot clean off.

We twirled as a blur, increasing our speed until I slammed his skull into the wall. His brains splattered across the slick surface in a shower of gore.

The time stopped, the gong rang, and I calmly walked to the attendant who waved me over.

The crowd roared in approval. Mixed within the noise, an anguished wail pierced my heart. I had to ignore it, using their anguish to help me calm.

When I returned to my waiting room, I did so alone. I kicked my feet up, wincing at the flaring pain in my side. I grumbled, expecting someone to come in and tell me I was disqualified for growing or being too fast.

I waited, and then waited some more to an eerie silence. I read the paper, noting the pages even had comics. I had to wonder how much of this was a trailing impressionism from Earth. Without anything to do, I decided to read it from front to back to ease the time.

At least an hour passed by when the attendant from earlier said, “You missed round three, luck of the draw gave you a bye because someone couldn’t keep fighting even though they won. Are you ready?”

I neatly folded the paper. “George?” he nodded. “My opponent?”

“A panthie,” he said.

I picked up that the locals called each shifter class by a cutesy name sometimes. Minus the snobby species, I bet they had private names for them they didn’t openly broadcast.

“Any humans left besides me?” I asked.

“Not allowed to say,” the older human said. “I patched Yarlin up though. The man who came out before you killed the foxie.”

“He used poison,” I said with a grumble.

“It only would slow you. They really struggle in these kinds of competitions. Stick them in an army, and you have a small, fast, and accurate shooter on your team. The new arena will have something called paintball guns. Or so the bigwigs brag,” he said.

“Interesting and those should be fun to watch. Big changes take time. Thanks for your help,” I said.

He nodded slowly and said, “Good luck. A human hasn’t won since…”

“Today,” I said and walked onto the sands of the pit.

My opponent was a muscle-bound female. I knew some folks struggled with the premise that hitting a female was wrong. I firmly agreed, unless she stuck herself in an arena. This female looked the part for being a mom or an average lady.

No shaved head, no bulging muscles you’d find on a man. She sneered, and she misjudged me as an easy opponent, but I saw nothing unusual about her.

I popped my neck, let the anger brood in my heart until I unleashed my inner lion. I must have grown a full foot taller and this time, I could feel my nails morphing to claws.

Larisa. She had to be the trigger. Maybe she signed a paper or -

Gong!

I charged, oblivious to the outside world. I still had two matches left after this one and a quick victory would do wonders for my long-term longevity.

My legs surged power and her eyes flared wide at my inhuman speed. She had a slight limp and tried to use an angle toward me to pivot away from my attack.

Her dodge failed. I snatched her up, picked her off the sand, and launched us off the ground.

We flew a dozen feet before she bore the weight of us both.

The impact jarred us, and even I grunted from the sudden stop. I manhandled her, prying her arms up one at a time. Her face flared with confusion and panic.

Then, out of nowhere, I lost control of her.

A black cloud obscured my vision and I held nothing. She shifted into a full panther with a poof of magic. I shook the haze out of my eyes, backing up.

When she pounced on me, I wrapped her up.

She bit my left forearm with pure rage, the teeth firmly embedding into my flesh.

I wanted to keep her calm. Instead, I smashed a punch into the side of the panther’s face. After four of these, I hit something that did the trick because my arm stopped becoming a chew toy and she lolled in my arms, becoming dead weight.

I carried her to her door and a team rushed out. The crew gently applied her to a stretcher while strapping her down.

I watched them work for a minute before walking back to my exit.

“That was climactic,” George said. “Been a while since someone shifted in terror.”

“This is how the world works. People do the unexpected and you deal with it. Can I get a wrap on this?” I asked.

“They know at this point,” he said.

“That I’m not normal?” I asked.

He brought over a medic who processed my wound. I winced and grumbled, but the ointment and wrap helped numb the pain. The young man who performed the work, focused solely on his task.

“Yes. I would encourage you to lose,” he said.

“Not my style,” I said. “I’m in the quarters now, right?”

“Yes, your opponent is already in the arena,” he said.

I shooed the medic away and stepped back into the fighting pit. My opponent was another werebear.

I smirked, the door closed, and the gong rang.

The crowd rose to their feet when I ripped across the distance. I hungered for violence. A lion didn’t settle for anything less than first place and I may have been a bit too eager.

This immense bearkin didn’t dodge, or lunge, or give any opening at all. The dick stood completely still, forcing me to error.

When I entered his reach, I realized my mistake.

With a roar of defiance, I poured every bit of power into my muscles in an attempt to knock him over.

We clashed, two titans on the field. His body surged with power just as mine did.

The collision sent him sliding back, failing to knock him over. We both grunted from the forces reaching a stalemate and I swore I broke a rib of his.

He wrapped me in his arms. A hearty laugh reverberated through his frame.

“I got you,” he said joyfully.

The briefest of warnings told me a hell of an epic headbutt was racing down toward me.

I grunted, tucked my chin to only expose the top of my skull, and readied for the blow. His nose crushed itself up on impact and my mind erupted in pain.

While I wanted to understand what was going on, stars danced in my wobbling vision.

I grunted, knowing I got my clock cleaned.

When I regained my senses, I found myself sitting on my ass. Across from me, the bearkin swooned, blood pouring from his nose until it stained the sand.

I did the logical thing, scooting forward to line up a powerful kick. I roared out with my human voice cracking. The final bit of my cry resulted in just the briefest flash of a deep lion roar.

My direct kick aimed right at the ankle lined up perfectly.

Crack!

The ankle shot out, and bone protruded from the precise kick. He collapsed, landing with a thud. I scampered onto his back, wrapping his neck in a chokehold.

I think his break for an opponent getting a wrap was to normally stand. With a broken ankle we rolled around with him throwing reverse head butts I dodged. The man kicked, bit and scratched. The entire time I held on for dear life.

A gong sounded before he went unconscious, and I grew confused. I did release the man.

“Good fight,” he said, spitting out blood. “I tapped and you couldn’t see.”

“You hit like a damn truck,” I said.

He winced, seeing his ruined ankle. “What’s that?”

“A big car. A really big car carrying a lot of weight.”

“You too, buddy. You too. I’ll buy you a drink when this is healed,” he said, rolling onto the stretcher like it was second nature.

Four wolfmen carried him out with him groaning the entire time.

An angelic floated down from the stands, and I hurried to my feet.

“I’m your next competitor, I surrender,” he said.

“I don’t accept,” I replied.

He shook his head. “I know what you are inquisitor. They know what you are.” He gestured to the crowd. “They have witnessed you defeating the reigning champion and been told to leave for a private ceremony. It is rare but allowed on occasion without disturbing the peace.”

I snickered, folding my arms. “Fine. Humor me. What is an inquisitor?”

The angelic sniffed before transforming into a massive angel with stone-like skin. The crowds paused their exodus and I snarled, readying for a fight. He didn’t near, using his enhanced vision to intently look at me.

“Interesting,” he said, releasing his transformation and reducing his size. I held onto mine, the primal thirst for blood called to me. “An inquisitor is from one of three places. A nation’s secret police pretending to be the Emblem Council’s secret agents. An agent from the Emblem Council.

“The final one though, is lost to time. Apparently, during the start of the exploitation of humanity on Earth, the true inquisitors were born. Their goal was to keep the emblem lords honest. As in, when a willing transplant from Earth arrived at Kerxon, those humans were treated fairly. Clearly, they did not succeed in their mandate.

“Of course, some of this is heresy to talk about. How could humans ever regulate the six on their behaviors? And the notion has long since been proven as false. But the thing is; you’re raw power and aggression - a steam train of destruction. I’d land a few punches on you, and you’d splatter my brains on your fist.”

“Uh… I'd like to think I’m not evil. I could have killed each of these competitors.”

He snickered seeing Jarbinan entering the pit. The seroci arrived with a shit eating grin. The man was flanked by two guards and no Larisa.

“Evil comes as your friend, careful of whom you do business with, inquisitor,” the angelic said.

“I never caught your name.”

“I never gave it. I do not associate with your kind, even if you’re not human,” he said, and I almost lunged to catch him as he flew off.

I let my anger simmer down, watching him depart.

“Let him go. Such a baby. I’d say we took a hit from him opting out of the final fight, but honestly that will fill the stadium for weeks to come. An angelic flees from a human, how terrific for marketing,” Jarbinan said with delight.

“I kinda wanted to triumphantly tower over the final opponent,” I said with a bit of a growl.

“I kinda want to roll in all the perfect stones I won today. But I have work to do, and you need to disappear before the angry mob of gamblers realizes you lost them their wagers,” Jarbinan said.

“Where’s Larisa?” I asked.

“Being a brat. She’s ordering my staff around to get books about the championship matches. I had four beta managers pester me to make sure it was okay that she bossed around employees. You’ll get your damn books,” he said with a flippant tone.

“And my three exquisite servants?” I asked.

He chucked a bag of stones at me. “Larisa doesn’t like to share, and she said she would explain. I just think she wants to cherry pick more desperate slaves.”

“I need…” I wanted to say soldiers. “Training partners for my base.”

“Sounds like a ‘you’ problem. We’re done. I fulfilled my contract. Consider me a bad host because I forced Larisa to pay for a room. I still hate you laid a hand on me. But we live and learn. I learned you are easily placated by a sexy woman even if you pretend to not be,” he said, quickly departing so he could have the last word.

George came out a few minutes later and said, “Lady Larisa is waiting for you in your suite. If you will follow me, Sir.”

I inclined my head, noticing the crowds losing interest in the pit. I hefted the bag, bouncing the weight in my hands.

“And what do you plan on doing with all your winnings if I may be so bold?” he asked.

I popped my neck, exhaled and felt the anger fading.

“I’m going to make a difference, one day, one mission at a time. And right now, I have some people to save,” I said.

“Excellent. I knew you were the right chap to root for. I do wish you the best in making the world a better place,” he said.

I wanted to correct him and say worlds, but I knew I should focus on making a difference, starting with a mission I felt was long overdue. If only I could get Judith and Jessica in on my plan, then everything would go smoothly.

Chapter 17

URIK - KERXON

“Say that again, slower this time,” Jessica said from beside the door of the room we booked earlier.

A pile of clothing boxes, a gem collector's trunk, and even a box of trinkets to give to her parents rested nearby. I paid another competitor to follow Larisa up to the suite she booked while I used a drawn cloak to return to this room.

Not only did my body ache, but I felt like I had overstayed our welcome. Honestly, I was feeling a lot of that everywhere I went lately.

“I’m conflicted on what to do,” I grumbled from the hotel bed. My stomach held a firm wrap, my forearm was tucked to my chest, and my headache had just started to fade. “Admittedly, this whole trip to a new realm started out as a way to earn money and explore this fantastical world. It still is, but the longer I stay, the nicer people I meet, and the more I feel bad for leaving so many behind with all the issues.”

“And you kill the vile ones you meet,” Judith added.

I inhaled deeply and said, “In less than two months, I will lose the emblem - if history is correct. Based on these amazing gems,” I gestured to the dozen massive gems on the table, “we are set as being rich in America. To what end?”

“Right, I got that part. It was the next bit that twisted my panties,” Jessica said, pacing unhappily.

“Shifters live on Earth in hiding. I really believe that they have their secret societies among the masses, but Jessica, they’re happy. If they are content, there’s no rescuing them if that makes sense. I could find one of those to take over, it would help tremendously with what we mean to achieve,” I said, watching her come to a stop.

Jessica folded her arms, propping up her cleavage either out of frustration or to tease me.

“I’m not happy with this line of thought,” Jessica said. That meant frustration. “How are they hiding then?”

“Maybe the emblem only needs a simple wish to convert a Kerxon to a regular human forever, and there’s so much we don’t know. My point is that those groups are probably rare and storming into their communities to take over seems a dickish move. They’re seen as the cults of the world where a leader and his group live all together. I want that without stealing it from someone who is doing a good job of running theirs,” I said.

Jessica stopped pacing. “I’m not alone in that? A commune, betas helping an alpha, kids running around wrestling, men and women working together for the group instead of the individual.”

“Right. Yes. But where?” I asked.

Jessica tapped a foot, all but biting a nail with her apprehension brought on from the conversation.

Judith raised a hand and said, “Marvin is right. We can live here. On Kerxon.”

Jessica sighed. “This is what bothers me. I don’t want to let go of home.”

Judith leaned against the wall, trying to be supportive in her tone. “No one would bat an eye at a farming village all swearing to a mayor who’s an alpha. Even if that alpha was a human. They would assume the betas prop him up to be the target. A figurehead does happen in many places because alpha fights between communities can resort to assassinations.”

“To me it is less about blending in and more about who we are and what our goal is. What good can we do on Earth?” I asked.

Jessica sputtered her lips, approaching until she stood before the couch. “My handsome man.” She lifted my chin and gently touched our lips. “Why try to fix the world when your own home is not in order. Right now, Earth is oblivious, Kerxon can’t track you to a home, and you can prepare for anything once you have enough stability - on Earth.

“Think about it. If we compile a team here first, then we can build a foundation to create change later. Also, there’s something going on with the magic. I felt my power increase,” Jessica said.

“I think the emblem wants me to bind the six to me. When we do, we finish the transition,” I guessed. “I could be wrong, of course. Not like I’m an expert, just the signs are there.”

“Where is this latest addition?” Jessica asked.

“Ah, speaking of which… Larisa is in suite six twelve. Go grab her, Judith, the doctor said I should rest for an evening before standing again,” I ordered.

“Of course, my alpha,” Judith said, excusing herself.

When the door sealed shut, Jessica happily said, “She did wonderfully. Didn’t hurt that we ate a second lunch. She is ravenous and caught the eye of a few males even with her malnourished frame. Her fancy outfit and stiff back of superiority on her small frame probably helped.”

“I see shopping went well. Frank should be excited to see these stones in their raw glory.” I picked up a ruby the size of my fist. The raw stone seemed surreal. “Out of this world sums it up correctly,” I said.

“It was fun. I enjoy Urik even if I do get stared down at by the locals. I see the people wearing collars and it just breaks my heart though. I do understand your desire to make a difference here, Marvin. I too want to save them all, but that is not possible without a whole bunch of work and years of time,” Jessica said, coming to sit next to me.

“I missed you. Wished you were at my side,” I told her.

She didn’t reply, snuggling into my chest gingerly. I rested my eyes, feeling tired and expecting Larisa to arrive any moment.

∞∞∞

The sound of a chair breaking startled me awake. The inner beast rushed through my body, beating back all weariness. I shot to my feet and paused.

Jessica pinned Larisa on the hotel room’s carpet. A ruined chair rested in pieces under the duo. Jessica growled and the back of her dress swirled with a six-inch tail with a puffy fur ball at the end.

I returned to my seat, letting the beast return to his dormancy. Judith stood by the door with concern etched on her face. She clearly wasn’t as calm about Jessica dominating Larisa.

While the two wrestled, I asked, “What happened?”

Judith plopped onto the couch I patted. “Larisa was in your other suite. A dozen people wanted to meet you or talk to you. We managed them one at a time, and I helped. You apparently caused quite a stir.”

“And this,” I pointed to Larisa feebly trying to fight back.

Jessica manhandled her with ease. Larisa was confused and not enjoying her struggles in the slightest. On a positive note, she wore pants and a long sleeve shirt like I ordered, both in a rustic and very unflattering brown.

“You’re hurting me,” Larisa complained.

Judith chuckled. “I warned her not to test Jessica. She came in, gave Jessica orders as you napped, and this is the result. Larisa doesn’t understand what is going on, but she is very excited to serve a seroci inquisitor.”

“Seroci?” I asked.

Larisa sighed. “I submit. Let me up you sexy cow. Ow, ow, ow. I’m sorry, fine. You’re not a cow. How about a human goddess?”

Jessica sat on her chest, not moving an inch. “Why do you think Marvin is a seroci?”

“The spectators said he was so light on his feet it was as if he flew,” Larisa said. “Seriously, bearie, get off me.”

“Bearie?” Jessica asked with curiosity.

“The locals use cutesy names. She thinks you're an inquisitor bearkin. I think you’re safe to assume she is on our side. Your tail grew,” I said.

Jessica shot a hand to the spot above her ass, noting a fluffy ball. She oddly stroked it with a purr. “Hot damn. I love it.”

“Jessica, let her inspect your tail, if it shrinks from her abdicating from her oaths to me… kill her,” I said.

“You’d never escape the city,” Larisa said with a huff. “But I keep my oaths. Now you have me really -” she gasped seeing Jessica’s tail. “That’s not a bear tail. What is it? It’s so cute and fluffy.”

“Thanks… I think,” Jessica replied.

“You're not inquisitors?” Larisa said with furled brows.

I shook my head. “An eighth species. Lionkin or lionie… or would it be liony? I’m a pride alpha, and you are in my pride. I treat it like a pack though. Other men, other couples. Think of me as the leader of a community more than as the group asshole who screws everything as he wishes.”

“The cities, the nations, the councils… They’ll lose their minds over this,” Larisa said in dismay.

“I’m wealthy, powerful, and building a team. You’re invited to serve at my side if you wish,” I said.

“In what capacity?” Larisa asked, playfully twirling Jessica’s tail.

Jessica bit her lip, controlling her lust and shifted her weight off the horned beauty. I smirked, knowing what she’d be asking me to do later. I waved Larisa over to sit on my other side.

She dusted herself off, watching Jessica with worry. If I had to guess, she didn’t like being forced to submit.

“You will serve at my side. Nothing more, nothing less, for now. You’re a free lady to do as you please as long as it serves the needs of the team,” I said.

“I can find a husband, a sister wife, and you won’t care? It can even be a beta?” she asked.

“Yes. Assuming you want to build something from the ground up with mysterious lions,” I told her.

“This is better than an inquisitor. We could rule a city, or even a nation. Clearly, if Jessica can overpower me, and you… you…” She shuddered with her purple eyes blazing with desire. “You’re… yes, I will work tirelessly to establish a home and a base of power with you. I’m yours to command. Speaking of which, I had to deal with thirty requests for an audience.”

“My plan was to travel to the weary and downtrodden to unlock six more people to take home. Ideally, I’d want one of each species if I can,” I said.

“First, the angelics will be almost impossible to win over. They do not let their unfortunate end up as I did. You will need to work hard to woo one to your side. Why only six? You can grow your pride exponentially with what you earned today,” Larisa asked with a humph of disappointment.

“There is more you do not know,” Jessica said, and Larisa’s eyes flickered between us. “It will be revealed when the time is right. We have limits currently. Our transportation has room for six.”

“And how many items? My father wished to gift me a fine stallion for me finding someone to temper my wild side,” Larisa said.

“Uh… I like testing. What about the other people who you dealt with?” I asked.

Judith cleared her throat and said, “Mostly scrupulous bad actors trying to pry the gems out of your hands. A few wished to congratulate you, but I also suspect their motives. There was a very distraught foxkin who loaned her brother a few stones and you killed him. She is seeking help with the funeral expenses.”

“Is that normal?” I asked.

Judith shrugged, letting me know she had no idea.

Larisa scoffed. “She was likely in on the operation. Her brother is probably her former lover and Judith has a big heart. I had already told her to get lost. I assume we are leaving this city?”

“Yup, to somewhere far, far away,” Jessica said.

“Then we want to visit the death row market. Worst case we get a runner who makes false promises, and we replace them. They’re cheap, on their last chance, and will be forever grateful to be released. Pretty much the exact opposite of the expansive contracts like mine,” Larisa said.

Judith eyed her, expecting her to say more. When she didn’t Judith said, “You were offered to attend a ball tonight, in your honor by Lord Harrob, the angelic mayor of Urik.”

“I was uninvited,” Larisa said as if it didn’t bother her, but clearly it did.

“It’s fine. We’ve probably overstayed our welcome anyways. I don’t need a gala, or a stallion, or even more gems. I need to organize our home life. I’m also in hiding since I bet people are waiting to see where I go. Judith is the unknown one here,” I said.

Jessica added, “No one knows me.”

“If Judith and you add, let’s say a bearkin, panthkin, and a foxkin, what happens?” I asked.

“At this rate, I grow a tail and… Oh, I get it. You don’t want me to become something different out in the open. I’ll stay back and help you get comfortable while you heal,” Jessica said.

“Leisure it is,” Larisa said, kicking her feet up.

Judith rose off the couch, handed me the satchel, and said, “I have more than enough gems, but I will try to find the right… people. What do you wish for?”

“At least one or two with muscles, preferring more. If you want to pick men you find attractive, I don’t mind as long as they can take orders,” I said.

“Pack at my discretion, add six helpers, mostly men, and willing to follow us to a new home,” Judith summarized.

I bobbed my head and said, “Any sign of trouble, come right back here.”

Larisa said, “Her dress and jewelry speak to wealth. She will be fine in Urik. We eagerly await your return. Now, my alpha, I have your books and your new outfit. Would you like for me to read you to sleep?”

Jessica pulled back the covers before helping to guide me to the bed. The pain was manageable, and I already felt my body recovering. I laid down and she became my little spoon.

Judith departed with a friendly goodbye and Larisa grabbed a book off the pile by the door. I wasn’t overly tired, wanting to hear a story.

“I didn’t bring much, but may I get changed?” Larisa asked.

“We may need to leave in a hurry. Even I’m staying fully dressed,” I said.

She picked up a book, doing her best not to saunter as she plopped into bed beside us. The crisp sound of pages turning brought back memories of my mom and I couldn’t help but feel a bit sad.

“The beginning of history is hard to describe because the written word lacked a cohesive structure and common language. A lot of those times are based on folklore and passed down stories. For this book, we try to compile the best facts we can and present them in a vague way.

“During this time, Kerxon fought for ages, the beast in control more than the man. The deity who graces us with their presence called it the age of the beast in numerous accounts. The age of the beast was a nomadic period where the four fought endlessly for dominance,” Larisa began.

I frowned. “Four?”

She gazed down at me with confusion. “Is this a test or do you really not know? Even humans are taught this when they grow up.”

Jessica shimmied her hips and I realized it probably was best to keep my mouth shut.

I said, “Please continue.”

“The nomadic period led to the intervention. A powerful deity - who is named as the Prophet - foretold of a climatic event in which our planet would be overrun by a scourge unlike any other. A bleak future awaited the four unless we evolved. The goal was to tame the beast, achieving civilization.

“To help combat this threat, the first visitation by the Prophet resulted in the creation of the seroci and the angelics. Those who had fallen too far into their inner beasts became the additional races to round out the six. A time was needed for the slightly smarter races to reel in the endless war.

“For a while, the seroci and angelics did indeed consolidate power, build walls, irrigate fields, and shift society from nomadic to settlements. Populations soared and the low mortality rate resulted in fighting for many reasons.

“Tribes need farmers, irrigation diggers, females to increase populations, and the list goes on. Plus, it is always easier to steal than to manage. This lasted for a few thousand years. When the Prophet returned, they were unhappy and decided the seroci and angelics were not enough.”

I held up a hand, interrupting.

“I have traveled to many cities using different time variations. How long is a year here?”

“Um… this book is based on the emblem standard. Six hundred days in a year, one long summer that fades into and out of one short winter. Does that help?” Larisa asked.

Jessica said, “It does, thank you. Please continue.”

“As I was saying. The Prophet didn’t find our lack of success encouraging. They immediately did two things. They screamed across the planet to train all their best warriors to compete in the championships for endless rewards. Only six prizes would be awarded across the world.

“The Prophet vanished, leaving to create the medallions that would forever alter our planet. The Prophet said humanity was a pure form of our creation, angering the mighty alphas of the time. They said humans would help build up our society, forming the backbone of our blossoming civilization.

“The leaders who won in the tournaments would be given portal keys to bring home conquered humans. The first event happened without anyone even realizing it happened. One day warriors of renown trained, the next they vanished. Months went by and six returned.

“Six champions went to Earth, to a place called Kemet which bordered a great river. When the champions flared their anger, showing their beast forms, the Kemet leaders handed over slaves to serve the champions.

“Thousands and thousands of humans poured from Earth to Kerxon. The numbers became so great, the medallions were given limiters. Those limiters diminished the power of the medallions, but the prized items carried infinitely more weight than all other possessions.

“Occasionally, a emblem would slip into the hands of a human. Those humans would reset the power structure, causing the trigger of a new competition. After the third time this happened, the human ability to own property was revoked.

“Every time the leaders gave an inch, the humans had it stripped away with their transgressions. The actual events inside the competition lack any description. Even the winners relay they are forbidden from speaking about the tournament.

“This is just a basic guide. I have heard that an angelic on his deathbed spoke of being among the stars while he competed. They fought against horrific monsters who would one day reach our lands,” Larisa said, closing the first book.

I relaxed further into Jessica's warm body while I absorbed Larisa's story of Kerxon's history. Feeling her shimmy her ass against my crotch in a teasing way, I pulled her closer to me.

I had a bit more knowledge to make my plans come to fruition, I just needed to implement it.

I reminded myself of the next step in that plan, one that I was going to enjoy to the fullest if it went well.

"Larisa, I have a proposition for you, if you will listen to it," I said as I leered at the seroci woman past Jessica's hair.

“Yes, Marvin, I am listening," Larisa responded as she leaned forward giving me her full attention. Letting her stew for a moment I looked down to Jessica and saw the wide smile and nod she gave me as she felt my cock harden against her ass.

"I want another pride mate for my Jessica and you want to bring yourself further into our family. Am I correct in those assumptions?" I asked.

"I won't say no to joining you if that is what you wish," Larisa said with a smirk.

I kept my hard stare at the red-haired woman going and noted the vein in her neck pulsing quicker as she leaned forward in her chair in interest. Feeling my inner lion wake up as I scented Larisa's growing arousal. I also noted the twin points growing on the unflattering shirt she wore as it failed to completely remove the impressions of them. I felt a soft growling from Jessica against my chest as she waited for Larisa to take what I was offering.

"If you agree he is going to fuck your brains out, and I mean as soon as you say yes. He is going to pull these blankets off and come over there and ravage you with the big cock I’m currently teasing with my ass. And he will likely be very rough. Be sure in your next words Larisa, the course of your life depends on it," Jessica said as my nose was flooded with the scent of her arousal.

A smile crossed my face, I wasn't the only one that wanted a piece of the curvy seroci woman.

"I wouldn't mind having a go at master Bignose, but your wording makes me think this isn't a one and done type of arrangement," Larisa said.

"And would that be so bad? To have a husband that is powerful, rich, and exceedingly talented in bed. I don't think I need to mention that he is a good person as well. Do you think you could do better?" Jessica asked as she pushed her ass against my swelling cock.

"I don't mistreat those that are mine, you know this Larisa, better than most. If my offer is too extreme then I will let our first contract stand. You work for me and that will be it, though I don't think I will stop looking unless you tell me specifically to keep my eyes to myself," I said as I felt my body beginning to shift in preparation for adding Larisa to my pride.

"Fuck, we haven't done that yet, I wonder if it grows spines or not...," Jessica said in a questioning tone before shifting to find out for herself.

I gave her the chance to find out as I rolled to my back, all the while holding Larisa's gaze with a challenging one of my own.

"Hmmm, I think I will take that plunge if you will have me, Marvin Bigcock," Larisa said with a clack of her tongue.

She stood from her chair letting the book that she had been reading drop to the floor.

"There's no spines!" Jessica said.

The sheets shifted and bobbed when my lovely lioness licked on my erect cock under the blankets. I chuckled at her exuberance before hissing in pleasure as she took my shaft with both hands.

Her giggling and clear excitement caused me to engorge to a fullness.

"A little smaller if you could, babe. I think I might be able to take it, but I want my organs still where they belong after you put your cubs in me," Jessica said.

After she pulled the blankets from us, showing me that even with both hands her fingers barely touched as she stroked my cock.

"Yes please, no full shift. I need to be able to serve you once I enjoy this cock," Larisa said as she laid next to Jessica between my legs.

I found calming my inner lion to be a difficult task. The sight of my lioness and succubus teasing my cock with their warm tongues and mouths put my willpower to the test.

"Say when," I said with a smirk.

I tucked the desire I felt for them both in its place. I was the king of my pride, power and unbridled lust had their places. Control was what was needed now. I would give them both the ravaging their delectable bodies deserved later when we weren't in enemy territory.

"When! Fuck it is still fucking big, Larisa sit on his face and give your new king a taste of what he will be sinking this big cock into once I have my turn on it," Jessica commanded before she pulled her clothes off swiftly.

Feeling a hungry growl leave my chest as my lioness's delicious tits and wide hips filled my view, I gave an involuntary huffing roar as Larisa stripped naked, seductively removing her clothes.

Larisa's amazing figure didn't disappoint, her hard nipples atop light colored areolas. She surprisingly shared a long passionate kiss with Jessica. Both ladies let the passion consume them, increasing the tempo of their make out session.

I was keen to watch. Clearly the show was worth the wait. A elated euphoria roiled through my inner lion, watching the ladies transition to fingering each other. When their lips parted they stuck the glistening fingers in each other’s mouths.

“That’s hot,” I said, watching them suck each other’s fingers.

Larisa leaned forward pressing her firm perky tits against my chest. Our lips connected, exploratory tongues increasing the lust.

Sliding my hands down her body as we shared a kiss, I reveled in the form of the succubus.

The smoothness of her skin and slim waist flared out into wide hips. A needy growl escaped out of my chest.

"Please feast on me master. I wonder if his tongue gets rough like the other cats?" Larisa said as our kiss ended.

She rose from my chest, her warmth fading off my body. The purple eyed vixen glanced at Jessica who rubbed the head of my cock against her soaked pussy.

"If it does, please let me know, I wouldn't mind losing my mind a little on his lips," Jessica responded.

I gave their banter part of my attention, the other larger part focused on the sensation of Jessica lowering herself on my cock and the view of Larisa's wet pussy above me.

Their light teases were welcomed, it kept the mood playful, an air of fun. Both lowered to their prospective seats, helping me feel better about their short fight earlier.

Licking up into Larisa's pussy as her thick thighs settled next to my head, I left their relationship for them to figure out. I had a seroci woman to fuck after I filled a curvy lioness with my seed.

I settled one of my hands on one of Larisa's heaving breasts, teasing a diamond-hard nipple as I got into my oral attack on her slippery pussy. Her hips shifted to let my tongue roll around her clit. I flicked, twirled, and teased her pearl, earning happy moans.

I placed my other hand firmly on Jessica's wide hip as she lowered herself on me. My lioness hilted herself, having to slow to fit me completely in. Both ladies let loud cries of pleasure escape their lips while I thrust my hips and twirled my tongue.

"Fuck it is, fucking shit you are good at that Marvin..." Larisa whispered.

Devouring Larisa's delicious sex caused her thighs to quivered next to my head. I let loose an elated growl as the snug drag of my lionesses walls slid up and down my shaft. She increased her tempo, grinding her hips in circles.

The next few minutes melded with delightful pleasures. We climbed toward a climax and I flicked that little pussy with abandon.

"Fuck, fuck, fuck!!! Coming all over your big cock babe, fuck!!!" Jessica screamed as her hips began bouncing faster and faster on my cock.

Her clenching pussy pulsated as she approached her orgasm. Enjoying every moment of the amazing feeling of her coming undone on me was euphoric. I wanted my females to be pleased.

Larisa's fingers slid through my hair before she increased her slide. Her drenched pussy loved my mouth rotating in unison with my tongue twirls.

"Shit, fucking, fuck, shit! I coming in your mouth Marvin, oh my fuck I am fucking coming!" Larisa screamed alongside Jessica's exclamation as they both climaxed at the same time on my mouth and cock.

I drank down Larisa's surprise squirt of fluid while I fucked myself into Jessica's shaking body.

I approached my own orgasm, trying to make them both climax at least once more before I passed the point of no return.

Pinching one of Larisa's hard nipples, I caught the hard bud above her dripping pussy lips gently between my teeth, I used the tip of my tongue to stimulate her swollen clit.

"Fuck Marvin!” Larisa screamed as her body lost all strength.

Her hands gripped on my hair as she tried to support herself through my oral ministrations. I shoved harder, increasing my thrusts into my lioness's shaking body.

This was it.

Her little pussy was clamping onto my shaft. Her increased tempo squeezing its hardest to earn my seed. She wanted my cub.

I gave Jessica's clenching pussy one last thrust before using my hand on her hip to hold her down on my erupting cock.

“That’s right, cum for your little slut. Fuck me. Fill me. Breed me. I’m yours. Oh, yes!” Jessica screamed.

I pumped surges of cum into her, I sipped down Larisa's screaming release as I felt Jessica's hands on my waist shake with her own intense orgasm. It took a bit of work, but we all reached an orgasm at the same time, a pinnacle achievement.

The only other threesome I had, it was more of the girls having fun. This was three bodies joining together.

"Fuck babe, that was so. Fucking. Good. Larisa, you ready for your helping of our lion's baby juice?" Jessica asked as she shakily lifted herself off my sex-slick cock.

We shared a giggle, the term helping the mood.

Rising from between Larisa's thighs as she moaned something into the pillows at the head of the bed, I kissed my lioness savagely.

Afterwards, we both stared at the softly moaning seroci woman.

"Fuck her good babe, she needs to understand that no one will make her legs shake that way again," Jessica said after our intense kiss ended.

I gave her a chuckle as I took my time leering at Larisa's well padded ass. I was going to make a tsunami with the waves that would be traveling on those cheeks. Sharing a smiling growl with her before she moved to place Larisa's head between her legs, I moved to claim my seroci.

"Eat up, you're going to need to drink your milk to survive our lion's desire, little Larisa," Jessica said as the softly moaning red-haired woman looked up into her golden eyes.

Placing the head of my cock against Larisa's soaked nether lips, I slowly pushed into her slick pussy with a pleasured groan.

"Fuck, is he always this fucking big. It feels like my pussy is going to break..." Larisa asked through her pleasured moans as I let her become accustomed to my size. I smiled at Jessica as she forced the seroci woman's face into her pussy with a hand behind her head.

"She talks too much instead of coming on that big cock she is complaining about. Fuck her babe, she will be ok," Jessica said as Larisa's moans became muffled by Jessica's pussy in her mouth.

I gripped the moaning woman's tiny waist firmly as I put every ounce of my strength into making her ass ripple for me.

I enjoyed both the quivering body in my hands along with the sight of her ass bouncing from each of my brutal thrusts into her clenching pussy before she screamed loud and long into my moaning lioness’s pussy. Feeling Larisa's orgasm drip down my balls, I kept up my ravaging of her body as my orgasm neared.

"Fuck, that's right Larisa eat that fucking pussy, don't you dare fucking stop," Jessica moaned as she approached her peak.

Seeing her humping Larisa's face as the seroci woman shook with the aftershocks of her orgasm, I increased my frenzied thrusting as I stood on the precipice of filling my succubus for the first time.

"Fucking, MINE!”

I roared out as I pummeled Larisa's tight pussy two more thrusts before the first surge of my cum coated her rippling walls. Her toneless moan spurred me on as I filled her. I grunted, every pulse of my cum shooting into her pussy sent tingles down my spine.

"Fuck babe, that is so fucking hot, but you might want to put her down before you kill her," Jessica said through her orgasmic bliss that I had missed as I reached my own.

Looking down my body I found my moaning seroci hanging from her hips in my hands, with hers clearing the bed by a few inches.

I gave her curvy body a couple of possessive thrusts before letting her fall limp to the bed with a river of my cum flowing from her gaping red pussy. Her opening clenched, pulsing with squeezes. White cum trickled out and I snickered, loving the sight.

"I wouldn't kill her, fuck her unconscious maybe... uh... well, anyway, she is likely very content," I said as I watched Larisa's shaking body settle down.

The pleasurable experience put her in a lip smacking stretch of tiredness.

"Her eyes stayed rolled up in her head," Jessica said after she checked on the seroci woman.

Shrinking down to my normal size, I pulled the covers over us all as Jessica became the little, little, spoon in front of Larisa.

"Fuck that was the best sex I have ever had or thought about having," Larisa muttered, her eyes closed.

I chuckled lightly as I pulled both of my pride mates closer to me.

Jessica asked, “Thank you, the sex is wonderful isn't it. Now that we have the claiming out of the way, on to getting to know one another. You make me curious, Larisa. What do you want from this world?”

“Like as a person.” She tucked a vibrant red strand of hair behind her ear. She glanced at us cuddling only feet away. I could see the anxiety as if it were an aura wrapping around her form. Eventually our charming smiles won out. “I wanted to be a farmer.”

She paused and we didn’t have some crazy reaction like she expected. We mostly just watched her be nervous.

“Wait, you don’t think that’s weird, do you?” Larisa asked.

I smiled and said, “I want to be a home builder.”

“Teacher,” Jessica said.

“Yes, but your… seroci do not farm.”

I countered with, “You are meant to rule. A ruling species must feed its people. Think less of how others judge you and more about how your people persist.”

“Ugh, you sound like an angelic. If I didn’t hear you needlessly killed the foxie, I’d swear you were one. I get it though. My father cut me off, I needed a lot of stones to start my own village, so I made a big gamble and lost. They knew an unwed, childless seroci would fetch big money to the right angelic. I walked right into their trap,” Larisa said.

“And you just wanted to escape to get a farm?” I asked. “What would you have on it?”

“I’m a vegetarian, well, besides eggs and milk. I love animals. I’d love to farm whatever we could get our hands on,” Larisa said hesitantly.

“I take it you don’t mention this much,” I said.

She shook her head. “My father thinks its lunacy. Some alpha wolf will abduct me in the night to steal my land. My last boyfriend refused to travel to remote villages so I could at least explore my options.”

“I know the feeling. I mentioned I wanted to take a simple vacation away from the city and my parents lost their minds.” Jessica sputtered her lips. “To be fair, I kinda did get mugged before starting a whirlwind adventure. I really wonder what they’re up to.”

“I’m sure they’re fine, just like Terrell. This has me thinking though. If we do consider finding a nice home in the boonies around here,” I said, keeping my description vague. “What do we bring and who do we tell?”

We mulled this over, even Larisa chiming in on what she would want to bring to start a farm. The reality was, I knew the portal was limited to how many people could use it, but I knew nothing about how much stuff we can haul every trip. Did we have to be holding it? Or was thinking we wanted it simply enough?

We’d find out soon enough when we went home.

Chapter 18

URIK - KERXON

I kept a stoic face, staring at the five men in front of me and two women that Judith brought back to the hotel room. Three handsome wolf men with modest builds, a hulking bearkin with a busted left arm, and a regular man.

The two ladies were both shifters, one being a black haired panthkin and the other an amber haired foxkin.

All seven of them were young, thin, and happy to be here. It did hurt me to look at how starved they were. The biggest issue - the matter of seven plus four equals eleven and the portal only was said to allow ten.

While I was all for testing, I didn’t want to leave Jessica behind. The others could all survive here on their lonesome, but not her.

“I said six,” I mentioned to Judith.

The raven-haired dark-eyed woman fidgeted. She tiptoed up to whisper into my ear, “Dobber, the bearkin, was set to be killed since he could no longer work with his broken arm and tossed in for free. Even his handler had pity on him. He was the last one. I figured we could bribe one to go free or test them.”

I nodded while she talked, listening intently.

“I guess it’s that time. Everyone, line up against that wall, minus Judith and Jessica. It's time to reveal my secret. Larisa, come here,” I ordered.

I didn’t want the seroci to be in the lineup, figuring she earned a bit of status knowing most of our secrets already. She cutely stepped to within an inch of me before spinning. She swirled her red hair across my chest, giving me her ear, and tossing her plump butt against my crotch.

I leaned down and whispered, “We’re richer than the elites of this city after today because we have easy access to metal. From Earth. I hold the missing emblem.”

“I know. I figured it out during our reading session. Thank you for telling me before the others. I will reward you for this, assuming Jessica lets me,” Larisa said with a wink.

“Go wrap arms with our family,” I ordered, and she stepped back to connect elbows with Judith and Jessica.

I pulled out a revolver, noting guns seemed silly when you could transform into a beast, but bullets still hurt. The weapon proved a point. I walked the line of malnourished and desperate survivors who were fortunate enough to make it to my hotel room.

“I’m Marvin and I have room in my pack. Men and women welcomed, but I’m in charge, it's a lion thing,” I said. They didn’t cue in. “I’m a shifter, a lion shifter, and I have a -”

One of the wolfmen interrupted, “There’s no such thing.”

I let the rage consume me, growing furious at his insolence. The power rippled through my body, increasing my height until I matched the bearkin. The second my hair stood, and my eyes yellowed, it cued into those before me that I wasn’t lying.

The emblem flared with power and if I had to guess, I earned more loyalists. While that was great, my brewing rage enhanced my shifting ability until my face contorted. I shifted further than ever before, continuing to grow.

My head bonked the ceiling while my face sprouted incisors. A tail jetted up my shorts until it flopped out.

I had to let the anger simmer, realizing I almost fully shifted for the first time. When I regained my anger, they all cowered to some degree.

The least nervous was Dobber, the bearkin.

“That was awesome,” he said. “You’re so going to piss the hierarchy off. I also am fairly certain you will get us killed.”

I jolted when a hand stroked my tail, hating the arousal it elicited.

“Jessica! I’m trying to be intimidating, not horny,” I scolded, not having the right effect because she giggled.

That did wonders for alleviating the fear of the recruits.

“They have already submitted to you. Hence, your gain of power, my Alpha,” Jessica said.

“Oh,” I replied. “Dobber, right?” I asked and he smiled. “Do you want to go to Earth with us?”

He tilted his head in confusion. “Like the human planet where slaves come from.”

“Yes.”

He sputtered his lips. “Mistress Judith mentioned endless food, warm beds, private rooms, and wonderful woods without dangers.”

“Um, not exactly but close. Actually, pretty darn close. Does anyone want to stay here and try your luck on the streets?” I asked.

The male human raised his hand. “I lied to the Mistress. I said I had no family, but I do,” he said. “I had no way to pay my debts.”

I reached into a pouch, pulling out five weights of pristine gems. He didn’t hesitate, grabbing the stones. I pointed to the bed, and he frowned in confusion.

“You stay here for now. Anyone else who refuses to go, stay on the bed,” I said.

An older wolfman walked over to join the first man. I handed him five stones as well. When the others seriously considered it, I pulled out an ounce of silver, handing one to each of them.

Dobber bit his bar, not sure why, but he smiled from the interaction. An ounce of silver was thirty dollars and they stared at the metal like it was a giant gem. The irony.

“Alright. We are going to test some things. Everyone, grab something from the room besides Dobber. You, you’ll stick a foot on the bed. Stand against the wall since you two aren’t coming.

“It should be dark, but we will be arriving inside our home. The process is quick and painless. Plenty of drive through for everyone here soon,” I said, grabbing an end table.

They didn’t understand the reference and did as they were told by securing parts of the hotel room in confusion. I set the piece of furniture on my foot and picked it up off the ground about an inch.

“Link arms, form a circle,” I ordered.

The isolated wolfman darted for my satchel, noticing we were bound together. He foolishly tried to rob me, his eyes flickering between my valuables and the door.

I shouted, “Earth!”

It only took a single call to trigger the blue and white portal to open underneath us. When we fell in, the idiot who tried to rob me fell too and I don’t think I’ve ever been as enraged as I was at that moment.

The flare of a blinding light caused me to shield my eyes even though I sought out the culprit in our midst. When my vision stabilized, it was night. That part was expected and to an extent, the wolfman who feared my wraith by running into the nearby wood line was expected as well.

What did shock me was the dozen all-black SUVS swarming our vacation rental. Men, big men that reminded me of bearkin, rushed out of vehicles drawing weapons.

I tossed the emblem to Judith and said, “Run.”

She bolted into the woods, zooming behind the trees and onto the trail before the enforcers could even react.

To say chaos ensued would be an understatement. Men dressed in tactical gear didn’t shoot, only posturing to close the distance. The front door of our rental opened and out strode a fit woman dragging Toran.

I had to piece a lot together in a short timeframe. The most obvious was, we brought everything with us if we held it directly. Touching the bed didn’t work. Carrying all the excess items forced our return to deviate, spawning us in a clearing outside the home instead of in a living room.

As we were surrounded, the newest members of our team watched on with confusion. Judith was long gone by this point, escaping the bulky guards, and that made me the happiest. The fact the Emblem Council had power on Earth miffed me and seeing them not get what they wanted made me happy.

Toran looked like shit, and when a bearkin disguised as a man dragged out two people with bags over their heads, I knew things were about to get ugly.

“Marvin Spencer. How interesting to see you with a seroci. Not in a million years would I have expected this,” the woman said.

“You found Toran, and here I thought he had skills,” I replied with hands up.

“Asshole,” the wolfkin grumbled.

“You need to hide your appearance, otherwise humanity’s governments will get very angry,” she said. “I mean it, take these shifters and make them humans.”

“About that. You never gave me instructions,” I told Toran. “And lady, I can’t.”

“I’m Ming and…” she paused. “I don’t feel the emblem.”

“Your lumbering idiots let it escape,” I told her, and her neck muscles bulged with anger.

She eyed me with scorn, exhaling a few controlled breaths. “You’re smaller than I expected.”

“I tend to hear that a lot. If I flex real hard, I do get bigger,” I said with a smirk.

Ming leveled the pistol to Toran’s head and said, “Bring the emblem back.”

“You lack the dominance to order the alpha around,” Larisa said, folding her arms.

Ming glanced around at our party, then settled onto me. “What an interesting statement. She called you an alpha. Do share, how did you convince these shifters to follow you?”

I smirked and replied, “You are at a disadvantage. I will give you an opportunity to leave. Hell, even take Toran. He’s on the house.”

She belted out a laugh, her minions joining her reply. This irked me but I mostly stayed calm.

“Do I just tell the emblem I want the identities concealed?” I asked.

She shook her head. “That is not how this works. Give to get. How did you attain such obedience? They are scared of you, and not even a smidge frightened by me. I’m a damn inquisitor, and they should be terrified.”

“And suddenly it makes so much sense,” I said. “You work for the council.” She shrugged nonchalantly. “Alright, I guess I can go first. I sent the emblem away and I paid for their obedience.”

“See, we’re getting somewhere. Keep going or I kill him, and then the big reveal happens,” Ming said in delight.

“Fine, fine. But this requires a bit of explanation and is best done with a joke. A man walks into a bar. On the countertop rests two jars, both stuffed with gold coins. One says if you can make the horse in the barn laugh you win this jar. The other says if you can make the horse in the barn cry you win this jar.

“The man tosses his coin to the pitcher, get it? Eh, didn’t think you would. He pays the ante, heading out back to the barn. He makes the tender wait, goes in, and when he comes out - the horse is in stitches laughing. The man buys a round, has fun, and goes home.

“The next day the man returns to the bar, tossing another coin into the pitcher. The bartender pleads for him to explain how he achieved what everyone else had failed. The man is having none of it, not willing to reveal his secret. Into the barn he goes, yet again alone.

“This time when he exits the horse is crying. The tender is in utter shock. The man retrieves the jar of coins, buying another round to the elation of the patrons. When the bartender pleads just enough, the man caves to reveal how he did it. Are you ready?” I asked.

Ming looked at me like I was crazy, and I’m pretty sure everyone else did too. I carefully pulled my satchel off, setting it down. My palms were up and I neared Granvil.

“I don’t get it,” Ming said.

“Take a guess,” I replied, holding palms while I stepped a few paces closer to crouch in front of Granvil.

I let my compressed form help to cover the anger that coursed through me. My muscles surged with power, and I pretended to shield my eyes from the headlights of an SUV beaming us. The reality was, I let Granvil see the yellow and he panicked, squirming for distance.

The joke was nothing but a distraction someone used on me once before a fight. It was my turn to play as the goofball before the violence.

“The man boasted to the bar full of people, ‘To get the horse to laugh, I told him I had a bigger dick than him.’ Naturally, horses are hung, and this amused the horse greatly to the point the sour stallion laughed. The bartender grew perplexed, much like his confused expression.

“The man quieted the bar, silencing the hooting. The man continued, ‘To make him cry, I showed the horse my penis’.” The only one to laugh was Dobber. “Tough crowd. I’m not a human Ming. Can you believe that?” I asked.

She snickered, and a few bearkin laughed. “You’re a kid from Earth. No lineage of any shifter in your blood. Quite laughable. Oh, I get the joke now. And what, now you’re going to show me.”

I nodded, pouring every ounce of the beast into my being. I shifted with a lunge, rocketing off the grass and soaring across the distance in a flash. My size increased instantly, allowing me to tower over her.

The whites of her eyes flared black as she called on her beast. Being the trained expert that she was, she never stood a chance.

Her guns swung to line up with my chest. My right hand crushed her wrist before she could get a bead and I snatched her throat with my other hand.

I squeezed until her eyes bulged. I slammed a head-butt into her face, snapping her head back and she swooned in my grip. To keep her from going anywhere, I dropped her and stomped her ankle before moving onto the next target.

“Submit or die!” I bellowed, speeding toward the bearkin with their weapons.

My feet flung grass and gravel, propelling me closer. I reached the next bearkin in his human form. Whatever suppression that contained his beast, kept it from coming to the surface. He flinched, raised his submachine gun, and poured a dozen rounds into my thick hide.

The crack of gunfire erupted through the night.

I staggered feeling the magic of the lion shift, absorbing the impact against my chest. The bullets slammed into my torso like a boxer striking jabs, but not piercing my skin. Reality sunk into both our brains.

Whatever rounds they used, they didn’t kill me. Hell, I barely even slowed.

“Swap to silver blades!” the bearkin shouted.

I roared out in anger, closing the distance instantly. He tried to yank a blade free, but my fist shattered his jaw. The man’s skull wobbled from the impact. I watched him trying to summon his bear spirit.

The second he smashed into the ground, I stripped the weapon off the body. When I raised the submachine gun, the charging bearkin who brandished a shiny blade skidded to a stopped.

I had him dead to rights and at that moment the bearkin surrendered. He tossed his hands up and when I clocked him with a punch, he flew off his feet.

I used the reprieve to assess the situation. One by one the militant shifters tossed their weapons down. The sound of fists smashing flesh caught my attention. Jessica had shifted, beating a bearkin with ease and she finally let up on his pummeling.

Black and blue spots on her furry back revealed she had absorbed bullets too.

My chest heaved from the exertion and blood thrummed in my veins from the adrenaline. Each step I took toward a bearkin resulted in hands going up.

I craned my neck, arched my back, and howled out triumphantly.

When I needed a lungful of air, I stopped. My strut over to a very confused and injured Ming didn’t take long. I crouched beside her and she struggled to breathe.

“What’s the matter?” I asked.

“Not possible,” she grunted through the pain. “They were… wrong.” I aimed the weapon at her. “Daughter… needs… me. Please. I… have… family.”

I bent the weapon in half before I turned to a smirking Granvil. “How do I hide appearances?”

He stopped grinning and said, “Hold the emblem over the heart and wish for mediocrity, or to be a pure human. It suppresses the ability to draw deeply from your shifter powers. Even Ming wouldn’t be able to catch the wolf you have running in the woods.”

“And your healing?” I asked.

“Supernatural but reduced unless someone were to stick a emblem over my heart and wish me back to a wolfkin,” Toran said.

“Thank you for your honesty. I take it she works for the Emblem Council?” I asked and he nodded while Ming squirmed. I waved Larisa over. “Thoughts?”

“Kill her, release the bearies, kill him too,” Larisa said, pointing to Toran.

I huffed and Toran said, “Wait! Those two captives by the trucks. They were meant to be used as bartering tools. I just want to live in peace. One of the Canada tribes will take me in.”

A bearkin fidgeted and I growled. That did the trick, causing him to hurry over to bring me the prisoners.

“Release his legs, tie up Ming, collect the weapons, including the silver blades,” I ordered. I turned to Dobber. “Get me Judith, she probably isn’t far after my triumphant howl.”

Ming’s phone rang and she tried to use her good hand to pluck the device out of a pocket. I stole her phone before she could retrieve it and answered.

“Mr. Spencer, how nice of you to answer,” an aged male voice said. This immediately told me I was being watched and broadcast from somewhere. “What are you?”

I lied and said, “I’m the Prophet’s messenger, and I’m here to set about change. The six have failed. You are not achieving the goals you should.”

He didn’t lie or tease me. His calm reply knocked me a bit off guard.

“I figured as much,” he continued. “Unfortunately, you have upset the most powerful families who have reigned for thousands of years. What can we do to have you restore the emblem?”

“End slavery,” I said.

“We do not control the planet,” he answered with a mild cough. “Even if we did, we are not a democracy. Someone must work the fields, mine the caves, and do the work others refuse to do. Freedom is achievable by all, forced labor is earned by misdeeds.”

I huffed and replied, “Maybe that is why you are found wanting. I give you a simple mandate, end slavery, and you say, sorry I can’t.”

He unhappily said, “It is not that simple. Our economies must have a workforce. Each day we make technological breakthroughs to catch up to Earth. I’ll tell you a secret. A scientist from Earth forgets the formula of his crowning achievement when he arrives on Kerxon. They all do. So we have to tell our teams: here is an idea, we know it works, make it happen.

“That takes time. This is all to protect millions and millions of people. The second the manufacturing and industrial arms collapse, we will enter a recession that Kerxon may never recover from.

“Additionally, our society is not about who is created equal, it is about who is dominant enough to lead. There must be a top, and a bottom. Give that bottom whatever name you want, but it will exist.”

Jessica shrieked in the background, and I glanced up to see a happy reunion with her parents. I grew tired of the conversation and was about to hang up.

“A hundred million dollars,” he said and added, “We ask all nations to pay their slaves a pittance of a wage so they can work toward freedoms.”

I turned to see Dobber calming the others I had just brought back from Kerxon, each of them was a starving mess. I saw the gems in their case sitting on the ground, forgotten during the fighting.

“All that money so you can hold power over an item that you barely use,” I said with a scoff.

“And Ming’s family will be spared.”

I couldn’t help but shake my head. “Do you hear the words coming out of your mouth? You're trying to convince me to help you - by what, threatening to not kill a little girl?”

“If her life will save countless other lives, then yes. A war is brewing Marvin, you can stop it,” he replied. “Simply send the men back with the emblem and hundreds of thousands, if not millions will be spared from the coming war.”

He was right and it felt like someone kicked me in the guts when he said that. I wasn’t sure if the number was an exaggeration or not, but the main point resonated with me. If the medallions vanished and the owners reset, new fights would break out, causing needless people to die.

Would my interventions even help? Would giving them the emblem mean that Kerxon reached space a century earlier? Would it mean stability, even though there were atrocities? Did it matter who held power? Would resetting the table even help bring change?

My head hung as I realized how monumental my decision was. From my peripheral vision, I saw Dobber return with a worried Judith. When she assessed the situation, the woman smiled and handed me the emblem. I pointed for them to wait with the others.

I glanced down at the bronze circular object in my palm. The key to change. That resonated the most. Disruption would mean change. Hopefully uprisings would trigger new qualities of life for the people of Kerxon.

I snuggled the phone into my ear and said, “I want the end of slavery and -”

The phone crackled.

“What slavery?” a female voice said, joining the conversation.

The phone disconnected and I stared at the receiver. My phone rang in my satchel, and I walked over to answer it. When I picked it up, the same female voice answered, “Marvin, I’m Deputy Director -”

“What are we doing with these people?” Larisa asked, finishing the collection of the weapons from the surrendered bearkin.

“Stage them by the vehicles, I’m talking to someone who can probably hurt us from a distance, give me a minute,” I said. “Sorry Deputy Director, please continue.”

“Crenshaw. Deputy Director Crenshaw. I watched you change, never gets old seeing such wonders. You were on the phone with an acquaintance of ours. A friend who supplied the government with something that made my bosses very, very, very happy.

“Their ability to turn a blind eye to most issues from this acquaintance existed due to the financial windfalls. However, we monitored your call and couldn’t help but overhear some troubling details. Could you extrapolate?”

I did exactly that, giving her answers to a bunch of questions.

Finally, she said, “We are tracking a lone runner, heading toward Denver only a few miles away. I assume he is not a friend of yours?”

“He tried to rob me. By all means, apprehend him,” I said.

I waited, then waited some more for her reply. “Are you still there?”

Ka-Boom!

A fiery explosion lit the night sky from closer than I would have liked. The forest swooshed air, bringing with it loose leaves, twigs, and pine needles.

“Let me be perfectly clear. A hazmat team is enroute. You cannot just bring random people from another planet. We have no idea what contagions, pathogens, or mysterious problems they bring. For your answer, we will be allowing you to leave but not return, even alone,” Crenshaw said.

“What about the Kerxon agents and Jessica’s parents?” I asked.

“Take them with you, this is not an option,” Crenshaw said.

This told me a lot. She didn’t want the emblem, which was a bit of a shock, but maybe she knew she couldn’t hold it for long anyway.

I glanced around. “That’d take some time, I’m limited on how many I can take. Why not quarantine Steve and Margaret?” I asked.

“We could maybe do that. I'll tell you what. If you came from where I think you did, you didn’t come back empty handed. Leave behind some gems, and I’ll guarantee their safety. Tell them and this Ming woman to wait in the home. Tell the other agents to enter their vehicles and drive back to Fort Carson for processing,” Crenshaw said.

“Processing but they’ve been exposed. If -”

“Think Marvin. They won’t get far,” Crenshaw said, and I grumbled. “What’s the matter?”

“I need supplies, silver, gold, and tools,” I replied.

“I wish I could help you, however, this is above my paygrade. You arrived fifty-three minutes ago, if you stay beyond an hour, I’ll consider our deal to help Mr. and Mrs. Jennings off the table,” Crenshaw said with a stern tone.

“And what guarantees do I have that you won’t blast them with a missile once I leave?” I asked.

“Take them if you don’t trust me,” she said, cutting off the connection.

I stared at the phone for a few seconds before sticking it in my pocket. I waved Larisha over and she glided over the ground with a flap of her wings.

“What did the bearkin have on them?” I asked.

“Some coins, some paper money, a phone each, and some identification,” the seroci said. “What’s the plan?”

“We gotta go. Keep the coins and silver blades, let them take the rest, and tell them they’re free to go. They’re to return to Fort Carson for a debriefing,” I said.

“Not sure where that is, but I’ll pass the message. This place is lovely,” Larisa said. “Minus the dragon that breathes fire in the distance.”

I didn’t have the heart to tell her we were leaving or explain the explosion. I let her keep her cheerful grin on her face and moped my way over to Jessica’s parents. Margaret and Jessica huddled off to the side exchanging angry whispers.

“No wonder the mugger failed. That was an actual thing, right?” Steve asked with folded arms.

I nodded. “Yeah, it was. Punk kid tried to steal my phone. How are you holding up?”

“Freaking out. My daughter is a mutant and I have no idea why,” Steve complained, scratching the marks on his wrist. “Being bound and gagged is awful.”

I rubbed the back of my neck. “Jessica, I need your mom’s attention. We’re short on time.”

They followed me to a spot further away from where Dobber and Larisa shook down the bearkin. The evening moonlight flickered from bright to dim from the scattering of clouds that drifted overhead.

When I felt we were far enough away, I whispered, “They have amazing hearing. Try your hardest to keep your voices down. Did you hear that boom?”

“Yeah, what was that?” Jessica asked.

“The US Government notified the wolfman, the one who tried to rob me, that he wasn’t welcome. The other guys aren’t going to make it far either,” I said.

“They’re watching?” Margaret asked in dismay. I stuck a finger to my mouth, her emotions already raising her voice. “Sorry.”

“If I leave a bribe behind, they’ll process you.” I pointed to Steve and Merideth before wagging a finger between Jessica and I. “We aren’t allowed to stay,” I said with a sigh. “And we only have room for one of you.”

“Why can’t you stay?” Steve asked.

“They fear the new arrivals we brought carry contagions. Which,” I paused, about to mention we contacted a bunch of people after already going to Kerxon and that Judith arrived a few days ago - instead I lied. “We haven’t gone anywhere yet or exposed anyone.”

Jessica caught on, puckering her lips to keep back a retort until she couldn’t. “We’re US citizens,” Jessica hissed under her breath.

Her father stuck a hand on her shoulder. “We were snatched in the dead of night, driven through the streets of Scranton with a police escort, and even brought to a military base. This is serious, pumpkin.”

“Jessica and I have to leave to a place where we will be welcomed for what we are. Mostly. I cannot guarantee we will ever be back, but living there is better than being dead here,” I told them. “I worry they will kill you when we leave.”

“Where are you going?” Steve asked.

We did a long and quiet explanation, at the end of it, Margaret handed me her wedding ring. “Take the diamond out.”

I fished out a massive diamond block from my pocket and gave it to Steve.

“Oh, yeah, that makes more sense,” Margaret said. “I doubt they’ll let us keep it.”

“I kinda want to go,” Steve said.

Margaret shook her head. “One of those starving people would have to stay here, at the mercy of a missile. This is the noble thing to do. Now excuse us Marvin. We need to say goodbye to our only daughter.”

She sniffled and I left to give them space. The convoy slowly rolled away, heading down the long driveway. I proceeded to donate my money to Terrell, telling him I may need it one day, and I may not. When he recovered from his gunshot wounds, he’d be in for a shock.

My phone beeped as I wrote him a goodbye message. I pulled it out to see a text message.

Get in the creek. You have one minute until the fireworks.

“Everyone! Get into the creek, hurry!” I shouted.

It was dark, people were confused, and we only made it about halfway before the screaming missiles told me we were out of time.

“Drop where you are!” I bellowed, falling to the grass well short of the creek.

A sucking pressure stole the air out of my lungs before a deafening blast ruined my hearing. A wave of heat and expelled energy washed over me in a crescendo of power.

My fingernails buried into the soil, keeping me from rotating from the explosions. The hair on my arms shriveled and my clothes melted from the heat.

A chunk of metal zipped overhead, splitting one of the wolfmen in half who tried to stay standing. Both body and debris created a ruined mess.

I stared in shock, waiting for the chaos to stop. A tire bounced over the creek, rolling into the tree line and I watched in fixation until the bounding tire vanished.

I checked my phone, going to text back an angry reply when I received an out of service signal. I peeled myself off the grass, going to see if I could help the scrawny man who didn’t listen.

His flared eyes were frozen in death, while his body was almost torn in half. I stared down at him with a mix of anger and anguish.

The message was loud and clear. Uncle Sam was not playing games and Kerxon Mining just pissed them off to the point they didn’t care about collateral damage.

I fixated on the dead man while Jessica and Larisa assessed our party. When the dust settled, and the secondary explosions finished, I walked to the uncut gem box.

My desire to call Frank to trade him for gems was gone, my plans for a commune in the Rockies were ruined, and my dreams of telling Terrell what I had become were ruined. Everything changed in a blink, and it wasn’t lost on me that exploiting two worlds had consequences.

I pulled out two large gems, one for each of Jessica’s parents. I left the others in there knowing this would likely placate their team who came to quarantine them.

When I handed off the gems to Steve and Margaret, they didn’t say much. A quick ‘thank you’ was more than enough. Both of Jessica’s parents sat in the grass, experiencing shellshock. They had been abducted, gaged, bagged, seen their daughter become a lioness, learned she had to leave, and sat near a man who was nearly split in two.

I left them to spend time with Jessica, finding Toran crawling in the dirt, trying to get away from Ming.

Ming… she was dead, the bound woman had her neck slit at some point during the commotion. Toran didn’t hide the blade he held or even wipe the blood off.

“She shot my kneecaps. I don’t care if she has a daughter. Everyone has someone who loves them,” he said with a grunt.

While I could take him, I didn’t want to. I figured Toran would make a nice substitute for Ming to appease my governmental overlords.

“Give me the blade or I’ll break your arms,” I said in a dry tone, completely meaning it.

“You’re not angry?”

I shrugged. “Not if you give me the knife.”

He tossed it away and off to the side. “What now?” he asked.

“Now you go inside the house to await quarantine. I wanna tell you to be a good boy and cooperate with the people who have a million questions. I bet they strike a deal with you, though. Seeing as how they don’t have leverage, I bet it’s a good deal,” I said with a frustrated sigh.

“And you? What are you going to do?”

I glanced over my shoulder at the ragtag group that I led. I was one of them, a shifter in a paradigm of epic proportions.

“Well, I’m going to take those fine folks, use what little metal, gems, and weapons we have, and start a new life on Kerxon. I’ll build a base, let the championships reset, and try to make a difference,” I told the man.

“For what it's worth, I’m kinda glad you're going there,” Toran said. “Kerxon just isn’t fair. While Earth likes to complain that the people at the top are rich, the people at the bottom can have it worse. I bet with enough time you can make a difference.”

“That’s what I hope. There’s a lot to do between here and there though, all while keeping a low profile. I’m off to grab some leftovers. I’d offer you some, but -”

“Give it to them, Marvin. I picked you for a reason, kid. You’re a winner and I hope we meet back up one day when my legs are healed,” he said.

I didn’t know how to respond. I didn’t find myself wanting to befriend the man who piled a heap of problems in my lap and changed my future. That’s before I even considered how mad I was that he slit a woman’s throat as she lay bound and powerless to defend herself. The bitch also shot Terrell three times; payback came in odd forms.

I let the angst go. I had a half hour or so to strip the house of valuables. I just had to hope it’d be enough for us to start a new home.

Chapter 19

IDAHO SPRINGS - COLORADO

Go now or die. My phone buzzed.

“Steve, time’s up, grab her or you're both coming,” I said sternly.

Steve tried to pry his wife from his daughter’s side. Jessica swiped her forearm under her eyes, drying her tears, and slowly pushing her mom away. Margaret shook her head, unable to let go.

Steve joined the circle, becoming the tenth member of our party. I opened my mouth to make sure he was certain but he mean-mugged me to the point his eyes did all the talking.

Toran waved goodbye, and we linked arms the best we could why carrying stuff that was worth a damn.

“Kerxon,” I said, feeling the searing magic of the emblem flare to life.

I had to wonder what the ten of us looked like from a satellite as we sunk into the blue and white portal.

We arrived in the black abyss and even though I warned everyone, it still startled a few. The wolfman shrieked, and his panic started to spread to the others.

“Jaco, Jaco, look at me,” Judith said, walking out and onto the black void. “We are safe here.”

The panic stopped and those who were worried, relaxed. I felt bad for Jaco, or maybe happy because out of the three wolfmen, he survived while the others died.

Jessica said, “Awe, she is doing my thing.”

I glanced at a nervous Steve and Margaret, seeing Jessica pulling them in to calm them. I knew I could always drop them back off, but I’d likely be captured too. This wasn’t ideal, but at least they were safe.

Something about Crenshaw had me thinking she’d have killed them over quarantine. Why deal with a problem when you can push a button and fix it in seconds.

“Phenomenal,” Larisa muttered. “What is this?”

“Exactly what I said it was, a magical in between point. Beyond that, it’s anyone’s guess. We should get a whole lot of options and the theme should be consistent. First it was an alley, then it was wooded glens, then it was parks in cities. All the start points had the same basic premise, just different locations. I’m expecting thirty options this time,” I said.

Dobber said, “And what do we want, Boss?”

“Somewhere to fatten you guys up and to live in peace for a bit. We aren’t in a hurry. I think if we pick somewhere rich like Urik we can sell them goods at a profit. We just have to live far enough away that they don’t want to own our land or bug us,” I said.

“Okay, solid trade partners. That makes sense,” Larisa said. “Good source of water too.”

“It doesn’t completely work like that. And… here they come,” Jessica said.

The walls were huge, increasing to display six options per side. While I expected it to be five, I wasn’t going to complain. The start point was a road at a dead end with rocks in the middle.

“If we can, select daytime. A middle of the night arrival means more questions and we are not exactly in matching outfits or even carrying travel gear,” I said.

The views lifted, creating a top down. As they expanded, I watched, seeing each dead end was actually a campsite. The roads stretched for miles in each direction going on and on until I deflated. So far, each spawn point had been so close to civilization and the one time we’re hauling a ton of junk… we had a long trip.

“Well so much for worrying about night or day,” Jessica grumbled. “These start points are in the middle of nowhere.”

Eventually, the first cities showed. A few seconds after the cities or towns were revealed, their connector farming settlements crept into view. You had to have farms to support cities and the widening zones of farmland stretched for miles.

“Point out excessive cars. Anyone see steamboats or a river?” I asked, looking down where no one else looked.

“Everything is too zoomed out to tell with cars looking like wagons. It doesn’t help the screens are coming closer either. Only city sizes are -” Larissa said.

“This one, Master Marvin,” Kiki said, pointing at the one I had zoned in on.

She must have seen what I had. The walls neared and the region was revealed at this point. The one we gazed upon has a massive river that roared out from between two mountains with a rapids section. The water led to twin cities on the delta with a few bridges spanning the gap. Up the river small farming communities sprouted off roads that entwined with the river.

The main road that was on display went from one of the two cities to a large town near a small mountain. The area had it all, mining, fishing, boating, farming, and two economies to sell to. The moonlit glow of the area gave me a sense of hope. I nodded to myself, as if I needed more convincing.

Larisa said, “I agree, good find Kiki.”

“Jessica?” I asked.

“It’s the best, but it sure seems busy,” Jessica said with concern.

“The perfect place to blend in,” I said.

I jumped down, directly into the start of a new adventure.

I expected Steve to yell at his wife, maybe berate his daughter, or even have an outburst in my direction. They had literally been sucked into a world where one wrong move could mean he died or ended up a slave.

I had to remember that the magic only worked on those who wanted to come. Steve loved his family enough to follow them into the great beyond, and that, well, it tugged on my emotions.

The ten of us arrived in Kerxon with minimal clothing, full bellies, a bit of water, and all the valuables we could carry. We looked dreadful and that didn’t stop the moonlit smiles from shining brightly.

The overhead threat vanished. No missiles could come streaking from above to obliterate us, no countdown forced us into action, and the serene setting spoke of a peaceful night.

“We could sleep, I’m sure we’re all tired,” I said, easing them into my plan. “But we have no camping supplies or even bedrolls. If I had to guess, it’s maybe half a day’s walk if not longer. We’re on the smaller developed side of the river. Meaning we can venture towards the city, across the bridge, and to the other farming town on the other side.

“Ideally, we would know the area. Which leaves me thinking, learning everything we can seems prudent before deciding. I’m fairly certain we’re all tired, but we’re going to walk to the town off this road.

“We will recoup for a day at an inn or tavern and make a decision from there. Let me be clear. No one leaves the party. Larisa is the acting Mistress, and we work together to survive. Any questions?”

We stood around, glancing at each other and letting the moment sink in. No one wanted to walk for hours and at the same time, as we looked around, there was nothing here for us to camp with.

“Can we do introductions?” Margaret said. “While we walk? I don’t know anyone, and I think it would be smart to address who can do what with a smidge of back story. Especially if we’re going to be living together.”

“Uh, yeah that sounds great. Let me go first,” I said, hefting the bag with a grunt. It used to hold books, but those were long gone.

We loaded up on basic metal instead, leaving behind the history books for the spooks who came to apprehend Toran. My bag was the heaviest and the others carried pillow sacks laden with anything that might hold value.

Larisa hauled all the expensive gems, silver daggers, and silver bars we recollected. The seroci rarely left cities and when they did, they normally carried around status.

I picked up a slow pace, taking us out of the campsite and toward the road, the nice moonlight was supplemented by a cool breeze. The heat of the day permeated from the forest and the trees causing a shifting temperature that carried a rich aroma of pollen mixed with the smells of vegetation.

“I’m Marvin. I’m a lion shifter, new to me, but undeniable at this point. I grew up, and my father left when I was young. So young, I wouldn’t recognize him if he walked the opposite way on a sidewalk except for the pictures my mom showed me.

“I grew up poor, eating whatever we could. Sometimes, we even ate donation cans of random stuff. That had a lasting impression, and it really ingrained the value of a dollar. My mom raised me until I turned seventeen. As I matured, each night she stayed out a smidge later, regaining her independence as a single woman. One night she never came home.

“I lost my mind for months. I chased leads, hunted her bar for clues, and found nothing. If the medallions weren’t so rare, I’d figure she had come here. But that doesn’t seem likely. She probably got tipsy, was offered a ride home, and was murdered. She loved me too much to ditch me.

“I hunkered down, finished school, finished college and saved to one day be a builder. Three jobs, seven days a week, and I donated some of that hard work to my best friend and the rest went to St. Jude’s children’s hospital. Now I’m here and you all know why, because I’m a lion shifter,” I said, recapping my life in a few sentences.

“I’m Jessica, a lioness shifter. These are my parents, Margaret and Steve. I excelled in school, finding it easy. When it came time to pick an occupation, I traveled the world instead for a year. While I traveled, I taught English to supplement my income, a language the emblem translates.

“The rewarding satisfaction of seeing a student connect the dots and learn… it resonated in me. I’m a city girl, through and through. I never planted flowers or thought of being a farmer. I always worked service jobs catering to others with more wealth than me. I’m excited to learn everything I can and help improve the group,” Jessica said. “Sorry Marvin, the flower thing was just to get you on a date.”

I smiled, not caring in the slightest. She clearly wanted to connect with me, and I needed the excuse. Larisa gestured for Margaret to go next.

We reached the end of the cutout turning left down the long road that was void of other travelers. The forest canopy mixed from connecting over the road to having gaps. This provided an on and off moonlit glow that illuminated the road.

“I’m Margaret, not sure if I’m a lioness or just a regular human. I run a marketing firm for advertising shoes. I encourage people to buy a certain type of shoe.” The others glanced at her in confusion. “It… it won’t transition here.

“I grew up in the city, not knowing much about the outdoors. I’ve only been camping once and mostly got drunk. I’m rambling… Hmm… I do love to cook and always thought farming would be fun for a day or two. I learn quickly and I’m eager to help the team,” Margaret said awkwardly.

Steve cleared his throat. “Name’s Steve. I’m a… I’m a… I’m drawing a blank. It had something to do with computers. Well, that’s going to leave me angry. My past is pretty straight forward. I grew up in a small town, played baseball and then went to college in the city.

“I’m pretty boring if you ask Jessica. I enjoy fishing, watching old movies, and may have collected quarters. I have a lot to learn here, and I’d do anything for my family, including going to another world for them.”

A few birds darted over the road and the occasional bush shook with critters moving about, but otherwise it was a very serene setting.

“I’m Dobber, a bearkin. I grew up in a farming commune with hundreds of shifters of all kinds. I managed the oxen breeding program. I didn’t till the fields or do anything else. That was my main job for years, managing and maintaining the herd. A younger brother was given the position and my father told me it was time to set out on my path.

“I meandered through life, finding the odd jobs. Landing love, then losing it. Acquiring jobs then losing those. Eventually I arrived in Urik. I started working construction and enjoyed it, not minding the heights. Targa fell on my second year there. The wolfie had a wife and four cubs.

“Jemi barged into my flat, demanding I take care of her and her children since I had reported her husband’s death. I didn’t have the heart to kick her out, not understanding what was going on. I think Targa jumped, and I think Jemi is the reason why. She ruined me after I gave her a contract of protection.

“The loans piled up, and I was swept to the tunnels on my way to work after months of demands for gems I didn’t have. A few months into my ten years of servitude, I broke my arm from the dim light and faced a certain death until Judith saved me. I promise to try my best to help the pride and value my freedom provided by the alpha.”

Judith gestured for Jaco to go next. He nodded with a flush in his face.

“I’m Jaco. I don’t have a tragic backstory. Good parents, good life until I was kicked out of my home. Between jobs and down on my luck, I punched the wrong guy. He stole everything I had after he kicked my ass. I found myself in an even worse situation. At first, I was stealing to eat.

“After that, I became a small-scale thief until I did find honest work. A boss asked me to do a job for him. The kind he figured I did. Like my real boss, not the crime type. Anyway, he was a crook too, I got caught stealing supplies and sent to work off my time that never reduced, only expanded. Turns out my pit manager knew my old boss.

“I’m able to work a farm, a hammer, or a tool set. I just am terrible at saving or earning enough to save. I am grateful to be here, but I’m nervous. This is not exactly a normal situation,” he said, glancing at me during the last line.

“I’m not that kind of boss. We could use your help. With time, as we earn and save, if you wish to leave with oaths, I’m okay with that,” I said, knowing it wasn’t perfect.

He didn’t push me on this, and for that, I was grateful. Judith squeezed his hand to calm him from his anxiety.

“I’m Judith, a wolf shifter. I helped my family by becoming a bride. I was not treated well and hated life for most of my days until recently. I have hope for the future. I can manage inventory, handle livestock, sew clothing, and so much more. My mother imparted all her skills she could to me.

“With the right tools, we really can start something great. I try to always be optimistic, and recently have been able to let that side of me flourish again. Together we are stronger,” Judith said leaving it at that.

Kiki said, “Hi guys. I’m Kiki, I always get butterflies doing these. I’m a fox shifter, and we’re the bottom of the barrel at times. I grew up in Urik, not too different from Jessica over there. I taught children, always wanting some of my own. I know nothing of the woods, camping, or farming.

“I became addicted to ziccan from a boyfriend. It was my fault. I could have gotten out at any point but the high called to me. Eventually I quit my job, racked up a lot of debt, and had to go into hiding. My ex-boyfriend received the bounty for turning me in. I detoxed in the pits, super not proud of any of that. This is a new beginning and I plan on treating it as a blessing,” Kiki said.

I didn’t realize Kerxon had drugs, but it made sense. I certainly could understand why drugs would be attractive to the downtrodden. There was Larisa and the panthkin woman left.

Larisa pointed to her, and she grunted unhappily when all eyes focused on her.

“Fine. I’m Celeste, named after the stars. Yes, I’m black, and yes, my inner beast is black panther, but my parents named me Celeste. Honestly, I don’t hate it. I’m an enforcer, not too different from that Ming woman. I grew up fighting on the streets as an orphan.

“I quickly learned I could catch a foxie, pummel a wolfie, outlast a panthie, and outsmart a bearie. My ceiling went as high as it could, becoming the top beta to my alpha. He sent me on a mission I didn’t like and when I finished it - I challenged him.

“I lost the fight, and with it, I lost my family. He sent me to pits on some made up debts, sentencing me to hell. I was almost out for time served, hence my rail thin physique. Don’t worry your pretty little butt, lion boy, I have no desire to challenge you. I do want to gain power and prestige though, something a lion can make happen,” Celeste said.

Larisa clapped neatly and said, “Oh where to start. I was expelled from two schools for running my mouth to teachers. I hated authority of any form. When my father cut off my allowance, I borrowed against the family name and ended up losing it all.

“I wanted a pony, a rifle, and a porch. Pretty much in that order. Horses were forbidden in our section of the city. Once I was out on my own, I used my skills to get what I want, and I’d consider myself a negotiator.

“For instance, I promised to report what I learned about the inquisitors to Jarbinan in Urik. My freedom, for my loose lips. I knew Marvin was different and I planned to tell him this anyway. Me oh my, the way Marvin gripped the seventh most powerful man of Urik by the neck, sparing him without a second thought left me certain I found someone I could work with to achieve greatness.

“I’m all for a fresh start. I do think the ten of us are in for some excitement sooner or later. I also agree that the time to lay low is now. The Emblem Lords will be hunting for the lost relic. If we wait to reset, we very well may end up serving a Emblem Lord, capable of making lasting change here, on Kerxon,” Larisa said.

I furled my brows, never considering this. I also didn’t like her earlier admission.

“You were sent to spy on me?” I asked.

“Jarbinan assumed you were an agent sent by a neighboring city, pretending to be an inquisitor. He set his sights lower, instead of higher. Yes, I would have told him I’d give him just about anything to be at your side. I told you the first chance I had outside of Urik, which was always the plan,” she replied. “We were busy on Earth.”

I shifted the weight on my shoulder and said, “You think we should exploit Earth to better Kerxon.”

“Yes, I absolutely do. But right now, the way I understand it, that emblem is locked to one location. You can’t pick a region, go to a pawn shop, and trade gems for gold. You’ll go right back to that house. If you are selected to go to the competitions, then win…” Larisa said.

“Let’s not get too far ahead, we still need to stay alive and find a place to call home,” I replied. “How about we learn all about the farm animals of Kerxon and figure out what we want to deal with? Judith, if you’d be so kind as to talk about what your farm had, and we will group discuss as we walk to help pass the time.”

The tedious walk lasted hours and it didn’t help that Margaret and Steve were wearing back up shoes Jessica and I brought. Being abducted mid-sleep tended to leave you shoeless. I did take the journey as a learning experience, deciding to be positive about the chance of raising cows instead of just buying my milk from a farmer.

Little bits like that made it easier to wrap my head around the fact I was on an alien planet and had transformed into a local of some sorts. When the sun promised to rise over the horizon, I saw the early morning traffic of the town not nearly as far as I thought it’d be.

In a few hours, we’d be inside an inn having a well-deserved rest.

Chapter 20

KIRKTON - BELIN REGION

“No rest for the Mistress,” Larisa said, nudging me out of my sleeping spot.

I caught up on about six hours of sleep, putting me in a semi-tired, but mostly refreshed mood. I had handled worse, and she had a point, it was time to go. The others would stay in the rooms we paid for until tomorrow morning. Their orders were clear, stay in your rooms, but feel free to visit each other.

Our rooms were conjoined with a common door which made hiding easier. I hated the fact I slept on the floor, but Steve, Jessica, and Margaret occupied the entire bed.

If anyone needed anything, Judith and Dobber would get it. The duo had been hard at work exchanging all our metals into gems so we could go shopping while they recovered. It was a team effort and now, it was my turn to help.

I quietly closed the door, noting an empty platter resting by the door of the other room.

“How’d you sleep?” I asked, taking the stairs down two at a time.

“Good, we’re late, but no need to hurry. A seroci has appearances to keep up,” Larisa said with a grin.

“With the bank?” I asked, stretching at the bottom landing.

We rented rooms at the cheapest tavern. The main barroom held a light lunch crowd, and no one gave me a second glance. When Larisa finished descending the stairs, all eyes latched onto her. She still wore the militant garb, leaving me to wonder if they were staring because she wasn’t sexy, or still was even while fully dressed.

“I hate this outfit. No, not the bank. We are good with the bank. I finished that before coming to get you and am happy to say, we have a nice sum of finances. The gems from Urik, both raw and in the purse, were higher quality than average,” Larisa said, taking the lead to head out of the bar.

The bar itself held a dozen rectangular tables, a stool area for serving on the left, and a stage for performing on the right. The locals lacked the refinement of a city. Their thicker outfits were geared toward surviving a hard day's work. Their species was mixed, with mostly humans, and that was because this was the cheapest of the four inns.

While the cities had power, this place still stuck to candles and open shutters to allow the daylight to spill in. A dust hung heavy in the air from a lack of sweeping and an inflow of people. I stuck to the role of servant, following behind Larisa as others stared. They were likely confused as to why a highborn sullied herself with their presence.

We stepped into the street, finding the road wide enough for four wagons. The surface contained a layer of dried muck coated atop cobblestones that peeked through. A series of wells sat in the middle of each intersection.

To my left the homes started, intermingled by the large wooden barns. To my right, the main commerce section of the town grew bigger until it reached the bank and government building. From there the buildings decreased in size until the road became flanked by fields.

Horses rested out front of hitches. Carriages waited along storefronts and not a single automobile chugged along the streets. If I had to guess this trading outpost was more like a late 1890s type of town.

The buildings themselves were wooden, or stone, or a mix, and the harder I looked for metal, the less I found. That was the common trend here, telling me nails were likely going to be expensive.

Larisa strode into the middle of the road choosing to walk among the wagon traffic and force them to move.

“The metal went for a lot I bet,” I said.

“Yeah, it did, I almost sold our revolvers. There are mines here, but they’re overwhelmingly coal. What little gems or metal that are extracted enter the consumption and expansion cycle. This is Kirkton, a trading outpost in the Belin region. Even with the low output of the two largest items in demand, the area is in a boom.

“This mostly comes from a lack of conflict and a high surplus of fish along with fertile farming. Basically, food is cheap, wood is cheap, farming is profitable, and mining is the big money but almost everyone who digs, strikes out. The conglomerates buy any mine they can,” she said.

“People still buy coal, stone, wood, fish, and farming produce, right?” I asked.

“Yeah, they do, and sometimes it is to people like us, but we can’t build an empire here. Urik’s manufacturing would out produce Belin, turning the fight into guns versus wood spears with bows and arrows. I think we can make a great living here, but our children might be the ones ruling the land,” Larisa scoffed.

Another couple passed us with a bearkin, leading a lovely panther lady. They greeted Larisa who rudely ignored them. I had to wonder if that would change after shoveling animal shit for a few years or if the elitist’s attitude was ingrained in her.

I decided to enjoy the view while wrinkling my nose at the smell of horse dung. Something struck a chord in me at this point.

“I’m an urban kid. I want to be in an urban setting. Maybe we should try to blend in at the city and hide. Work the streets instead of the fields. If I stay indoors, it shouldn’t be that big of a deal,” I said.

Larisa replied, “We will go back to the city. Without a doubt we will return. The issue is finances. If we end up late on rent, or piss off the wrong street alpha, we’re doomed. This gives us space, time, and when we finish, a base to retreat to if the city goes south.”

“I guess,” I muttered. “I will miss the city life.”

“Look, we go out to the woods and create a revenue source. This will feed us money and clout in the city. If we come in with an established base that’s producing revenue, it’s a win-win. We kill time, we generate wealth, and we tame some land, so it has value.

“Being in this region is great. Urik would have made it tough on us to gain people, power, and food. Here, they won’t care if you build a compound in the woods and start farming. Hell, they’ll likely pay us to try.”

“Well, I still will miss the city. I get it though, best to be safe where no one wants to go than to stick our nose into contested turf.  Plus, if the area lacks metal and I do get a emblem reset,” I said, letting the sentence hang.

“I know, and if not, we live a lovely life on the farm for a bit, just like I wished. I can’t help but be a smidge disappointed that we must struggle first. But it will be good for me, and a growing experience that will unite the group.

“As to today, our finances go far until we want to buy a hunting rifle, nails, tools and all things metal. However, if we build with rope, mud, and proper cutting, we can build like the good old days,” Larisa said, picking up a positive beat in her voice that matched the skip in her step.

“This side of the river or the other?” I asked.

“Belin is all and both, meaning prices are roughly the same in both. Opportunities are a bit higher here for unused land as the population is a bit lower, but we would have to send our goods to sell further.

“Our appointment is to visit a land magistrate. He has the authority to grant land in this region. If we don’t like anything, he will have outdated maps of available land elsewhere to at least look at. Worst case, we travel to the other side of the river and start all over there. Best case, we find something here that is far enough away that no one will mess with us,” Larisa said.

“The land magistrate sounds important and the right person to visit. I am curious though, who rules Belin?” I asked.

“An Alpha King. Which is unusual. Normally the alpha sits in the background, appoints a council, and plays puppet with his or her councilors. This guy can get challenged, but he probably has ten layers in place to prevent that in some fancy document. Things are stable here though, we’d rather befriend the King than try to steal his throne,” Larisa said, turning toward the government building that rested across the bank.

“Friends means quiet. We can rock the boat in two months,” I said.

“Two months alone with a hunky male and his lovely tigress,” Larisa teased with a playful air claw.

I rolled my eyes, taking her hand to help her up the stone steps. This was for show, but I didn’t mind. I used the slower pace to notice everything was made of stone.

The miners may not be finding gems or metal, but they struck a quarry somewhere. Even the handrails were long shafts running up the stairs.

The white stone was either quartz or some Kerxon specialty stone because it lacked that marble look. The government building itself was a fortress. Guards carrying long rifles waited in sniper spots while rotating guards roamed the entrance and the interior.

Instead of sub machine guns I saw more long rifles and large revolvers. I made a note to talk about that later. I had a feeling those I shrugged off from the guards last night were not silver.

Streams of colored daylight shone through stained glass windows providing a myriad of colored lighting. All these guards had to be guarding something important. If I had to guess, this was a government bank as well as a government facility.

An older panthkin fell into lockstep with Larisa, guiding her ever so subtly toward an ornate corridor.

“Welcome to Kirkton, Lady Larisa Urik. I’m Itorin, your contact within the government with approval for most transactions. Your arrival is most fortunate for us, and we look forward to helping you. I hear you wish to resettle locally and were prepared enough that you brought a retinue,” Itorin said.

“Excellent, a map room will be fantastic,” Larisa said.

I trailed the duo, seeing paintings and sculptures lining the hallways. A second checkpoint rested at the end of the hall, but we turned into a room before that.

Inside the room, a neat tabletop map dominated the space. A few chairs sat around the table, but I stood off to the side to watch without interfering.

The moment the door closed, Itorin said, “The Besby, your current residence, is not a safe place for a lady. They rushed information to me with no qualms about your privacy. The Daisy is a better inn. I worry about your safety.”

“Noted. I have adequate protection but will take it into consideration going forward. I take it word reached you I’m in exile, wishing for a quiet estate,” Larisa told him.

“I have. I also have good news. Belin has many such places for you to build your private settlement. Depending on what you build there is an annual tax due up front. Let me know now if that is a problem,” he said. Larisa wagged a finger and waited. “Yes, the bank said you have more than enough.”

“We expect to expand our population through acquisitions, will this be a problem,” Larisa asked.

“If you go over a hundred, then yes, it will need approval. Not many hopefuls achieve this though. I may have a decent option that most immediately reject. The road is overgrown, the last settlers left the area long ago, and the worst part, it’s a week away,” Itorin said.

Larisa gestured toward the map for him to point out the area. He walked away from the two main cities on the delta, heading around the table until he neared the edge where the mountains ran high.

“The river is fast here, too fast for a dock. Too fast for return trips beyond this bridge.” He pointed to a spot barely outside the city. “Meaning, if you launch a trade boat, expect to get home via land. However, there are nice rolling hills to farm, mountains to mine, the river to fish, forests to hunt, woods to harvest, and best of all it’s private,” Itorin said in a generic salesman tone.

“And the catch?” Larisa asked.

“There’s reports of bandits in Ebro Basin. Plus, there’s the monstrous creatures of the wilds mixed with full beastkin out there in the mountains and woods. Hunting trips venture into the region, never to be seen again,” Itorin said. “And when I mention privacy, it's a good seven days walk there and back, probably longer with the roads overgrown. If you run out of something or someone needs a doctor, you simply can’t get one. You will be on your own.”

Larisa turned to me. I approached the table running a hand over Larisa’s back. She did an audacious thing by kissing my cheek. When she blushed, I couldn’t help but chuckle slightly.

“Ah, the exile makes sense now. You’re a lucky man, and I wish you the best. Maybe we can get you something closer,” he said.

I sent my knuckles to the table. “You want us to pay to live among bandits in a section of land no one has used in decades. The place is so distant, you can’t offer protection for it. So, what exactly are we paying for?”

“Peace of mind, legitimacy, and this is how you build rapport. Did I mention, it’s cheap?” he said.

Larisa smiled and said, “We’ll take it. But… We want help settling. The locals will increase prices as they catch on that we’re buying for the Ebro Basin. Ten of us is not enough.”

“I can and will help with the supplies. As far as people, the King has all his slaves employed now. However, the markets are fair game.”

Larisa folded her arms and said, “Seems lopsided.”

“It is. You’re going into hostile territory. We have no sheriff in town to police that far away. Anything you leave with, will probably vanish with you. However, if luck should strike, there’s rewards for the bandits. If any are captured, bring them here for processing at a ten to one rate, bandit for slaves.”

“And the full beastkin?” I asked.

“A slave per male head. Twenty per female alive. A fetish of the nobility. They relish in the truly wild, harder to dominate,” Itorin said with innocent hands held up. “I don’t judge how people love, nor how they mate. Ebro Basin. A few gems for the lease, a helping hand with the locals not gouging you on prices, and if you succeed you will have a trade partner in Kirkton.”

I ran a hand down Larisa’s back with a nod. He eyed this exchange skeptically but said nothing.

“What about these monsters in the mountains?” I asked.

Itorin huffed, glancing at Larisa. He clearly didn’t like that I talked directly to him and this time, he let it show. “There’s dozens of species that occupy the wilds of Kerxon which prove deadly to civilized races. There is a reason not every area is settled. Lady Larisa would be wise to speak with a local guide, buy some written materials, and hire a guide. If you manage to apprehend a species worthy of note. Bring it here, dead or alive and it will likely fetch a good number of coins.”

Larisa glanced at me for approval. I nodded. It wasn’t perfect and came with plenty of dangers, but it would serve as a nice place to hide.

“Draft up the papers, I’ll sign them and use a bank voucher to cover the annual fee. We officially will manage the Ebro Basin,” Larisa said.

I sat in a side chair and waited. A trio of sub-workers brought in over a dozen forms and documents for Larisa to sign. She earned the title as Custodian. The more people we brought the better the title.

To reach mayor status, we would need to expand beyond a hundred residents. While I thought that would be awesome, it was the bandits, monsters, and building something from nothing that had my attention.

Chapter 21

KIRKTON - BELIN REGION

“Nope, not interested,” Larisa said, giving the saleswoman her back.

We stood in an open market with pens built on both sides of the road. Vertical and horizontal board connected to make stiff but breathable walling. The mostly empty stalls left me concerned and Itorin mentioned we may have to travel to farms to buy livestock.

I pet the nice horse who nickered happily from my touch. The mare was a lover and a bit old. If I had to guess, she was for sale to squeeze the last bit of value before fading.

“Mistress, these horses are beauties,” I said, unable to contain myself. “They could be helpful.”

“They’re the price of six cows that can haul a cart just fine. I don’t want to eat a horse if things go bad,” Larisa said, containing her scold… mostly.

I went to quibble, and she pulled me aside, whispering, “We don’t need horses when you can shift because a horse is slower than you. A seven-day walk is a two day run if you unleash your beast. Plus, oxen can pull downed trees better, or haul stone. Horses are meant for ladies and speed. We work up to a horse because of our limited budget.”

“I understand,” I said sadly. I gave her my best puppy dog eyes. “Maybe one for morale or emergencies.”

“Fine, fine, but only because you’re so damn cute. I have this part handled and am a poor judge of people. I’d appreciate it if you could go across to the slave market and try to bolster our numbers. Take these gold coins,” Larisa said, laying three into my palm. “They’re bank certified metal. Their value in gems is not insignificant but the markets here are different from Urik. People are not in abundance, meaning the costs are higher.”

I considered staying at her side to learn about the difference between an ox bull and a cow bull, but I knew nothing about the prices or haggling of these animals. I did inspect the coins though.

“No gems?” I asked.

“Belin uses both. They even have paper notes. Faith is mainly held in the banking system,” Larisa said. “I imagine if there is a collapse, it doesn’t end well, but it works for now.”

I scoffed. “I know how it ends, we had a few of those. Let’s not keep too much of our funds in the bank.”

She kissed my cheek, a repeat from earlier. “You make me happy, Marvin. This is a dream come true for me. However, there will be no money left in the bank when we leave. I hope you can provide, because it is going to be tough out there.”

I smiled and said a few reassuring words, knowing it was time to go. She was capable, and I needed to trust she could manage these purchases.

I ventured toward the exit of the livestock market. Only a dozen vendors tried to sell their animals today and I had a feeling we would be buying most of them.

The locals talked about a big market next week that was a monthly event where there’d be more options. It couldn’t be helped, and we made the best of the situation by already buying ducks, chickens, and a freson bird that was something in between.

People did stare at Larisa, her kind not venturing out of the cities very often. A kingdom guard never left her side, making it clear she had the favor of the king’s enforcers. I highly doubted anyone would mess with her during my absence, but I did find myself wishing for our own guards.

While the city was secure, I might be going to fight bandits in the woods and could use some help. Dobber’s arm put him on the sidelines, Jaco wasn’t a fighter, and Steve admitted he had never been in a fight in his life.

That left me with Jessica and Celeste to defend the group. Celeste was probably one forty bulked up, and I doubted she was one hundred and five. That left just Jessica and me to handle problems in the short term.

I did find out that regular bullets worked just fine on the basic four shifter species. For the seroci, angelics, and likely lionkin, silver bullets were needed to punch through hide. And… you couldn’t buy silver bullets, in essence protecting the ruling species.

This was a boon and a problem for another day. At this moment, I needed laborers, fighters, and farmers.

I found the employment market stationed across from the livestock market. Unlike before, I didn’t have to win someone over to come back with me to Earth. I could free someone and just let them go, hoping they’d follow. Or I could make a deal: work a month with pay and they’d be free.

There was certainly a moral gray line in all this. I doubted any transactions besides freedom was on the right side, but at the same time, I had to apply my funds to the best use I could. If I freed people for nothing, I might as well contract laborers looking for work to avoid being slaves.

The whole thing sucked, and I planned to fix the system with time.

The actual market for segregated folks into two halves. Those looking for contract work as free people and those in collars. The left side contained the collared people sitting under the shade of an overhang. The right side contained the free workers who waited on bleachers for jobs they needed.

This town held maybe five or ten thousand people at its busiest and I only saw a hundred people, telling me Kirkton was productive and those in need of employment were the bottom of the barrel or picky workers.

I entered the area and the left side looked on with interest, the right with disinterest. I was a lowly human after all.

“Belin coin to anyone who can pin me down in wrestling,” I said with a booming voice.

I went to the middle space meant to parade or hold actions and waited. A Belin coin, if I understood right, would mean freedom for most, a month or two of hard work for the others.

An older man approached from a stand, wearing a badge on his vest.

“I can’t have anyone getting hurt,” he said.

“Surely you’re not in charge of the free workers,” I replied.

He shook his head. “If you wish to be beaten to a pulp, I guess I’ll allow it, but sonny. You’re not that big.”

I beamed a jubilant smile and replied, “I tend to grow on people.”

He left, taking his seat. I cleared my throat and bellowed, “We’re heading to the Ebro Basin. We will have enough supplies for -”

“Shut up,” a bearkin female said, leaving her seat. “Just to be clear, a Belin coin to pin you down, and Rocco doesn't care?” She pointed at the manager.

“We have his approval, my Lady,” I said.

This sent her into a frenzy, and she sped across the parade grounds in a flash. I let my anger build just enough. My muscles bulged and when she was certain she’d crush me, I deftly sidestepped, even patting her back on the way by.

“Fancy footwork for a human. I wonder if you -” she approached slowly, swiping out a backhand mid-sentence.

I let the rage consume me, reaching out to snatch her wrist, and halting its progress with an ear-splitting smack.

“Argh!” she cried out.

Her grimace mixed with shock. I released her arm and stepped back.

“I don’t want to hurt you. Next,” I proclaimed confidently.

When I gave her my back, she charged. I side stepped again, tripping her this time.

She slid across the field, enraged and almost fully shifted. I calmly stuck a knee to her back and pinned her down.

“I will defeat whatever terrorizes Ebro Basin. I’m the champion who guards a seroci, a warrior in need of allies. I come to offer employment, and maybe one day, a home,” I said to the onlookers. To the woman below my knee, I hissed, “Attack me again, and you will be in a recovery ward for weeks if not months. Consider your attempt at an end.”

“Fine, get off me, you fat cow,” she grunted.

I didn’t argue with her or even get upset. I had applied enough strength to pin her down that I deserved the comment. After standing, I dusted my knee off and walked the line of collar wearers.

“Anyone want to come?” I asked.

A gruff human with only one eye and no eyepatch said, “Terms?”

“You’ll be fed regularly, a plot of land, and…” I mulled it over. “Three months of work. You keep the home after, you can bring your family, and you don’t wear a collar. We’re looking for settlers, not slaves. You can come work with us and eventually be paid, assuming the community generates revenue.”

He gulped. “You free us, let us build a home as servants, but we get to keep the home when we’re done? You’re saying that at some point, we will be free and earn a living?”

“Yes, the year of taxes for the basin are paid in full. Plus, we’re offering protection. I know this is a lot to take in with little to go from. But again, the Mistress fully intends for the community to set up some sort of payout system, assuming we generate wealth,” I said.

“Can we sell the home, after our time is up?” he asked.

“If you can find a buyer, yeah, sure. I wish I could promise to pay you at the end, but I have no idea how our finances will be then. Plus, I have to pay to pop the collars off today,” I said.

“What’s to stop them from running,” the bear woman said from behind.

I smirked walking to the middle of the field again. “A Belin coin to anyone who can outrun me three times around the inside of the market walls, always staying near the wall,” I said, gesturing to the interior fencing.

The response was overwhelming. Panthkin, foxkin, wolfkin, and even humans hopped off their seats for a race. There were too many of them, so I held up a hand to pause them.

I peeled my shirt off, not wanting to ruin it. I raised my shorts up high to cover my tail that would sprout, and I tossed my sandals on top of my shirt.

My inner beast surged forward, and I broke into a run while growing. I hunkered down to keep my profile low. I found a groove, hearing the others trying to keep up.

I increased my stride, surged power into my bulging legs, and poured on the speed. The foxkin who tried to catch me fell back. When I ripped around the first lap, I saw a dozen or so stunned people watching.

Maybe it wasn’t smart to show off and I did ease back, even letting some of my anger fade. I think it was the chauvinistic alpha lion inside me mixed with the protector side too that demanded more of me. I had to prove I could keep them safe.

By the end of the third lap, I almost let the foxkin catch me. I didn’t apply a late burst or anything and when I stopped, I showed I wasn’t winded from the exertion.

I heard the whisperings. They assumed I was an assassin for the seroci, enhanced by selective breeding. I let that be the winning thesis, even giving a thumbs up when someone asked if I really protected Larisa.

Her arrival made waves, and now, I did too. A seroci and her assassin, I could live with that, and as it turns out - so could a dozen folks in collars, and a half dozen locals looking for work.

The market manager said I could pick up the new settlers in the morning, something I was okay with, and I paid a bit extra to ensure everyone had enough to eat. While I wanted more to join us, the others weren’t interested in leaving the town, or my terms.

Among them, the one-eyed man waited until I was walking out the gates to approach me.

He asked for a moment to the side and when we drifted far from the others, he said, “Mvargus is the alpha in the bandit group. He holes up in the mountains mostly, but he will come after you. I need to know, are you going after him if he hides?”

“Uh, likely, I’d rather be the aggressor than on the receiving end of a surprise attack. Plus he may have stuff I want. He’s probably the only one around whose head I can chop off and claim everything he owns,” I said.

“You mean the seroci claims what he owns,” he said.

“We’re a team, but yes,” I said, correcting myself.

He stared at me evenly, contemplating. “I’ll guide you. Name’s Onix. I used to prospect, simply digging around for mining sites to sell the rights to. Someone bought my rights, but Mvargus closed the site up and I couldn’t reach it. That started my debt since I incurred a penalty. I ran into him and his boys on my next trip out. He stole my eye, telling me never to come back.”

“And now you are?” I asked.

“As long as you can get some vengeance, I’ll help find it. I tried to get the locals to help rid the area of him, but it’s far and no one cares what happens in the basin,” he said unhappily.

“I care. Let me go free you,” I said. He shook his head no. “Why?”

“Send someone else. Mvargus has spies. Send me ahead with them,” he said.

I mulled it over and replied, “That’s not how I work. I need it known I’m not scared of him. Here is your chance at vengeance.”

“Give me till the morning to think it over,” he grumbled.

“Sure, in case you don’t come. How big is his group?”

“At least ten. There were ten of them the day I lost my eye. Some female fighters too. Mvargus is good about not making the news. The odd wagon knocked over, a small village asked to pay a no pillage tax, stolen female slaves, farmers go missing, and he even resells looted items right here in Kirkton. Or so the rumor goes,” Onix said.

“Alright, I hear you, and thank you. Expect Judith to be by in the morning while I’m loading the caravan. Pretty, young, and a wolfkin. Follow her orders if you really want to come,” I told the man, feeling good that I had found a guide.

I just had to hope the rest of the acquisitions went smoothly.

Chapter 22

KIRKTON - BELIN REGION

“You’re looking dapper,” Jessica said, fixing my collar on my shirt button up shirt.

I glanced down at her travel garb, noting the buttons on her chest fighting to keep the covering closed. Her lovely hazel eyes shined up at me and her lightening brunette hair was bound in a thick braid. The woman had a way of making me smile even when I wanted to be sour.

I huffed. “I’m just going to undo the damn thing as soon as we start the trip.”

“The mayor is about to give us a sendoff,” Larisa warned.

I stood there, watching the podium while wallowing in my grumpiness. I didn’t get my damn horse I wanted.

I got Bessy, the rifle instead. That was okay, mostly, Bessy didn’t nibble at my fingers or ask for attention, and the metal version made me haul its heavy ass around.

To add to my damper spirit, eight people reneged on their contract with us and we added four single moms whose kids were at an orphanage. While it was heartwarming and uplifting, we desperately needed the help from the other adults.

Unfortunately, no one else was willing to join us. If I had to guess, Onix warned the others and I was conflicted on whether or not to be mad. There could very well be a lot of death on our expedition.

I planned on doing more than just farming, and if there was a bandit named Narv we would have a confrontation. I could see why someone would hate the concept and rather stay with a collar on here, than die in the woods.

The mayor gave his speech with me zoned out and Larisa smacked the ass of the lead oxen with a celebratory cheer, kicking the convoy into gear. I glanced back seeing Steve and Dobber way at the end of the line, ensuring we maintained ourselves as a cohesive unit.

Twenty oxen pulled twenty hand carts and a few of the carts rested empty. The caravan was a lot more than I expected and in other ways a lot less. I imagined four horse wagons, not cows with hand carts.

We didn’t bring a single full-sized wagon because we might have to restore the road. A narrow cart was far less limited in its travel. I did notice, most of the carts used netting to contain supplies stacked high.

We packed farm animals in their travel cages under, seeds, canned foods, jerky, tools, camping supplies, clothing materials, and just about everything else we would need over the next few months. We went light on the food, expecting to live off the land somewhat.

The extra carts would mean we could take turns getting off our feet or pile up excess finds and even turn them sideways to create wind breaks during stops. The cart animals were a mix of oxen and cows, with two bulls for each type. We wanted more livestock but Larisa assured us to keep some funds in reserve.

She had a point, with the fishing gear, the tools, the animals, and the guns, we could come back with plenty of things to sell. I did want to plan a trip for not this coming market in a week but the one next month, to acquire whatever we desired.

For the first hour, I stuck to the farm fields off the road, watching my people move from a distance. The children caved to the endless pace, rotating on and off the empty carts. There certainly wasn’t a lack of parental attention, and for the most part, I saw big smiles.

“How are you feeling?” Kiki asked, noticing I neared the middle of the convoy.

I glanced down at the small foxkin with a warm smile. She tucked her long auburn hair up until twine bundled it in a bun, returning my smile. “Good. We doubled our numbers, we have enough supplies to last at least a month, and if we make it back next month, I bet more will come.”

“Thanks again for getting everything ready for us. Sorry I slept all day yesterday,” Kiki apologized again.

“You’re recovering, it is completely natural. How are you feeling?” I asked.

She smiled and said, “Hopeful. I see Larisa and Jessica are bonding. You know what she is doing right?”

“Working an angle to stay close to me. I see it. Jessica wants it, just don’t tell her mom,” I said with a giggle.

“She won’t be the only one. Handsome man, capable of fighting off threats, and with an actual heart… get out the broom to beat the ladies back. Speaking of Margaret, I think Steve and her are not getting along,” Kiki said quietly.

I sighed, figuring we would have community drama, just not this soon. He had a reason to be upset too. “If love firms or wanes, we support our people. What do you think about the supplies?”

“I only went over the inventory sheet briefly. Celeste said we needed more weapons from over my shoulder, but it looked good to me. Food for a month, everything we need to cook, clean, and create a settlement. I worry about this bandit threat, it seems to be all Celeste can talk about,” Kiki said, thumbing over her shoulder.

Celeste and Onix talked with frowns only a few carts behind us. The duo were in a heated discussion with Onix pointing out places on a map.

“I’m more worried about the mountain monsters,” I said.

“I think you might be able to beat most monsters,” Kiki said, running a hand down my arm. “You’re big, but the minotaurs are bigger.”

My eyebrows shot high. “Minotaurs?”

“Cyclops, minotaurs, ogres, and dragons. Although these shouldn’t breathe fire, and honestly, they’re all from stories my mom would read to me to do well in school,” Kiki said.

“Interesting. Here I was thinking there would be something like a small rabbit capable of killing a man by tearing limbs clean off,” I said with a scoffing jest.

She glanced at me like I was crazy. “No, not that I know about anyway. Such a thing would be truly terrifying. Maybe Larisa would know, but the monsters of lore have been on Jespin for eons. The issue is, we, the civilized species, tend to push back any expansions they have. At least history says so.”

The crack of thunder alerted me to a storm off to our right. We seemed to be on different paths, but it was too early to tell. Wherever we were compared to the equator, the long summer season was in full effect.

“Good thing we got tents,” I said.

“Not enough,” she replied with a happy snicker. “Our group had a dozen freed slaves who were forbidden from… well… you get the point. And now we have shared tents.”

I chuckled. “If we could have afforded more, we would have got more. Space will be tight, but we will make do. The employment contracts Larisa and Judith presented allow for certain liberties.”

“You’re a good man Marvin,” Kiki said.

“We’re all good people, forming a great team,” I said, patting her shoulder and leaving her side.

I trotted up to Jessica and Larisa who blushed at my intrusion. They both had big smiles and based on how often I saw them laughing earlier, they were getting along well.

“My alpha,” Jessica said with a smirk. “How may we serve you?”

“Uh… is that a loaded question?” I said with a playful smirk.

“See how tense he is,” Larisa teased.

“Yeah, well, a few nights without his lioness does that to him. So damn cute,” Jessica said.

I felt like a piece of meat. I shifted focus when our caravan entered a forest with an overgrown road, I could feel the comfort of the woods enclosing me.

If I had to guess, this road hadn’t been used by anyone other than foot traffic for this year. Way off in the distance, the pinnacle flag of Kirkton slid behind the horizon. We truly entered a new realm.

“And so it begins. I hear you showed off, pretending to be an assassin. Itorin was thrilled to hear we would be removing the scourge in the basin. No one wants to trek out to the woods to deal with this Narv character, so he is allowed to persist,” Larisa said with a huff. “However, those antics will reach the king and that worries me.”

“Try not to frown, it makes you look old,” I teased and she playfully slugged me on the arm. “Hey, easy now. I finally got out of my grumpy slump. But… I’m bored and want fresh meat so I’m going to scout ahead and I’ll take Celeste with me.”

“You want to go running into the woods without one of us?” Jessica asked.

“Yeah, a nice fire and a fresh lunch meal sounds delicious,” I said, kissing her cheek. “You two stay behind to protect the pride.”

I must have missed a cue or triggered something because Jessica just stared at me like I had done something wrong.

“I don’t get it,” I admitted.

Larisa said, “There’s five tents, twenty one people. How many will be in your tent?”

“Uh, I haven’t thought about that. I’ve been worrying about food, clearly,” I said, gesturing to Bessy the rifle. “I see you girls flirting, so just say it.”

“You're a lion alpha. I’m a lioness. I am okay with it being more than you and me,” Jessica said. “And now you are talking about taking a woman besides me hunting. So we want to know why you are going into those woods. You are expected to have a harem, it is the way of Jespin.”

“Oh… OH!” I said finally connecting the dots. “No wonder Kiki kept glancing at me shyly. Uh, can I defer to your judgement and let you pick?”

“Not normally how it works, but I can manage our home,” Jessica said. “If that is your command.”

“Yeah, look. I want to be perfectly clear. I may have big eyes and do a bit of window shopping, but I’m firmly on team Jessica,” I said, tossing an arm over her shoulder.

“Could have fooled me. You picked out eight more females out of eleven,” Larisa said with a chortle. “What? You did.”

“There were more men yesterday,” I grumbled. “I’m not some lusting pervert. I’m trying to build a home and treat everyone with respect.”

“This is part of it. Take Celeste and go hunting. We will eagerly await your return,” Jessica said, twirling her finger over the spot on my back where I would grow a tail. “We are far enough away from the city now you can probably shift enough to hunt.”

“I’ll leave my sandals and shirt, but wait until we’re deep in the brush to let the lion free,” I said.

“Maybe take Onix, he knows the land,” Larisa said.

“He’s human, older, and only has one eye. I can take the teacher Kiki, one of the new recruits, or the enforcer with combat training,” I said.

Larisa nodded. “I’ll inventory the skills of the new people while Jessica protects the pride.”

“Good luck, lover,” Jessica said, pinching my butt.

I trotted through the underbrush giving others room until I reached Celeste and Onix. I rotated to fall in step with them, glancing at the map.

“What’s up boss?” Onix asked.

“I’m going hunting, just Celeste and I.  You’re not invited because we will be going fast, like super-fast,” I said.

Onix held his hands up. “I wouldn’t expect to find much besides some rabbits. These are pretty common hunting grounds with us being this close to Kirkton. If you go beyond a day and back’s length you’ll probably do better.”

“No one uses this road,” I said.

“No one besides hunters. Most don’t stay out overnight, since the dangers are mostly at night. A big group is fine, but no one hunts in a party this size,” Onix said with a gruff tone. “I’d stick to the river side over the mountain, but the bigger game will be on the right side of the trail if you want danger.”

I stripped my shirt, removed my sandals, and let the lion free. When my tail flopped out Onix gasped. I stared down at him and said, “Are we going to have a problem?”

“Wha…. what are you?”

“An inquisitor. That seems to placate people the most so I’m going to lean into it. An inquisitor assassin, with a special tail,” I said with a growl.

He rubbed his hands in delight, nodding with excitement. “Narv will never see you coming.”

“Time will tell, come Celeste, I hunger and so we hunt,” I said.

“Yes my Alpha, you honor me,” the raven haired woman said, shifting until she increased in size. Her loose outfit bulged from the growth but held. “I’m lean, but up for a hunt. Let me grab a bag of supplies.” She fell back a few carts, grabbed a satchel and returned with an eager grin. “Lead on, Marvin.”

I gripped Bessy tightly bounding down the road and into the unknown. The hunt was on.

Chapter 23

ESSI WOODS - BELIN REGION

“Marvin, slow down,” Celeste said. I hefted her up, carrying her over my shoulder. “You brute, I’m not into men.”

“Ugh… You have me confused with a bad guy. Recover for a bit, I’m fit and healthy. The smell is getting stronger. Can’t be too much further.”

“I can’t smell a damn… oh, there it is. Damn, you lions have it good,” Celeste said, shifting to sniff towards the mountains. “I… that’s a trio of shifters at least. They’re full beasts. Oh shit. Three is a lot.”

“Yeah, some great funds if we can beat them into submission,” I said with a grin.

“So much for lunch. Jessica is going to be pissed. It was dark an hour ago and she’ll make assumptions.”

I crashed through the bushes, charging through the nighttime woods. My animal spirit surged through, eager to close the distance. I precariously juggled the exhausted Celeste over my shoulder, fearing I might lose her to a tree limb.

“Well, Onix was right, there’s nothing to hunt until we left the ring around Kirkton. Now I smell hundreds of prey, and more importantly, I can smell our caravan. I can smell happiness. And I think they are just now stopping because there’s less sweat in their scent,” I said with a grunt as I crashed through a berry bush, feeling the thorns trying to tear my thick hide. “As for Jessica, she’ll be fine as long as I make it home for dinner.”

“What kind of shifters are these?” she asked.

I jumped over a fallen tree, slowing as we neared a large clearing. The terrain in the opening led up towards the mountains with a dense fog rolling down ever so slowly. A thousand crags and crevices cut through the rising slope, providing ample hiding spots for both predators and prey. I slowed us, setting her down behind a tree trunk we could catch our breath behind.

“I thought they were just deer or something. My nose is still adjusting. Hey, sorry I gave you the wrong idea,” I said, thumbing back to the way we came.

“Oh, yeah, I’m super not a lesbian, I just don’t enjoy being dominated. I like men who take my orders. Sorry, but I wanted to veer off a disaster if you tried to make me submit, because I know I’d lose,” she said, not even a hint of guilt in her voice.

I nodded, not having much to respond with. “What kind of shifter did you smell?”

“Not sure, I can smell the beast more than the species. Do you see them?” Celeste asked.

“The blind leading the blind. I noticed everything dispersing as we ran through the woods. I would assume that the prey has adapted to predators having a great smell?” I asked.

She shrugged. “Look, I get why you picked to take me. The rest of the pride is useless out here. That doesn’t make me a hunter in the woods. I tend to track people in a city, see who flinches when I pressure them for information. Following scents happen, but it’s rare. As to hunting in the woods, I would assume you are correct. Most hunters I know use traps.”

“I guess that makes sense. I could always run something down or get upwind with a hunting rifle,” I said. When she didn’t respond I continued, “We’re downwind but I’m thinking they’ll attack rather than run, so we take a measured approach.”

“I’ve never dealt with full shifters before,” she admitted. “I heard they’re tough to handle.”

“Understood,” I said, leaving the tree line for the clearing.

I had to keep my lion at the forefront and did so with less anger than usual but that brooding desire for violence hungered. The full day of having him present let me acclimate and at no point did I feel weary or about to lose control.

I did notice, I hit a limiter. I needed the sixth species to swear to me: the fated angelic. Time would tell if that happened, and what would transpire. I wasn’t sure I wanted to ever become a full animal, fearing that it might consume me.

I calmly walked far into the clearing.

The snap of a twig broke the quiet of the night. An immense wolf snarled from the opening of a den. The grey and black fur stood on its back with the white teeth dripping saliva. The shadowy backdrop of the cave slowly revealed three more wolves.

Each of these menacing beasts were adults, each of them was about twice as large as a normal wolf should be.

“Hi,” I said loudly. The alpha snapped its jaws with a fierce growl as I continued to approach. A fifth and a sixth set of eyes arrived, these belonging to two foxes. “I wonder what happened.”

“This is a lot, Marvin. They’re well fed, organized and I’m a bit concerned,” she said, pausing at the trees.

“We can’t bring them back right,” I asked. “Like from their shift?”

“I’m a city fighter, for the third time,” Celeste complained. “I think he is about to charge.”

“Hey, buddy, go back to being a human,” I said.

The alpha didn’t like my recommendation in the slightest. The extra-large beast bounded directly for me.

“Stop or I’m going to shoot,” I warned.

The wolf didn’t care, closing the distance with a speed that was quicker than I could manage, and that worried me.

“I thought you’d be smaller,” I said with concern.

I hefted Bessy, lined up the lead wolf, exhaled with a sad sigh. There simply wasn’t another option in my mind.

Bang!

The bullet zipped across the grass, up the slope, and right through the chest of the alpha wolf. The round burst out the back, showering the pack behind him in blood. I yanked the bolt back, fished a fresh round out of my pocket, and reloaded the weapon.

When my ears stopped ringing, I strode toward the den confidently.

I belted out a roar, challenging the alpha who struggled to breathe while he twitched on the ground. I doubted the flopping wolf would live, feeling a smidge bad.

“I don’t think he and I were ever going to come to terms. I wanted his pack, he’d defend them with his life,” I told Celeste.

“Savage, but I think I understand. What is your plan?” she asked.

“Try to coax out their humanity with a good ole ass kicking. The less that die, the better. If returning them to human form doesn’t work, they’re a liability to me and I can use their sacrifice to free more people,” I said.

The alpha hacked up blood, likely suffering from a lung wound. I tossed the rifle to a hesitant Celeste who caught it with ease.

“Even if the round may not puncture my skin, I'll be ten shades of angry if you shoot me,” I warned her.

“Uh, sure. Have fun,” she said.

I confidently closed on the pack that whimpered over their struggling alpha. “Listen up. I’m in charge. You’ll either turn into a human again or I will knock you out and drag you to Kirkton.”

This was met with snarls and snapping teeth. I had enough. This was Kerxon, and in Kerxon, fighting solved most problems. I sped up the incline, kicking bits of rough terrain behind me as I sped uphill.

The largest beta rushed to greet me, leaping in a predictable path. I rolled forward, letting the large wolf soar behind me. I closed on the nearest fox who turned in an attempt to flee my presence.

My hand shot down, snatching the red tail with a white tip. The fox whimpered when I yanked back hard. The fox flew off his feet and right into a hard punch. The large beast fell like a sack of rocks, out cold from the blow.

I worried I killed him but didn’t have time to see if I had because I kept running for the den’s opening. In my mind, I figured the enclosed space would work for me.

Instead, the entire pack rushed me at once, eager to keep me from gaining entry. I struck a wolf, breaking something. Teeth bit into my left calf. I rotated to strike the audacious wolf, only to find air by the time I rotated.

A wolf leaped onto my back, clamping onto my collar bone.

Claws scratched my back and a heavy weight threatened to topple me. A flaring pain from my left shin forced me to notice the fox who tore my flesh as he tugged. Another wolf snuck in as I wrestled with the one on my back.

I figured my hide would be thick enough to stop bites and I was oh so wrong. The pain racked through every fiber of my being, leaving me in torment.

“Get off!” I shouted, feeling the pain transition into anger.

My inner beast kept rising until I could feel him taking over.

I snatched the wolf off my back, chucking it into a nearby rock. My fist raced down, crashing into the fox’s shoulder. A loud crack shot across the terrain as a bone snapped from my mighty blow.

A panther’s roar preceded right before a black feline smashed into a wolf trying to get a flank on me. I pounced on the largest beta, pinning her down. I oddly found myself biting her ear with a guttural growl.

I must have taken out a half dozen bites when she stilled below me, trembling in submission. A silence settled over the area, with the two standing wolves, laying down.

“Come to me,” I whispered into her ear. “Return to me. I need your help.”

She whimpered and stayed in submission with tail tucked. The sound of vomiting caused me to leave her on the gravelly terrain. Celeste heaved, splashing vomit onto the rocks now that she was back in her human form.

“Is that normal?” I asked.

She shook her head, sliding a forearm across her lips. “Hell no. I’ve been eating like a damn pig though. A stomach full of jerky and water combined with running all day, and my body forces me to vomit.”

“I carried you,” I said.

She scoffed. “For five minutes.”

“So, what do we do next?” I asked.

“The alpha died, while his meat will be spoiled his fur will make a good rug. They’re yours to command now though. The alpha died, the beta submitted, and the rest are really fearing your wrath,” Celeste said.

“Shit, their teeth cut like no tomorrow,” I said, feeling all the small wounds that leaked blood. “I figured I’d stride in, be all Rambo and kick a ton of ass. Nope. Impervious to bullets but weak to teeth, what gives?”

“Even the seroci and angelics fear a shifted inferior. Our teeth and claws do damage to all. I figured you knew this,” she said.

“Yeah, well, no. The bearkin hid their shifter spirits. Do we tie these ones up or will they follow us?” I asked.

“That depends on what is in the cave,” Celeste said, regaining her feet. “Please wait. I am grabbing the rifle first before we start another fight.”

“Uh, what can they have?” I asked. I raised my voice to reach her while she drew further away. “This isn’t Mvargus is it?”

“For the last time, think of me as an idiot. I… Don’t… Know.”

I muttered, “I’m so going to take Jessica next time.”

“Should have this time, but I understand why you left your second in command to guard the home. It shows trust,” Celeste said.

“Can they have kids and if they can, are they human or shifter?” I asked.

Celeste said, “Finally something I can answer. Pups, but the young will change to human if around other human children. Hey, and I’m not completely useless. I helped win the fight and I know something else. There’s teaching where the Prophet said distant weapons won’t be effective. They said to expect to fight in close with enhanced swords, teeth, and claws.”

“Thanks Celeste, and I get it. Roaming in the woods is not your thing. You could have shot me, left me to lose, or whatever, but you had my back when it mattered,” I said, accepting the rifle when she arrived. “Hey, I mean it. Thank you.”

“Yeah, I know. Hey, Marvin, I need more time before we go running off like this again, sorry,” Celeste said.

I patted her on the back before heading into the cavern. The beta wolf followed me closely, growling with no bite behind it. Sure enough, we found one baby fox and one newborn wolf.

I hoped this was some colony gone wrong, however, it was just an animal den with bones, fur, and nasty bedding. Even the cutout stopped. I shifted some of the bedding, hoping to find any clues as to how these humans turned into beasts.

I scooped up the adorable little pups, handing them off to Celeste.

The beta wolf eyed her with a scornful gaze but followed us out of the den. I picked up both the fox parents in my arms to carry them, setting off for our encampment.

Chapter 24

KIRKTON - BELIN REGION

The sound of a knock on my door pulled me from a dream where I hunted a monster.

“So vivid,” I muttered.

The creature reminded me of a horrifying hippo mixed with a squid. Thick skin, massive frame, bursts of speed that defied logic, and about a dozen tentacles that moved lightning fast.

It felt so real, I had to shake the images out of my head as I stretched from the hotel bed, smacking my dry mouth. A quick swig of water left me feeling capable of answering the soft knocking.

“Give me a moment,” I said, leaving the lonely bed.

This wasn’t exactly what I expected to have happened. Once I made it back to camp, two things meant it was time to cash in my catches sooner than later and head to Kirkton.

The pups became squalling toddlers the moment they neared the children who tried to pet them. While this was bad, they were past the milk stage and their confusion would be tempered with time. Or so both Judith and Larisa said.

The other issue was that the full shifters immediately stopped caring about their babies once this happened. Every attempt to coax them back to their human forms, left them confused and increasingly angry.

It was heartbreaking and Margaret broke down because of the tragic nature of parents abandoning children. To make matters worse, the beasts wanted to attack our animals and only my domineering aggression kept them in check. As much as I wished to bring out the humans, the beasts inside them had firm control.

This left me with a few choices. I could tie them up, take a slow trip with some carts that pulled the bound animals, or I could just run them to the city with the pack following their alpha - me. Since only one fox had to be carried, I ran for Kirkton through the night, arriving before sunrise.

The town guards helped me secure the two foxes and three wolves in a roofed pen and I retired to sleep. My final attempts to pull out their humanity failed, and without knowing who could help, I decided to try to free some other people instead.

I relieved my bladder, secured my holster around my waist, ensured my revolver was set, and laced up my boots.

I opened the door to find Itorin himself talking with a guard about something. The duo halted their conversation when I exited, and both gave me their full attention.

“Afternoon,” Itorin said with a smile. He offered a bag of coins to me that I accepted. “Care for a walk?”

I bounced the coins, feeling a hefty weight before adding them to my satchel. “Yeah, sounds good, I need to get back to running here soon.”

He stepped towards the lower floor, and I followed him. He intentionally stayed quiet through the bar, so I followed his lead. When we passed the bar counter, I returned my key to the tender before exiting the building.

I glanced up, seeing the sun hanging high in the sky. I had been meaning to try to calculate how long a day was on Kerxon, noting we used a similar time system. As if on cue, the city bell rang for the midday alert.

We joined the central traffic, finding ourselves isolated besides a few guards that joined Itorin to flank us. I watched their body language, noting they weren’t on edge or concerned. They wore silver swords on one hip, long rifles over the backs, and revolvers on the other hip. The armor was light and meant for mobility along with the heat.

“How’d you do it?” he asked.

The guards leaned in, telling me they were curious as well. I had to imagine I probably made a sight and more waves when I arrived with not one, but five captures.

“There were more. I killed and killed until they submitted,” I lied.

“It is as we feared,” the older panthkin said, running a hand through his disheveled hair. “Mvargus is real, and we didn’t want to discourage Lady Larisa from attempting to settle the Ebro Basin. The problem is, those who go to Ebro, well, they don’t come back. We even sent the biggest of bearies to try to crush his defenses.”

I scrunched my face. “I can’t believe I’m saying this, but maybe a smaller man is the right guy for the job.”

“Yeah, these bearies were much bigger,” one of the guards said.

I rolled my eyes. “The fight was basic. Kill the alpha, kill the beta, smash the resistance, and win the day. Sorry, if you were hoping for something more to the adventure, there isn’t one, and thank you for telling me a bit more about Mvargus. Everything you can tell me helps.”

“I understand. You are a formidable warrior if this was the case regarding a wild pack. I’m sure you had help,” he said.

“Guns, help, and a basic plan. You said this is as you feared, care to elaborate?” I asked, rotating the conversation back to where I wanted it.

He paused in the middle of the road, ensuring no one could overhear us. “Mvargus was a former beta to the king. A nephew’s son. He challenged the throne and was exiled to a foreign kingdom when he barely made it past the second phase.

“Mvargus never boarded the boat he was meant to. He fled into the mountains, disappearing, and mind you, he hid for quite some time. In all truth, the monarchy figured he died to a dragon or centiwurm. The reality was that his loyalists slowly vanished to join him. They built up a small outpost that only grows in size and ambition.”

I paused him, folding my arms in frustration. “Look, where I come from, an insurrection is stamped out by the local government, not farmers. I’m a farmer.”

“But you’re not,” one of the big guards scoffed.

“I am too. I’m not a militant army capable of defeating an entrenched enemy. Why is the king not dealing with this?” I asked.

“He tried unsuccessfully three times. There’s optics, paperwork, and politics involved. If he musters a massive army, he is seen as treating Mvargus as a true threat. A true threat means about half a dozen of the rules protecting him from a challenge fade away,” Itorin said.

“Okay. Let me guess. Those shifted beasts were part of the three tries?” I asked.

“We believe so. Small parties have launched out of Kirkton with the guise of being a hunting party, mining expedition, and even a mercenary group. All three never returned. King Terr doesn’t overly torture his prisoners. As you probably know, too much, and they shift, retreating into their beast.

“We believe Mvargus is capturing those sent to kill him. He converts them into loyalists or converts them into beasts. The more beasts between him and us, the more warning and protection he has.

“It gets worse. The farming settlement of Laring was sacked by his forces two weeks ago and it is confidential information. A hundred and seventy souls gone. In the massive picture of the region, it’s nothing. He will need tens of thousands to test Kern and Verto. Out here though, if he keeps raiding, the king will have to answer with an army,” Itorin said.

“Then why the hell did you feed me to him?” I asked.

“We are hoping the seroci would be spared and her wisdom would help win the day. However, if you can defeat him in a challenge, then all this ends. I’m tired of helping people march to their doom, but I have hope in you. Here,” he offered a roll of parchment.

I unbound the string and unrolled the paper.

“By order of King Terr, I hereby appoint Lady Larisa as Baroness Larisa upon the defeat of Mvargus. Should she succeed, she will manage her realm in accordance with the bylaws of the Belin Kingdom. Huh… This goes on for a while,” I said, rolling the paper back up. “The reward is servitude to a king with a fancy title. I know you’re hoarding in that city building.”

He nodded, tucking his arms behind his back. “I will not make any guarantees. I can extend that parchment. Assuming you become a worthy vassal, I would imagine the king would repair the roads, send aid, heap a reward on you, and expand his kingdom to its furthest point yet.”

“Alright. The purse felt a bit heavy,” I said.

“Merely a thank you and a prompt payment for your catch. The nobility will be happy when such a large arrival hits the big cities. I’d wager the young and the bold come racing out to try their hand at wrangling the wilds. Which might only increase Mvargus’s power if you fail. Interesting times lay ahead. I just hope the quiet corner that I’m responsible for - stays quiet,” Itorin said.

He continued walking and I followed him while tucking the parchment into the satchel. I had a long run ahead of me and was tempted to bolt back toward my party.

“Two of the mothers have milk. If they’re brought out of their shifter forms, expect a visit for the children,” he said.

“I understand. I had no desire to part them. There are only two children and running them here seemed pointless. And Itorin, they’re likely two years old,” I said.

We progressed through the town, reaching the employment market.

“Not uncommon in such situations. Thank you for letting me know. I think it is time you stopped being nice to the indentured servants,” Itorin said in a judgmental tone. “These people are here to work, not be given latitude until they earn their freedom. Why risk failure because of your kindness?”

“Ah, why give them an option?” I asked and he nodded. We walked closer to the enclosed area until I leaned against the fence, noticing a few dozen more collared men and women waited among the bleachers. “You brought more. Your subtle way of helping?”

He nodded again, providing a warm smile. I couldn’t help but notice he was planning and at the same time, he was confined in how he could do so. A bonus payment lined up with additional people that I could free.

“I think you have a point. I need the labor and the help with fighting. I experienced that firsthand. The problem is, you starve your people I hire,” I said, and he shrugged. I could feel him wanting to say that was a ‘me’ problem. “I can’t hire the free folk because of where I’m going. For the collared ones, giving them a choice helps breed loyalty. Paying off their debts is a godsend worthy of thanks. However, you have a point, I may not need them all to stay after their terms of service though.”

“We have a saying in Verto, the capital. Nice guys finish last. You can be a leader without being disliked by some. You appeared weak when you gave them an option. That is not how a mistress would normally operate. She would hire whom she wanted and return those who displeased her when she felt like it,” he said.

“Hire is the polite term though. I figured that some of them had debts so great, they’d leap at the chance of freedom. You have a point. Which one of these is your spy?” I asked, gesturing to the curious onlookers.

Itorin gave a hearty laugh. “Assume all of them. Not like it matters. How will they send a word to me?”

“At seven days away, round trip of fourteen, not sure. I hear you loud and clear. I guess I will go talk to Rocco and see how far my coin will go. Or… I can buy a horse and hand cart,” I said with a mischievous smirk.

“Rocco has been given an influx of affordable workers. I wouldn’t be shocked if you could do both,” Itorin said, waving over the employment manager. “This is where we part ways. I expect to see you again next month at the main market, with good news hopefully.”

“Thanks, Itorin. I hope to make it there too,” I said, watching him leave.

Rocco approached, walking on a cane. I extended the bag of coins and he smiled, carefully taking them.

“Pull out enough to buy two horses and two carts,” I said.

“Sure, if you give these to Kelli, she will set you up. I assume the rest are for workers, no conditions, and I select?” he asked.

“Yeah, I’m bitter so many backed out. They’re starving here,” I said.

“Our food rations keep them alive and are within the kingdom laws,” he countered with a snippy tone.

“Not going into a morality debate on slavery. I will feed them better, give them work, and when their time is done, they can extend or return here to finish off their debts. I’m not wiping their debts like I did for the first bunch. I need workers,” I said.

“I understand your mistress’s desires. When you return from visiting Kelli, the collared will be brought. They will not be uncollared until their debts are complete,” he said.

“What happens if I feel bad and break them off?” I asked.

“You automatically owe the debt. Careful, if you fail to cover the cost, you may end up in a collar yourself,” he said, and I solemnly nodded.

I didn’t have much to say in reply. I decided to leave the conversation and hurry to get my horses. The trip to catch back up with our party just became a longer journey because I doubted the newest recruits could run the whole way.

Hopefully the caravan was doing well.

Chapter 25

MVARGUS- EBRO MOUNTAINS - BELIN REGION

Mvargus fumed, stewing in a pot of boiling anger. He wished he were on the docks of Norvin, watching the ocean sunset while he lavishly lived in exile. Instead, he lived in a cave complex with endless echoes, a damp smell, and almost no privacy.

For the last two years, the echoing cries of the potential converts drove him mad. Krigon, the special advisor the rebellion sent him, pushed for the capture of Laring. He didn’t want to process that many people, the tasks were already daunting based on what he and his scouts captured.

The worst part, they had no room for the majority who instantly subverted to his dominance. The tunnels in their valley were already overflowing and the digging had reached a stopping point without explosives. Mvargus resented them all for their cowardice and the fact they were now his responsibility.

After having to grovel to the king’s mandates he wished to change things. The Belin kingdom was weak, and it should be strong. He was the son of a seroci father and panthkin mother, and for a long time he was embarrassed he ended up with his mother’s genetics. He wished he could have been a hybrid growing up, or a seroci. The fact that he could only be one bothered him until he used his difference to his advantage.

Over time, he learned he could fight better than most, including his father. The rebellion thrived on the hope of a contender smashing down the hierarchy and instilling a shared government among the nobles within the rebellion. The secret society wanted him as their champion.

Mvargus didn’t share their love of power, he really enjoyed fighting and relaxing with his fancy ladies. It wasn’t until Laring that he fully understood how much he was being used as a tool. Over and over, he insisted on not attacking the circular city, but his repeated attempts to dissuade Krigon failed.

Even if Mvargus could garner enough power to directly challenge the king, he wasn’t sure he would. More importantly there wasn’t a chance in hell he’d give the power over to the noble leaders who lacked the power themselves.

Mvargus came to that conclusion about ten minutes ago, waiting to contemplate what came next. During one of his breeding shifts with the prisoners, Krigon set out with his troops to sack Laring. He didn’t see it coming, having to recover from his shifting during the mating. Because Krigon caught him off guard, he had to play it off as his idea, and now the transformation torturing was too much.

He shifted off his chair at his study, heading to a rack against the back wall. Mvargus slid on his leather armor, knowing it would only do so much. The black jerkin and trousers were meant for night raiding, something he had been slacking on since his pack required his attention. He strapped his silver sword onto his hip and slung his silver bullet submachine gun over his chest.

A stirring from his bed revealed Scarlette poking her head out of the covers. His true love smiled at him to the point he almost joined her in bed. Her vibrant purple eyes and lovely turquoise horns were a sight he’d never grow tired of.

“Are you for the rebellion or for me?” Mvargus asked.

The seroci smirked, shooting out of bed to gear into armor as well. “It’s about time. I told you your father was playing you.”

She didn’t answer but she didn’t have to. Technically he didn’t have to ask. She was his mate long before any of the nonsense of rebellions or exile.

“I just figured the plan was solid. Krigon made a move behind my back, it sent a message. I’m losing power, and I may have never had the power to begin with,” Mvargus said with a grunt. “Your orders are to address the women’s alcove. Be ready to segregate those who will support Krigon in a leadership fight, then kill them. Wait until I send a runner to notify you that a challenge has started before you act. Words may win the day, but I doubt it.”

“I will patiently wait. Dear lover, I do worry. He has three lieutenants around him at all times,” Scarlette said.

Mvargus popped his neck and said, “Good thing I have twelve. It’s late and he should be alone. I just wonder how many of my warriors swapped sides now that they have fresh meat to claim to their sub packs. Laring is such a burden, but they’ll only see it as a boon.”

“It really does cement your power if you can consolidate the pack,” Scarlette said, slipping out of the room before he could reply. “Maybe trimming the excess is smart.”

Mvargus watched her go, growing a smidge anxious. To be fair, he always did before a fight. The concept of life and death was never lost on him. He stepped out of his cavernous room, sealing the door behind him.

The tunnels flickered candlelight, and he turned left, diving deeper into the labyrinth he called home. The walls were marred with scores from mining tools. The digging never seemed to stop, a sound he had grown comfortable with.

The shrieking wail of a tortured soul… that tore at his being. If he was honest with himself, Mvargus would have never reached this limit if they simply released those who failed to enter the fold back to the wilds. Hell, even executions were better.

The long-term plan of flooding the region with full beasts was beyond barbaric to him and today he had enough. He calmly whistled a tune, not letting anyone know the anger that surged underneath his placated veneer.

When he reached the torture pits, he found Krigon and Ebb working over some poor smuck of a farmer. The guy didn’t want to join a set of outlaws, even if it was only temporary until he became the king.

In exchange for his insolence, he went into a cage where he was prodded with needle-like swords.

Each jab never inflicted enough damage to kill him, each cut incredibly painful.

The room itself held a dozen such cages organized neatly for guards to walk around. The pitiful whimpering of the captured farmers unwilling to commit to the rebel cause grated on him.

“How goes the work?” Mvargus asked with a smile. “You guys did wonderful by the way.”

“Finally comes to join us,” Krigon said with that classic grin of his.

The man was a seroci, a friend of his father, and the biggest worm. Until recently he figured he was harmless. The fanged smile was one of genuine happiness. For the last two years, these interactions always played out the same. Mvargus loomed over the witty banter of Krigon, and the duo worked together to achieve greatness.

Instead of acting right away, Mvargus rounded the cage to inspect the bearie inside the confines.

“Of course, of course. I know I like to train hard and play hard, but the results speak for themselves. We are now at a pinnacle to demand the king accept a challenge,” Mvargus said.

“Another doubling, and I agree. Five hundred souls should turn you from a rebel with an outpost to a full rebellion. I’m glad to see you turn a corner on this,” Krigon said.

Mvargus shrugged with his palms up. “I may have grown too content. I think this latest increase in power reminds me that I’m still living in the mountains in hiding. Call me vain, but I miss the ocean views.”

“Excellent. I have a contingency to hit Kirkton,” Krigon said, and this put Mvargus off guard. Apparently, enough that the man noticed. “You disapprove.”

“That is bold, very bold of you. I would simply hit the small communes. You really think stealing people from Kirkton is wise?” Mvargus asked.

Ebb scoffed. “Yes, Alpha Mvargus. We can be in the capital before the summer winds start to cool if we make a bold attack.”

Mvargus boobed his head in understanding. “Then we don’t need him to shift?”

Krigon opened his mouth and closed it. Mvargus watched his eyes flickering as he contemplated his response. Right when he was about to answer, Mvargus seized the initiative.

“Good news and bad news! To the defiant people of Laring, your torture is over. The bad news is, you submit to my will and swear fealty to me, or die,” Mvargus’s voice boomed through the torture room.

He raised his expensive submachine gun, swapped the clip to regular ammo, and leveled it at the man in the cage.

“Submit and swear fealty, or die,” Mvargus ordered.

The man had the gall to spit on his boots.

Bang!

He responded with a bullet to the brain. Ebb jumped at the sudden execution.

Krigon grinned and that concerned him. Scenarios began to run through his mind this time, but he was committed at this point.

“Submit and swear fealty or die,” he ordered at the next cage.

“Oh thank the Prophet, kill me,” the woman pleaded.

Bang!

He jammed a finger into his ear, shaking the canal as if that’d deal with his tinnitus. He reached the next cage, finding a young woman swearing fealty from her knees.

“Unlock her cage, bind her wounds, and see that she is welcomed into the community as an equal member,” Mvargus said.

Over the next five cages, he killed three more men, and achieved the blessed silence he hungered for. The stream of blood traced down from the cages until they reached a growing pool. He unloaded the regular rounds, replacing them with the silver bullets.

The message of what ammunition he carried was always clear. The moment he swapped them the first time, Krigon caught the hint. He wasn’t an idiot.

“So glad that is done. Tell me Krigon, how many men do you need to win at Kirkton?” Mvargus asked.

“Seven.”

“Just seven,” Mvargus blurted with compressed lips. He let his impressed expression show. “Well, you have my leave.”

Ebb wanted to say something else, but Krigon grabbed him by the arm, shaking his head to avoid the outburst.

“Seven, and twenty horses to drag the lines of captives,” Krigon said.

Mvargus let his weapon hang, giving a rebellion salute of tapping his shoulders. “Consider it approved. I expect to be challenging the King in no more than three months’ time.”

Mvargus marched out of the room, leaving them to deal with the mess. He came to kill the seroci and spared him instead. To him, it made sense. Krigon’s brazen attack against Kirkton would give him relevance the king couldn’t ignore.

If Krigon died during the raid, well, that was also a win for Mvargus. He decided to celebrate in bed with Scarlette. Now that the torture was over, he could work toward strengthening his growing army.

Chapter 26

EBRO BASIN - BELIN REGION

“Is this it?” Jessica asked in dismay.

A week had passed since I departed from Kirkton the first time. On the second trip, I spent three days catching up to the caravan. I quickly learned horses were great, but these two were dicks. I was sold the ornery asshats who could untie knots and thought it was hilarious to steal food.

After the latest hires and I reached the group, it was only another three days until we found the remnants of an old town in the middle of a young growth forest.

Through the trees, half a home stood, ready to teeter and that was it. This was never an outpost. This was a single farm. My stomach sank at the realization, but I continued my inspection.

A watering well with overgrown vines would need a new rope and pulley system. The bonus was that whatever muck they used to cement the stones down held. A wind wall or defensive stone wall created a very limited perimeter. By limited it looked like a big rectangle at one point but now just had a corner.

The bonus was the stones wouldn’t need to be hauled from the mountain. A sparrow chirped from a nearby tree and the animals relished in the lush vegetation. Terro - the horse - tried to rummage through my bag. I growled, and he blew snot in my face, considering us even.

Larisa said, “Yeah, this is terrible. Where’s all the ruins?”

I had already run around the area, not finding a better spot. The young growth would be infinitely easier to clear, we were near the river, and a few fields still were treeless. One of them even sprouted a mixture of oats entangled with weeds. It wasn’t much but it had everything we needed nearby.

I glanced back at the forty-four of us who arrived in the clearing without much of an issue. The road grew worse, but the weather stayed mild to a light rain at the worst part of it. Unless we wanted to live on fish and meat, this was it for farmland.

“A rough gem shines once cleaned,” I said, earning stares because I used a Kerxon saying. “We better get to work, since I kinda broke all the collars off and am now officially in debt deep enough I’m a slave.”

“Sometimes I wonder if your big heart will ruin us, or lead us to salvation,” Kiki said from behind.

I chuckled cupping my hands around my mouth. “The area is secure, everyone can rest. If you’re up to working, we start with demolition and land clearing. A massive fire will be built to burn the brush we don’t want to use. Release the animals but don’t let them get away. Except the horses, let them do whatever.”

And just like that, I became a farmer. The city boy with zero outdoor experience had led his people to a fabled promise land. That promise land needed just about everything to be a home, including shelter. Not one to feel down about it, I walked to the tool supplies.

Steve joined me after securing a cart and letting the cow roam. After a few minutes, all the animals were set free, even the ducks, chickens, and the alien ducks with beaks. The vegetation never saw it coming and the animals rejoiced in being free. At the same time, the march was over, leaving our small pride with the ability to just relax for a moment.

“I’m still upset we can’t just hatch new baby ducks,” Steve said, watching the flock excitedly explore.

I bobbed my head in agreement. “Yeah, apparently there’s seasons, mothers need to brood, and all sorts of things just to get them to hatch. Let them go, put them up at night, and keep them protected with fresh beds. Then one day you will get babies.” I said, reciting what Judith told us. “In the meantime, the eggs are yummy.”

We both started removing the netting over the tool cart. I kinda expected to be using the tools extensively with all the work to do. Most of the people decided to find a comfy spot, taking a well-earned rest for a few minutes. It was on me to ensure they had a nice meal with no crazy side quest this time.

“How are you doing?” Steve asked me.

I raised an eyebrow at him. I wasn’t the guy sleeping in a different tent than his wife. Another fun fact, women with screaming babies tend to clump up when it’s communal rearing. Margaret chose to be a dutiful grandmother to the children she didn’t know, including staying the night with the kids.

Every time I looked at my group, Steve wasn’t with his wife, and I couldn’t help but wonder if I was a part of that problem. Now here he was, asking how I was doing.

“Just fine. Come on, father and son in law bonding time,” I said, finding the two wooden boxes I was looking for.

He helped loosen the netting on this cart and asked, “Where to?”

“The river. Grab that shovel, will ya?” I grinned. “I’ve been dying to go fishing.”

“You fish?” he asked with furled brows, grabbing the shovel.

We set off at a rapid walk, heading across the clearing. I stepped over rotting boards, out of place stones, and even saw a few nails hanging onto the deteriorating wood. Jessica noticed us leaving and I discreetly waved her down from following.

“When did you start fishing?” Steve asked.

I snorted. “Sorry, I heard you the first time. I wanted to escape so it was just us. My return question is, when did you start farming?”

He snickered and said, “Dick. That was funny though. I started farming the moment you shook my hand in my luxury apartment I spent twenty years working towards.”

“Yeah, sorry about that,” I said. “I know it’s a bit of lip service, but I do feel terrible. Even worse since you and Margaret are having issues.”

“If by issues, you mean I’m bitter, sour, and resentful, yes. That won’t change by taking me fishing,” he grumbled.

I enhanced my strength to break branches in the way. The repeating snaps sent birds flying away. I could smell the game coming through the trails towards the water. The rabbit population was higher here than near the road and I figured we would be setting traps sooner or later.

The rush of water roared louder and after five more minutes of walking, I realized the settlement was far from the river even if you could hear it. We reached a point where we had to raise our voices to talk because it grew so thunderous.

“What can I do to make it better?” I asked.

He shook his head. “Time. I’ve loved that woman for thirty years. We’ve had our ups and downs, and this is a down for sure.”

“I…” I paused to grab a big fern type bush. I grabbed the roots and said, “Scoop up the critters.”

I yanked the bush free, roots and all. Steve collected a mix of worms and grubs by shoveling under them. I tossed the bush, continuing towards the river. A clearly defined trail went tandem down the bank. Large hoof prints mixed with sporadic predator imprints and when I glanced over the rocks as well as the roaring water, it was only us.

I turned left, heading toward the twin cities in the delta way downriver. The river roared because we were in rapids. Uphill, a series of waterfalls dumped tremendous amounts of water from the mountains. Down here, it mixes between eddies and full-blown rapids.

Occasionally the deep pools created by large rocks birthed calmer sections. I paused at one, carefully stepping down the rocks for the waterline. I found a nice big rock with a flat surface and the kicker was minimal bird shit.

“I figured the water would be white,” Steve said. “Funny how it is quieter in this part.”

I pulled out the tackle box, noting the first box held all the parts for a fishing rod. I quickly assembled the rod while Steve joined me on the rock. After the rod was assembled, I attached the reel, stringing the line through the eyelets.

“There’s a stringer, some hooks, some thicker line, and that is about it. Where’s the bobber?”

“Uh, we tie a stick on, I guess. The KISS principle seems to be in effect here. I can’t really argue with it either,” I said, and he handed me a hook.

After the hook was tied on, he handed me a chunk of driftwood. I soon realized we would be only using the reel if the fish ran with the line. I wanted to keep the bait deep, so I tied onto the driftwood about fifteen feet up the line.

I stared at the mess of bugs in the shovel’s dirt. I went with a good ole trusty night crawler and dropped it three times before impaling it on the hook. After a gentle toss, the hook splashed into the water with the squirming bait.

“And we’re fishing,” I said.

We watched the driftwood swirl ever so slowly in the pool. The two of us just sat there, watching and waiting.

Steve cleared his throat. “I want the emblem to go home. At the same time, I haven’t asked for it.”

“Ah, and Margaret doesn’t want to go.”

“She thinks they’ll kill us since they likely already did. Whatever cover-up they created, we have likely been declared as dead since we are gone,” he said. “My brother wouldn’t settle for anything less. If I was missing, he’d take a month off work to hunt me down, or my killer.”

“I might have a way to fix that. Maybe, but it will take more than sixty days and some ingenuity. If I get you onto the stage at a concert or something to make it public, you’re not dead, that might work. Then they can’t kill you again, if that makes sense,” I said.

“Fish on,” he replied.

I glanced down, and sure enough, the chunk of wood swam away. I reeled in, barely feeling a tug. Steve neared the water to hand retrieve a small fish.

He looked at the fish, the shore, and then me. I also realized we had no plan for how to unhook the fish.

“Put it up here,” I said with a chuckle. He hoisted the fish, slapping it onto the rock. I slammed a meaty palm onto the flopping creature, pinning it in place and pried the hook out. “Bait is still on. Bonus.”

I tossed the setup back in the water and let out some line. We attached the fish to the stringer and waited for the next catch.

“I don’t hate that plan. The problem is the what-ifs. Jessica mentioned something similar, and we have been trying to perfect the plan. Margaret wants to be here for her, but Jessica is a grown and independent woman,” Steve said.

“Hey Steve, for what it's worth. I’m glad you’re here. Fish on! I think there’s a lot of small fish here. Maybe we get a dozen or two and then have a nice lunch,” I said with a grin.

“Yeah, apparently I need to work on my farming,” Steve said.

I wouldn’t call the next hour bonding, but it was close to it. We never hooked into a monster fish and after seven, they stopped biting. After ten minutes of nothing, we packed up. I knew I’d be creating some long-term lines for later.

When we approached the settlement, a fire crackled, burning under growth and rotten boards. I couldn’t help but notice the massive black cloud of billowing smoke. We didn’t have a choice, to tame the land, a cleansing was in order and our signal would go far and wide.

The mountains in the distance were at least a day or two away. Mvargus was likely up there, and now he would know we were down here.

“I got these, why don’t you ensure we’re safe,” Steve said.

I helped him tuck the extra box under his arm before picking up a run. I circled the settlement a second time, smelling a small predator nearing. If I had to guess, the ducks or freshly cut fish were interesting enough to get near the smelly humans.

Whatever it was, the hunt ended once it heard me trying to close the distance. I didn’t think that would be a long-term deterrent. A grumbling stomach took risks.

When I finished my trip, I returned to saplings being stripped of limbs by a group sitting around the fire. The ladies cut the edges, tossed the twigs onto the fire, and talked with smiles.  The pile for them to work from was running out of raw saplings. I found Jessica ripping little trees out of the ground and joined her.

“I see fishing went well,” Jessica said with a warm smile.

I nodded. “I like your dad.”

“Awe, yeah, he’s great. To tell you the truth, I think he expected to be special too,” Jessica said. “Like as a lion. Might be what has him grumpy.”

“Hmm… never gave that more than a passing thought. I can understand the anxiety. Life here is hard for humans,” I said with a grunt as I yanked another sapling from the ground. “What’s the plan with these?”

Jessica said, “We create animal pens or roofing. Larisa is already offloading all the supplies and we will make mini homes out of the carts after they’re turned on their sides. She’s still upset that you doubled our numbers without more food, tools or tents.”

I pulled out five saplings of softwood, carrying them over to the pile. All around the clearing, the tired people worked in some capacity. This was different from marching. The tasks brought a purpose and a hidden drive.

While I watched, I couldn’t help but feel we were nesting in a maternal sense. The children chased the animals with adult supervision, helping shepherd them from getting too far. Larisa worked with Judith on the well, water being a priority. I wanted to keep inspecting but knew I could make a big difference with my superior strength.

“Hey, Jessica, how about you?” I asked. She glanced up in confusion, not reading my mind. “Do you want to go home?”

“Nope, not one bit. Sorry, but I’ll tell you the same thing I tell mom every time she asks. I’m at home. How about you?” Jessica asked.

“Uh, I’d liked to visit, but this is home. Whatever brought the Prophet, he saw a reason to include us. I want to know why.” I ripped a small tree out of the soil. “Damn, this is more fun than I expected it to be.”

Jessica delivered her load and hurried over to my area. “Yeah, the whole roughing it is lame. I don’t like pooping and peeing in the woods. I miss my friends. I miss a lot about home. However, for every gap in my yearning, a new wonder has filled that void.”

“But not the toddlers,” I teased.

She puffed her cheeks with a headshake. “They test my patience. I think the fact they don’t have a defined mother is what is driving them to misbehave.”

I stacked six saplings, walking over to the fire to deposit them onto the pile. Just by adding me, we outpaced the limb removal teams. We need to clear all this regardless and thin framing was a good start.

“I’m happy I’m here with you,” I told her.

“Marvin, I have to hear it from Larisa all the time, but she has a point, you have a way of making me feel content… complete, might be a better word. Anyway, I’d return to Earth if you really wanted to, but I’d stomp my feet,” Jessica said.

I meandered over, stealing the tree she reached for. I shifted, growing a tail and three feet taller. Using my bulging muscles I ripped the tree out, roots and all.

“We are ahead of the others. Follow me into the woods after I deposit these, my lioness. Not all seeds are planted in the soil,” I said with a growl of desire. She reddened, catching my intent. I neared her ear and whispered, “I’ll even stroke your tail.”

She bit her lip, nodding with those mischievous hazel eyes of hers that yellowed as she let her beast to the forefront. I tossed the saplings onto the pile and chased my lovely lady into the woods until we found a quiet glen.

Chapter 27

ROUGHNECK OUTPOST - BELIN REGION

The two women flared in their sizes, partially shifting as they fought. The intense roars of anger had caught me off guard when I noted nothing but smiles when we ate breakfast. Celeste pummeled Judith and I only let the shock of the moment pause me for so long.

I rushed to break them up. Larisa flew in front of me, forcing me to stop or knock her over. I skidded to a stop, seeing her purple eyes meant business.

“Out of my way blasted woman,” I said angrily.

“Easy Marvin. Be easy. This is how these things work,” Larisa said.

Jessica grabbed my wrist, pulling me away with the seroci following. The entire group watched the two of them wrestling on the ground. Judith overpowered the enforcer for the briefest of seconds and quickly vanished over the larger woman again.

I had no idea what was going on, but I did trust Larisa and Jessica.

When we were far enough away, Larisa said, “Your pride is figuring out its hierarchy. They won’t fight to the death or serious injury.”

“Why are they fighting?” I asked, watching the duo mostly slow down.

“Jaco,” Larisa said. “He is actively courting both women, but he is not the beta to an alpha type. Celeste is. And…” She waited. Celeste stood, offering Judith a hand up that the other woman refused. “It’s over. Judith will be grumpy for a bit, but this is how it is done when parents don’t sell their children as brides.”

“Ouch, poor thing,” I said.

“Want to add her to our bed?” Larisa asked. “She is smart, capable, caring, and knowledgeable. Her ability to help Roughneck Outpost is invaluable.”

Jessica scoffed. “I still don’t love the name. I had it explained to me, Marvin. Now that we are here and building a home, a fight for alpha will happen. Since Larisa is here, that is sidestepped. For the others, at least those who are single, the mating game begins. Staying single isn’t really a thing on Kerxon. Even if it isn’t sexual, you find a group and bond.”

“Ugh… I guess that makes sense. Can’t have a pack without figuring out the pecking order and love triangles. Should get interesting,” I said with a snicker.

Larisa replied, “Last night was fun, Marvin. A lion like you left me eager for more. I will not be the only female eager to be tied to you.”

“Jessica is in charge of our spot under the overhang,” I said.

Jaco said something to Celeste, and he didn’t glance at Judith again, leaving to move stones. The poor wolfie sat on the grass in defeat and I left to help her up.

“It will send a message if you help her up,” Larisa warned.

I shrugged. “I’m a nice guy, sue me.”

“Why would I fine you?” Larisa said. “You miss the point, Marvin. If you pick her up, you claim her.”

Jessica covered for me, explaining the odd translation and I didn’t care if helping a friend meant something more. I couldn’t leave her there like that.

I approached Judith who cried with her nose bleeding and her butt in the grass. Her dark eyes peered up at me in confusion and she tried to straighten her outfit quickly to be presentable.

“Tough day?” I asked, patting my pockets to see if I had a cloth. One of the other women that I freed on the second trip brought me a handkerchief. “Thanks.”

Judith accepted the small cloth, merely nodding to my question. I bent down and scooped her up. She was light in my arms, and we earned stares.

“You’re working with Kiki and I today,” I told her. She nuzzled into me, continuing to sniffle, but holding back her crying. “What happens if Jaco doesn’t like Celeste?”

“Then we court again if I am still unclaimed,” Judith said. “This manhandling is not helping.” She grumbled. “Thank you.”

“Are you thankful or do you want me to put you down?” I asked, arriving at the tool lean-to.

I set her down regardless. I reached into the tool pile, grabbed a chopping axe and two hand saws.

Steve arrived and I handed him a shovel.

“Before I get started. You want to build the animal barns here,” he confirmed.

I nodded. “The well is working again, and Judith here mentioned that is a big thing. Getting water for ourselves is infinitely easier than for the animals.”

“We can do maybe three barns, two warehouses,” Steve said, surveying the land.

“I’m going to expand the circle clearing then push to an abandoned field. The roots are the issue from what I understand. Once I clear a whole section of medium growth, that means we can plant it a lot sooner than a stump graveyard,” I said.

“Larisa wants the housing to go that way,” Steve pointed toward the river.

“Something romantic about having a home with a view. I like the idea of it too. The main city will back up against the river. A big palisade to protect the livestock and the homes, and then if we expand, we build a bridge. The river is great for many things,” I said.

Steve nodded, grabbing his shovel. “Alright, looks like we have a semi-plan. I’m going to dig piling holes for our stable building. It wouldn’t be pretty, but we can stick to vertical logs every ten feet in tandem. Then we would lay down thirty-foot-long tree trunks in between the pilings.

“As they go high, we will bind the structure with rope and create a log cabin sort of a barn. There’s forty of us, but only a few as strong as you. I think we can get one done today, maybe two.”

Judith calmed herself and said, “If we earn enough to pay off the debts of the workers, we could build a sawmill. That is a hope anyway. My father’s alpha had one and it literally made a world of difference on our building. But without metal to make nails, old ways are a good start, and an animal barn won’t care about critters crawling in comparison to a mother’s home with a babe in it.”

Steve departed to start digging his holes. The breakfast meal still cycled cooking to serving, meaning those like me who ate first would be starting work first. I handed her the saws and Kiki departed her conversation with Dobber. The bearkin had transitioned into an animal herder since his arm was still mending.

I walked out of the awkwardly arranged community. After the week on the road, we had half a day to slap something together. Our tents formed an outer ring with the tipped carts becoming resting lean-tos, and the ruined building was fully torn down with new stone stacking to help with wind for a few folks who slept with no cover.

We still had too many people for not enough shelter, but if we got the barn done today, that would make a big difference. I did have a tent to myself with just Larisa and Jessica last night. While Jessica quietly indulged in the flesh of us both, I did very little sleeping and had one of the best evenings of my sexual life.

However, I felt bad for having my own private space. That guilt would drive me on to fix the issue so we could live like humans again. Shifter humans anyway.

“Hey handsome, I see you saved the wolfie,” Kiki said, slinging her arm over Judith.

We walked to a nearby tree that stood well over thirty feet tall. Judith handed Kiki a hand saw and the duo headed to a different tree to start cutting off lower limbs.

I lined up the base of the trunk, smacking the axe down at an angle.

Chop!

The tool bit into the trunk and I started a rhythm. Each swing felt good, the damage to the tree, almost gave a therapeutic sense of achievement.

“Judith didn’t need saving, she needed a friend,” I replied eventually. “The barbaric ways of Kerxon are unsettling at times. Then again, if this is a clean resolution to a matter, who am I to judge?”

“I noticed Larisa joined you last night,” Kiki said, swishing her fox tail in a way that matched her playful tone. “How did that go?”

“I’m a very lucky male,” I said humbly.

“Do tell me more,” she teased.

Judith almost fell when her branch snapped off. “Marvin is a good man. His goal isn’t to conquer females or have a hundred kids he can’t take care of. Clearly, he is embarrassed. Look at him blush.”

While I did blush, I also grinned. I had a lot of fun last night, and if I was honest with myself, I loved chopping down trees. The soft tree was pretty much a pine, but different in the fact it didn’t have pinecones, instead sporting flowering buds up high. Each of my whacks cut deep and a dozen strokes later, I reached a tipping point.

“Timber,” I called out, and the ladies moved out of the way.

I bulked up, letting the beast consume me. When I approached the trunk, I was careful to ensure the fall was clear. I lined up and surged forward with a shove.

Snap!

The trunk broke and a second later the tree thudded against the forest floor. Part of the attached side was ruined, telling me I didn’t go far enough with my whacks.

The ladies started the process of removing limbs and in short order there would be a large pile. While they worked, I moved over to the next tree. I buried the axe into the trunk when I felt a delicate hand on my tail.

I paused to glance over my shoulder. Kiki removed the appendage from my shorts, gently twirling the fluff. Her eyes matched her lip bite. The little foxie was making her move and I wasn’t used to such forwardness.

“What are you doing?” I asked.

“Am I not being clear enough, my Alpha?” the blushing woman said. She wrapped her tail around the front of my pants, teasing more than my penis. “When you become the lion, my desire swells to the point I want delight in that body of yours.”

Her amber hair matched her blush, and I could see the nervousness hidden under the aggressiveness. To my surprise, she didn’t back down, coming closer to press her small bust against my side.

Inside the settlement, Jessica and Larisa helped assemble a pen for the ducks with the striped saplings. They both saw Kiki teasing my tail and waved with giggles.

Judith said, “You’ll limit your bed at some point. If she’s not aggressive and open in what she wants, which is you, then she may never get a chance. You are a mighty male on Kerxon, that is a turn on and desired. Now that we are here, and building our pack, this is what happens. Look, that Yoli woman knows. She is talking with Steve, helping him dig.”

I glanced over, seeing the duo smiling. Margaret happily cooked breakfast still. I don’t think Steve realized what was happening. Out of the forty-four of us, only fifteen were men and three of those wanted to bring their families while the females were mostly single even if they were mothers.

I gently removed the tail that became distracting in delightful ways. Kiki batted her eyelashes, pulling on her auburn hair.

“Did you talk to Jessica?” I asked. She nodded. “What did she say?”

“That you are the alpha. She thinks that since you have grown in power from binding the species, you should have one of each at your side, solidifying the union of the world,” Kiki said. “I swore to obey her as the household matriarch and respect the five others you choose.”

“I won’t escape this here, will I?” I asked.

Judith said, “Marvin, I feel bad for saying this, but ignore our ways at your own peril. If you do not solidify your family expect more fighting and eventually, the sense of a pack will fade. An alpha has a harem. There is a reason Jessica is hungry for sister wives.”

“And how big is the limit?”

“Depends on the quality of the alpha. I want a family, much like Judith does,” Kiki said. “Your children may be lions, or they may be whatever the mother is. But bearing a lion shifter could be a defining moment for a family. It intrigues me. I just worry you will get duped by someone who is more interested in power than making you happy. I was rescued by you, Jessica, and Judith. I cherish that you are different and respect it.”

“Then both of you will join our sleeping spot tonight,” I said confidently. I removed her hand, gently backing her up.

"Come, Judith, I am going to make you mine," I said as I walked toward a clearing I knew would be abandoned while everyone was working.

Not looking back, the leaves crunched underfoot from my progress. Judith's shuffling step turned into an almost confident walk, causing a smile to grow on my face.

"I will be coming back for you Kiki, talk to Jessica and make sure there is someone to fill your spot when I return from making Judith a part of my pride," I said, passing through the forest and toward the clearing.

I still felt the weirdness of claiming women as my own, but as Judith matched my stride just to the left and behind me, I found the idea was beginning to grow on me.

"Are you going to impregnate me, my alpha?" Judith asked in a more confident tone than I believed was possible from the wolfkin woman.

Her tone and facial expressions didn't match though as a blush began to grow on her face after her question.

"I think I will, I don't think I will be able to hold myself back. I like you a lot Judith, I don't think it would be a lie to say a little bit of love for you has made its way into my heart. That being said I am not going to do it against your wishes or any archaic need to leave my mark on you, though the lion in me wants your belly swollen with my cubs," I said as we reached the clearing that I would be claiming the sweet wolfkin woman in.

Turning to look at her I found the shyness that I had expected nonexistent. Judith's nude body greeted my gaze as she dropped her clothing to the ground leaving her clad only in what she had been born in. Taking her in for a moment, I saw her round breasts heaved slightly as she waited for me expectantly.

"What is that... smell... I think?" I asked.

I tilted my head curiously as a scent reached my nose that was both Judith's and not hers at the same time. Shaking off the strange intense feeling of mindless desire and heated lust it caused, I felt my lion come out to play like he hadn't since I had taken Jessica.

"My ovulation likely started a few days ago. I have been relatively successful in hiding it, though the undergarments that were masking it are in that pile," Judith said with a small smile that she tried to hide from me.

I gave the wolfkin woman an amused growl as I began to remove my clothing. She couldn't have planned this I was sure, though the competence that had made me want to add her to my pride made me believe she could have if she wanted.

"You are going to be mine after today Judith and I will work as hard as I need to make sure you see how much I care for you," I said.

I walked over and cupped her face in my large hand. Seeing her dark eyes look up at me with hope and appreciation, I felt her hand trail down my muscled stomach to the base of my erect shaft.

"You don't know how long I have waited to hear those words. If you would, my alpha, my mate, please claim what has been yours for far too long," Judith said as she began to stroke my hard cock in her warm hand.

Pulling her up by her ass to capture her lips in a long kiss, I felt her tail swishing behind her in excitement.

I felt her arousal on my fingertips as I used them to spread her slick nether lips before lowering her onto my waiting shaft. Swallowing her long moan as I entered her for the first time, I growled into our kiss as my senses were flooded with the scent of her heat.

"Fuck, my mate it is getting bigger..." Judith moaned as my cock swelled inside her.

I hooked my arms under her knees as I thrust, controlling the amount of my girth she would be taking. Each shove ended with me deeper and deeper. Once I hilted my shaft, I stopped, letting her adjust.

I pulled out, my cock slick from her sex. I laid her onto the grass mounting on top of her. I gave Judith's blissed-out expression a savage smile. My inner lion relished the moment.

We became one, my thrusts driving deep into her tiny pussy. She cried out, running hands down my back from the increasing tempo. What started as a mix of pleasure and pain turned to euphoria.

Her moans grew louder and my tempo increased. Five minutes later, my wolfkin mate shuddered with a toe curling scream of ecstasy.

“You like that don’t you,” I said and she bobbed her head.

I let her catch her breath, slowly sliding in and out. I listened to her moan and her breasts bounce as I began to shove my shaft in deep. When the tempo entered a rhythm and I lost track of time, I noticed her arms shaking around my neck as another orgasm flowed through her.

"Marvin, fuck, Marvin. Breed me, Marvin, put your pups in me, MARVIN!!!" Judith pleaded.

I listened to her screaming my name in pleasure. As my orgasm swelled and my name echoed off of the trees around us, I gripped her tight against me and gave her clenching pussy two more hard thrusts.

I buried myself in her, shuddering from the orgasm.

Gouts of cum pumped out of my balls, shooting into her little sex.

I felt her arms and legs clench around me, holding her to me as I filled her waiting womb with my seed in long spurts. Every kick of my cock inside of her pulled another moan of bliss from her lips burrowed in my neck, I ground our hips together to place my cum as deep as I could inside of her.

"That was amazing, Marvin, the best sex I have ever had," Judith said as she began to come down from her peak.

I gave my newest mate a chuckle that caused a look of confusion to grow on her beautiful face.

"Best sex so far, there is a reason I made sure Kiki has a replacement once she gets a taste of this," I began as I flexed my still-hard cock pulling a sharp moan from her. Seeing understanding bloom on her pretty face I nodded as what she had agreed to was made clear.

"Simmo must have had no stamina at all, brace yourself, Judith, I’m going to have you walking sideways for a week," I said, picking us up off the clearing floor as one.

I walked toward a nearby tree with my cock still hilted in her. Placing my goggle-eyed wolfkin mate's back against the bark, I watched as her eyes slowly rolled back in her head as I began to shift into a larger form.

I provided long hard strokes into her shaking body.

I felt a smile of savage glee cross my face as the trunk behind her began to crack under the power of my thrusts. To my surprise she not only welcomed the rough mating, she craved it. I busted the small tree, not even two minutes in. Leaving me to look for the next tree we were going to knock down.

As my name began to echo again through the clearing around us, I took Judith's soft lips in mine and her softer breast in my hand, filling her once more before readying myself to make a real mess of my wolfkin mate.

∞∞∞

"Come Kiki, it's your turn to join the pride," I said.

I laid Judith's sleeping form on the floor of our tent and covered her with my shirt. The packed tent stared at our return. I shared a long kiss with Jessica and Larisa who giggled at Judith who groaned like she had a hangover.

I smiled gleefully as their lustful looks promised a pleasant night later.

"Go get her, my lion," Larisa said as she and Jessica made Judith comfortable.

"Fuck her good babe and don't go easy on her. She needs to understand what it means to take a lion as a mate," Jessica said.

She looked into Kiki's eyes. The shy woman’s expression held worry and excitement. The foxkin's pretty features blushed when I kissed her cheek, calming her. I walked towards another clearing holding Kiki’s hand to guide her.

She had a pep in her step, eager for the coming intercourse.

"One would think you stabbed someone on the street with the looks we are getting," Kiki said as we walked through the encampment.

I didn’t get the same vibe at all. I was the community leader, and a lion. Not many would challenge me, let alone for Kiki. I think what she saw as judgement, was really our people’s approval. Or maybe they didn’t want to have to explain to the children why another woman was screaming fuck me harder in the woods again. Semantics.

"We all seem to have good ears and Judith wasn't exactly quiet. If you want to rescind your request to join my pride and avoid some of what she got I won't be angry," I said with a smile as one of the other women actually flashed me.

I chuckled, not surprised someone else wanted to test the waters in an attempt to join my growing pride. This was the way here, and something I was becoming more accustomed to. Seeing Kiki growl possessively at the panthkin woman, I took the action as her answer.

"Just don't kill me and we will be fine, Larisa tried to scare me off with the story of her first time with you. If I can walk afterward I will take whatever you can dish out, handsome," Kiki said.

We left the encampment that was slowly returning to normal after my arrival with Judith in my arms.

"Be careful what you wish for, your alpha might just give it to you," I teased as we began the long walk to the clearing I had in mind.

During the journey through the soft pines, I found the companion-able silence that stretched between us gave me a moment to think.

I had come a long way from my initial arrival on Kerxon and as I built the community that would rely on me for safety, security, and their well-being, the harem I was growing would find themselves in the same position.

"I wonder Kiki, what do you want out of this relationship? I know I get to have your pretty self at my side," I said as we passed into the clearing I had brought us to.

Glancing down at the short foxkin woman, I found her expression as she contemplated my question cute.

"You know of my past and the desire to leave it. My life, Marvin, hasn't been the best. I see you and your mates as a way to start again, with safety, security, and love as the foundation of the new me. If I can get a little lion dick on tap while I do it, then I would be a fool to let you slip through my fingers," Kiki responded with a leer at me that showed how much she was looking forward to some "lion dick".

I felt a smile grow on my face after her explanation. I liked the foxkin woman and I felt my inner lion second my feelings.

I placed my hand under her chin to hold her gaze as I let the beast inside of me run free. Letting one of my knees drop to keep my head level with hers as I grew in height, I gave Kiki's wide-eyed face a toothy smile.

"Fuck me...," she breathed in barely a whisper as I watched a bliss-filled smile grow on her face. I also noted the scent of her arousal as the hard nipples topping her small breasts made twin points on the shirt she wore.

"I plan on it. Now my little fox, how am I going to take you? Would you like to open your present before I decide?" I asked her with a growl as her pointed ears sprouted from her auburn hair.

I was mildly distracted by her fluffy tail. The swishing appendage grew out of the top of her long drab skirt.

My mind began wondering how she would scream my name as I drove myself into her from behind.

"Fuck, it's not going to fit...," Kiki said in apprehension as she freed my hard cock from my pants.

I subdued the pride that grew in my chest after her words as I leaned up on my knee. I used a finger to begin stripping the now much smaller foxkin woman of her ankle-length skirt as I watched her gently fondle my shaft that laid on her shoulder.

"Play with it all you like, I am going to enjoy myself before I take you," I said as I slipped a finger through her dewy slit, pulling a soft moan from her lips.

I used the slippery evidence of her arousal to slide one of my digits past her entrance while she began to stroke my cock with her hands.

Kiki began to moan around the head of my cock as she tried to suck on its bulbous head, I plumbed her slick pussy with one finger then two as she loosened up for me.

"Fuck, fuck, fuck!” She moaned out as my questing digits pushed deeper. She loved the attention, kissing my body with panting breaths.

I growled out my pleasure as she gripped my dick harder. Deciding that was enough teasing, I laid her down. Her legs spread, revealing a glistening vagina that was entirely too small for my current form.

I shrunk myself down to a more survivable size. Removing my pants and shirt, I helped her finish removing her top. She laid on her back with a mischievous grin.

"Is there a problem, Kiki?" I asked.

I stared into her eyes as I placed the head of my cock against the soaked lips of her pussy. I watched her fight with indecision for several moments.

"If it isn't too much to ask, handsome, could you make it a little bigger?" she asked after turning her head to the side to look away from me.

I smiled at her blushing face before I grasped the back of her neck and placed my other hand on her lower back.

I grew my body to fit her liking, amused that one of my mates was a size queen. I would be more than happy to accommodate.

"Whatever my little fox wants," I said as I watched her eyes follow mine as I arched over her prone form. As her head canted back as far as it would go I watched her eyes grow wide and her mouth open as I slowly entered her for the first time.

I threw my head back as I hilted her tight pussy, fighting my body's desire to push further into her. I knew she was enjoying being stretched almost up to her limits. The walls around my cock clenched in a wave of gasps and huffing moans of pleasure.

"Tougher than I look, please fuck me, please!” Kiki begged.

Her arms and legs grasped onto my large body, trying to sheath herself further on my massive cock. I took the foxkin woman at her word, lifting her hips with my hand on her lower back.

I began to drive down into her quivering body with savage strokes.

I growled out my pleasure as she took me fully to the base after a few long hard thrusts, her voice muffled by my chest and stomach still echoing through the clearing.

"Giant fucking lion dick is… fuck me! I’m going to cum all over the big, fat, cock!" Kiki screamed as she locked her heels behind my lower back.

I felt my orgasm crest as she furiously ground her hips against mine, trying to prolong her climax with slower hip twirls.

Between her body's convulsions I thrust into her until the overriding pleasure won. I roared out during my release, the first kick of my cock felt euphoric.

Her rippling pussy threw her into a screaming orgasm that left her board stiff in my arms. As I filled my foxkin mate with long surges of my cum, I pushed my erupting cock as deep in her quivering body as I could, seeding her womb until she fell lax in my arms.

"Me oh my," Kiki said with a happy exhale.

I leaned back on my knees to see her pretty face slack with pleasured bliss. I gave the short foxkin woman a satisfied chuckle as she moaned loud and long as I flipped her over.

I impaled my dick into her as she lay on her stomach.

"Scream my name, Kiki," I commanded as I gripped the base of her fluffy tail in one hand and her slim hips in the other.

I smiled savagely as I ravaged her shaking body and my name echoed off of the trees around us. I found out, as she screamed her release into the air around us, that her tail was indeed as sensitive as mine.

Playing with it elicited the same lusty response and she thrust back while I pushed forward.

After filling her for the second time, I held her close as my cum filled her snug sex.

I had claimed my foxkin mate and with that came more power and responsibility, both I would cherish as the gifts they were.

∞∞∞

An hour later, I was back at work. Kiki stood next to Judith helping clear the forest

“Hold up,” Judith said. “Thanks, we talked and are very grateful.”

“Extremely,” Kiki said, kicking up a leg happily.

While my mind stewed, I repeated the process of dropping trees over and over, not tiring. Instead of slowing to tip the trees over with a mighty shove, I chopped deeper until I could just push them. Time melded and I focused on my work. Each hardwood I ran into, I skipped for now.

Steve finished digging the posts, following behind my work with the other axe. He removed the smaller limbs with a single swing to help the ladies who struggled to keep up. The fleeting moments I spared to look back, showed a widening clearing of the forest around the main encampment.

Jaco and Celeste hooked up cleaned trunks to oxen to drag them toward the stables. We weren’t at the point where we would start framing the building yet, but soon. The bonus, it wasn’t even noon and the breeze kept me somewhat cool.

I felled about fifty more trees when Jessica brought me lunch with two jugs of water. Her outfit was covered in prickles from the fields, and I noticed all the weeds around the area burned in the main fire.

“Why two?” I asked.

“Kneel, lover of mine,” Jessica ordered, and I obeyed. She pulled a rag out of the pitcher and washed me down, pouring the remainder of the contents onto me when she finished. “And now you only mildly stink.”

“Hey!” I chuckled. “Is that fish?” I asked, sniffing the air.

My stomach rumbled at the delicious smell.

“Yes, the heavier lines you set overnight brought in two monsters. It was the neatest thing, we found smaller fish in their bellies. We had this whole debate that led to the hooked fish bringing the lurkers as they struggled,” Jessica said with a charming smile. “Harlow mentioned it might be best to rotate fishing spots by taking long trips up and downriver.”

“Hell yeah. To the big fish. No idea about the fishing spots, but overfishing might be a problem. How is work at the outpost?” I asked.

Jessica squinted at me while wagging a finger. “The darndest thing happened. A defeated wolfie came pleading to me for approval. She isn’t the sexiest of the bunch, but she is the right fit for us.”

“Yeah, look, it’s super awkward,” I said, sitting on the stump of a fallen tree.

“No it's not,” Jessica retorted. “You had the chance to kick one away and you picked up two. If you want time to adjust, so be it. I’m glad our pride is stronger. As to the actual work, the duck pen is done, even has a cover too. Hell, people might sleep in there for a few nights with them. The mini-leaning shelters are terrible and there’s not enough of them.”

“If I were to guess, there’s enough wood here for three sides of the barn,” I said, gesturing to all the fallen timber. I finished drying off and returned the towel to Jessica. She handed the fish on a wooden platter. “Thanks. I need to figure out how sawmills work on Kerxon. I remember reading that even the Romans had them at one point.”

“I wouldn’t know, and I’m not sure Larisa will either, but I will ask around. If not, we can try to buy books or hire an expert. The barns are going to be extremely porous with the mismatched gaps,” Jessica said.

“Yeah, we can mud the holes. Honestly, I don’t care if I live in a poorly constructed cabin. I just want a space we can call our own,” I told her. I scarfed down the fish and chugged the water to wash it down. “I’m going to need more food. Is there more?”

“I will assign more people to fishing and have Judith bring you some cooked eggs,” Jessica said.

“Awe, thanks. I figure I will keep chopping for two or three buildings. I have plenty of energy and the day is nice and cool,” I told her.

“Okay. We are going to use rope and do a team effort to stack the logs. If you need me just howl,” Jessica said with a giggle.

I watched her shapely rear snap as she sauntered away. I was a very lucky man just to have her in my life. Steve grunted from nearby, catching me staring at his daughter’s ass. I didn’t know what to say, so I went back to chopping down trees.

Over the next five or so hours, I dropped a few hundred more trees. At one point, I entered another field that the old settlers must have let overgrow because it wasn’t young growth, but it wasn’t old growth.

I put the axe down and pushed over trees with their roots. Once they fell, I chopped the roots from the trunks. This field could be replanted while the stumps would be burned. I smiled knowing that the old growth would remain a hindrance to planting but here, there was a good chance we made a difference even today.

This became my next fun task. I ate maybe a meal every two or three hours, never stopping and loving the work. My inner workaholic reared itself to the forefront and next thing I knew, Larisa arrived with a plate of food while being basked in moonlight.

“Marvin,” she said, waiting for me to sever the trunk from the roots of my current tree. “Join your family for the evening.”

I glanced back at Roughneck Outpost, seeing two women wrestling about something, wild kids ran around past their bedtimes, and a massive fire burned high. Three, yes three log homes stood. Large gaps rested between the logs, the roofs weren’t finished, and the ground would turn to mud, but the outlines were there.

“Wow, you guys kicked ass,” I said.

Larisa said, “Yeah, we did. Everyone is proud. A part of me worried I would leave the city, become a farmer and despise it. So far, after two days, I love it. I want our home to face the water, but this is a great start. Jessica just finished another run around the perimeter. She said she caught the faintest scent of a seroci, and not me. Horses too, along with wolfkin.”

“How interesting. I guess I won’t be sleeping tonight,” I said, tossing the axe over my shoulder.

Larisa smirked, putting her hand into mine while she led me toward the others. “Patience, dear Marvin. You need to do this correctly. Hunt after you relax. We know where they are coming from, and they are likely going to be hours away before arriving. If we clean you and Jessica off, they’ll never smell you coming.”

“Ah, that is diabolical of you. We make a great team, and it was only a matter of time before they showed up. I doubt they are bringing welcome presents,” I said.

Chapter 28

ROUGHNECK OUTPOST - BELIN REGION

“We took a nap, did some work, and they are still taking forever,” Jessica said, whispering into my ear.

I understood her frustration. She was right: we took a nap, helped, ate another meal, stripped down, and were completely washed before being coated in mud. After all that, we headed into the woods and waited in an ambush.

While nude with caked on mud.

Not exactly fun and not the easiest way to stay patient.

The inner lion in me hated sulking in the woods, waiting for my prey to come to me. The beast yearned to charge in, smash any resistance, and crown himself the king while smirking over the dead.

At the same time, I had a suspicion that this wasn’t my main target. Onix said Mvargus was a panther, and I didn’t smell a panther approaching.

“They are confused by the fact that we are not only here, but loudly proclaiming we are here. I don’t fault them for being extra careful,” I whispered back. “Also, that is a lot of horses. Never thought I’d say this, but I wish they brought cattle.”

Jessica grinned, the whites of her teeth reflecting off the moonlight. We waited a few miles from the outpost on a defined trail from the general direction they approached from. Their scout already snuck close to the settlement, stopping to get a view before retreating to the main group.

If the seroci leader was worried, he certainly wasn’t showing it. The clomp of horse hooves continued without a pause or a sign of slowing. At this rate, he should have at least left the horses behind to be tied down if they were going to attack our camp.

When the direction of the noise shifted from the enemy altering course, I frowned, immediately understanding. They arrived on the road to Kirkton and planned on skipping our settlement.

“Stay close, stay quiet,” I said, picking up my silver dagger I had concealed in the soil to avoid a mistaken glint.

Jessica nodded, her yellow eyes alight with desire for a hunt. I could let these guys pass, but they came from a bandit area and were traveling in the middle of the night.

I also wanted the horses. The resonating clomps continued giving enough noise to cover our approach. The horses, the shifters, and even the seroci never smelled or heard us as we swung in front of them setting up a new ambush.

“I will disable the seroci, if I don’t attack, let them pass by,” I said.

“No asking questions. What if they’re from Kirkton and are on a hunting mission?”

“While possible, they also could be the king and his entourage. I smell the blood of the dead on their boots. To me, that is enough. We’re in a lawless area and I’m the local sheriff,” I said, and she rolled her eyes. “They don’t seem the type to come in for questioning without a fight.”

I quickly left her hiding spot, moving further away. After a hundred paces, I stopped and hunkered down. From this spot in the road, our community fire cast an evening glow illuminated the sky above us.

The outline of seven men materialized along the dark road. They walked casually, not a care in the world. If I had to guess, they expected to be free of our outpost and didn’t consider it a threat.

That was a mistake.

The sway of the evening breeze swooshed the canopy, creating a nice chill from the day's heat. The seroci led the way, talking with his buddy. A minute later, I could hear what they said.

“We shouldn’t be running,” the sidekick said.

I noticed his tail swished with the black fur of a panther. A panther, five wolfkin, and a fox scout. The composition was clearly meant for speed. They carried submachine guns, swords, and light armor.

“Enough of the prattle, Simo,” the seroci said, slapping the panthkin on the shoulder. “Our mission here is done. Now that we are far enough away from Mvargus, I can proclaim it quietly. We’re going home.”

“I thought we needed to raid Kirkton,” Simo said in puzzlement.

“Nope, the massacre of the Laring defectors will be enough. I made sure to soak a towel in the dead blood from the executions. The king won’t have a choice. Once he knows that a settlement has been captured, tortured, and killed, an army will march this way,” the seroci said.

Simo’s eyes lit up and the soldier stopped dead in his tracks. His hand went to his blade, and he yanked it out dramatically. The silver shone in the light.

“Oh, for crying out loud, Simo. The rebellion doesn’t betray its own. You’ve known me for five years. Take a horse and return to Verto. Blend in with your unit,” the seroci said. “I was planning on camping a few hours away and all of us riding out at separate times in the morning now that we’re on the road.”

He sheathed his blade, not giving any of the others his back. He grabbed a horse out of the chain, attached his bag, and rode by me in a gallop.

I had no choice but to let him go, sticking to the main prize. Three more men hurried onto horses, speeding after Simo. The seroci and his two buddies continued walking down the road, nearing my ambush point.

“How come you let them go?” a sidekick asked

“The mission is over. I would be remiss to not set them free,” the seroci said, walking within a few feet of me. I let the lion free, growing instantly. The tail shot out of my body, and I sprouted canines. “Everything is set in place and me -”

I burst from the trees and the seroci soared into the air, flying high into the canopy before I could even get within a foot. The two wolfkin backpedaled in panic. I expected them to raise weapons, finding myself shocked when they fully morphed from pouring power into their forms.

The black magic erupted into a cloud of smoke, letting them disappear for a moment, and causing their gear to clatter onto the road.

When the cloud dissipated, they were gone.

Hours of waiting and my enemy used tactics I hadn’t prepared for. I twirled the dagger in my hand, giving the seroci my attention while Jessica secured the neighing horses.

“What in the Prophet’s creation are you?” the seroci asked in dismay.

I strolled closer, stopping a few feet shy of the trunk to glare up at the winged man. The flickering glimmer from the distant fire painted him in an eerie glow.

“I’m going to need you to come out of that tree,” I told him with a growl.

He flashed a charming smile, peering down at me in amusement. “How does no sound?”

Jessica fought with the horses, shushing them. They were spooked by our arrival from nowhere, but she had them firmly under control. Luckily, they were tied up all in a row.

“What’s with the horses?” I asked.

“Out of all the questions, you care about the horses?” the seroci asked.

“I bet that charming smile and casual friendly tone helps. It is certainly off putting with a face like yours. As for the horses, I’m not a fan of them. Not sure why you brought twenty,” I said, folding my arms and rocking on my heels as I considered charging him.

I knew I could climb the tree he rested in, I just worried I’d ruin the silver blade or fight at a disadvantage. The way he postured, told me he contemplated where exactly he could go and he could play ‘leap a tree’ over and over.

“Boss, you okay,” a voice said from the woods.

“Ebb, your loyalty is unwavering, but I need you to get the message to the king. Go now,” the seroci said.

The crashing of underbrush drew quieter as the man eventually returned to run on the road. I could ride him down on a horse, but he probably knew he could get more distance this way. If we chased, he could just deviate into the thick underbrush.

“I doubt he will sleep much for the next week or two,” I said.

“What are you doing?” the seroci said, eying me with disdain.

“So far, we are just not answering each other's questions. I’m Marvin,” I offered.

“Krigon, emissary of the rebellion,” the seroci said.

“I heard you talking,” I told him. “Seems like you were part of a killing innocent people, that just doesn’t sit well with me.”

“Ah, one of those are you. Yeah, you won’t find me begging for forgiveness. Our mandate is clear. The Belin Kingdom has stagnated. Our cities have become lazy, our citizens unwilling to take risks. Without metal, we will perish,” Krigon said, a hint of pleading in his voice.

“I don’t get it. You kill your own people to what? Instill a new power?” I asked. “To what end?”

“The mountains swarm with the beings of lore. There is metal in these rocks, just not down low where we are permitted to be. If you go up top there’s death and danger and most importantly, metal.

“However, no one goes up top. Even Mvargus camps in a valley at the bottom. The king doesn’t care that the people are woefully underprepared for the technological boom that is coming. We trade metal at a disadvantage that robs our nobles and -” Krigon held up a hand and I interrupted him.

“The city’s nobles want a new income stream. Why not hire mercenaries to cleanse the mountains and open up mines?” I asked.

“Or better yet, levy the packs the nobles’ control to march and conquer the mountains. King Terr forbids all militias and mercenaries from forming groups of over thirty members. It is part of his no challenge binding that the people agreed to. Four hells, I even got Mvargus over thirty, sent detailed reports and he ignored them. Now, now, he has no choice,” Krigon said.

Jessica walked over and handed me the lead rope that connected all the others. I was about to ask her what she was doing when she bolted into the woods. The hunt was on. The other wolf never went far and now he would have to fight Jessica.

“Quite incredible,” he muttered.

“Right. Okay, you want to trigger the king to activate an army to come and crush Mvargus. Then what? You convince the king to send those troops into the mountains?” I asked. “What is even up top?”

“I don’t know, it was closed. I lure the mountain beings down to crush the king’s army when it nears the area. There are minotaurs, ogres, and other beasts in these very woods come winter. Down here, small in numbers.

“Up top, the yeti and the minotaurs kingdoms number in the thousands. The valleys in the Belin Mountain Range are extensive, the livestock easy to keep alive during the winter, and the farms abundant. Those forces could march down, but they are content, as long as we don’t bother them.

“With my plan, the trollocs will stream down, wipe both armies, enslave the people they capture, and the king will either be replaced or he will finally -” A blood curdling shriek pierced the night. “Kazeem, he never was a smart one. She is frighteningly powerful. You have heard the plans of the rebellion. Activate the king to cleanse the mountains so we can finally mine the metal at the higher elevations. A few sacrifices are more than worthy for such a result.”

“I don’t hate it, assuming you managed it without slaughtering innocents,” I said.

“Uh, to be fair, I didn’t kill anyone. Mvargus did that. I did torture them until they turned, but they always lived. I’m a sucker for not wasting resources,” he said, flashing a smile.

I could tell he was very accustomed to talking himself out of situations. Jessica returned from the wood line, tossing the dead body onto the road. The man was bent in half with his throat torn open.

“By the Prophet. That shouldn’t be possible,” he said.

He eyed us and shook his head. “What are you?”

“We’re different. We rule this area now. Not Mvargus. We will be amicable to whomever the ruler is and just want to live in peace,” I said.

“Except you’re not one of the six. You're not a mythical creature of lore either. Your mate broke his back with her bare hands,” he said with a shudder.

“Jessica, demon in the tree. My name is Jessica and when I tried to bring him in, he attacked.” Jessica said, coming to grab the rope from me. “Marvin, this is a crossing point in the road. If we are even friendly to the rebellion, we could be marked as traitors. We’re strong, but not against an army kind of strong.”

“And if we crush Mvargus, suddenly we become the rebels in the mountain. What do you suggest?” I asked her.

“If I may. You will struggle to defeat Mvargus. He is not the most cunning, but he has dedicated himself to killing. Let the king march through, grow your settlement, accept aid from both sides, and when the time comes, become one of the mining stops,” Krigon said with a smile. “You can grow your camp into the next Kirkton in no time. Assuming, of course, the mining region is conquered.”

“And what will you tell your superiors?” I asked. “We’re champion inquisitors in hiding from the fall of Emblem Lord.”

He clutched his belly, laughing while maintaining his balance. “No… that’s a great cover. But no inquisitor can do that.” He pointed to the crumpled body. “Hide from my scent, sure. But not that. Also, you’re nude and have lion tails. I mean, you clearly realize anyone would be able to tell you’re not inquisitors.”

I folded my arms, contemplating what to do. “Fair,” I said. “I’ll try to be honest. We changed one day, and we don’t know why. I’m faster than a foxkin, stronger than a bearkin, more loyal than a wolfkin, agile as a panthkin, can smell better than a seroci, and can grow larger than an angelic.”

“And he is not alone, little seroci,” Jessica teased. “I can scale that tree and leap off it higher than you can fly.”

“I wouldn’t say I’m little,” he countered.

“Don’t do it!” I teased.

Jessica couldn’t help it. “I’ve seen bigger.”

“You torture innocent people, you are part of abducting good folks from their homes, and you did all this for gems, metal, and gold for greedy nobles. I can’t help but think that you’re the bad guy here,” I told him.

“I am.”

I sputtered my lips. A plan started to form in my mind. A plan that might take me back to city living. It didn’t mean I was fully on board with it, or set to such a task, but keeping the option open made sense.

If the king could be challenged, I was the guy to do it, assuming the circumstances lined up. At the same time, I like our little camp, and only six or so weeks until the emblem reset. If we didn’t cause waves, we could stay hidden, and if the rebels thought of us as allies, it could buy us time.

“What is our incentive to let you go?” Jessica asked.

He shrugged. “What do you want?”

“I need an angelic, one who might be in a dire enough situation to swear to me,” I said.

“Seroci are so much prettier and easier to corrupt.”

“We have a seroci. She is a great sister wife,” Jessica said.

“Oh. Oh! An angelic for you,” Krigon gave a throaty laugh. “Not possible, but not impossible. I really don’t think you should fight Mvargus. I mean it. However, his escape happened because he beat an angelic female guard and to this day, he keeps her in a dungeon as leverage. What I can do are the basics though: gold, gems, supplies, and more. More importantly, you have me intrigued. You have a seroci in your settlement?”

“We do,” Jessica said.

“Then I surrender. Take me to her to get a written message against Mvargus. Her words matched to my knowledge will be more than enough to force the king’s hand,” Krigon said, preparing to leave the tree. “By doing so you will stop all his raiding and vile ways. In return, you will be rewarded. Such boons will persist if you help us with the goal, capturing the Belin Mountains.”

“Sounds like a tall task,” I said. Jessica rolled her eyes at my pun. “Come on down, give me your word you will honor your agreement and I’ll let you meet Larisa.”

“She sounds charming,” he said in a chipper tone.

“I hope you brought a tent,” Jessica said, picking through the loot piled on the ground from the two packs. “Not mad about him are you?”

“If it means I get to leave and help the council, no, not in the slightest,” he admitted. “This region is worth more than a friend or a village. The hundred thousand plus citizens of Belin are in peril if change does not happen and I would sacrifice my life for the cause of our betterment.”

I considered killing him. I really did.

However, if there were enemies all through the mountains, adding more right at this moment didn’t seem prudent. I just had to hope I wouldn’t regret this decision later.

Chapter 29

ROUGHNECK OUTPOST - BELIN REGION

The snapping lighting brightened the dark sky in a dazzling display. The torrential rain had a way of ruining my desire to work and just spend time with the pride. Between catching Krigon and making sure he didn’t stir trouble late into the night meant I tried to sleep in the morning.

I awoke a few minutes ago to find the children joyfully using the rain-soaked muck, mud, and twigs to stuff the holes in the barns. Margaret mother-henned over children who were having an absolute blast.

While their feet sloshed through small puddles, I moved over to the fire to snack on a piece of rabbit. The kill had been on the outside of one of the rebel’s bags and I super kept it along with all the other looted gear.

While I ate and watched the children having a ton of fun, I couldn’t help but wish the rain would stop so I could get back to work.

“You’re brooding,” Larisa said.

“Now that he is gone, I feel he sweet talked his way out of here,” I replied.

She poked the fire under the barn that washed smoke up and out. We had infinite amounts of shrubs, twigs, and sticks to burn, so even the wet stuff became fuel for the fire. Another snap of light resulted in a resounding boom.

“That is how he stays alive. He is a quick thinker. I made sure to let him know that you were being unusually nice.” Larisa peered out from under the hastily applied cover. “We sure got these roofs up in time.”

The roof was three notched trunks that would need to be leveled at some point. We just did the best we could and then laid down piles of vegetation until the water rolled downhill. It worked for the most part.

“That’s what happens when you either get rained on or stay dry.” I said, tossing the bone onto the fire. “With Krigon, do you think we did the right thing?” I asked.

“The way I look at it, a seroci convinced my protector to fill out a report of an imminent threat. We did nothing more, nothing less. That is innocent, and more importantly something both sides will respect. The king wants reports from the front from outside sources not known to his rebellion.

“Trust me, he will know Krigon is part of his problems. I’m not. As for the rebellion, well they want the king to act. You are helping to deploy the king’s army to do what the rebellion wants. Based on what Krigon said, they want to strengthen the kingdom more than replace the king. This means no more raiding if we’re lucky and that results in less violence which is something to celebrate,” Larisa said.

I nodded, not having much to add. I glanced at the hidden spot where the emblem waited.

“Last night, after he left, I tested the emblem from a distance. It’s still working, even flared open a portal that closed a minute later. I look at it a lot. I can’t help but wonder how Toran is or if I made the right choice. Maybe if I surrendered, they’d have put me somewhere nice,” I said.

Jessica, who had been chatting with Kimi up to this point chimed in. “Not a chance in hell the government would have taken two shifters only to be kind and sweet to them. Especially if we could spread a plague or whatever.”

“I think it was kill us or let us go. Assets were probably too far out to apprehend us in time. Still, after this choice, I think about that one,” I said with a sigh. “I also worry about the emblem.”

“Uh… how are you not worried about the threats coming in winter?” Kiki asked. “I get that you’re big, but those guys are bigger.”

I snorted. “I should call the yeti’s white walkers, that’d be epic. I don’t know how to feel about the mythical creatures up high in the mountains. To be honest, if we get a wall built, I bet it will help tremendously.”

“The winter is far away and there’s likely a thousand things to get done before we build a wall. Speaking of which, what’s the plan for today?” Jessica asked, sipping a steaming tea.

I sighed and said, “I’m going to knock over a tree or two. If it goes well, I’ll keep going. If not, I may go scout Mvargus’s base or do some exploring. I want to get to know our area.”

“What should we do?” Kimi asked.

“Whatever you can to help. The bags on the horses had shackles. You can wrap them around bushes and get an animal to yank them out. Or just have Jessica do it. We need more trees, cleared land, and stones.

“Maybe take a trip toward the mountains to collect rocks and just pile them on the road. Or grab some from the shore, there are a lot of carts here and we have the horses. We used a lot of the loose stones at the base of these vertical beams to secure them,” I said.

“Rocks, bushes, and weeds. I guess that won’t change anytime soon, will it?” Larisa said.

I shrugged. “We need stone walking paths, more homes, more space and land ready for planting. I wish it was glamorous and I could talk about building a bakery or a smith, but we have to build a foundation first.”

“I’ll work out the details since we’re not building today. Rock trips make sense to keep the mud off our feet and keep these barns from becoming nasty pits,” Larisa said.

I stripped down to my shorts before hanging my clothes on a sapling drying rack. I grabbed the wood axe and headed into the thick rain. I didn’t want to sit in the shelter all day while there was so much work to be done.

The walk from the barns to the middle growth area resulted in the soft soil squeezing between my toes. That odd feeling caused me to smile because it just wasn’t something a city boy like me was used to.

The rain let me see, but not amazingly. The wind howled creating a swooshing noise only broken up from the crack of lightning. The downpour mixed with the gusts, guiding the rain at an angle. Two of the three barns faced the right way, one of them getting drenched from the sideways rain.

When I glanced back, I sighed. We were all going to be getting soaked, but at least we had fires going and a bit of shelter. I had to think positively, we were offering our people something more than dreary rain with no respite. The last thing Krigon said, before he left, struck a chord in me.

As the storm kicked off, Krigon mentioned that there simply wasn’t enough living space inside Mvargus’s base. He might cram them in for the rains, but he also might send them to find shelter in the area.

I think this was his way of telling me I might be able to save some vulnerable people. The chilly rain did make for a cooler day, and I imagined huddled masses trying to conserve warmth.

When I reach my target area, the fact that the old farm fields were so soft left me discouraged, but I decided to stick to my goal - chop some trees, see how it goes.

I arrived at an old growth softwood that towered over me. Four whacks in, the axe slipped out of my grip to embed into the forest floor. I pried it out of the rotting leaves and rich soil with a slurping sound.

“I guess I need to bring out the beast,” I said to myself.

A hidden part of me didn’t enjoy how much I relied on my inner lion. A lot of my transition had been about survival, exploiting my environment to survive, and using the beast to gain advantages. I had to wonder how much of my humanity was left.

I shook the thoughts away, bringing the beast forward. I shifted in size and welcomed the enhanced muscles. When my hands wrapped the shaft of the axe, the grip improved dramatically.

I finished the first tree slower than with no rain, watching it toppled with a reverberating thump. The second tree resulted in me almost falling over as a foot sunk into the soft soil. When the axe head almost bit into my leg, I decided to call it.

With my enhanced strength, I could topple trees, but at what cost. Plus, that nagging feeling I could be helping someone shivering in the rain pulled at my heart. It didn’t help that the accompanying feeling was also one where I wanted to challenge Mvargus, freed his people, stole his base, and improved mine.

The angelic in his dungeon called to me also, but I wanted to do it right. A scouting trip would help with that. Coming around to the decision, I decided to head into the mountain with a resolute determination of learning more about my area.

I returned to the fire, grabbing a cup of rainwater to guzzle. A steady stream of people headed to the river and Dobber kneeled on an old board as he adjusted rocks by the fire to lay a path. His bad arm was still in a sling but that didn’t stop him from working.

“I’m going scouting,” I told him.

“Alright, I think Jessica took the rifle with her just in case,” he said, not looking up.

I went over to the pile of stolen gear, picking up a submachine gun. I had to hope the weapon would fire in the rain, not that I truly needed it, but I did want it. All our important gear rested on a series of stumps to keep out of the rain.

I dried my hands on a nearby shirt, opening the book with the map on it. My index finger traced the directions, memorizing what should be an easy-to-follow path. Krigon said just to use the giant trail of horse shit and stench as a guide.

I had no idea how much of that would be washed out from the rain. After I tucked everything back away, I prepared my satchel with the snacks, bandages, pain killers, water, and a revolver for just in case backup. If I did find people, I wanted them to have supplies to help show I was ready to take care of them.

Dobber wished me luck and I picked up a slow trot with my lion form still at the forefront. The whipping rain, howling wind, and squishy terrain became second nature after a few minutes. Once I arrived on solid ground, I picked up a long-strided run.

I reached the road after about twenty minutes of running and I found the trail uphill that Krigon and the horses used. While the scent of horses was washed away, their shit was still easy to smell as it broke apart.

Not that I needed to follow my nose, the signs were clear and easy to detect. The sudden downpour combined with the steep trial meant I ran through a steady stream of water being pulled downward by gravity. While I had to be careful with my footing, I was grateful for the cooling rain because I exerted so much energy.

I almost missed the first big course change, having to slow and turn left. The trees that zoomed by seemed so devoid of life because of the rain. About three hours of running later, I crossed a bridge, just as expected.

My tireless running mixed with the intense speed, put me close to Mvargus’s base. Krigon mentioned it would take a half day to reach this point at a walking pace and I nodded to myself in approval.

I paused at the bridge, eating a quick snack to help refuel my body, watching the stream under me running heavy with surging water.

A distant flash of lightning struck close, and I couldn’t tell if the storm was going to be waning at any time soon. At times I had to remind myself I was on an alien planet. This was not Earth, and even the weather proved that.

I stretched my calves after my snack and water break, knowing I was close. Another half hour of running and I finally was able to smell something different.

By different, I was certain I smelled a cow.

Well, at first I thought it was a cow.

Then I figured it was an ox.

In the end, it just became confusing, and I blamed my untrained ability as well as the constant rain. The running stopped and I approached an end to the wooded trail that opened into a vast clearing.

In the distance, a cavernous mouth rested between big slabs of stone. Two wooden gates were splayed open to allow people in and out. The entrance faded into the rising slope and a dozen soldiers meandered near the area.

A leader kicked over an encampment under an overhead not far away. The man inspected the ground, tracking his eyes along a trail that went up a hill. I had no idea what he saw, but he jolted, raising his submachine gun when a rock slid down the trail. He shook his head and retreated, clearly in a state of fright.

A few minutes later, the poorly constructed gates were reinforced by barricades to block the entryway to the holdout. I couldn’t tell what had happened, but I had an assumption. Something raided the Laring citizens who were forced to camp outside.

Based on the obscure bovine smells, I figured it would be minotaurs. The leader’s reluctance to free them, fright from a simple rock falling, and the fact the bandit base sealed up, told me enough.

The rain continued to pound down, leaving me drenched while I pondered my next move. A few horrid images of what those poor people would be subjected to as prisoners to minotaurs caused me to shudder. More importantly, those nasty thoughts put my legs in motion.

I didn’t have to fight or even save them. I could just sneak up close enough to see what the situation was like. Even if an opportunity presented itself, I could always play it safe.

Feeling confident I could learn something and maybe make a difference, I started sprinting across the opening.

I kept glancing over at the cave’s mouth, expecting a stream of soldiers to come pouring out. None did. If someone saw me from behind the makeshift defenses, they didn’t care.

The vast clearing took about ten minutes of heart pounding running to cross, and I slowed upon reaching the encampment. A dead man lay near a drenched fire, his corpse not even worth dealing with to Mvargus’s people.

The head had been squished by a club if I had to guess because the skull was cracked open and brains were scattered across the campsite.

I glanced around for other signs of struggle, not finding any. He was probably an example and based on the hoof prints marred across the rocky terrain, six or seven minotaurs were here. The tracks were clear. They rounded up the group before going up the mountain.

When I glanced up, trees mixed with boulders, obscuring my view with a thick forest sprouting not even a hundred feet away.

I let my anger fade, decreasing my size and hiding my beast. I had no idea what to expect from a minotaur, but I wanted to keep my strength a surprise for now. I could always quickly unleash the beast if I needed to. Letting him fade took a bit more time and effort.

Once I was confident there was nothing left for me to inspect. I continued up the trail, not even skirting into the woods to avoid detection. After five minutes of fast walking, I saw puddles of pink. If I had to guess, someone’s soft feet had punctured from marching barefoot over the rough terrain.

Based on the dilution from the rain, I was still behind the abductors and their abductees. Occasionally, I stole a glance through the canopy to see the mountains continued going higher for miles.

This Belin Range really was something spectacular in its grandeur. I couldn’t help but feel miniscule compared to the expanse. My calves burned and my thighs complained from the steep climb over the next bit until a grunting sound caused me to freeze.

The noise was barely audible over the storm, and when I listened intently, I heard two things. The talk of humans complaining from up above and a second grunt from inside the wood line to my right.

I cautiously tiptoed into the woods, expecting to see a minotaur violating a corpse or something. The grunting increased until a wet thud hit the forest floor followed by an exhale of relief. My nose immediately cued into what was happening.

Minotaurs shit in the woods.

I let my submachine gun hang, pulling out the larger caliber pistol from my satchel. A few trees away, I caught sight of a twelve-foot tall being with immense horns who rose from a squat.

His face protruded with a snout and two inset eyes as dark as the void itself. Big molar teeth flared when the beast sniffed unhappily at what he left behind. The armor he wore was chainmail over the chest with a skirt of chainmail over the thighs. Gold hoops adorned his ears, gold bands were clasped onto his horns, and a thick gold chain rested around his neck.

A dozen feet uphill, he stowed his great axe against a tree. The weapon was taller than me with two gleaming sharpened half-moons. Down the shaft, gold and silver decorated the weapon in suggestive sexual poses.

He fumbled with a belt for his armor while hoofing it uphill. His snort of unhappiness covered my approach, letting me get a good angle between him and his weapon.

I brought the revolver up until it rested between my shoulders vertically. The moment he came into sight, I leveled the weapon, cocked back the hammer and squeezed.

At less than five feet away, I couldn’t miss. More importantly, he didn’t even register the clack of the hammer locking back. The minotaur never glanced my way, slowed his walk, or shouted for help.

I caressed the trigger, lining the barrel up until it pointed at his forehead.

Bang!

A few things happened the moment that hammer smacked home. A flash of light from the cartridge exploding out of the cylinder caused me to flinch. I’d shot pistols before, never a revolver in the rain while in the dark canopy of a forest. The result was I instantly ruined my night vision.

I heard a thud, shaking my head to restore my vision.

When my eyes regained focus, the minotaur twitched at the base of a tree trunk. A gaping hole emitted a tiny trail of smoke under his left horn. Brain fluid pumped out of his skull, and even though he moved, he was very dead.

My ears rang to the point I barely heard an angry roar from above. I immediately summoned the beast who yearned to be free. The death of such a mighty foe through trickery and deception angered that side of me.

I let the power consume my frame until I stood almost as tall as a minotaur. I snatched the great axe from where it rested on the tree and retreated to the path.

Breaking twigs, falling pebbles, and an angry roar told me the fallen warrior’s allies rushed to his aid.

I sprinted onto the opposite side of the trail, quickly pivoting through the trees as I ascended. Speed was my ally and I hoped to breach the woods where they weren’t expecting me.

I crashed through the underbrush and sent scree tumbling downhill from my efforts, knowing I made a ruckus. My reckless charge paid off when I reached the end of the slope.

My eyes crossed a ridge and in a leveled off clearing, thirty human and human hybrids cowered in a circle. At the right side of the clearing, four minotaurs shouted down the hill towards where their buddy had been.

Right in front of me, a minotaur guard had his sword out, watching the others shout into the woods.

That meant there were five of them up top and probably too many for me to fight. That inner human in me that said to back down, draw them out, and pick them off in ones or twos, lost the argument.

The beast decided to capitalize on the guard’s distracted posturing.

I burst from the lip of the slope, shooting into the clearing with the axe high over my head. The weapon arched down, and my startled foe only realized I was coming with his peripheral vision.

He spun, lining up the arc of the great axe perfectly for his own demise. The heavy blade cracked through the skull, tore down the neck, and embedded in the rib cage.

The humans shrieked from the sudden carnage, the minotaurs roared at my audacity, and I grunted while trying to pry the head of the great axe free. I kicked the corpse, sending it flying into the humans.

The minotaurs across the clearing spoke to each other in hushed tones. The largest of the four, kept darting his eyes around, as if expecting an army to jump out and aid me.

I stepped back against the wood line, preparing to fight amongst the trees if they swarmed.

“Leave now, and I won’t follow you,” I said.

A panthkin woman said, “They don’t speak Belin. They’re dumb brutes.”

“What did she say?” the largest minotaur asked with a growl, glaring at a subordinate.

I frowned, not only understanding the minotaur, but understanding him perfectly.

“She said we are mighty warriors, and we are not from Belin. That is the kingdom by the ocean,” the younger minotaur said.

I cleared my throat, focusing on the minotaur and said, “Close. Your child is wrong.”

The growling gravely speech ejected in a way that made me wish it back. I watched them react in a stunned fashion, but that didn’t matter. I smelled a stealthy minotaur trying to approach from the trees behind me.

Unlike the minotaur I killed. I didn’t turn to die. I lunged further away, swinging the great axe in an arch behind me.

The minotaur burst from the trees, sword and shield at the ready. My swipe missed with him hopping back and he raised his shield just in case. This one had a foot of height above the others and was even taller than the one I assumed was the boss.

When the axe swung by him, he exploited my opening by rushing forward.

This limited my options. In a split-second decision, I let the weapon go, not watching where it went as I tucked into a roll toward the fallen minotaur I almost cut in two.

My fingers wrapped around the sword that rested by the body and I brought the weapon up just in time.

Clang!

Two steel swords smashed into each other with such force my entire body shook. I had only swung a metal bat into a pole once, and this was ten times worse. The minotaur loomed over me in shock.

He applied weight down, and I stopped his blow dead in its tracks. I let the blade slide away and lunged forward.

My shoulder caught his gut, winding him with a shove backwards. He retreated a few steps in dismay and I let the distance give me a moment to adjust.

“Cowards. Pathetic,” I said in minotaur, spitting on the ground in disgust. “You shame yourselves.”

This again startled them. The big boss hesitated, glancing at his subordinates. They moved to join him, and he held a big palm out.

“No, you know better. We rarely receive such challenges in our mountains. I earned this one,” the leader said, charging forward.

This time he didn’t sneak up behind me or have a secret move. I don’t know if he just figured I was going to be slow like him since I was almost as big, or what, but while he moved fast for a big guy, it felt like he was in slow motion.

He surged forward, trying to knock me down with his decorative shield. I hopped away from his shield-bash and hacked down.

The metal sword cleaved through flesh, cracked through bone, and severed the limb above the wrist in a smooth motion. It all happened in a heartbeat, and I didn’t stop there.

While he adjusted to the flaring pain, I kneeled, bringing the sword low. Continuing my fluid slice, I chopped at this left ankle, removing the limb with a flare.

His momentum carried him into a tumble that I nimbly followed. Before he could even adjust to my looming threat, I drove the tip of the blade into his neck. I swiped out with a flick of my wrist, causing incredible damage.

He feebly lashed out in a desperate attempt. I hopped back, knowing the spurting blood would be mortal.

“Where was I?” I asked.

“Holy shit, you’re a god,” the panthkin woman blurted.

“Uh, no, not a god. A weapon of the gods, likely, but not a god. Also, that comment was in the wrong language,” I told her. I swapped to minotaur. “Do you want to die one at a time, or fight as a group?”

I walked across the distance, heading directly toward the four remaining minotaurs.

The biggest of the four sneered, issuing a bellowing acceptance of my challenge. I braced in preparation, squaring off my feet.

He charged away from his allies, whipping his one-handed axe off his belt. The brandished weapon lacked a shield that stayed on his back. This was likely an error from his haste.

The fifty feet became twenty, then ten.

Once I was certain he was committed, I hurled the sword, watching it flip end over end. The brute had nowhere to go in time.

The weapon hit pommel first with enough force to crater the chest and plunge into the heart area. I smirked, knowing I killed the minotaur mid-run.

He skidded to a halt a few feet away and his chest failed to raise. I flipped the heavy creature over and ripped my blade free with a bloody sucking sound.

“Probably should have picked the group option. Can you guys surrender or is that not an option?” I asked, twirling the blade as if I were an expert.

On the third spin, I dropped the weapon, losing some cool points but it caused the three remaining minotaurs to flinch.

I plucked the weapon off the blood and rain-soaked ground with an embarrassed smirk. The lion even hid a bit and I shrunk in size.

“Can you not speak?” I asked. All three of them shook their heads no. “Ha! How interesting.”

“What are you saying?” the panthkin asked.

“I think they have some code of conduct that forbids them from talking to me. Not that it matters. If they don’t surrender and become farm slaves, I’m going to kill them,” I said. “They’re incredibly slow and I expected more from them. Their honor is likely their downfall.”

“We would rather die than become peasants to an inferior,” the translator said, finding his backbone.

“Ah, you do speak. Why not come work for me? I will feed you lots of oats, give you a dry bed, and keep you safe from the other scary things in the area. Your boss up top will trade you back in a prisoner exchange,” I said in Belin.

He translated poorly for his buddies. He said I was going to give him humans to take up top, which was clearly not on the table.

I shook my head and said, “No, I will not give you prisoners to surrender. You will be my prisoners… Ugh…” I swapped to minotaur. “You live, and I trade you to your chieftain or king or whatever. I want more of these people for you.”

“We are a society of strength. A surrender is a certain doom,” he said, bending down to set his weapon on a small rock. “Behind you!”

I almost spun to check.

Almost.

Instead, I dodged the flung gravel and watched the three of them bolt uphill. They only made it about fifty feet up when a purple creature burst from behind a rock. The ambush predator sent my hairs rising and I gasped.

This was the beast from my dreams.

The hippo squid that stood on six thick legs. It roared out, standing double the height of a minotaur. Its purple scaly skin deflected the rain and a flash of lightning flickered off a mouthful of long tusks.

The dozen tentacle arms that wrapped around the head reached out, snagging two of the three minotaurs in an instant.

The purple appendages wrapped the bodies with enough force to crack bones from the squeeze. When the minotaurs died from the constriction, the creature plucked them off the ground, lifted them high, and dropped their lifeless bodies into its mouth one at a time.

“I surrender! A thulu’griff, here in Zostun. Run!” he said in minotaur.

I picked up a one-handed axe to compliment my one-handed sword. I never felt more alive than I had at that moment. The most marvelous thing happened. The minotaur shrank from giving his devotion and I grew. He wasn’t one of the six, but his surrender increased my raw power as if I achieved an unlock.

While I reveled in the power, the most diabolical thing happened up the hill. The thulu’griff shrieked out a satisfied roar; its head split into two mouths and the body expanded by a few feet in all directions. If it ate a few more people, regardless of their species, I bet I’d be fighting two monsters instead of one.

As if the massive meal of two armored minotaurs wasn’t enough, it lumbered downhill. I gleaned a lot from its slow and purposed movements. Based on the odd gait, short legs, and immense body, it seemed to lack more than a burst of speed.

“They’re ambush predators?” I asked.

The were-panther shrugged. “I have no idea what this thing is. It is truly terrifying though. At least for a mortal like me. I’m sure for a god like you, it’s a walk in the park.”

The minotaur snickered and said, “Yes, it is an ambush and swarm predator. At least from legend and tale only. At one time they dominated this planet, leaving it once it was stripped of protein. The remnants of what survived is us. Or so the most ancient of stories say.”

“What are the weaknesses?” I asked, positioning myself in front of the confident creature.

The beast seemed to be ingesting the bodies, slowly making its way down the hill. We had time, and I honestly found myself fixated. This was here for a reason, and I had to wonder why.

“If you shoot it with an arrow, the body will ingest it while sealing the wound in seconds. The only way to kill them is to drop something big enough to flatten it or hack it to bits. Well, that and flame will kill it,” the minotaur said. “You’re going to fight it? I recommend that you sacrifice these people so you can run.”

“Uh, I’m here to fight it. Like here on this planet. Or so I think,” I said, seeing we did have plenty of time. I walked over to the female panthkin, handing her my satchel and submachine gun. “Alright, inside here is food, pain medicine, some medical wraps, and other stuff. Take everyone else down the mountain and regroup. I will join you once I defeat this thing or lead it away.”

I stood on the platform, noting the big beast picked up speed from the downhill momentum. The survivors of Laring hurried to exit the clearing as a team effort. Based on the few who limped, they’d never outrun this creature, and worse, they’d cause it to reproduce if it ate them.

There wasn’t a viable option besides running a different direction and circling back. The only way for me to do that, was to go around the beast with a dozen long tentacle arms.

Each step from the creature reverberated through the mountain and I had to steel myself to the threat. The minotaur dragged his dead buddies off the clearing to help with removing the free meals.

“I’m going to watch and record. If you perish, I will let the slaves go free,” he said, grunting as he tugged his boss I killed.

“Mighty nice of you since they have guns now,” I said with a scoff. “You don’t seem like a fighter anyway.”

“Fair enough,” he replied and stayed quiet.

I focused on the fight, not quite sure why he was so excited. When the monster neared, a crack of lightning, a tentacle lashed out to test me and I let it thwack into the stone slab.

The appendage lingered, twirling into the pool of minotaur blood. This distracted the beast and for a second, it pretended to be enthralled.

A second and a third tentacle rushed to entwine me, hoping the distraction would catch me off guard. I did the opposite of what it expected and jumped closer, cleaving with the axe and the sword at the same time.

The scales stood no chance, cracking under the powerful blows. The tentacles flopped down, slithering as they curled inward. The six legs thundered in retreat and the beast roared out in agony.

The two heads snipped at each other for a few seconds before the left one retreated into the body. The being shrunk with a warping wobble in a horrifying, but fascinating way. The flesh of the ruined tentacles grew back from the sacrifice to its other parts.

“They’re mass based,” the minotaur said in wonderment.

“This is terrible. If it wins, it creates a new one without breeding times or difficulties of rearing. If it loses, it just regrows until it loses its size,” I said, kicking the limbs I severed downhill. “I bet it can eat itself. Absolutely terrifying.”

“Wanna test the theory?”

“Are you a minotaur nerd or something?” I asked, walking closer to the monster.

“I’m a scholar and translator,” he replied sharply. “And a survivor. They will sing of my heroics on this day. The shifter and the minotaur battling the thulu’griff.”

The beast recovered, coming in again. I had something witty to say but the tentacles lanced forward. I figured it’d be beneficial to fight where I held the high ground. I let it close, but never reached me, leaping back to dodge each attack. As expected, when it neared the minotaur, he fled into the trees.

The monster followed me, letting me lead it up the slope to where it killed the other minotaurs earlier.

“Feel free to note it doesn’t seem to tire, the flashy target keeps its attention, and it really doesn’t have a burst speed,” I said, keeping myself out of the reach of whipping tentacles.

“I’m surprised it didn’t go for the bodies,” the minotaur said.

The panthkin female shouted, “We are making stretchers. Are you going to win?”

“How much time do you need?” I asked.

“A day or two,” she shouted back.

“We have shelter and defenses loyal to Kirkton about half a day’s walk downhill,” I shouted back. “Just head downhill until you find the overgrown Kirkton road.”

“We have three who can’t walk without help,” she replied with a yell back.

While I really enjoyed the conversation, I had to put it on hold. I arrived on the perch I had been eying. I hopped onto the rock, waiting for a tentacle barrage to come.

The thulu’griff’s tentacles were fast, but predictable.

I hopped one, twirled for the second, sliced the third and was stunned when my axe’s chop passed through air. The fourth and fifth tentacles wrapped my right ankle.

“You clever girl. Sacrifice the third for the secure,” I said with a grunt.

When I threw myself backwards, the beast tugged just as hard. The constriction from the tentacle tightened and we reached a stalemate. The distance from the head to me was long enough that I wasn’t too worried because it lacked leverage at this length.

The single tentacle I severed earlier shot out fluid and I could feel the anguish roiling through the beast. Without a doubt, it struggled to heal while in combat.

“Note! When blood leaves its body, it must compensate,” I said, waiting patiently.

I didn’t sever the two tentacles on my leg. I figured when I bent down, the other seven appendages would attack, so I waited.

After about ten seconds, the beast leaped high, trying to get onto my rock.

It sacrificed timing for distance, and I sliced down while pushing off to have the tentacles stretched taut. The blade cut the appendages with ease and suddenly my leg was free.

I flew backwards until I landed on my ass with a thud. The creature retreated, not liking losing three limbs. I hurried to ensure it couldn’t turn to recover what it lost. The time for learning was over.

I charged, screaming out a battle cry while closing the gap. The back two legs wobbled while it tried to regrow its three tentacles.

With a mighty chop, I sliced into the back left knee of the beast. The back end crumpled, and a gout of blood poured out. The thulu’griff panicked, running forward with a terrible limp that only hurt its cause.

Five thundering steps in, it slipped and crashed on its side. I watched the fat body roll around in agony. It visibly shrank as it tried to repair itself. I ran to the backside again, severing a right foot.

As soon as the creature adjusted with its attempts to stabilize, I hacked to inflict more damage. At this point, I limit tested the thulu’griff. We entered a back and forth: I cut, and it shrank to regrow.

“Fascinating. It can’t get to you and the repairs lock it in a state of paralysis,” the minotaur bellowed.

“Yeah, except this is how you kill one. What if it became,” I grunted, severing the foot again, “Two? Or there were ten? This is ridiculous. Maybe a big bomb will do it. There’s explosives here, right?”

“Excuse me? Define here. As in the Zostun Mountains or…”

“Yeah, do the minotaurs have -” I started to say, but the damn thulu’griff expanded rapidly. “I wonder what it's doing?”

I didn’t have to wait long, mostly figuring it out. I stepped back, gaining distance as the purple frame bloomed in size to a bursting point.

Pop!

The beast exploded in a shower of dark blue blood. Thankfully it was raining, and the gore would wash off soon because I was thoroughly soaked. A clattering of tusks rattled across the stone ground as they fell in combination with the pocked minotaur bodies.

The scholar minotaur scooped two of the tusks in a deft use of his hands. This surprised me because I pegged him as slow and dumb. When he bolted away, the dumb identifier stuck.

“Wait!” I shouted and he slid to a halt. “I don’t want to war with the minotaur people. We need metal out of the mountains. I will trade for it.”

“The Zostun Empire does mine metal. We do not negotiate with weak humanoids who -”

I burst forward in a sprint, and he immediately reacted by retreating uphill. I caught him after only a two-minute chase. Much like the fox I killed, I swept a leg out, sending him sprawling.

He tumbled a few times before rolling onto his back. When he raised two hands defensively, I scoffed at how easily I defeated him. I loomed over his head from the side with a minotaur sword at the ready.

When I brought the blade down, I tore a large rent down his cheek.

“Tell me I’m weak again,” I demanded.

His hands shot to his face, dropping the thulu’griff tusks he cherished.

“You’re vile,” he replied with a sneer.

I nodded. “I will march up this mountain and slay the minotaur armies, ruin your cities, and conquer your mines. There is no weakness in that statement, only truth. Your kind are nothing compared to me, and you will tell the truth.”

“Fine, fine. Just spare me,” he said.

I raised the blade as if this were his end and lowered it peacefully. “Let that scar and those trophies always be a reminder of what actually happened. I expect a delegation by the river within a fortnight. Fail to do so and I will bring the Prophet’s hell to Zostun.”

“I understand. I believe you too. I just don’t want to be a farm working slave. Surely, you understand.”

“Prisoner. Prisoner that I would have exchanged. Since I am all for diplomacy right now, go free and hope your leaders make me happy. And Mr. Scholar, let me tell you a little secret, I’m not alone. A new era has come to Kerxon, and it involves shifters like me,” I said, turning to head back down the mountain.

I had some people to rescue, an envoy or two to prepare for, and a city to build. All while a demon creation from my dreams may be around the next corner.

Chapter 30

ROUGHNECK OUTPOST - BELIN REGION

I had to run an injured person down the mountain, their broken leg requiring constant carrying. This resulted in my camp heading up the slope to help the others get down.

Mvargus kept to his base inside his mountain, not coming out when we passed by. We looted everything we could, earning a lot of metal to trade with Kirkton.

The storm continued on strong, and it didn’t stop raining until the following morning. Over the next two days, I moved more rocks than I figured would be humanly possible. Mainly because I was a superhuman shifter and the soft soil needed steppingstones everywhere to avoid churning the ground into mud.

I loaded up carts, animals pulled them, and then Jessica unloaded them in the settlement. That became an endless repetition and the primary task for our group. Of course, to keep the carts from ruining the path through the forest, we had to build a road.

My ability to create a flat and smooth stone foundation needed work. In simple terms, I sucked at being a cobbler. All this was learning and while we had a chisel and a sledgehammer, shaping stone was damn tough. To the point I just picked out mostly flat stones.

Every bit helped, keeping our homes free from mud was important. By day four, I shifted to smacking down trees again. With all the extra hands, we had beds built for everyone and two more log cabins went up.

That morning we sent Dobber on a horse with all the minotaur metal to Kirkton. He was the one I trusted the most and with his arm healing over time, the trip should help him be back in working order. I wanted him to bring back luxury items on a series of big wagons.

And if he was at the market, to get more animals. While I desperately wanted to go, the threat of Mvargus and the potential trade delegation kept me right where I was needed most - at Roughneck Outpost.

By day five, I had kicked up the tree topping into overdrive, felling trees in the hundreds as I pushed towards the river. While the work was smooth sailing, the community cohesion was not.

The thirty extra hands from Laring were a mixed bunch in the sense of their desires. Some had family with Mvargus, some wanted to check on their ruined homes in Laring, others wanted to seek sanctuary in Kirkton.

The big problem was, they were all poor, just like I was. I even told Dobber not to mention I removed the collars off our current employees, hoping to earn more metal in the coming months. Since the refugees had no funds, no food, and no shoes, they stayed in our community until I could prepare a trip to help them leave.

I kept them fed, warm, cared for, and we worked on making new outfits for them. In exchange they were vital in making Roughneck Outpost livable.

Today was different.

On the morning of day six, most of the residents of Laring - who were wanting to leave - had recovered. I let any who wanted to leave take a horse as a thank you. Technically I wanted the horse back in value at some point, but they weren’t serving much of a purpose here besides to munch on vegetation and fertilize the ground.

The big change for me to let them free, was we no longer needed our tents. Common area barn four had just finished its third wall and we had more than enough space with ceilings overhead. If anything, we were over building common areas now, but I was more than okay with exerting my effort to let everyone have a cabin.

I waved goodbye to seven horses and the people who rode out on them. They left with no gems or Belin coins, meaning if Kirkton asked for a tax due to their records, they could end up in debt with limited time allowed to pay it off before facing servitude.

They felt like Itorin would treat them fairly, allowing their taxes to pass due to banditry. Without any good reason to keep them here, I waved goodbye.

“Come, take me fishing?” Jessica said once they left from sight.

I slung an arm over her shoulder, kissing her cheek. Our time together had only brought us closer. Her hair continued to shift from brown to a tannish blonde, and her eyes converted from hazel to yellow.

“You want to take anyone else?” I asked, seeing a lot of our residents milling about.

The goodbye had been the event of the day, a reason for a break.

She shook her head and we made it about a dozen steps before Steve said, “Going to the river? Mind if I come?”

“Never, Dad. I’ll never mind,” Jessica said.

To our surprise, Steve and Margaret started sharing a bed again. Margaret apparently was the mini alpha of the group because one of the Laring men joined their sleeping corner.

I certainly didn’t judge, and he never gave me shit about the ladies in our makeshift room. I did have to wonder how much of that was averted by Jessica herself staving off his objections.

“I set some extra big lines out in the faster waterways,” Steve said, rubbing his hands together. “I hooked on whole fish heads. I bet there’s some monsters for lunch!”

“Marvin!” Larisa shouted from the other side of the camp. “You have a visitor.”

“Good luck fishing you two. If I can catch up, I will,” I told them and trotted toward our communal barn.

After a quick trip inside, I grabbed the massive two-handed axe I kept for obvious reasons - it was badass.

I wasn’t sure who would be here, but it made sense for it to either be a minotaur or a bandit. Krigon would have just reached Kirkton a day or two ago, meaning I doubted they sent someone out to help with the rebellion or were rewarding me.

I found Larisa standing near the duck pens by the woods on the mountainside. A massive minotaur stood patiently, leaning against a warhammer that was longer than he was tall. Behind him, an army of minotaurs waited with Celeste bound and on her knees.

The army wasn’t some rabble, they were dressed in neat formations. Infantry stood at a relaxed posture with uniform outfits. Each carried a massive shield, a sword, and javelins. If I had to guess, at some point a Roman visited this area and gave their doctrine to this minotaur kingdom.

That or the minotaurs imprinted battle tactics to the Romans. So many things to consider and while I gazed upon the impressive formations, I wondered if I’d find my seven freed Laring people… yup, all captured and behind a bolt thrower.

“Where is that little shit,” I said in minotaur. The chieftain stared at me, trying his utmost to hide his shock. “The scholar. He never gave me the name. Big enough to be someone’s son. He is quick to run from a fight.”

“He refused to come,” the chieftain said with a smirk.

“How do you know the minotaur language?” Larisa asked.

I wagged a finger at her, the way I did when her curiosity was killing the cat. “The Prophet.”

“So it is true, you slew a thulu’griff,” he said, not asking.

I had noticed I lost the power of the minotaur from my shifting once I let the scholar go, something I missed. Once you had power, letting it go was never fun.

“I’m Marvin, a true inquisitor of the Prophet and a shifter not of the six, how may I help the mighty chieftain?”

“Chieftain Jardu, and I don’t know yet. May I make an offer. Your people will be returned if you beat a warrior of mine. Any is fine to pick,” he said.

“And if I lost?” I asked.

“My interest would be sated. Not all victories are about battle. Some are about the journey,” he replied dryly.

“Rules of combat?” I asked.

“No weapons. The first to submit works,” he replied.

“Fine, we can fight, but if you lose, won’t that look bad?” I asked, picking up the great axe with a twirl.

I had been using the weapon to clear the forests and it was rather dull. The inner lion howled to be released. I kicked off my sandals, tossed off my shirt, and let the rage swell through my entire being.

I let out a long and frustrated howl after I shifted. This wasn’t for attention, more along the lines of needing to prepare, but I did feel like a demonstration was in order.

With an empowered strike, I chopped a tree down with a single blow and kicked it away before it could tetter all the way down.

The massive minotaur outdid me. He punched a tree into splinters, and I groaned.

“That was impressive,” I said.

He neared, towering over me and said, “Yeah, don’t tell anyone but it hurt.” He grinned mischievously. I couldn’t help but chuckle, walking to within a dozen feet of him, reading for a slugfest. “I’m a king. If I lose… it is complicated. I will pit you against our arena champion. Lezzo!”

A menacing minotaur with fit muscles, scared features, and light steps arrived. For a while I thought height was everything in their society, except it wasn’t. This one was tall, but others were bigger, stronger, and more imposing while not being a champion.

I instantly could tell this one had the agility of a cage fighter, not the brute strength of a minotaur like those I fought before. His horns had engraved runes with silver and gold molded into the carve outs.

He was naked from the waist up with raised seams from old wounds adorning his chiseled body. He wore a simple kilt and that was it. His even gaze provided no tells, leaving me concerned. An arena champion was not something to take lightly.

I noticed the camp followers, stopping their tasks to form a viewing section. A loud whistle from an infantry captain resulted in units creating a wide circle that the king left. A viewing throne was hauled forward, and I saw the first female minotaur who brought the king a pitcher.

The lady minotaur had boobs, lighter skin, a smaller frame, and just about everything else the same. She inclined her head with respect at my observation. I waved in a friendly manner.

“The princess is a treasure. Be mindful of how your eyes linger,” the fighter asked.

“No slight intended. A treasure indeed and the first female minotaur I have seen. I’m Marvin.”

The minotaur scooped up some dirt, swiped his hands together, letting the rich soil crumble down.

He grunted, “I’m Lezzo.”

We nodded to each other, and I waited for a signal. While I had enlarged my body as a display to the king, I held back my full power, keeping my canines tucked in for now. He eyed me hungrily, eager for a fight.

A quick scan around me showed no signs of deception and the set up was basic. Fight in a circle, a champion versus me.

The circle closed and the king bellowed, “Begin!”

Lezzo sped across the distance lancing out a kick faster than I expected. I timed his sidekick, adjusting to avoid the blow. He only half kicked though, lunging forward to close the gap.

I hopped back twice in rapid succession, letting him test my response time while I gauged his agility.

We circled for a bit, watching each other intently. I saw his shoulders move ever so slightly before he faked a punch. I decided to go on the offense, striking his knuckles with mine.

I grunted in anger when he dodged the attack. He reacted faster than expected and had likely been holding back.

A cross jab rocked my left side, snapping ribs and lifting me off my feet with the force.

I stumbled back with a roar of anger. Not holding back, I unleashed as much of the lion as I could. My form surged, my ribs snapped back into place and his next punch landed with far less impact.

The blows continued to rain into my midsection, unleashing a flurry of minor pains. Lezzo was quick, powerful, and determined. The problem for him was, I wasn’t a minotaur, I was a lion shifter.

By his tenth strike, I stood there immobile, letting him have at it.

“I think you need something besides fists,” I said, walking toward the king. “Hey, Lezzo seems swell. I really don’t want to hurt him.”

A horn tried to gore my back. I reached back, snatched his horn with my left hand, and plucked him off the ground by the throat with my right.

“You dick. I wasn’t being serious about using more than your hands. You are a very skilled fighter, and we will need all the warriors we can get if the thulu’griff’s invade in force,” I said and released my hold on his throat.

“I can’t surrender,” Lezzo said, swinging his torso to kick me in the face.

“Fine, time for me to learn my limits as well. Kick me in the face again,” I ordered, and he obliged.

The crack to my jaw let the lion be truly free and my face contorted. He trembled and that was the moment I needed. I surged with the minotaur power, ruining my clothes as I grew to a point I’d towered over the minotaur if I wasn’t lifting him up.

I socked him in the chest. Right in the spot that would suck the air out of his lungs. Something cracked and I felt bad - sorta. I balled him up the best I could and hurled him towards the top of a tree outside the circle. He smashed through a half dozen limbs before wrapping around one like a wet towel.

The minotaur just laid there, battered but alive. When he called for help weakly, I dusted my hands off.

“I think that is a win. Really great fighter,” I said in approval. “Jessica, could you get him out of the tree please.”

My lovely lady carefully stripped down to her wraps, handing them to Kiki. The mighty lioness roared out, shifted to my height, and leaped over the infantry formation to get into and then out of the circle.

“Marvin, having a minotaur in your army makes me so damn happy!” Jessica cried out as she raced closer to the stuck minotaur.

Jessica leaped into the tree, flecks of bark ripping free as her claws gripped onto the trunk. She raced up, grabbed Lezzo like he was a toy, and carried him out of the tree. She brought him to me with the infantry parting to let her through.

When he rested at my feet I stared down at him, seeing he would live. “You look like shit,” I said to the minotaur.

He nodded before succumbing to his wounds and passing out. Four female minotaurs raced to assess his damage. The anger faded, the beast realized the fighting had come to an end, and I shrunk a bit. One of the infantry minotaurs approached with an offered skirt.

I equipped the garment and only after it was on, did the king and his daughter approach.

“Sorry about that. I kinda have this growth spurt problem when my beast comes out. I hope he will heal fine,” I said.

The king fake smiled and said, “Treno, the scholar, mentioned you both slew the thulu’griff. Just the two of you after it killed the rest of his party. He even said you could have killed him but chose not to. You sought diplomacy to fight a common foe.”

I smiled with a guilty shrug. That little shit of a minotaur pinned me in a corner. The king didn’t realize I butchered his men, and I decided a half-truth was my safest bet.

“After it ate two of the biggest minotaur in a single bite, I thought I was doomed. Funny thing is, it gripped me, and it never crushed my bones. I… I’m different,” I said. I pointed to the axe. “I also needed weapons, so I stole the gear of the fallen. To be fair, I never expected you to come.”

“I don’t care about the weapons of the fallen. The historical texts are very clear, and we are worried. The tusks matched the relics in our museum. This is a grave threat that we take very seriously. Treno is being hailed a hero and I’m not sure what to do with you. You’re not a pompous angelic or a slimy seroci,” he said.

Larisa shocked me when she said, “He is a lionkin. Noble, honest, and selfless to protect his people.”

I had no idea she spoke minotaur. I waited for her to say more but she finished with that.

“Why did you ask for a delegation?” the king asked.

“Honestly, I want to trade metal in exchange for food, labor, or animals. Now I don’t know. The thulu’griff rattled me. Sure, it was only one, but I don’t think I’d live if it swallowed me,” I said, sticking my hands on my hips. “If there were two, it would have been much worse. I look upon your army and see power. And at the same time, concern. Besides that bolt thrower, I don’t think archers will hurt it.”

He peered over my shoulder. “Your town is terrible.”

“It’s been a week with no metal,” I countered.

“Jardon, come here,” the king ordered, and an infantry commander rushed to his side. “Can you defeat this being?”

Jardon glanced down at me, then up at his king. “I will fight him if you wish.”

“Can you defeat him in single combat?” the king asked, clarifying his question.

“I will give it my all, but Lezzo bests me with ease,” he admitted.

“If the thulu’griff arrive in the region, will you want to be at the front of the fighting or hiding behind a wall?” the king asked.

Jardon caught at this point, grasping what I could not. “That is a tall ask, your grace. Me, or the unit?” The king pointed to the infantry he commanded. “Volunteer?”

“I guess for this tall of an ask, it should be,” the king turned and bellowed. “Captain Jardon will be stationed here, in this mud filled farm field of a… farm. In case the thulu’griff arrive, he will aid the Prophet’s Champion. You will stay to help his… farm turn into something greater.

“You will act with honor and follow the rules he sets. You will protect the construction specialist and dignitaries I send down. In return you will get triple the pay and battle the beasts of legend should they test our mettle.”

Jordan stepped off to the side and his unit marched forward in lockstep. It was a moving sight to see them all volunteer.

I scratched the back of my neck, finally catching on. “You want to help by establishing a garrison?” I asked.

“Yes, I do, but no more than a hundred minotaurs. In due time, I will send down experts to help you in your construction. When the Belin government sends an emissary, my ambassador will be here to act on my behalf. This will be our neutral trading grounds. Any incursion outside of diplomacy into the mountains will be met with violence,” he proclaimed.

“Speaking of violence, I have a bandit to remove out of the mountain. I need to free his people and he’s a wild threat not associated with me,” I said.

“The panthkin in the mountain and his rabble. I assumed you were separate. He holes up in hiding when you are out in the open. Jordan would relish the chance of fighting that force,” the king said.

Jardon waved me over. “Let me introduce you to my unit and then we can see if we can get into a fight. That would make me very happy.”

I held up a hand and addressed the king. “Thank you for your visit and I welcome working together to defeat a common foe. If you will excuse me, I feel it is time I went up the mountain to consolidate my power.”

We exchanged farewells and while I conducted a round of introductions with Jardon’s officers, I couldn’t help but wonder what exactly was going on. I never expected the minotaurs to be so knowledgeable and rational, except they were.

The longer I pondered the questions, the easier it was to conclude that all this had to do with the thulu’griff. I just hoped I would get some real answers soon.

Chapter 31

MVARGUS EBRO MOUNTAINS - BELIN REGION

Mvargus drummed his fingers against the desk, watching his prisoner eat from her seat on the barren stone floor. She was the weak link during his imprisonment. Tamira trusted him to behave by the agreement he signed with the king.

A mistake that let him escape and reversed the roles of guard and prisoner. To this day, he only tortured her spirit since she was crippled. He bent her over a few times in the early days, but those interactions since lost their appeal to him.

During her first attempt to escape, he broke her wings, nipping the bad behavior early. He sent her guards away, finding their alone time soothing when he wanted someone to talk to who wouldn’t praise him.

“What has you so troubled?” she asked him.

He stopped the constant thrum against the desk. “You noticed?”

“I watch you grow up in the king’s court, how could I not be observant toward your tells,” Tamira responded in that uppity way that only an angelic could. “Your displeasure brings me delight. I do wonder, though… Why are you here in my cell?”

“I have to pass the time. Minotaurs swarm the hills. Outside this little cutout, I’m sure you have heard an increase of people walking about or children playing. A foolish friend of mine brought home unwanted guests until some had to stay outside. Those became prizes for some less-than-ideal visitors of a different kind. Now, I fear I’m trapped,” Mvargus admitted.

He didn’t complain to his betas, his mates, or even himself. To her, he could speak freely and that is why she lived here in the feces filled hole in the mountain - to be his sounding tool.

He stared down at her, feeling justified in her misery. His ability to be honest to a tortured soul was invigorating.

“What will you do when the king arrives, and he refuses to let you fight him?” Tamira asked, repeating a question she loved to ask.

“I will try, and he will lose face by refusing the challenge - so he won’t. Honestly, if the minotaurs weren’t here, I might try to cross the mountains with just Scarlette and start a new life. I tire of this tedious challenge nonsense. Just yesterday I had to kill a beta Krigon left behind. The fool and his notion he could win. I swear, I should draft some anti-challenge rules -”

The door burst open and Scarlette said, “My alpha, a challenge has been made outside the gates.”

“See! Perfect timing darling. If it is a minotaur sent them away, they have nothing to offer,” he said.

Scarlette bounced her eyebrows happily. “It’s a human and he has a seroci mate, stunningly beautiful. The only thing better than one of us is two! I made the arrangement. You must get ready for a fight. The fool even allowed blades as part of the combat.”

“What kind of shifter?” he asked.

“None, but minotaur soldiers have brought him before you. And the seroci is enthralled by him. While I’m very confident in you, and this is an opportunity we can’t afford to reject, you should be cautious of a trap,” Scarlette said.

He paused, not exactly wanting to end his therapeutic talk mid process. For a fleeting moment, he considered telling Scarlette he was planning on running, but that was suppressed by the hunger in her eyes. After all the years together, he was a sucker for making her happy and it had been a while since he saw her this eager.

“Well, I think it is time we at least meet the fella. I wish you would have let me size him up before you agreed,” Mvargus said.

Scarlette smiled and replied, “He is small. I’ve seen much bigger, and your skills are renowned.”

“You die if you fight him,” Tamira said, causing Scarlett to flare in anger. “Easy you heathen. He shouldn’t fight a man who commands seroci and minotaurs. Even I can see this. Not to mention, I will be devoting myself to his victory, not yours, you traitor of good faith.”

“I care not what a ruined guard thinks,” Mvargus said, spitting on her. “If we challenge the king with a second seroci, it will do wonders for my legitimacy. Plus, their tongues… heavenly.”

Scarlett scoffed and said, “You just want a fight. You’re tired of winning so easily, but I don’t see this being a challenge. I can’t fathom how a human could ever best you anyway.”

He closed the simple gate used to keep her prisoner. Her deep pit would contain her while her chains were unbreakable, and her true keeper. Scarlette slapped his butt as he left to gear up in their room.

He didn’t mind that she stayed behind. She loved to torment the angelic in different ways. A trio of submissive wolfkin mates helped him equip his armor, silver sword, and fighting sandals.

He marched up the tunnels, his beta fighters joining him before he reached the cavern’s barricades. The gates were opened wide and sure enough, the surreal sight of a human postured in front of a minotaur formation greeted him.

Mvargus was conflicted.

Clearly this man possessed some power or was being sacrificed. Something didn’t make sense. Why would the mighty minotaurs decide to support a simple human? The thoughts racked his brain. Just because he never heard of a mind reader, didn’t mean they didn’t exist. Mvargus was tall for a panthkin, his agility and speed only improved by the sharpness of his mind.

The man across the clearing stood a head shorter than he did. Again, this confused him as to how he attained so much power and such a following while being so meek. The man only carried a wood chopping axe while wearing a simple skirt. He had no visible scars, no excessively built muscles, or anything that would deem him worthy of a challenge.

“Oh, yellow eyes, that’s a first. What do they call you, traveler?” Mvargus asked the blond-haired man.

“Marvin,” he said in a simple way.

Mvargus stared at the man, not liking his options. There wasn’t a way for him to safely extract himself from the coming fight at this point. His pack followers had seen the foe and he would lose respect if he dodged the fight.

“What brings you to my hole in the ground?” Mvargus asked, thumbing the cave entrance that continued to spill out people.

“I’ve come to create a peace over the area. I made some friends that you see behind me. They aren’t keen on fighting me or mine. Your hideout rests between our people and I need you to move to ensure we can trade freely. Also, I’m here to free all those who were forced to follow you. Nothing personal, it’s just business,” the man said in a cheeky way.

Mvargus shook his head, nudging a series of pebbles with his sandals as he ingested the words and their meanings.

“The king didn’t send you?” he asked.

“I’m not from Belin,” he replied. “You just happened to be in the wrong place at the wrong time.”

“Or you are,” Mvargus snapped back. “I’m a champion, you know that right?”

“I’ve seen bigger,” he said with a snicker.

Scarlette arrived behind him. She ran her fingers over Mvargus’s shoulders, and he savored the feeling. She always encouraged his violence, always helped him know he’d win. He watched her saunter forward, shocked when the chain she dragged connected to Tamira.

The angelic hadn’t seen the sun in months, a fact he liked. Bringing her out on display was in defiance of what he wanted, but Scarlette was a professional. She had this uncanny way of knowing what gestures would elicit reactions out of people.

This man, he barely restrained himself from rushing across the clearing to save Tamira. A fact that greatly amused him.

“How interesting. Do you know her?” Mvargus asked, genuine curiosity overriding his violence.

Maybe it had been all the dreary rain and boring time tucked away in the mountain, but he was fascinated by the man’s reaction. For the briefest of moments, he swore he saw him bulge in size. Yet, he had no ears of a shifter, just a plain human.

“I have not. I only know that she deserves better. No one deserves to live in chains,” he proclaimed.

“She threatened to cut my dick off from sullying her virtue, surely that warrants chains.” The man went to speak but he held a hand up to stop him. “What if I told you she murdered a little boy who got too close to her food? Would you say chains are not worthy of her?”

“Ah, the punishment debate. Where I come from, we do indeed cage and chain our criminals. I tend to favor letting the corrupt die on the field of battle. Speaking of which, I defeated Krigon and his forces. Hence your horses,” the man gestured off to the side of the clearing.

Mvargus did indeed see the horses, and he realized the smooth talking seroci had finally met a situation he couldn’t con his way out of. This was probably for the best, he did tire of the rebellion anyway.

“A minotaur army would make quick work of the worm tongued demon and his lieutenants,” Mvargus said with a scoff.

“I beat them with my mate, the other lovely blonde lady. Used to be a brunette,” the man said pointing to a curvy, yet fit woman with yellow eyes. “Anyway, this is your chance. Take your mate who seems to truly love you and head across the mountains for a new home. I’ll take this pack off your hands, and we’ll all go home alive.”

“Can I have the horses?” Mvargus asked.

He clapped. “Not just yes! But hell yes!”

Scarlette shrieked in anger. “Stop flirting with your food, Mvargus. You are the next king of Belin. It is… grating to watch this exchange.”

“I like the idea of getting away from politics, but you do have a point. I will send Hargo as a right of substitution. You may select your sub champion as well,” Mvargus said.

“I’m confused, if this Hargo loses, does the terms your mate made apply?”

The pretty seroci at his side said, “Substitution rejected.”

Mvargus understood what Scarlette meant, she was a worthy prize. A shining gem in the dull region of Belin. However, he was content with Scarlette, and her maidens kept him more than placated.

“Scarlette, give the chain to Hargo,” he ordered before yelling to the man, “I need a moment to consult with my mate.”

Mvargus pulled Scarlette aside. The seroci was mad, like flush in the face angry and he had seen her lose her temper, just rarely on him.

“What?” she growled.

“Something is off. Those are our horses. The minotaur followed a yellow eyed human. I may be rash and impulsive at times, but I don’t see this as being worth it. Horses and a seroci versus my life. We can take the devout loyalist and flee the mountains before winter,” he said.

“Fight him, if you think you’re going to lose, submit. Your inner pack will respect that. If you win, you could earn the respect of the minotaurs,” Scarlette said.

Mvargus couldn’t argue with her. This was a middle of the road option. He pulled out his trusty sword and walked into the opening, readying for a fight.

“We agreed that a submission counts over a death?” Mvargus asked.

The man nodded, walked back to a minotaur, borrowed a heavy shield and short sword and returned.

“Are you ready?” he asked.

“You shouldn’t be able to carry those,” Mvargus said with a frown.

He shrugged and said, “Does your skinny seroci want to signal the start of the fight?”

“Just because… you know what. Yes. Give us a countdown Scarlette,” Mvargus shouted over his shoulder.

“Three, two, one, fight!” Scarlette yelled with a cheer.

That damn woman loved watching him fight. He let the jitters fade, the focus hone, and summoned his panther to the forefront.

Mvargus charged in, rushing the human’s shield side for an attack. The man jutted his shield forward and rotated on light feet.

“Interesting. Fast while holding heavy weaponry. Why not wear armor?” Mvargus asked.

He snickered and said, “You’ll see.”

Mvargus tumbled forward, lashing out with a cross swing at ankle height. The move was predictable and one of Mvargus’s go to feints to get an opponent off their feet. Sure enough, this Marvin fellow hopped.

With years of practice, he slid a dagger off his belt with his free hand, driving into the top of the man’s foot. He rolled away, knowing the counterattack would be coming.

At least it normally did. Except he felt no swoosh of air, or bellow of anger that normally preceded a reckless charge.

A loud exhale of displeasure was all he received.

“That hurt,” the man said, bending down to remove the blade from his foot.

To Mvargus’s dismay, the wound closed, and the man grew about a head taller.

“What are you?” Mvargus asked with curiosity.

He flung the blade at him with astonishing speed.

“I request a break!” Mvargus shouted. “Five minutes.”

The man nodded, walking back to his corner. Mvargus flustered over this revelation, knowing he faced something unlike anything he could have ever predicted. He just had to hope he could save face now that the fighting started.

Without a doubt, he was swapping to silver weapons.

Chapter 32

EBRO MOUNTAINS - BELIN REGION

“Marvin, darling, why are you toying with him?” Larisa asked.

I shrugged and said, “He is a gifted fighter. If he wasn’t so vile, I’d want him around for whatever is coming.”

“You really need to let go of this gloom and doom stuff,” Jessica said, rubbing a hand over my back in support.

I shook my head. “There’s something happening, and my mom had a saying. ‘Prepare for the worst, hope for the best.’ I think that applies here.”

Judith and Kiki stayed at home, working on making the outpost better while we went off to fight. I happened to think they would be on my cautious side.

“Marvin, we actually agree with you, but you let him stab your foot. He has…” she pointed to Mvargus as he pulled out silver weapons. “The raping bastard is playing for keeps. It’s time to end this farce. Please, before he hurts you.”

“I’m just not angry enough. The beast wants to fight a greater threat,” I grumbled.

“Save her, Marvin. Be the hero,” Jessica said, pointing across the distance to the chained angelic. “Look at her. Her wings are broken, she is covered in feces, and yet she glares at her capture with defiant eyes. Don’t play with this cock sucking loser. Rip his head off.”

“I will. When the time is right,” I said. “I need him to commit again.”

My opponent kissed the rail thin seroci on the cheek. All of his pack was pretty skinny, likely a byproduct of hiding all the time. I didn’t question it mostly because Mvargus was hale with a chiseled body of exercise and sufficient eating.

He was everything I loathed in a human being. A slaver, a rapist, a torturer, and an executioner. Even if I wanted to cut his dick off and feed it to him, I had to respect the fact he was a fighter.

When I returned back to the arena, he brandished a silver sword in one hand and a long dagger in the other. I braced with my shield and waited for the countdown.

“Three, two, one, fight!” the skinny seroci yelled with a sneer.

He trotted to the side, keeping his distance. We circled a few times and he darted in, exactly as before.

I hopped back instead of over the blade. A flare of pain ran through my left foot. When I backpedaled, I saw I was missing three toes. The silver blade caused a trail of smoke and a sizzling sound.

While I wanted to howl in rage, I growled fiercely instead. I had enough, Jessica was right.

I let the beast surge forth. The lion didn’t like being encouraged to do violence, he wanted violence. He thrived on it. I unleashed him, growing, and growing, and growing until the kilt popped off my waist.

Normally, I’d feel the healing, but without a doubt the silver prohibited it and I knew I had to be careful.

With a single leap, I crossed the distance soaring high through the air and slamming my feet into the ground behind him. The very planet quaked from my impact and the assembled pack shrieked from my sprint toward the angelic.

The seroci tried to stand in my way and I swiped a backhand at her. She flew away, cursing me.

I dug two claws under her chain and popped the collar. Mvargus raced for my exposed back.

“I need you to swear to me,” I told the angelic, dodging an attack with a mighty leap. “I will protect you, feed you, cherish you as a person, and ensure your needs are met.”

“Are you proposing to her,” Mvargus asked, chasing me around the clearing.

I twirled the chain, keeping him back.

“No, I am offering her what her king could not. Unwavering loyalty,” I said. “The moment she -”

Everything slowed to a standstill. The angelic smiled at me with a sincere warmth in her eyes. I knew. I just knew everything changed. I had unlocked the power of the six. Whatever mission the Prophet, or the Creator gave to me, hit a pinnacle with the devotion from the angelic.

The emblem, which I had left in the settlement, hovered in front of my chest. The object twirled, awash in a glow of golden magic. The runes on the creation flared a bright orange while the circular object spun so fast it became a globe.

When I reached to touch it, the emblem blasted through my skin and into my chest.

I gasped in utter shock. When I reached down, the entry wove hot webbings of flesh over the opening before sealing my heart and closing the wound.

My blood thrummed to a new beat, a vibrancy resonated through my veins that sent my arm hairs on edge. While I didn’t understand the how, I could feel what was happening.

Even though my lost toes didn’t heal, my body hardened. I didn’t grow any taller, but I did feel as if my lion frame achieved a pinnacle. My muscles increased, my mane fluffed proudly and my tail swished in happiness.

Time resumed and I surged forward, moving faster than Mvargus could track. I grabbed both arms, catching them while he was stunned.

“What are you!” he screamed, not understanding what was happening.

His feet lashed out, kicking me in the balls.

“I’m not sure, but your reign of terror is over,” I told him through snarled teeth.

I pulled with a mighty roar, calling on my entire being to increase my strength.

With incredible power, I pulled outwards. His tensions and skin fought my strength until I ripped both of his arms off his body.

His arms pumped blood in spurts and he turned a ghastly white. I saw his lips moving to probably try to submit. I swung an arm across his face.

The wet smack knocked him down. As he lay there armless and clearly defeated, I beat him to death with his arms. When he stopped moving, I squished his skull with a triumphant stomp.

“Kneel or die!” I bellowed to the attendees.

The skinny seroci flung a gleaming silver dagger. I was hard to miss at my current size. The blade whizzed across the gravely terrain before applying a slight slice on my thigh.

The wound sizzled, burned, and faded.

She taught me, silver still did damage. The angelic tackled the seroci.

The skinny seroci was lightning fast, driving a long dagger into the heart of the angelic woman. She died, clutching her killer’s wrist for long enough for a wolfkin woman to bring a club down.

The metal weapon crushed the brain of the seroci, splattering gore in a spray.

I glanced down at the dead women with remorse. I could have ended the fight if she just gave me a second, but the angelic died the way she wanted to, trapping her captor until she could be punished for her misdeed.

As one, the pack Mvargus commanded bowed to my will. I turned my back on them, knowing they would follow. Some would be removed without more than a few questions. For the good ones, they had a new home with me and mine.

This was only the beginning for them, and for us as a community. My pride would continue to swell with numbers and it was up to me to ensure they did so with prosperity.

Chapter 33

TWO MONTHS LATER, TAMIRA - BELIN REGION

Over the last two months, we entered a routine of building, clearing, and establishing the small village we renamed as Tamira. Everyone hated Roughneck Outpost, and Tamira was a beautiful name, worthy of the woman who suffered so greatly.

Time slowed to a crawl during the weeks that became months. We simply didn’t have any excitement besides minor milestone achievements. Sure, we earned more farm animals, obtained luxury bedding, and established a smith as well as a sawmill, but the fighting stopped.

Peace reigned supreme while we consolidated and improved. The emblem worries faded with our prosperity. The sixty-day reset passed without anything happening of note. I didn’t know what to really expect, but I did expect something.

Instead of pouting, we continued to improve. Steve and Margaret left for Kirkton, choosing to leave with their newly created family. They were close to visit, happy living in an established home, and now that Jessica wasn’t in danger, they felt it was the right time.

Outside of them leaving, we had the opposite reaction happen. Settlers came to Tamira from all corners of the Belin Basin and the Belin Mountain Range. It wasn’t just humans or shifters either. The mythical creatures who lived in civilized fashion applied for residency.

A whole section of our town was centaurs who missed roaming the fields and farming. Stuff like that warmed my heart as much as it shocked me. I really wasn’t on Earth anymore. We welcomed them all, growing as quickly as we possibly could.

All the hard work led to a market event in celebration of two kingdoms reaching a trade agreement.

The sun beat down with a lovely cool breeze. A lovely scent of baking tarts wafted through Tamira. Kids ran and squealed with joy, having a water bucket fight. Vendors cried out, trying to attract patrons.

With all the lead time, plenty of city folk risked a trip out to our little town, cramming the streets. The extra barns were a bit more rustic than they’d be used to but with the amount of ale I smelled, I doubted many would care if they slept in hay for a few nights.

A trumpet blared, pulling me from my wandering thoughts. A jousting competition was set to begin. I decided not to compete, becoming a spectator instead. I walked through the special market for the entire region with Jessica on my arm.

A month ago, both kings decided to hold a trade fair, right here in Tamira. Today was the big day and Larisa strolled between the Kirkton representative, being the dutiful diplomat.

“Did you read the news?” Itorin asked.

“That the medallions are missing, yes, we did catch wind of that,” Larisa said.

He nodded. “The Emblem Council is in hiding. The six medallions vanished, not returning. No champions were summoned, and no one knows what is going on. There are rumors that the Prophet has abandoned the efforts to save the planet.”

Jessica said, “I don’t think that is the case, but we are concerned just like the rest of the region. It is hard to worry about a distant future when there is so much prosperity around us.”

“I just worry,” He said with a concerned sigh.

I nodded and said, “If there is a reason to celebrate, it is life and friendship. I will choose to not worry so much and enjoy my time. How is Kirkton doing?”

“Well, ever since the trade agreement, it has been booming. We opened a dozen new smithies alone. Repairing the road hasn't been cheap, but the king thinks it will be worth it,” Itorin said, waving at a woman he recognized.

Not far along the stone path a small gathering of nobles watched the jousting match. Among them was a seroci I decided I didn’t like even if he was helpful towards our blossoming town. Krigon excused himself, and without a way to outpace his approach, I applied a fake smile.

“You and your community have done wondrous work here,” Krigon said, arriving to join us while we casually walked between minotaur vendors. “All the metal our kingdom could use without the heavy death toll. Quite impressive.”

“If only it were cheaper,” I said, and he nodded in agreement. “I take it that the nobility is happy with this compromise?”

Itorin watched how he reacted and said, “The king and his nobles are very happy to trade items they have in excess for items they need. If you will excuse us, I have matters of business to discuss with Sir Krigon.”

Itorin led the seroci away to a different vendor area that sold spices. I had no idea what they discussed, only happy to be free of the slippery seroci.

With Jessica and Larisa chatting happily to each other, I stopped at a vendor selling trinket carvings. The booth had layered rows of tables, each displaying infinite amounts of creatures sculpted from wood to stone to gems. I ran my hands over the one creature that was perfectly rendered.

“I see you recognize the beast I did such a fine job creating. It was... Oh, a human with yellow eyes too. No coincidence,” the hooded vendor said. I tried to peer under the hood, but it was as if a magic obscured the owner. Even when I shifted my angle it never improved. “You’re being rude by staring. I’m a disfigured monstrosity with a passion for carving. Two Belin marks for the creation and it's yours. Careful those thulu’griffins are known to scare children.”

I fished out two coins, handing them to the being in exchange for a carving of a thulu’griff. Even the hand held a glove with no fingers shown.

The voice sounded human, but that was about it. They had a minotaur vendor approval pass hanging from their display corner or I might have pressed the issue.

Since today was about celebration. I accepted the thulu’griff with thanks, continuing further into the marker.

“Why did you buy that?” Larisa asked when we kept going.

“The dreams. They keep coming to me. Each one is worse than the previous one. It leaves me wondering why. A lot of my reality is left with me wondering,” I said.

“Stallions for sale!” a vendor cried out and I turned away from the horses.

Jessica slugged my arm playfully and we shared smiles. “The horses we have are great, unlike people, you can sell the bad ones!” she teased.

“I hear the minotaurs have rams bigger than horses. I’d love to get one of those,” I said, arriving in a farming market section.

We paused at a pen of small piglets who gorged themselves on the vegetables. Children on step stools tossed the treats in while enjoying the sight. A band played an upbeat tune that continued to pull me towards the dance floor.

“A bit more shopping, then some fun. I don’t think I’ve relaxed for even a few hours since all this madness started,” I said.

“There is so much to achieve. We need to consolidate the mountains, create walls tall enough the thulu’griffins can’t climb or knock over, bring the population up, in more ways than one,” Jessica bounced her eyebrows at this part, “and we need to test our mettle with training. I get you’re a brute in one on ones, but the enemy won’t always fight fairly.”

Larisa swirled her fingers over the spot where our tails would sprout and said, “Lovers, time for some festivities. Let us do some shopping and have a time for the ages.”

After an hour of purchasing items, I danced with Jessica to a lover’s tune. We held each other tight, finding ourselves content and happy in our new home.

That evening we rejoiced in celebration. Besides the emblem concern, I didn’t have a whole lot to fret about and finally let loose a bit. In my mind, I would continue to prepare for whatever threat loomed on the horizon by being a good lionkin who defended his pride.

When I laid down for sleep that night, before my ladies joined me in our comfy bed, something strange happened.

The little figure jiggled. It danced on my nightstand, the tentacles coming to life. A blinding light crashed against my eyes, and when I opened them, I was no longer in Tamira.

Epilogue

LOCATION - UNKNOWN

I regained my senses in haze, bending my knees and sticking my hands out in stability. Turns out I was fine and just needed a moment to adjust.

In front of me was a massive view screen. It didn’t take long to realize I was on a spaceship overlooking a planet so full of land, only small oceans separated the continents. This wasn’t Earth, and if I had to guess, I was in orbit over Kerxon.

When I scanned the ship, I saw a whole lot of nothing besides white walls: no seats, no tables, no light source, nothing. The walls didn’t even have an outline for a door. The oval shape reminded me of an egg on its side while cut in half.

I continued to watch the surreal scene of the planet drifting below me with folded arms. As a test, I tried to pull on my inner beast, failing because I barely detected him. It was as if he was suppressed. I certainly wasn’t in Tamira anymore and that -

“Holy shit my toes are back,” I said with a grin. “I thought something was off.”

A chime sounded from behind and the wall turned translucent in a patch of shimmering blue opening a shield of some kind. The technology was far more advanced than anything on Earth, leaving me wondering why I was here.

A single eyed being that stood on four legs came wobbling into the room. The best way to describe it: it was a cow with a tumor in the middle of its back for a brain and an angular eye that could adjust to any angle because of a long and slender neck. Instead of hooves, it walked on four hands with squirrel-like wrists.

The light brown fur clung tight to the frame with jungle stripes that didn’t blend with the all-white interior. I backed up to give it space. Without a doubt, this thing was freakier than an ogre or centaur. The eye though, its lizard slit held a myriad of colors and gazed at me with interest.

“Marvin Lionkin, welcome to the scientific vessel, the Osprey. Loosely translated, of course. I have something to show you,” he said in a husky male voice.

The inflection and sound of the voice reminded me of Bert Reynolds, and I had to wonder if that was on purpose.

The translucent doorway shimmied with a blue shielding, ignoring our bodies as he led me out of the room. I followed, not concerned by this alien. I’d classify this being as incredibly weak. Certainly not intimidating or even that threatening. A space cow with a periscope eye had captured me though, so I did take him, or it seriously.

The ship’s next expansive room reminded me of a recreation from a part of the planet. Where humans would have corridors, whatever this species was, preferred oval shaped rooms with excessive vegetation and defined paths with multiple intersections.

The being was lethargically slow, purposed with each of its steps. Wherever he wanted to take me, it’d take a while to reach.

“What are you?” I asked to pass the time.

The eye rotated to focus on me, glancing back while the body continued forward. I saw the utility and had to admit to myself, even if the being was weak, slow, and an easy target, it had some utility to it.

“I am a gromonix. It is time to help you understand your role in all this. We knew space flight way before the thulu arrived but never needed land to colonize. We managed our reproduction, became one with our planet, and used space to explore.

“When the thulu did arrive, we repelled them at first. Our advanced technology combined with our armadas, fleets, ground crews, and more kept the beasts at bay. However, they never stopped coming. After a decade of Earth time, we knew the siege would win and our loss was inevitable.

“We picked up and left behind so many of our kind. It was a hard decision, but decided to spare those we could salvage. It was a dark moment, but it proved very necessary in the long run. Your species, the one from Earth, will face a similar test soon.

“You see, the thulu are part of a symbiotic relationship. The hemix who pilot, build, and manage the thulu, and the thulu. The thulu are a creation, not natural to the universe. The hemix use them to conquer planets so the resources are ripe for the taking. One destroys, the other builds from the conquered remnants, perpetuating the cycle,” the being said.

“You're a gromonix and you fight the hemix. Surely there is a technology that helps with their sheer numbers,” I said.

“A planet has so many points of exposure. Even lasers powered internally by mini suns require someone to aim them appropriately. Which powerful weapons like that have their own drawbacks. Stability problems or a direct hit and it's a big boom. If the enemy gets too close, they can ruin the weapon.

“Plus, and most importantly, the hemix shields can withstand withering firepower. Their shields are truly something amazing and terrifying. How do you defeat a species you can’t harm? They rely on their shields to get close, then unleash their monstrosities in space or on the ground. And yes, the replicating thulu possesses a variation meant for the void.

“Every few million years, they let the seeded planets recover until they bloom with protein and extracted materials again. The cycle continues, never being broken except for a few lucky species who manage counters. That has been my job, aboard the Osprey. To find something to help be our counter to their ground invasions,” the being replied.

“What can I call you?” I asked.

“The Prophet seems to work.”

“Figures. Alright. I’m not exactly opposed to crazy these days. You’re a scientist fighting an alien war for control of planets. That war has led to… you creating two species - the seroci and angelics? Three if you include me?” I asked.

We paused at a waterfall where a pool of colorful koi-like fish swam in. He reared to stand on his back legs, using an interface that populated out of nowhere. A bench seat rose from the soil to give me a place to enjoy the view from.

“Yes and no. The universe is miraculous and on Kerxon, a natural evolution has occurred, and it is important for you to understand something. We must take a step back to a time before Kerxon or Earth had humans. A former species of humanoids fled away from the hemix. As they passed by habitable planets, they dropped colony seedlings.

“Spoiler, your species evolved from monkeys, just not from Earth. Cro Magnon man ruled before your kind was seeded. For Earth, they still have a few millennia until the hemix arrive with their unstoppable waves. Or so we calculate.

“The hemix are known to shift campaigns at a moment’s notice. I digress though. Kerxon has been harvested twice now. Both times some variation of humanity went underground and arose from the culling. On Kerxon that included the shifter species who already started with different DNA than on Earth.

“The four shifter variations survived because they were resourceful, cunning, and savage. None of those traits led to being proactive instead of reactive. Therefore, I designed the seroci and the angelic. The process took thousands of Earth years to collect, destroy, and rebuild my experiments, but I did it,” he said with a proud tone.

“Destroy?” I asked.

“Ah yes, please wait and I will explain. We gromonix do not wish to rule the universe. Defend our territory? Sure. Rule all beings? No. Even the hemix know better than to keep from over expanding. They pick to rotate their farming planets instead of constant conquest. At some point, be happy with what you have. Which leads to what is my goal. I want to create a species that we - the gromonix - can cohabitate with.

“A species that is apt to protect, produce, and defend, over destruction and consumption. We value harmony, but comprehend that war is inevitable. We are not great warriors. For a while, we built drones, but ran into the same problems Earth does.

“If everything requires raw materials for specialty components, you will run into production constraints. Therefore, at least to me, it makes sense to create something that requires basic items. Humans eat fruit, oats, and fish.

“Ergo humanity. I am but one of hundreds of my kind, hiding from the hemix as we toil away with our creations. Long ago, I collected ten thousand of the smartest shifters and altered them by rebuilding their bodies while keeping their minds stored and implanted,” he said, and I raised a hand.

“Why not use mind clones of yourselves in created bodies meant for war?” I asked. “This would lead to smart beings in capable bodies.”

“You really should let me finish. However, the question is a decent one. We do. The problem is we are a low reproduction species. As in, our desire to mate is low. If we induce mating habits that are more aggressive, we become more aggressive. The test subject ends up dying at a higher rate than they produce, making it less than ideal,” he said and waited for me to respond.

“Got it. You are a bad mind transfer candidate for the creations you make, even if you are cloned.”

“But humans are great. You breed quickly, you are quick to adapt, and I really think Earth stands a chance. Kinda why I syphoned people off of Earth to help Kerxon. You included,” he said.

“Which comes to: why am I here?” I asked.

“The bad news is you and Jessica died. I -”

“Wait what? I’m feeling alive, even have my toes back,” I argued.

“That’s part of the issue. You shouldn’t have your toes. Speaking of which, I need you to beat Margaret until Steve and her let their beast forward,” he said.

“You’re losing me,” I admitted.

“The portals are like a fax machine. I cannot wormhole a body from Earth to Kerxon. The best I can do is relay your mind’s data upon your death and imprint it into your new body. The medallions are storage devices. Around the planets, I have body printers that are connected to orbital supplies.

“Your mind arrives, I print a new body and then deliver it without anyone the wiser, and even your Earth governments can’t track my abilities. The reality is, you lose a few hours between leaving and arriving for the printers to get the right proteins and print you out. I build your body based on what I want."

“When you triggered the portal to go to Kerxon with Jessica, I had a rare opportunity. The Emblem Council stopped bringing humans back and my research was ready for a new test subject. Oh, the consenting thing never mattered. They just wanted less chaos around their emblem holders. Honestly, I should have taken them away some time ago."

“I digress. I have been tweaking and tinkering, trying to create a new shifter. I succeeded and you were the first trial. The tricky part was increasing your power based on devotion. I wanted harmony, and I think I found it through my creations. I tried to have it so those who swore to you gave up a part of their power and it worked along lines of magic tied to one’s soul. The greater the team the more powerful the unit,” he said.

“This is a lot to take in. How does this power increase work and are you saying I’m a clone?” I asked.

He blinked a lot and said, “Yes. I thought that was clear. I even have removed your emotions from this clone to keep you rationally thinking while I divulge this information. I need you in the know so you can appropriately prepare. As for the devotion power, it is beyond even the hemix understanding. Treat the science of how it works as magic; just know the universe holds vast amounts of unknowns.”

“I can’t believe I’m dead,” I muttered in dismay.

“You died when you went to Kerxon in the parking garage. Ever since then, you continue to perish each trip. You died when you went to Earth, and back to Kerxon again. You died coming here. When you return you will have your toes back because the version of you sitting right here will die,” he said and I finally caught up and more importantly, caught on.

“I figured I was different. Just not a lab experiment,” I said with a scoff.

“No lab, but I concede your point.”

I picked up a rock, hurled it at fish and missed. “The hemix won’t be stopped in the air?” I asked.

“No. And I have more bad news. You will need to convert more humans. Start with those on Kerxon. Take them to Earth and back. When they return, I will remake them into lionkin. But be careful, too many cooks in a kitchen makes for a bad meal. Find the right harmony, find the right people, and prepare,” he said.

“And how do I defeat the thulu’griff?” I asked with a flustered exhale. “Do I just use my laser eyes of awesomeness?”

“Your eyes let you see in the dark. Oh! Funny, that was a joke. Yeah, there is no magical button or skill to defeat the hemix. You don’t have the countless generations of time that the Earthlings do. I expect you to lose, for me to study the data, and for me to improve upon the build I created.

“If you win great, if you burrow and survive, also great. I can keep rebuilding you and eventually you will be moved to help protect one of our colonies. Assuming you pass the criteria and are deemed worthy. Perform well, earn rewards. For right now, the goal is not to defeat the thulu, the goal is to survive long enough that you out produce their regeneration, if that happens, they tend to leave,” he said.

“I guess I fail to see the point. You want me to prepare Kerxon for a war against the thulu’griff -”

“Just thulu,” he corrected.

“Fine. I’m supposed to win the war with shifters, minotaurs, other beings, and do it all with no bombs or droids. Just steel and sapients?” I asked for clarity.

The odd-looking alien smiled with molar teeth under its singular eye. He used a damn doctor tone on me. “Exactly. You have some time. This is only the beginning. You have a long journey ahead of you in uniting the planet and -”

Klaxons blared, killing his soothing words. He rapidly tapped on his screen.

“That can’t be good,” I muttered.

“And I was wrong. They’re closing in on Kerxon now and Earth soon. Your emblem will be on your nightstand. You have three years before the enemy lands, use them wisely,” he said.

I wanted to ask about a million questions, but the floor opened and this time I knew - I was about to die. I’d return to Tamira in a new body and start working to secure, train, and prepare my pride. The inner lion in me roared out in glee as I fell.

I couldn’t help but grin because we both hungered for a new beginning.

THE END!

Apex Shifter 2

AN URBAN FANTASY HAREM

Chapter 1

Tamira – Belin Kingdom

I smacked my lips and opened my eyes as I slowly woke. A quick inspection of my surroundings told me I'd been returned to Tamira. The Prophet's magical suppression of my emotions was fading.

I covered my face with my hands for a moment and groaned into them, as I recalled the conversation from earlier. The alien's list of tasks settled into my stomach like a boulder. Shifting that immense weight felt like an exercise in futility given what I would need to carry out in the brief time available.

If what the alien with the weird eye said was correct, Kerxon society needed to work together to push back an advanced alien invasion. I believed The Prophet; too much of what it said made sense. My new toes were a perfect example.

A manic chuckle left my lips as the problems overwhelmed me for a moment. Hearing a knock on the bedroom door, Jessica poked her head into our room without waiting on a response. I flashed her a warm smile.

"He's back!" Jessica exclaimed with an excited shriek.

Her yellow eyes widened with joy as she entered the room, her lovely blonde hair buoyantly following her every bounce.

My smile grew as I smelled Larisa, Judith, and Kiki in the dining room behind her. I pulled the covers off and stood up to greet my mates as their presence made me feel a little better about the tasks ahead of me.

"I am not going to complain about the view, handsome. The ladies and I will need an explanation as to where you have been all night before we are going to use that again, though," Jessica said before licking her lips in anticipation.

My eyes widened a fair bit when her mischievous grin matched her proposition.

The Prophet's hour-long construction process was either a load of bullshit or rebuilding a few toes wasn't as simple as I had been led to believe. Or maybe his orbital supplies had been out of range. I gave it the benefit of the doubt for the moment.

I wondered if the gromonix had waited until there was a line of sight for its supply depots to create my new body, or if it chose to place me back home after my mates left our bed. Either way, I was back home and was about to upset them with some doom and gloom.

"Orrrrr..." Jessica carried the 'r' for a long time. "…you can stand there like a shell-shocked victim. What happened, Marvin?" Jessica asked, her concern for my vapid state clear in her golden eyes.

Pulled back to reality by the concern in my lioness's voice, I realized I had been standing beside our bed with my dick out for longer than was prudent. I rushed over and grabbed a pair of pants from the huge fancy dresser Larisa commissioned for us. I tugged them on before sitting heavily on the bed.

"So, no morning lion sex?" Larisa asked from behind Jessica with a sexy pout.

I offered my seroci mate a smile for her attempt at humor, which she returned. Seeing Judith and Kiki standing beside her, I noted Jessica's expression that screamed for an explanation.

I sighed before rolling my shoulders.

"Plenty of rough lion sex is on the table, Larisa. Before we think about that, though, I have a bit… well, more like a spaceship-sized bit of bad news—for Kerxon, and for us."

I pushed myself back until I rested against the headboard. After a wiggle for comfort, I patted both sides of the comfy mattress next to me. Judith and Kiki slid onto the bed, batting their eyelashes at my warm smile. They occupied the area of the bed next to my feet due to Jessica and Larisa dominating my sides.

My pride of sexy ladies handled their own pecking order, and I couldn't be prouder of them.

I laughed gently as my lioness gave my bare torso a deep sniff before settling against my side.

I cleared my throat and said, "So to begin, everyone remembers the thulu'griff I killed in the mountains?"

I watched my mates nod in understanding after my question before I continued.

"Well, their proper name is a bit easier to say, just thulu.... thulus... thuli… Well, regardless, that's what they are called. They are aliens...” After finishing the beginning of my explanation, I studied their response to it.

Jessica's mouth dropped open after the amused, disbelieving smile that had been on her face fell away.

Larisa, Judith, and Kiki's faces held confusion. Realizing I would have to explain what an alien was, I inhaled another long, calming breath.

It was time to educate my pride about what we were up against before I had to do the same with the whole of Kerxon.

∞∞∞∞∞

"So, the Prophet, the being we thought only led us out of our nomadic phase of existence, really altered our... us and helped you and Jessica evolve from monkeys?"

I lovingly ran my fingers through Judith's long black hair after she repeated what I had told her and my other mates about The Prophet's involvement with their evolution. I nodded hesitantly as she finished.

Judith got most of what she asked right, and my smile at her was filled with pride for my wolfkin mate. My smile caused her triangular ears peeking through her long black hair to twitch while an adorable blush colored her fair-skinned cheeks.

After her breasts pressed against my leg and she laid her head on my thigh while she enjoyed my affection, I looked over at Jessica. She just sighed and laid her head on my shoulder. I gently kissed her forehead then smiled as I saw she wanted to say more.

"So, we must get everyone on Kerxon to fight these thulu?" she asked.

I gave Jessica a nod then turned my attention to Larisa. A loud "HA!" escaped her. I chuckled at her outburst and waited out her remaining snorts of amusement while she used a few delicate fingers to cover her smiling lips.

"I'm not sure what planet The Prophet has been watching, but if anything, the cities will throw the humans at whatever these Hemix try to kill us with while they run off to hide themselves. Mind you, the angelics and the seroci are going to throw the other races away to save their own hides regardless," Larisa said as she laid a comforting hand on mine and Jessica's thighs.

I gave my seroci mate a nod of thanks for her comment. Understanding where she was coming from still didn’t help my mood though. After I noticed Jessica fingering my hand nervously, I ran my other one over my face.

Seeing Judith and Kiki mirror the concern on Larisa's face, I grumbled under my breath.

"There is that also, but there is the possibility of converting some of them into lion shifters to even out the odds," I responded with a bit of hope in my voice.

That hope diminished as I saw Judith and Kiki's eyes widen in disbelief. As Larisa added her snort of skepticism, I glanced at Jessica who let out a long, drawn-out sigh.

"As much as your sexy lion side might make an impression, babe, I think three years won't be enough to amass an army of willing shifters from Earth and Kerxon."

I smiled down at my dejected lioness, leaning in to press my lips to hers in a soft kiss. She returned the gesture with a smile before falling back into her thoughts.

"What are we going to do then?" Kiki asked, also sounding and looking discouraged.

I shrugged in response, not having any idea how I was going to convince the world we were on to throw away thousands of years of prejudice and work together to save themselves.

At least not in time to make a difference.

"We would have to force the kings to make that particular shift in how they view humans. If we can get them to accept humans as at least citizens of our wonderful world, we might get a few thousand willing to join the other side, as it were. We will also need some serious backing from one of the more accepting kingdoms to keep them from just wiping us out," Larisa suggested.

"Even if we could get them to agree, I'm sure the emblem council has a few fingers still in each kingdom's pots. They aren't going to sit back and watch us do away with thousands of years of hard work keeping the status quo," Judith said.

The triangular ears peeking through her long black hair flattened while a scowl darkened her normally sunny features.

"They are a problem,” I agreed, “but one we can deal with swords and an ax to the neck. Swarms of hippo sized Lovecraftian monsters wiping out everyone makes them seem like a relatively easy problem to deal with."

"So, we need to get the kingdoms on board with the new world order, take care of the mysterious puppeteers hiding in their holes… oh, and save the world from an alien invasion of lab-grown monsters. Is that all?"

I watched Jessica curl a finger as she rattled off each of our monumental problems. She blew out an exasperated breath, giving me a positive smile despite her snarky response. I kissed her gently on the nose in a show of support.

"Don't forget we have to increase the number of lions with humans from Earth and Kerxon," I said.

Her nose scrunched up in distaste.

"If it was simply making babies, I think you could do it, stud," she responded before giving my dick a gentle squeeze.

"Speaking of adding to the family, what are we going to do about the drop in your power after Tamira?"

Looking over at Kiki after she asked her question, my interest in populating the world with my needy lioness diminished a little.

Tamira had chosen how she wished to die, ensuring the skinny seroci followed her into the dirt. What dried up my libido was the fact I had promised to keep her safe. And regardless of what happened, dead was very not safe.

I had to live with the price I paid for her death. Kicking Mvargus's ass with ease after she swore to me was proof enough that the increase in power would help.

It sucked that most of the angelics I met afterward were royal pricks, literally in some cases.

"We can add getting another angelic to swear to me to our plate then. I'm sure we’ll need that power boost again," I said.

"Ooh, is it going to be another woman? For all of her time under Mvargus, Tamira would have been a sight to see under our lion..."

The rest of my mates and I stared dumbfounded at Larisa after she trailed off while she imagined the dead angelic in our bed.

"What?! I'm just saying if we are going to add another person to our family, then we might as well make sure we all enjoy it. Adding an angelic to our plate to increase our lion's power isn't the most romantic reason for him gaining another mate," Larisa said with a nonchalant expression.

"As much as I agree with you about the romance part, Larisa,” my lioness said, “we need to ensure whatever angelic we get to join our family will be a good fit. I love you three more than you would believe, and I would hate to mess up what we have by bringing someone in that will start catfights."

Jessica's words caused Larisa to smile fondly before Judith and Kiki slid up my body to hug her. As my pride came together on top of me to share in our lioness's sentiment, I manfully kept my hands to myself, despite the temptation as my wolfkin and foxkin's breasts pillowed on my chest.

"As cute and sweet as that moment was, what are we going to do if the worst occurs, and we can't stop the thulu from taking over the planet?" Larisa asked after Judith and Kiki settled back onto their spots on the bed.

"I had given that particular problem some thought, and I think I might have a hazardous suggestion," I responded with a strained smile.

The Prophet had pretty much said it didn't care if we lived or died as long as it gained some data from us. My plan would hopefully keep us alive in addition to making sure we stayed well away from any thulu stomachs.

"We will be traveling back and forth to Earth to make more lion shifters, right?" Seeing my mates nod in response to my question, I continued.

"The U.S. government gave us the boot, but it was the shifters from the emblem council that we need to really avoid. Deputy Director Crenshaw most likely located us with our phones, and we don't have those anymore. If we can convince The Prophet to bend the rules a little for us, we might be able to run back to Earth and try again to beat the Thulu there."

Finishing my suggestion, I saw it hadn't been a complete flight of fancy.

After Larisa and Jessica shared a shrug, I noticed Judith and Kiki do the same. They looked back at me after their shared look. Winding myself up to defend my plan, my open mouth closed after my foxkin mate held up her hand.

"Don't even try, handsome. If you can convince The Prophet to do half of that, we are all on board," Kiki said with her hand raised to stop my verbal defense of my plan. Seeing the rest of my mates nod in agreement, I left trying to contact the alien for later and focused on what was currently on my plate.

"As long as we agree on all of that, let's get up and see what we can make happen for the day," Jessica said with a chipper tone.

I gently squeezed her before following the rest of my pride out of bed. This stopped Jessica from leaving our room, I held her confused eyes with mine.

"What are we going to do about your parents, babe? Dad and I have never gone toe to toe. I like him way too much for that, and I'm not sure I want to," I said in a sad tone.

Steve might have had a much different relationship with his wife than what I had with my wives, but he was a good man and father. Beating the shit out of him wasn't something with which I was entirely comfortable.

"Oh, he's ‘dad’ now, is he?” Jessica quipped with a wide smile.

I ran my hand through her hair fondly with a gentle nod in response. It had been lightening from its original auburn color since The Prophet had been tinkering with us. I found that I liked the near blonde color it was shifting toward.

While I admired the sight, scent, and feeling of my lioness, her smile withered as she put some thought into what I was saying.

"I'm not sure, babe. Mom and I have had some fights but nothing physical, ever. I think we should talk to them here or in Kirkton and see what they say. Whenever we talk, she says she is having the time of her life, and dad is actually starting to settle in. I would hate to upset what they have working for them right now with only a chance of shifting."

My shoulders slumped, and I frowned at Jessica's statement before I pulled her into a gentle hug. Feeling her arms wrap around my waist before she sighed into my chest, I hoped our days wouldn't be filled with uncertainty.

Following Jessica into our kitchen/dining room, I slid onto my usual seat at the table.

The passing kiss Judith applied to my lips after she put my plate in front of me was more than welcome, and my mouth watered as I became acutely aware of how ravenous I was. Digging into my food, I watched Larisa swell with pride as I ate the vegetables she was cultivating in our backyard.

The companionable silence of everyone eating their breakfast calmed some of my worries after my visit with The Prophet. However I still found myself partially focused on the massive job ahead of us.

"Judith, Kiki, dears, your heats are killing me right now. I swear if Marvin were to put some effort into getting us all pregnant, we would have more babies that we would know what to do with," Larisa said with playful derision.

Listening to the giggles from my mates after Larisa's comment about the alluring scent coming from Kiki and Judith, the amusement that her comment caused fell off quickly despite their mirth.

I watched each of my pride-mate’s smiles wither along with mine as what she had said settled into my mind.

Our lives had taken a hard left with the revelation from earlier. We weren't simply living out our lives in our bustling town anymore.

There was the doom The Prophet dropped squarely on our heads that would make raising children a bit of a stretch.

"We can deal with that problem if and when it comes. Until then, we have ways of simply enjoying our lion's affections," Kiki responded with a smile directed at me.

I nodded my agreement and felt more than a bit of relief after the rest of my pride followed suit.

If my little visit with The Prophet had resulted in me not being able to enjoy my mates, I would have had to make a memorable trip to give the alien a piece of my mind and fist.

"I might need to make a trip to Earth to refill my birth control then. I had half a pack left that I brought along when the government kicked us off-world, and it's not going to last very long once I start retaking them," Jessica said with nauseated expression on her freckled face.

I gave her a smile filled with understanding as I remembered a few conversations with Hariet about Jessica getting used to the excess hormones. Wondering how effective her birth control would be in her new body, I finished off my breakfast and collected my pride mate's empty plates.

I stacked the dishes next to the basin we used as a sink after rinsing them off. The simple task brought me pleasure. Even as a lion shifter, I could still be an asshole – much like a real lion. All I wanted to do was laze around all day while my lionesses took care of everything.

What I inherited from the beast was the need to keep what was mine safe, and that included the people of Tamira, along with the women getting up from the table.

"When are we going to break the news to the town?" I asked while looking out the window. Seeing a family of panthkin bringing in a cart of vegetables from one of the farms to sell in the central market, I felt the usual responsibility I had on my shoulders weigh a bit more heavily on me.

The little girl picking up a fallen gourd and handing it to her mother didn't have a clue that in a few years her world was going to be turned upside down -if she even survived it.

Larisa leaned against my side after then walked over to me. "That is a problem for another day when we have a plan in place to help them cope"

"Speaking of plans, we need to start your ascension into the ranks of high society if you are going to have any sort of effect on the doom heading our way," she added then kissed my bare shoulder before walking back to our room.

I watched her leave with a mix of excitement and trepidation before I shook off the latter emotion.

My excitement was primarily caused by my inner lion readying us to take our proper place in the pride of Kerxon.

The seroci knew how to stir my inner lion's lust. Larisa's figure was one you loved to watch walk away.

Jessica leaned against me, watching along as our mate left the room. "What's your plan for the day, stud?"

I opened my mouth to answer before closing it as nothing came to mind.

The list of things to do to get ready for the invasion was massive, massive enough that finding something to start on didn't come to mind right away.

"I think I will start with a quick run around town to see what we might have the construction crew start on. After that, we will see, I guess." I shrugged.

The minotaur construction specialists King Holden had sent down the mountain had done wonders, building Tamira into the bustling trade hub it had become. Most of the citizens that called my town home used the moniker for the twenty-strong group, and I saw no reason to take that away from the twelve-foot-tall men.

"Sounds like a plan, my lord. Good luck." Jessica bowed playfully.

I gave her an unamused glare as she giggled at her “title” along with Kiki.

"You're going to have to step up, Marvin. Can’t hide behind The Mistress’s skirts anymore,” Kiki added before “The Mistress” walked out of our bedroom in clothes more fit for gardening in our backyard than rubbing elbows with high society.

Larisa gave my cheek a patronizing kiss. “Ooh, am I going to get a real chance to make use of the skills that fed us this morning, instead of being stuck in a stuffy dress?"

Her comment elicited a few giggles from my other mates, and I felt a bit better about our odds.

My lion side was fully onboard with pulling the entirety of Kerxon into our pride to defend what was ours. I knew that even if it took a little challenging work and forced me to silver my tongue a little, it would be well worth it. For now, though, I just wanted to enjoy my morning.

Chapter 2

Tamira – Belin Region

Walking out of the house after my mates left to handle the upkeep of our town, I took a deep inhale before letting my inner lion out. The power of my beast filled me as I grew several feet in height and gained several dozen pounds of muscle. I stopped in my tracks when I saw Celeste and Jaco arguing a few houses away.

I still liked the woman even after her fight over a year ago with my wolfkin mate.

She had chosen to make Jaco, another wolfkin, her mate, and it seemed like there was trouble in paradise. Remembering her insistence that she disliked having someone try and make her submit to them, I left her to her decision of a mate and wished them well as I loped out of Tamira.

I put a fair distance between the walls of my town behind me before making a wide circle around my home. Waving at a few farmers cultivating the rich soil around Tamira, I smiled and returned Dobber's wave with his now healed arm as he drove cattle to the river outside town.

"They are going to hate having to lose all of their hard work if we are going to make Tamira a fortress," I grumbled to myself as I passed the halfway point of my patrol.

Taking a cue from my degree in business that had actually come in handy, somewhat, as I ran Tamira, I hoped my plan wouldn't interfere too much with the farmer's profits. It would be an injustice in my mind if we managed to push the thulu back only for the people of my town to become destitute.

I slowed my pace as I came upon one of our sawmills and felt my fingers tingle. Watching a few logs float up next to the building from upstream for processing I was reminded of how simple my life had been before The Prophet had shown itself.

My days of using my brute strength to carve a home from the neglected forest for myself and my pride seemed like a barely remembered dream compared to the reality that the alien somewhere above me had turned my life into. That simple existence was something I was going to miss dearly.

I shook my head to return to the present as I realized I had again frozen in place for a few moments too long.

A smile grew on my face as I started jogging again and saw the path into the woods that I had taken both Judith and Kiki through the day I claimed them as mine. Shaking my head again after their scent on the wind made me believe I had zoned out once more a while later I chuckled before stopping and looking over my shoulder.

"You... finally... stopped..." Kiki said between long gulps of air after she caught up with me. Offering my foxkin mate a steadying hand as she bent over to catch her breath I was reminded of her small size when both of her hands filled one of mine.

Kiki had recovered well since she had pushed her way into my pride. Her cheeks had filled out, and she had lost the gauntness from her addiction and withdrawal.

I doubted she would ever become overweight, though she could eat a horse. The only weight she might gain would be in her wide hips and thighs that I loved to feel around my head. Kiki's breasts, though not as large as my other mates, fit her body perfectly with their mouthwatering perkiness.

I opened my mouth to tease my foxkin mate about her endurance, but was distracted by Judith as she ran up behind Kiki and me.

When we had first met, my wolfkin mate had been very malnourished and had commented about losing her breasts to her old and very dead mate's neglect. Her cheekbones had filled out just as well as Kiki's had, getting back to a healthy weight while under my care. What had also filled out was her bust, which was almost a perfect match or slightly bigger than my lioness's. I smiled at her slight blush after my eyes dropped for a moment to her breasts pushed against her shirt. She walked toward Kiki and me with something held behind her back.

She and Jessica had become shopping buddies after they had both noticed that they could share clothes. I thanked my lucky stars every day they had found common ground after that revelation instead of fighting about it. There was one story in particular that Jessica told about a roommate that ended with “that bitch bringing my shit back after I broke her nose” or so she had said.

"I told you to take your time, Kiki. If we had missed him this go around then we would have gotten a chance on the next," Judith said with a soft smile for our foxkin. Watching her help Kiki stand up straight to better catch her breath I returned her loving smile.

"Well, I didn’t want to wait. Marvin is being all alpha male right now and trying to outrun his problems," Kiki said with a long stretch putting her assets on display before leaning against me.

During the months we had actually gotten to enjoy our calm life if Judith had become somewhat of the mother of our group, then Kiki was our live-in therapist.

"That never works out. That I very much do know. While I was working on my degree, you got to know who procrastinated until test days by how frantically they tried to remember what little they studied. It never worked out well for them. I was just trying to do... something," I said.

I sighed once I saw Judith and Kiki's disbelieving smiles after I explained my sudden need to ensure the safety of my town.

"People tend to try and find less than effective methods for dealing with things that overwhelm them sometimes, Marvin. I know I did quite a few things to try and get my fix while I was in the pits that didn't keep me from having to detox regardless," Kiki said with a comforting smile that I returned.

I could admit to myself that my run was a coping mechanism for the lack of actually being able to do something about our thulu problem right now with the exception of building up our defenses. Tamira's wall would keep out a few of the monsters but if we were swarmed by the things, it wouldn't be much more than a speed bump in their path.

"Ok, I can admit that I was trying to escape for a moment or two. A guys has to clear his head every once in a while," I said with a shrug and a smile directed at my mates.

As they shared a conspiratorial look before Judith pulled a basket full of food from behind her back, I realized that they had followed me for more than concern for my mental health.

"We certainly understand that you needed a moment alone after what you told us this morning, but we thought that a full stomach might help also," Kiki said with a bright smile that Judith mirrored while she put the picnic basket on display.

I gave my mates a chuckle and nodded before letting them guide me away from another sawmill next to a Kiln. The location was perfect, given its proximity to the slow flowing river, and the massive logs floating down it were turned into wide planks or fueled the ash mounds where we fired our pottery. The pottery, in turn, was sent downriver as one of our staple trade goods.

When I finally caught scent of the food in Judith's basket, my stomach rumbled loudly. Following them into a small glen, I sat heavily against a tree and enjoyed the sight of my mates setting up lunch for us. They spread a blanket on the ground as they chatted lightly about how the citizens of our town were doing (with Kiki making note of a few families that might need our help), while I fell into a light doze.

"I wonder how much sleep you actually got while the gromonix was recreating your body," Judith said waking me up.

I gave my wolfkin a small smile before shrugging. There hadn't been much time to think about if I gained any rest during the process. My little nap was proof that it wasn't much, but I forgot about most of it after I caught a glimpse of Judith's cleavage peeking out of her sundress while she kneeled next to me.

"Eat, and we can see about making up for missing last night later," she said while she brought my attention back up to her face with a bit of fruit placed between my lips.

Sucking the juice off her fingers, I smiled hungrily at the twin points that tented the front of her dress.

Taking the plate of food Kiki handed me I let my wolfkin mate enjoy the plate the foxkin gave her while I noted her eyes lingering on the bulge in my pants. Both were in heat I remembered from Larisa's remark a few hours ago.

That line of thought also brought up the fact that there was a chance that we might be growing our family during the upcoming fight. As we worked through our meal, I found that prospect a little daunting.

Jessica had mentioned the possibility of making a secret trip to Earth for some birth control until we either came out victorious or had to make one of the trips something a bit more permanent. My inner lion was more than happy to fill my mate's bellies with our children and my human half knew that all of us were grownups that could make their own decisions.

I watched Kiki give Judith a conspiratorial glance before their attention locked onto me. As they made their decision known, I smiled.

I watched them both crawl towards me from their spots on the blanket and licked my lips in anticipation. Feeling my inner lion's desire to come out and play I let myself shift some as Judith unbuttoned my shirt.

Helping her cast off my shirt I lifted my hips to let Kiki remove my pants. A long, low rumble of pleasure left my throat as the foxkin began to stroke me to full hardness and my fingers traveled up Judith's bare thighs where they were splayed beside me as she kneeled and leaned into me.

I returned the kiss my wolfkin mate gave me while I teased the soaked lips of her pussy and groaned along with her as Kiki gave my hard dick a long lick. Slowly sliding a finger into Judith while the foxkin between my legs slid me into her warm wet mouth I ran my free hand through Kiki's auburn hair before lightly gripping it in my fist.

Tasting one of Judith's sensitive nipples after she freed her breasts from her dress, I groaned into the softness she pushed into my face after Kiki forced me into her tight throat. Gently guiding her with my fist full of long auburn hair as she brought me closer to filling her mouth with my cum, I bit down gently on my wolfkin mate's diamond-hard nipple while Kiki's tail swished happily in the air.

A smile filled with the joy of pleasing my mate curled my lips as Judith's loud "fuck" of delight was accompanied by my fingers and hand between her legs being drenched with her release. I groaned out my own orgasm shortly afterwards, as Kiki pushed me over the edge by taking me all the way to the base.

As I filled her throat with my cum, I drove my softly moaning wolfkin into another orgasm by grinding the heel of my palm against her swollen clit. Releasing my immovable grip on the back of Kiki's head as she swallowed my seed, I watched Judith shiver after she moved to straddle my waist.

I smiled at the mess I had made of Judith before I gave my foxkin mate a hungry smile and beckoned her to my side.

Kiki cleaned a bit of my cum from her cheek before she smirked at my crooked finger.

"Not yet, Handsome, I want to cum on your dick, not your fingers, and Judith has first dibs on that."

Giving the foxkin a small frown after her comment, I let her have her way after my attention was diverted by Judith's pussy sliding down my dick. Her soft moan of pleasure as I filled her was accompanied by a shiver of desire from both her and Kiki as the foxkin leaned against her back.

"That being said, do you mind if I move that process along, Judith?”

Kiki’s question as the wolfkin began to slowly grind herself on me was answered by a moaned “uh-uh” that became a soft shriek of pleasure after the foxkin slid her cum coated finger under her dress. Feeling Kiki stimulating Judith’s clit with that finger as the wolfkin began to bounce in my lap I leaned up on one hand and placed the other on her hip.

“That’s right, fuck that dick wolfie,” Kiki growled into the wolfkin’s pointed ear before she pitched the nipple of one of Judith’s bouncing breasts.

As the sound of my wolfkin mate’s pleasure filled the glen around us, the sound of our bodies coming together became wetter as she rolled into one orgasm after another. I groaned in pleasure along with her throughout while my wolfkin mate's shaking hands on my chest kept her from falling off her perch.

I grew closer to filling my moaning pride mate with my seed as both her and Kiki's needy moans filled my ears. Watching Kiki's pretty face take on a desperate cast as Judith shook with another orgasm the pleading in her eyes for my cum pushed me over the edge, and I pulled Judith down with my hand on her hip before I filled her.

"That's right, cum all over that dick while he fills you with his cum. Do you want his pups, Judith?"

Judith let out a long, strangled “yes” after Kiki's question.

I noticed through my bliss that I suddenly felt warm air on my dick and a puddle of warm slickness in my lap that Judith left after both mine and Kiki's support left her.

I had less than a moment to check on Judith as she shivered on the ground next to me before my head fell back in pleasure after Kiki made use of her speed and dexterity to spin around between my legs.

She let out a long desperate moan as she filled her dripping pussy with my dick accompanied by my long groan of pleasure. As my foxkin mate groaned needily while she ground me into her, I gave her pert ass in my lap a hungry growl before I shifted fully.

A hungry pride-filled chuckle left my throat as my shaft stretched my needy foxkin to her limits.

I watched her ass shiver in my lap as my shift forced an orgasm from her. Feeling Judith shakily lean against my side as Kiki's shaking hands settled on my thighs, I kissed my wolfkin mate.

"She looks like she is going to be a while, but I want more after she is done," Judith whispered seductively into my ear.

Giving my wolfkin a shaky nod while Kiki's long needy moans filled the glen around us as she slid me in and out of her with long shaky strokes, I slid my fingers back into Judith and captured one of her reddened nipples.

I took my time filling my mates with my seed while the afternoon waned and as they laid exhausted and sated beside me a few hours later I hoped that we could still enjoy these fleeting moments while we prepared for the upcoming fight.

Chapter 3

Tamira – Belin Kingdom

"I think they are giving him more than a quick lunch out there," Larisa said to Jessica as she came in from tending her garden. Picking a bit of dirt off her shirt that she had missed before coming in she chuckled along with her sister wife.

"I wouldn't be surprised if they were making up for last night. That was a little scary Larisa just having him disappear on us like that," Jessica responded somberly after their fit of giggles ended.

Coming home ready to ride her man into the bed had turned into a quiet manhunt between her, Judith, Larisa, and Kiki. They had managed to keep from alerting the rest of the town that Marvin had disappeared during it, but it had been a close thing after Celeste had asked what they were up to.

"That it was, Jessica. He's home now though and he even brought a surprise with him," Larisa said after she bumped the morose woman with her hip. Joining her in putting something together to eat she took a bite of some of the vegetables she put in the salad she was making.

"I don't see how you stomach eating like a rabbit every day. I need meat in my diet, or I get cranky, especially after coming here," Jessica said with a distasteful grimace at the salad Larisa had created.

"You get used to it over time. You wouldn't believe how long it took for me to convince my father that it wasn't beneath us to just eat fruits and vegetables. We finally came to an agreement by me adding fish and eggs to my diet with my father making their presentation as gaudy as possible." Larisa and Jessica both shared a chuckle.

As Jessica hummed happily while making a sandwich filled with meaty goodness, she gave Larisa a knowing smile after she caught the seroci staring longingly out of the window in their kitchen.

"He will be home soon, Larisa. Hopefully with a plan in mind to keep our home and people safe," Jessica said to the distracted woman before placing a kiss on her cheek. Taking her plate to the dining room after receiving a small smile in return she sat and waited for her sister wife to join her.

"As much confidence as I have in Marvin's abilities to keep his pride safe, I wasn't so much worried about them as us and the babies we might make," Larisa said as she took her seat.

Jessica gave her comment a nod before looking at her sandwich. The huge thing's appeal had lessened after Larisa's comment, but she was hungry and took a bite out of it regardless.

After swallowing the food she’d chewed, Jessica said, "My trip to Earth should help with that problem though I can't be sure that the pills will do what they are supposed to do with us being shifters."

"They do sound much simpler than what we have to deal with. The teas that my mother insisted on me using weren't the tastiest," Larisa said then giggled at the loud gag Jessica had made after her comment.

Jessica had given the concoction a tiny taste after talking with the seroci about her younger years, and it hadn't gone over well.

"Never again,” Jessica said.

Laughing along with Larisa she shivered with disgust after her statement they both gave their meals a long stare.

"I don't know how you are going to take this, Larisa, but if I end up pregnant even with everything that is going to happen, I don't think I would get rid of it," Jessica said.

Larisa gave her a long look before nodding and taking a bite of her salad.

"I don't think any of us would choose to do that. I know if I end up pregnant that Marvin will move mountains to keep us safe well more than he already does."

Jessica gave Larisa's comment a nod before smiling to herself as she imagined what their little cubs might look like. Chuckling to herself as she got a little too excited and shifted, she smiled at Larisa after the seroci teased the tip of her tail.

"Speaking of growing our family, I think we could do a little better building the home we will raise them in."

Still a little distracted by the seroci's fingers teasing the end of her tail Jessica moaned softly before she gave her a questioning look.

"Marvin has his plans, and I have a few of my own. I think we might be able to convince the construction crew to hire on some more men to discreetly fix up the old estate at the edge of town. If our luck does fail us and we would at least have the room to raise our lion's cubs."

Jessica gave Larisa's suggestion a smile as she imagined what that huge but decrepit old place would look like if properly renovated. She lost a few moments in also imagining their rugrats tearing through the massive mansion and returned the seroci's smile after she noticed Larisa's purple eyes slide down the curves of her body.

"A little fun before our lion gets back and we test said luck?"

Giving Larisa a giggle and nod as the seroci's teasing sent a shiver down her spine Jessica followed her lead and rushed to finish her food to fuel their upcoming "fun".

∞∞∞∞∞

"I think if we reinforce and widen the wall there should be enough room to have a path along the top to let the defenders get around without having to get down."

Running my finger along the drawing of my plans for Tamira's wall upgrades with the leader of the construction crew, Bylek, behind me, I was grateful for the minotaur simply nodding his understanding.

I chalked up the minotaur's simple agreement to his kingdom's increasingly frequent battles with the thulu. There had been an attack of one or two thulu in the mountains that Holden had handled over the past two months.

The Minotaur King had mentioned that killing the alien monsters hadn't been a big deal, but I knew taking on one of them or even two was going to be very different than killing or even holding off enough of them to wipe out the world.

"We can build it up to your specifications, but it won't be cheap or quick," Bylek said.

"We have the money and hopefully the time to make it work, Bylek. Just get it started and let me know what else you might need."

I shook hands with the massive minotaur and watched him send off a centaur runner to get his crew together.

A small group on their way to Kirkton passed us. I had put it together to get us some new human candidates to change into lion shifters.

I hoped they would have better luck than I had the last time I was there.

I took my time walking through the town as the sun brushed against the horizon behind me. The shadows crept along the ground at an angle with a brooding tension. Feeling a shiver run down my spine I hoped my plans would be enough to keep the similarly shadowy tentacles of the thulu at bay.

Chapter 4

Tamira – Belin Region

Walking out of the bathroom of my home after a shit, shower, and shave a week after I had met with Bylek, I leaned against the doorframe leading into our room and enjoyed the sight of my lioness getting dressed.

As the sounds of Bylek's crew working on my plans for the wall made their muffled way into our room I watched her give me a smile and a shake of her ass after she noticed me leering.

"Watch out, stud. Keep that up and we might not get to see mom and dad until tomorrow," Jessica said with a wink.

Chuckling as I gave her comment a shake of my head before walking towards our dresser to get dressed, I laid a less than gentle smack on her ass as I passed her. Enjoying the purr of pleasure my lioness let out afterward I tempered my desire to take the invitation her yellow eyes gave me.

"We can leave that until after we see if they are going to let us lay into them with a chance of their beasts coming out. I don't know about you, but even if the Prophet is an all-knowing super-advanced peace-loving alien, I still have my doubts—especially about with the whole peace-loving part, with it knowing what will happen if I beat on my in-laws," I said with a grimace as I pulled on a pair of underwear and pants.

I looked over my shoulder at my mate as she pulled on a sensible pair of pants and took note of the scowl my words had put on her face.

"I'm not sure how mom and dad will take our ‘offer’. Mom's last message was a little weird," Jessica said as she pulled up her almost blonde hair into a ponytail.

Giving her a curious stare that had nothing to do with her adjusting her bra that had shifted while she pulled on a shirt, I pulled my shirt over my head and buttoned it up.

"Here, maybe you can figure out what is going on with them," Jessica said after handing me a letter covered with her mother's handwriting.

I watched her walk out of the room to finish preparing for our trip to Kirkton before I skimmed over the paper in my hand. "Not sure what she was concerned about they seem like they are having a great... oh," I trailed off after catching the subtext of Margret's note, where she mentioned a bit of difficulty with Steve and their new lover.

"Yikes, that can't be good," I muttered through clenched teeth.

During my attempt at father and son-in-law bonding time Steve had mentioned how he was feeling bitter, sour, and resentful and I was sure that he had some problems with the new man in their marriage. I know I sure as hell would.

"Out of the frying pan and into the fire I guess." A sigh left me after I rose from the bed and set the troublesome letter on the dresser.

If Steve and Margaret both agreed to let us beat their beasts out of them, then they might also go through the emotional changes Jessica and I had. Finding a bit of amusement after I tried imagining my inner lion accepting another man into my pride, I wondered if Steve and Margret's roles in their marriage might also shift.

"I have everything packed and the ladies said they would make sure to meet us at the gate Bylek has been working on," Jessica said as she handed me a pack stuffed to the brim with supplies.

I nodded before shouldering the pack and following my mate out of our home. Walking away from the hastily built single-story home, it still felt odd not to have to lock up behind ourselves. Despite the frontier town feel that Tamira maintained, killing Mvargus and taking over his pack had done wonders for limiting criminal activity in our region.

There was the occasional monster attack from the mountain, and small groups of two to five bandits that we still had to deal with occasionally, but in town, at least, crime was pretty much nonexistent. Waving at a few of the guards that comprised the defenders of our town as Jessica and I neared the area that would hold the main gate, I watched her wave at Celeste as the panthkin talked with a few returning hunters.

I gave the woman my own wave as we neared Bylek's work area, but then turned to give my mate a confused look after the panthkin rushed off. "Any idea where that came from?" I asked Jessica while we both watched Celeste hurry away from us.

"I'm not sure. We talked just a few days ago, and she didn't seem like she had a problem with you."

I still felt a little put out by the panthkin woman's response to my wave, but then my attention was taken up by my happy foxkin mate slamming into my back. Not being moved even an inch, despite being surprised by her sudden embrace, I kissed her soundly before Jessica collected one of her own from the redhead.

"Enough to hold a lady over, I guess,” Kiki eventually said when she came back up for air. “What's up with Celeste?"

Jessica and I both shook our heads in response to Kiki's question before we both smiled at Judith and Larisa behind her.

"I got you both these,” my wolfkin mate said, “so you will at least have a fresh meal for breakfast and lunch." Judith handed Jessica and me each a bundle that smelled tantalizing enough that it set my mouth to watering.

We both took our time showing our wolfkin some appreciation before Larisa's gentle touch where our tails grew from our backs sent chills up both our spines.

"Don't forget me,” the seductive seroci murmured, “the one you are going to leave behind to make sure this town keeps running smoothly."

Sharing a chuckle with Jessica after Larisa finished her statement with a cute pout, I took my time kissing the seroci breathless, while Jessica finished up with Judith.

"Wow! That will indeed hold a lady over!"

Laughing along with the rest of my mates as Jessica chose to dip Larisa suddenly before kissing her silent, I pulled my wolf and foxkin into a hug.

"Take care, both of you. There has been word of a bandit group hiding in the forest between us and Kirkton," Judith said, all the while nuzzling her cheek into my chest.

"Thbbpt, they will handle them if they are stupid enough to attack them on the road. I just wish I could see our sexy lion and lioness in action," Kiki said with a playful dejected look on her face.

I ran my hand up her back before kissing her once again while Larisa gasped for air after Jessica finished kissing her and gave my smiling mate a shrug.

"You and the others got plenty of sexy lion and lioness last night. I think you all will survive a week or two without and I'm sure Jessica will be happy to make up for our absence," I said as Larisa finally recovered from her back-to-back asphyxiations.

"Oooh, did I hear presents were being offered for our suffering? I would like to request mine be shiny and expensive!"

Chuckling and giving my needy seroci mate a nod before looking over at my smiling lioness and inclining my head toward the road. Passing out another round of kisses to our mates with Jessica I caught a glimpse of Celeste watching us from behind a stack of crates.

I chose to ignore our peeping panthkin and enjoyed my view as I followed Jessica down the road toward Kirkton.

The woman's strange actions must have had some source, but she had a relationship she had fought for with Jaco and I had enough on my plate with Steve and Margret's ongoing strife to deal with.

Belin Region

Slowing my steps as the moon overhead dropped below the horizon and my night vision grew bad enough that keeping up our run would become hazardous, I followed my lioness into a small clearing just off the road.

"I'm glad we had the same idea. I can't count the rocks I almost missed over the past few miles," Jessica said after dropping her pack on the ground.

"That is definitely the truth. That deer almost gave me a heart attack, though I wonder if I should have chased it down, we would at least have some fresh meat tonight."

I pulled out my "meal" for the night of dried meat and similarly dry fruit while my mouth watered as I imagined how good some deer meat fresh off the spit would taste.

The past few days had been pretty much the same with us running from sunup to moon down. Our fast travel would put us in Kirkton hopefully tomorrow or the next day. Missing my wolfkin's cooking dearly after the second day of dried food, I took a bite of the tough meat before taking a drink of my water.

"I'm going to ask Judith to make a five-course meal to eat by myself after we get back," Jessica said after she plopped down next to me.

Chuckling and nodding in agreement with her grumbled statement, I gave my lioness a kiss of thanks on her cheek for the branches for our fire for the night.

I helped Jessica dig a shallow pit for our fire as the sounds of the nighttime forest filled the air around us. Smiling at each other as we took turns stacking the branches in a little game we had made; I pulled my fire-starting kit from my pack after my lioness placed the last branch.

I basked in the warmth of the fire once it caught along with my mate's familiar warmth against me. The smell of the branches burning tickled my nose as we enjoyed the relative silence of the wilderness.

"Do you remember that time Peter had us all put our tips together for the night and tried to pay them out "evenly" as a "teambuilding" exercise?"

It took a moment for me to remember the incident in question, but a snort of amusement left me after I remembered how well Peter's plan had gone over.

For two weeks afterward, everyone had agreed to give the shittiest customer service possible. It had resulted in less money coming in for us in the way of tips, but the restaurant had lost half of its business in that time that took almost two months to get back to normal through a lot of coupons and free meals being handed out.

What had also happened was Jessica and I walking to the bus stop each night during those two weeks and trading stories about what we both did to drive customers away. There had been several missed or skipped buses during that time while we traded stories and talked about what we would rather be doing than slaving away for Peter.

"How is that circus career going?" I asked after I bumped Jessica's shoulder.

"About as well as your porta potty cleaning business," she responded with a light laugh that put a smile on my face. Looking over at her after her laughter fell off, I kissed her smiling lips.

"I'm glad you chose to let me kidnap you, babe," I said while I leaned my forehead against hers.

"I told you I was in, and I meant for the long haul, Marvin," my lioness responded before giving the silly smile on my face a quick peck.

That peck devolved into an intense kiss, and I swallowed Jessica's soft moan as my free hand made its way down her curves.

As my fingers began to slip into her pants to enjoy my mate as I had every night during this trip a growl of irritation and not desire left my throat as the light breeze shifted around us. Ending our kiss but staying close to her I saw my lioness's slight nod that signaled she had noticed the scent of someone else in our little clearing.

"Lean up and I will act like I am working on your pants. Shift once you know where they are, and I will follow you."

After Jessica pulled me down and murmured her plan into my ear in a whisper even I barely heard, I gave my mate a tiny nod. Letting out a growl of desire to mask the true intention of her actions, I leaned up and let my head fall back as she groped me through my pants.

My lioness was as good as her word, and I made myself focus on where the scent of the shifters around us originated from as quickly as I could while she made swift work of the belt on my pants.

I growled savagely after I found the two foxkin shifters behind us along with the three bear, wolf, and panthkin ones behind them. Shifting as much as I could before jumping to my feet, I angled myself toward the five men and women behind Jessica.

After pulling her to her feet and beginning our rush toward the people who had tried to sneak up behind us a grin grew on my face after I noticed they had only just reacted to our movements.

I gave the first surprised foxkin a toothy smile a split second before my fist slammed into her face.

Kicking out at the other foxkin that had been next to the now tumbling woman I grimaced in distaste after the dexterous bandit evaded my kick by millimeters. Feeling the wind Jessica formed after she rushed past me, I tried again to kick the foxkin that had evaded the first one by falling on his ass.

I followed the slippery bandit after he rolled away and paid for my single-minded focus on taking him out with a dagger in my side from the now recovered foxkin woman. Lashing out with my claws that barely managed to crease the woman's cheek I gave a moment of thought to moving the fight back into the clearing behind men to grab my double-bladed minotaur ax.

My decision to move the fight back cost me a few cuts and stab wounds as I drew closer to my weapon. Taking most of those stab wounds while trying to grapple with my smaller but quicker opponents I grasped the haft of my ax with a smile before sweeping it out in front of me.

I frowned a little after I noticed both foxkin had moved out of range of my coming sweep before flanking me and trying to attack me from both sides.

Another wide sweep with my ax answered their attempts to flank us. I tried to move the fight back toward the sounds of my lioness's fight with the other three bandits as a few loud gunshots filled the night air. My glance toward the shots cost me, as the well-coordinated pair rushed me again.

I growled at them as they tried to come at me from both sides again. Keeping my attention on the male foxkin, I suppressed a smirk after I slammed the head of my axe on the female foxkin's leading foot.

Her scream of pain ended suddenly as I spun and stepped around her.

The greedy female foxkin's head thumped to the ground between me and my remaining opponent.

I kept my focus on my other foe and rightly assumed the fight was more than done.

Overwhelming my single opponent took me a few long moments but he fell swiftly after I killed his partner. Looking over to my lioness's fight after the blade of my ax passed through the bottom part of his torso, I was stunned by her almost too fluid attacks.

My mouth dropped open after I recognized what weapon she was using against her opponent.

The farming scythe my mate was using with incredible skill shouldn’t have been anywhere near as effective as it was.

I watched Jessica duck and spin under the bearkin bandit's attack that would have cut her in two, if it had connected, with her scythe spinning over her back and catching the unnerved bandit behind his leg. Dumbfounded by what I was watching, I grimaced as she pulled the curved blade through his leg and shouldered the bearkin aside, knocking the new amputee to the ground.

I flinched sympathetically as Jessica drove the tip of her scythe's blade through her opponent’s skull. At the same time as the sounds of bone and brain being crushed filled the air, I heard the very dead foxkin's upper body hit the ground next to my feet.

I drove the blade of my ax into his skull in an act of mercy after I saw his eyes rolling in his head. Leaving it there, I walked over to my mate.

Jessica pulling the scythe's blade from the dead bearkin's skull helped me find my voice again after she expertly twirled the farm tool become deadly weapon in one hand.

"Jessica?" I asked in an awestruck tone.

I knew my lioness was as deadly as she was sexy, but even the short bit of her fight that I had caught drove my opinion of her to new heights.

"Marvin, what is this thing called?"

A look of glee was plastered Jessica's face as she put the scythe through its paces making the blade cutting through the air sing audibly.

“It's a scythe,” I mumbled while I watched awestruck.

Her smile grew as she deftly twirled the curved shaft of the farming tool behind her from one hand to the other. I chuckled to myself after she ended her exhibition by driving the haft into the dirt.

"It reminds me of when I was a flag girl in junior high and high school. The curve does take a little getting used to, though," she said while examining the scythe she had just used to kill three bandits in the time it had taken me to kill two.

"Well, it was never really the best weapon. It was more something that peasants improvised to fight with out of necessity, if memory serves—though you make it look more dangerous than it has any right to be, babe," I said with a smile.

Watching my lioness cut down the much larger bearkin had been sexy violence incarnate as far as I was concerned. If we found a little time in Kirkton or Tamira after we were back home, I was going to outfit my deadly mate with something a little more purpose-built.

My inner lion agreed wholeheartedly with sharpening our mate's deadly claws. I hoped we would have time to get her exactly what she needed in Kirkton.

"Thanks, babe you look pretty tasty too with that ax. Now, I think I smelled a stream a few miles back, if we can catch a few hours of sleep and backtrack a little I wouldn't mind finishing what we started before we were rudely interrupted."

I gave my smiling mate a nod after she put the blood stains on her clothes on display before giving my own less than clean clothes a glance. Seeing that the dead foxkin had bled all over my pants after he fell apart, I glanced at my bloody hands and wondered how much soap and stream water it would take to get the blood out from under my claws.

"Not up for making the trip right now, we are going to be pretty sticky in the morning," I asked with a playful smile. Catching the scent of Jessica's excitement over her new toy I watched her give my question a bit of thought before a mischievous smile grew on her face.

"All kinds of sticky right now anyway. What do you say, stud, if you can catch me before I reach the stream, I will let you clean me up before you get me dirty and clean me up again, hmm?"

Her challenge given, she left me with my mouth open after my mate suddenly pulled off her soiled clothes and tore off into the night. Yanking my ax out of the foxkin's skull I dropped it and what few clothing items I could get off next to our packs and the smoldering fire before I ran after my tempting mate.

Her tail swishing against the shadowed ass I was going to dirty after I caught her led me through the darkness.

I was glad for our swift pace toward Kirkton. I was going to burn a few hours of the extra time we had gained by paying back my temptress of a mate.

Chapter 5

Kirkton – Belin Region

We walked through the gates of Kirkton after waiting our turn in the long morning line filled with farmers ready to sell their goods. I noticed Jessica smile after a few children ran past us.

"They look a little better fed than the first time we were here," Jessica said happily.

I gave my mate a nod as I agreed with her comment about kids whose cheeks didn't look anywhere as sunken as they had been during our first visit.

Our small town had done more than thrive over the past few months. It had enriched the whole area of the Belin Region with the few crops that we had been able to cultivate in that brief time.

The trade agreements we had been able to make - mainly due to my spoiled seroci - had done wonders for the price and availability of food. Walking through the streets of Kirkton, we reached the market square. After looking around at the patrons and sellers beginning to fill it, I slowed my pace somewhat as I saw the slave market beginning to open.

Seeing the humans that would be going on sale in a few hours being shackled together to keep any of them from running off I shook my head and moved to catch up with my lioness.

I could have spent the morning freeing them from their chains, but as Larisa had reminded me before we made our trip, we could only take on so many people before the next, much larger harvest was ready. Coupled with that limitation and a new plan for the silver in my pack left over from our exile from Earth, I also had the perfect person to hopefully make the first beta lion in my pride.

"Well, it seems like mom left a little bit out of her letter..." My mate ground her teeth in frustration.

I stopped next to Jessica, as she ended her growly comment about the yelling coming from her parent's home with a grimace of intense distaste. Listening to Margret and Steve yelling at their wolfkin lover, Yusef, I gave Jessica a hesitant smile.

Steve, Margaret, and Yusef's outbursts must have been much more frequent than we had both believed. Seeing most of the residents of the area going about their business as if world war three wasn't about to explode out of our parent's home I gave my furious mate a gentle push on her back and followed her to the door.

I was glad she had decided to leave the farming scythe with the dead bandits as she stomped up to Margaret and Steve's door before trying to beat the barrier off its hinges. Waving to a few bearkin and wolfkin shifters dressed in guard uniforms that were walking past us on patrol I watched them shake their heads after the shouting from inside the house ended before continuing on their way.

"What!!!... Oh hey, Pumpkin! We weren't expecting you two for another couple of days," Steve said after he opened the door with a bit more force than necessary.

He tried to put on a happy face, though the unconscious rub on the back of his neck made me question his strained smile. Jessica's frown at her father made my smile fall after I saw the other two members of their household walking up behind him to greet us.

Yusef was a tallish brown-haired wolfkin that had been one of the Laring refugees about the same age as his mates that Steve and Margret had met while working on the farms in Tamira. Moving to Kirkton to set up their own fields had partially been his idea in hopes of using the more established markets to make more money than they could now in my town.

The man would have been an excellent beta for some packs, if not an alpha in his own right but after Margret shoved him out of the way to hug Jessica, I fought a smile after I saw the real person in charge of their home. After getting my own hug from my mother-in-law I gave Steve's hand a firm shake before giving Yusef a hard look.

I hadn't missed his sneer of indignance after Margret had pushed him aside nor the fact that he had purposefully put himself in her way. Letting a bit of my inner lion out after the staring contest continued for a moment too long, I let the man escape into his home after his tsk of distaste.

"I'm glad you both made it safely here, but I still haven't finished cleaning up so come on in and don't mind the mess," Margret said before pulling her still glaring daughter into her home.

I gave Steve a questioning look after his wife completely ignored the fight that had been going on only a few minutes before. He gave me a firm shake of his head and I followed him in. I pulled the door closed behind me before I followed them into their well-lit home.

I felt a bit of jealousy as I took in the much more modern amenities that I hoped to bring to Tamira sooner than later. Chuckling a little as I almost missed the switch that would turn on the ceiling light in their living room, I took a seat next to my mate and watched her continue to glare at her parents.

"You said you two had something to ask us in per..."

"No! You don't get to just ignore all of... whatever that was that we just walked in on! What's going on mom? You said it had been a little rough since you guys got here, but rough is a few days of silence before working things out—not screaming at each other and airing your fucking dirty laundry before the whole town!!!"

I leaned a little bit away from my incensed lioness as her anger over her mother avoiding the fight that we had walked in on caused her to shift slightly.

"Control your mate, Marvin!” Yusef demanded. “She doesn't live here and has no say or reason to question what goes on in our home!"

A disbelieving chuckle burst out of me at Yusef's demand, and I placed a calming hand on my lioness's thigh to keep her from leaping off the couch at him.

I gave the three people sitting across from us a long look and smiled after I noted both Margret and Steve were vibrating with rage in their seats. Yusef's position against the wall behind them, I assumed, was the only reason they hadn’t jumped up to chastise the wolfkin.

I locked my gaze on the beastkin and smiled.

"My mate can say whatever she wants to her parents. That discussion is between them. If you want to add your two cents then I suggest you mind your manners before I help you find some," I said with my smile showing the wolfkin a dozen potential helpers to help him find them.

After the wolfkin's hesitant nod I let out a calming breath and reversed my partial shift.

"So! What is going on you two and maybe three, Yusef, if you mind your manners?"

I didn't hide the smile that grew on my face after Jessica looked over at the wolfkin after her comment. Turning my attention back to our parents I saw that they weren't going to let us in on the reason for their relationship problems.

Margaret had her lips held in a firm line that reminded me of Mrs. Jensen whenever she was trying extremely hard to hold back some unkind words. Steve's expression closely mirrors his wife's which was to be expected after being married to the same person for over thirty years.

"We are going through a down moment, pumpkin. Everyone does and we can talk about it later after our heads have cooled a little," Steve said in a much calmer tone than his expression would have called for.

"As long as you three don't hurt each other I can wait to hear what is really going on. I just don't like seeing you two fight. No offense, Yusef," Jessica said after a few moments and a long sigh.

"I wouldn't say there wasn't any taken but if you love your parents half as much as I do, then I think I can let it go," Yusef said with a small smile.

"I would also like to apologize to you also, Marvin. After I saw you two on our doorstep, I thought I was going to have to defend myself against four people instead of just these two."

I gave the three people in front of me a curious look after Yusef ended his apology after crossing the distance between him, Margaret, and Steve. Watching Margret's expression soften somewhat after Yusef placed his hand on her shoulder I gave Steve's similarly calm face a frown after he gave the wolfkin's hand on his shoulder a gentle pat.

"As long as you three think you can make it through whatever is going on, I am ok with waiting, but as to the reason why we came."

My explanation of The Prophet's assurance that Jessica and I needed to attack them until their inner lions decided to come out to defend them was met with mixed results.

Yusef was mildly interested in my proposition—that is, until I mentioned attacking his pack mates. After I told them we would be beating on them, his disinterested expression took on a decidedly less pleasant cast.

Margaret for her part remained calm and thoughtful throughout, but I imagined the wheels in her mind were spinning at a mile per minute.

Steve just looked surprised after I mentioned that he and Margaret had died when we had come to Kerxon.

"So, you got my daughter killed one...two... however many times you decided to travel to this place?!!!"

I gave my father-in-law's outburst a gentle nod while both Margaret and Yusef tried to calm him down.

Jessica had made her choice and hadn't blamed me for what had happened, and if Steve wanted to make an issue of it, then we were going to revisit his relationship's problems before we delved into mine.

"We all are fine despite what it took to get here and even better if we endure a little pain," Margaret said to her husband in a soothing tone.

I let Steve calm a little while Jessica rubbed my hand nervously. If her father chose to take issue with what had happened, that was out of my control. I would take my verbal licks and maybe a few physical ones.

I knew if one of my children died, even tangentially, it would take some time for me to get over it. Smiling a little as I contemplated what trouble mine and Jessica's child could, and likely would get up to on Kerxon, I turned my attention back to my in-laws.

"Can we have some time to talk about it?” Yusef asked me. “We have just settled into Kirkton and having these two try and hide the fact that they have suddenly become shifters would almost be as bad as trying to explain how they became lions."

I gave the wolfkin a small nod after looking over at my mate.

She might have to hurt her mother and or father to make their shift happen, and after our first conversation, I knew she still had some reservations.

"Good, we will send you a letter after we make our decision," Margaret replied with a small smile for me and Jessica.

"I'm glad we all are on board. Now, I had planned on a big dinner for all of us the day you were supposed to arrive, so there isn't anything fancy in the pantry now—but I still hope you two will stay long enough to eat."

Giving my mother-in-law a chuckle and nod at her offer, Jessica did the same before we all got up from our seats to see what we could make for breakfast.

"Marvin, come with me," Steve said.

I followed my father-in-law into the alley behind their home after my lioness left me to whatever he had planned for me with a gentle pat on my arm.

"How much of what this grominax says do you believe?"

Smiling a little when Steve butchered the name of the alien, I crossed my arms and gave his question some thought before responding. "Nothing it told me has been incorrect so far. I killed one of the thulu in the mountains near our home, and my toes did miraculously reappear. But as far as I am concerned, and Jessica agrees, the dying thing doesn't matter," I said.

I waited while Steve grumbled a bit before responding.

"Fine, I can try and sway those two. If I can be a little candid with you, Marvin I'm not really happy here. I miss having something I know how to do and using that to keep my family comfortable. Hell, I have been learning about electrical work here in my free time away from the fields. I am hoping this lion shifter thing might fix what we have going on..."

After Steve trailed off with a long sigh, I gave his shoulder a gentle pat.

"It is infuriating having to play the part of a second-class citizen every time we go out,” he admitted. “I can't tell you how many times I have had to keep myself from knocking one of these fuckers out after they disrespected Margaret. Yusef has been great, in that regard. If he hits them, then it is just a fight between shifters. If I lose my cool, it opens my family up to a different set of problems. What I am trying to say, is that I am on board, and I hope this works, son."

Giving my father-in-law a smile and nod after his confession, I understood his problem with how humans were treated on Kerxon. There had been a few times where a shift had ended an argument between me and one of Rough Neck's residents. I couldn't imagine trying to manage the other shifters without at least being on even ground with them.

I patted Steve's shoulder, again.

My father-in-law let out a sigh and gave me a tired smile before leading me back into the house. We were greeted with the smell of food cooking as Jessica and Margaret chatted in the kitchen. Giving Yusef a long look that told the wolfkin to keep his mouth shut—a look that Steve mirrored—I returned his smile after he placed a finger over his lips.

As Steve, Yusef, and I struck up a conversation about how the plummeting price of goods was affecting the two towns we lived in, I hoped that the next time we saw these three, two of them would be joining the shifter world, as lions alongside me and Jessica.

Chapter 6

Tamira – Belin Region

Taking our time walking into Tamira after our visit with Steve, Margaret, and Yusef as the sun reached its zenith, I frowned a little after passing another smithy.

I had tried, and completely failed, to escape from the clutches of my mate to find a smith in Kirkton willing to forge the blade for my lioness's scythe. As we walked past the building, I tried, and failed yet again, to find a reason to separate from her.

"I wonder what Judith is going to make tonight. Mom's cooking is great but our wolfie's talent in the kitchen makes me wonder sometimes how we stay fit," Jessica said before turning with a chuckle down one of the cobblestone streets toward our home.

Nodding distractedly, my mind went into overdrive on how I was going to make her gift a surprise, now that we were back home. My long "hmm" of contemplation saved me from gaining my mate's ire, as she confused the thoughtful sound with me agreeing with her.

"I hope Larisa likes her gift," Jessica said.

I watched my lioness's silly smile grow a little, as she held up our gift to Larisa. The necklace that we’d had time to commission was made of gold, and inlaid with silver. The admittedly well-crafted accessory seemed a little plain without Earth's penchant for encrusting jewelry with diamonds or other gems. This was Kerxon, though, and Jessica and I had both agreed it just being made of the rare metals would be a statement in and of itself.

As we walked around the next curve in the road leading to our home at the end of it, my plans to escape and head back to the smithy we had passed ended when I saw a giant mountain goat eating leaves from the tree outside of our home.

"Didn't you say something about minotaurs riding big goats?" Jessica asked in a whisper.

"Yeah, and they usually only let royalty ride them—or those sent by the head honchos. Come on, babe, let's go see what they want," I replied in a normal level of voice.

The minotaurs were our allies, and knew just how tough fighting me could be. Added to that, was the important role honor played for the huge race. I was less worried about their visit, compared to what they might want to ask of us.

Opening the door to our home after managing not to gawk at the huge mountain goat—which could easily have peered over my head after I’d shifted fully—I heard Larisa chuckle while Jessica and I dropped our packs at the door.

"Oh, you got lucky today, Samiel. Hello, my loves, this is Samiel—a messenger from King Holden and a very impatient one at that," Larisa said after she walked over to collect hugs and kisses from Jessica and me.

Keeping the show of affection short, due to our important guest grumbling softly after I passed our seroci to my lioness, I walked over to the ten-foot-tall minotaur and offered him my hand. "Thank you for waiting for us. I know just how rare it is for an Esture rider to be sent anywhere other than to chieftains from the King, and even more so outside of your kingdom."

I returned the huge messenger's smile as he changed his attitude and shook my hand once he saw I was more than another ignorant outsider from another kingdom. After our handshake ended, and I’d watched Jessica lead Larisa away to explain what had happened with her parents, I felt a little bad for the minotaur's assumption.

Learning about their culture and ideologies had been a necessary part of working alongside the minotaurs—essential to keeping the peace between us. My knowledge about the Esture riders, though, had been a bit of a pet project so as not to make myself look like a fool, if ever I got the chance to ride one of their mounts. My experiences with horses on Kerxon had been a mixed bag, and if I was going to have to deal with an animal that I was riding being an asshole, I figured it might as well be an awesome asshole.

I kept my excitement over the messenger's visit to myself while I took a seat and waited for the huge bull man to deliver his message.

"King Holden sent me two days ago to call on you to uphold the agreement between our kingdoms. There has been a thulu'griff sighting in the mountains..."

The Esture rider trailed off when his mention of more thulus being found on Kerxon brought me to my feet. I gave the minotaur an apologetic smile for my rudeness, before I let out a long sigh.

"Has it attacked any of the villages? Or began feeding on the monsters in the mountains?"

"No, it had wandered a few miles and eaten only an ogre so far, though it has been two days since I was sent to deliver my message," the Esture rider replied.

It took me a moment to remember what an ogre was on Kerxon, from the book on the creatures Larisa had found for me. I sighed in relief as the memory came to me. Ogres, while usually over eight feet tall and very strong, were also barely sentient blobs of fat. I hoped the monster was the only meal the thulu had gotten.

The one I had killed had been close to splitting after eating two full-grown minotaurs. A single ogre was nowhere near enough organic material for that to happen.

"I need at least a day to prepare to make my way there. My mate and I just got back from a trip to Kirkton, and I need to rest from that long run," I said with a small smile for my guest.

"A day or two should be acceptable to the King, but I suggest you don't linger longer than that."

I gave the Esture rider a firm nod after his statement and then followed him out of my home to see him off to report back to King Holden.

When we reached his mount, I gave the Esture a few scratches just behind his horns—which reminded me of a big horn sheep’s. I smiled to myself after I watched its rider gawk at me.

"Most men, or women for that matter, would have been laid on their ass by him for that," he said with wide eyes.

"Most men or women would have tried to touch his face first, and pissed him off. Safe travels and let King Holden know that I should be at the edge of his kingdom in three or four days," I replied before stepping back to let the minotaur leave.

Watching him rush down the road toward the edge of my town I sighed and pushed my jealously back down deep where it belonged.

"I am getting my sexy lion fix before you leave," Larisa declared when I walked back into our home.

Listening to Jessica snicker at our seroci's petulant tone I took note of my lioness's change of clothes. Her damp skin clung to the light dress she had put on. Fresh out of the shower, my eyes were naturally drawn to her curves. The change of clothes was a welcome change from the armor and leather pants that we’d been traveling in.

Seeing a light flush on Larisa's face, I imagined she’d already gotten a taste of our sexy lioness to take the edge off.

"Keep staring like that,” Jessica murmured, “and I might have to take three showers today. Now, before we make up for lost time when Judith and Kiki get back from their errands, did the minotaur have anything else to say while you two were outside?"

"Not much… just that I need to be in the mountains in four days or less," I said then pulled my shirt off and tossed it in the corner of our room.

Turning around to sit on the edge of our bed to work on my dust-covered boots, I stopped in my tracks after seeing both of my mates watching me intently by the door to our room.

“Don’t let us stop you, stud, you were just getting to the best part,” Jessica said in a sultry voice.

I lost a few moments while I watched her doing something between Larisa’s legs with her hand behind her back. Thinking I knew what it was, I moved a little quicker to get both my boots and my pants off.

After I managed to do so in record time—to my lioness's amusement—I slid back on our bed and watched our curvy seroci strip off her dress, her purple eyes locking on my dick while she licked her lips. Kissing my other mate after Larisa dropped between my legs and surrounded my dick with her soft breasts, I hoped they would give me enough time to at least pack for my upcoming trip.

Belin Region

Swaying in the saddle of my favorite gelding three days after the Esture rider's visit, I took a long drink from my water jug and grumbled once again at my bad luck.

The time I had spent home had been mostly taken up by my mates before this trip into the mountains, though I wasn’t truly complaining. I had enjoyed myself immensely during Judith's surprise picnic in the short day of rest I’d permitted myself, as well as the languid sex that came with it. I’d also spent some time with my foxkin checking on the farmers on the outskirts of our town. Kiki had even lent a hand with me helping the construction crew building the wall around our town.

My admittedly short time at home had been full of quality time with my mates and productive enough, as I did my best to whittle down my long to-do list. What I hadn't been able to do, was to sneak away from my pride long enough to secretly commission my lioness's scythe. That little bit of business remaining unfinished grated on my nerves. It wasn't lost on me that my worry might have stemmed from the fact that I was riding toward another confrontation with the thulu.

"I wonder if I can sneak in when I get back and get that done before I get home?" I mused to myself while I waved away Kerxon's version of a horsefly.

Taking the well-mannered animal with me instead of just making the run here had been a decision made more in pragmatism than necessity. After my last fight with the dangerous alien creatures, I would much rather ride back into town than limp home if the fight didn't go as well as I hoped.

I had been surprised when I’d seen Celeste watch me leave through the still unfinished front gates, and even more by the small wave that she gave me. I had also noticed a few new faces in the construction crew but the panthkin woman's strange turnaround had stuck with me more than a few more minotaurs in my town.

Celeste's much warmer sendoff had been appreciated, but I was confused as to why she still chose not to speak to me and left me waving at her back. Shaking my head, I tried to envision what might be the cause for her odd behavior.

Nearing the tree line after heading up the path toward where I had last found minotaurs on the mountain, I didn't think I would be so lucky as to escape detection. I smiled and stopped my horse after I caught the bovine scent of minotaurs on the wind.

"I can smell you! Come on out, so I can get to killing Lovecraftian horrors," I shouted towards the trees in front of me.

Watching a group of six of the huge minotaurs walk out of the cover of the trees after my voice finished echoing off the forest, I gave my gelding a gentle kick to get him moving.

"Hey, guys! How far up the lonely mountain are we heading today?" The smile on my face dipped after my joke fell flat.

None of the minotaurs’ serious expressions changed one single bit, and one of them even gave me a derisive sneer. "You might have gained the King's favor but killing one of the monsters of the mountain is very different from battling one of us in single combat. Make sure you keep up human there are things up higher that would love to make a snack out of you."

I gave the minotaur that had "cautioned" me a grim nod.

They turned and marched swiftly up the mountain road. I followed close behind. Taking no offense after their assumption or insult that I was human, I agreed with my inner lion that we would let our actions speak louder than any bluster I might have made in response.

Both Jessica and I usually kept to our Kerxon altered human forms while in our town, reserving our ears and tails when we were by ourselves, or with our mates. Letting the beast out at the proper time would also let me enjoy the surprise on their faces when I handled their thulu problem.

I gave the minotaur ax hanging on my saddle bag an anticipatory pat. I had won it by killing its owner, and I hoped it would see some use soon, as I put the minotaurs in their proper place.

I rode behind the group several hours later after my attempts to start a conversation to pass the time were met with silent stares at best—and in one instance, one of the huge minotaurs stealthily trying to knock me off my mount. Watching the woods around us after that last rebuke, I saw the usual woodland animals like small rodents and a few birds but also a few fantasy creatures that made my eyes widen a little.

A dragon flew overhead, pulling me out of my reverie.

Bylek's crew contained a few strange creatures from the myths and legends from Earth, centaurs being a few members of the hard-working group. Having interacted with the four-legged workers, along with a few smaller monster races, still didn’t prepare me for the giant flying lizard that suddenly coasted over the tree line.

Its flight path was a little too low for my liking.

I had managed to keep my composure during its revelation, even though the creature must have been close to one hundred feet long. Seeing it cross over the peak of the mountain behind us, I hoped I would miss the massive monster when I went back through the pass that we had traveled through to get to this side of the mountain.

"We are close to the meeting point that is near the last village that was attacked, human. I hope you know how lucky you are to see it, even in its current state, without chains around your neck."

Giving the leader of the minotaur group, whose name I still didn't know, a nod after his comment, I followed them through the dense tree line and felt worried after I saw the state of the village we walked into.

Small fires that still smoldered in crushed and dilapidated homes followed a path of destruction through what should have been a peaceful village, its homes full of happy families. I cautiously walked around a depression in the torn-up dirt road that was suspiciously minotaur shaped. What also stood out to me as I passed a fence crushed into the dirt halfway down its length, was the lack of bodies.

I grimaced before I took that revelation in stride. I did feel a bit of pride in the village's absent residents after I saw the purple tint of the grass in a field. They had at least taken one of the alien monsters with them while the thulu destroyed their homes.

I almost missed the small contingent of twenty minotaurs at the opposite end of the small village, as I imagined Tamira being subjected to the destruction I saw.

My heart rate rose as I looked over the huge single-story homes that had housed minotaur families flattened and ripped apart by an unknown number of thulus. Seeing their orderly fields torn up and their crops demolished by thulu footprints upset me as I rode up to the leader of our small group.

"Did everyone get out ok?"

I felt a little relief after I saw the minuscule nod the minotaur gave me in answer to my question. The fact the thulu hadn't gained any more organic material to grow was secondary to my relief that the attack hadn't taken anyone from their families—and vice versa.

"This attack occurred yesterday, and we have been following the beast since we discovered it a week ago," the minotaur replied.

I gave his response a nod and swallowed the guilt that tried to build after I realized I had been enjoying time with my mates while the people of the destroyed village had been running for their lives. The thulu would end up taking lives, regardless of what I did, and the only thing that would help would be to prepare us for the hermix invasion.

Chapter 7

Belin Mountain Range – Belin Region

"Welcome back, Itrum. I'm glad you were able to collect the human for our King."

Looking over at the minotaur that I had been following for half the day—whose name I’d just learned was Itrum, after one of the groups of twenty minotaurs greeted him—I gave the speaker a nod as I stopped my gelding beside them.

“He’s here and ready for work, Abe. Now, where has the thulu’griff run off to?”

I gave my horse another gentle kick to get him going while the two minotaurs began walking toward the valley that separated the mountain ranges behind and in front of us. As I caught a bit of what they said, I hoped we could reach the scouts that were keeping track of the thulu before it reached the next village in its path.

"I warned Gant to keep his distance from it after reading the report from the King."

My interest was piqued by the fact that the minotaurs were smart enough to place scouts around the rampaging alien beast. Jardon and the minotaurs he commanded had been more apt to rush in and use their weapons to handle problems during their time in my town. That particular method had worked wonders against the bandit groups that sprung up occasionally, but I was glad Abe was going to take a different route with the thulu we were following.

After close to twenty minutes of silence while we crossed the small valley that had held the destroyed village, I caught the scent of another minotaur. Looking over at a random tree we were about to walk past, I smiled when the eyes of the minotaur hiding in it widened once he saw me looking up at him. Enjoying the slight flinch that passed through the group I was following, the minotaur dropped to the ground next to Abe and Itrum.

I moved my horse to the front of the group once they’d stopped.

"Gant, how far away is the beast?"

I took note of the flash of irritation that skittered across Gant's bovine face before he looked up the foot of the mountain we had reached.

He glared at the trail of broken trees and turned-up dirt. "I have been waiting for an hour for you to arrive, so not much farther than a mile or so."

Looking back at this Gant after his reply to Abe, I noticed for the first time that he was significantly shorter and less muscular than the twelve-foot-tall minotaurs I had been following. Still close to eight feet tall, Gant wasn't anywhere close to being short, but I was curious as to how and why he’d become the runt of the litter.

"Good, it shouldn't take too long for us to catch up with and handle the beast. You can go and recall your men, Gant. We are here, now, and you are no longer needed."

My eyes widened a little at Abe's dismissive tone, while Gant sneered at the larger minotaur before running up the path the thulu had carved through the woods. I hopped off my horse, tying it to a tree while I wondered if the source of the two minotaurs' less than polite tones originated from bad blood between the two of them, and not from some stupid infighting.

I was going to have enough problems getting the kings of the different kingdoms to work together, without having to fix problems within their factions. Jogging after the minotaurs that had left me behind to chase after the thulu, I let my inner lion out to play and then rushed past them.

Sprinting past Gant and smiling at the surprise written on his face after I blew past him, I pushed my enlarged body harder to get me to the alien monster quicker. Once my senses had grown sharper after my body reached its full size, I caught the faint sounds of the thulu ahead of me knocking over the trees in its path.

Rounding a boulder the thulu had shifted during its march up the mountain, I caught sight of it and readied myself to leap on its back before it noticed me.

I made that leap after I closed enough distance between us and chose to try and cut off three of the six tentacles behind the left side of its head, first, to remove that source of danger. Then I planned to start on the other side before the left side tentacles regrew. Watching the back of the beast fill my view as I came down on its back, I grimaced when I realized that it was a great deal larger than the first and only other thulu I had killed.

Ignoring the roar that the thing let out after my ax cleaved through the tentacles on its left side, I tried—and mostly succeeded—to shoot it with the submachine gun in my other hand, aiming for its raised head.

I ducked under one of its three remaining tentacles that tried to knock me off of its back, managing to swing my ax from my precarious perch hard enough to cut it in half. After the clip ran out in my gun, I tossed it to the side instead of wasting time trying to reload it. Then, I cut off the creature’s two remaining tentacles beside its head off before going to town on its head and back.

Covered in the thulu's blood as I ducked and dodged its other tentacles, I worked on removing them as the opportunities presented themselves, all while trying to cut the monster down to size.

I rolled off the beast’s back with a growled "Fuck!" after it forced me to choose between being crushed in the grip of five of its flexible appendages and fighting it from the ground. Deciding on the latter, and losing the ability to fight it without the thing being able to see me, I dodged behind it—hoping to repeat my winning strategy from the first one I had killed.

I smiled and ignored the disgusting taste of its blood in my mouth after I cleaved through one of its six legs.

It let out a deafening scream of pain before trying to run from me. After giving my ax a victorious twirl as the beast gave me the perfect opportunity to end our battle quickly, I let out a surprised "oof" as I was roughly shoved to the side.

"Out of our way, outsider. This beast will fall to our might and not those little swipes from your stolen ax!"

I landed lightly on my feet after Abe's shove and had to leap to the side once more after a group of his men tried to trample me on their way to gain some glory or die trying.

Shoving the second to last minotaur in the group of twenty-five out of my way as I tried to caution their leader, I groaned out loud when they attempted to stop its retreat by surrounding it.

"You idiots are going to get eaten and fuck this up!!!” I shouted. “What the fuck are you all doing?!!! Get the fuck away from its head!!!"

I let out a long roar of frustration when three of the thulu's remaining nine tentacles collected a few minotaur snacks before crushing them and swallowing them whole. I grimaced as the beast grew even larger than its original size, with brand-new tentacles replacing the ones I had cut off.

That it stayed in one piece was a comforting relief.

I worried that Holden’s reports might have been a little skewed in the minotaur’s favor as I focused on trying to keep them from drowning us in thulu.

After seeing that the minotaurs had ignored my shout and remained in front of the creature, trying to fend off its tentacles I spotted Abe amidst them. I rushed over to this group. I leaped over the shuffling thulu and managed to surprise the beast, once again cleaving my ax through a few of its tentacles before grasping one of Abe's horns and pulling the minotaur to the ground.

After ducking beneath the thulu's wide counterattacking sweep of its tentacles, I dragged the struggling minotaur a few yards away from the still ongoing battle. A battle that the minotaurs were losing.

"You need to tell your men to get away from its face and attack it from the sides and back before it..."

I groaned in frustration as I watched a long tear run down the thulu’s tough hide from the tip of its snout to its short tail when it managed to swallow a few more minotaurs.

"Before it does that… fuck! Get your men to attack the second one that is splitting off from the first from the flanks and rear," I told the still struggling minotaur.

"I don't take orders from an honorless outsider like you. We will give the beast the respect it is due, the same respect we give all the others we live among within these mountains! Now let me go and move, I have men to lead and work to do."

Grinding my teeth together at the stubborn man's dismissal, I swung his head to the side as I released him. I grumbled to myself when the action failed to snap his bull neck and end my frustration, then I leaped to my feet and readied myself for more of a drawn-out battle than I’d hoped for.

Rushing toward the still splitting Thulu, even as it managed to eat another minotaur with one of its two mouths, I made it my job to stay on one of the two backs it was forming to cut off the now twenty-four tentacles the two heads had between them.

I lost myself in dodging and ducking its attacks while landing a few blows to its head and spine. My efforts managed to slow its feeding on the slowly dwindling group of stubborn minotaurs before I groaned loudly as the second one began to split in two.

“There is going to be a third one soon, Abe!!! How about we try this shit my way and hopefully survive so you can tell me I was right?!”

Eyeing the harried minotaur after he dropped to the ground once I had severed the tentacle holding him from the thulu’s body, I gave him a toothy smile after he gave me a grateful nod. With the minotaur’s honor in its proper place, with their dead, I leaped over to the second and soon-to-be third thulu and began hacking at its back legs like my life depended on it.

I grabbed another fallen ax after the first leg I had been attacking flew from the thulu’s body, covering me in its blood. As the creature stared at me, I roared ferociously and swung both my axes like a madman at its leg. Almost running in my attempt to keep the alien creature from splitting into two and making my day even worse, I found myself shoulder deep in its chest before the familiar sight of its huge body swelling returned me to reality.

Leaving both axes embedded in its chest, I took note of the fact that it only had two and a half remaining legs. I legged it away from the upcoming explosion of blood, bones, and guts.

I turned my attention to the much larger thulu that we had initially been tracking as the explosive pop of the one I had killed reached my ears. Ducking a large tooth that missed my head by inches, I felt a not insignificant amount of relief when I saw that the remaining one was struggling to regenerate the limbs the minotaurs were hacking off.

Rushing toward them to help them finish it off, I shook my head at the stubborn idiots who were trying to keep the beast contained by still attacking its head.

I dove into the side of the beast with a roar using another ax I had found to cut into the upper joint of its middle leg before dropping to the ground and grabbing another ownerless ax. As the thulu's slow trot gained a pronounced limp after my attack slowing the beast further, I gave Abe a scathing glare before inclining my head at his men still attacking its head.

Abe swelled with rage before shouting at his men to "move to the rear" where I joined them in cutting down the alien creature after I saved another minotaur from becoming the thing's snack. With one less bit of organic material for it to use to grow and multiply, and the rest of the minotaurs now cleaving chunks off its ass, we made quick work of the last monster.

I took my time walking away from the thulu as it began to swell. After locating a softish bit of ground next to a nearby tree, I sat down and smiled as the monster exploded. The loud popping sound it made overcame the cheer of one of the minotaur groups for a moment. Their cheers were accompanied by the sound of purple blood and guts raining down a few moments later.

Wishing my horse were nearby so I could get my canteen, I grimaced in distaste when I tried to let go of the ax I had been using. The blood-covered haft left my hand with sticky slowness.

Raising my nose, I tried to scent any nearby water and grumbled when all I could smell was the foul stench of thulu blood. It covered me from head to toe. Looking around for any signs of the cool clear water I wanted, I caught sight of Gant—the minotaur scout who had escaped the alien monster's rampage by hiding in a tree.

I nodded at the scout after he saw me looking at him and saw the minotaur disappear into the forest behind him. I felt no ill will toward him for staying out of the fight. If things had gone terribly wrong and we had all been killed by the thulu, I would much rather my mates and the minotaur King know what was coming for them.

I groaned loudly as I rose from my resting spot on the ground to walk back toward Abe. Smirking at the minotaur while he stared at the group covered in thulu guts, I counted the remaining minotaur and then glared at him.

"I don't know what will happen to you when you bring only six men out of twenty back home, but I hope you will think better next time of disregarding someone simply because of their origin. Now, I need to get home and take a shower or bath—and not in that order—so I will see you later, Abe."

After patting the shocked man on his broad shoulder in passing, I made my way back downhill toward my horse. I ignored the thulu blood that was trying to glue my pants to my ass. I had done what I said I was going to do—I’d killed the alien threat to the minotaur kingdom.

I only hoped that Gant's report held more weight than Abe's, if the minotaur I’d just shamed decided to try and fuck me over. I pushed down the worry that my victory caused.

There was an invasion coming, and if I had to deal with more thick-skulled honor-bound assholes, I would be shifting my plans to let the thulu have the idiots and only save those who were smart enough to save themselves—even if their honor were lost.

There was an old adage from Earth that came to mind, as my sticky ass made a sickening squelch in my saddle when I mounted up. While I looked for a river to jump into as I rode towards home, I had to admit there was probably a marked difference between the number of honorable individuals up in heaven and those still alive on Earth.

Chapter 8

Tamira – Belin Region

Catching sight of Tamira while I wiped a bead of water that had trailed down to my face from my recent dip in a nearby river, I gave the large contingent of soldiers from Kirkton bearing the King's standard a curious stare.

I gave my similarly damp gelding a gentle pull on his reins to get him moving faster towards home. After noticing the soldiers simply going about their business in the impromptu camp that they had set up outside of Tamira, I slowed my horse’s canter back down to a leisurely walk.

Kirkton’s last visit a few weeks ago had gone well enough, that a visit from someone that called for this level of protection was worrisome. Closing the distance between me and the edge of the encampment, I noticed a few heavy trucks with trailers attached to them guarded by several soldiers fingering the triggers on their weapons.

A little taken aback by the heavily armed guards, I managed to keep myself from shifting and running straight home to figure out what was going on.

"They aren't attacking us yet, Marvin. Calm down, and let's go see what's happening," I muttered to myself as I walked around the encampment.

Maintaining my slow walk as the early morning sun started to warm my damp clothes, I took my time making my way home—hoping to dry out a bit more before meeting whoever the soldiers were protecting. I took note of the sneers some of them gave me when I turned toward the still unfinished gates, and I wondered again how I might be able to make that particular prejudice go the fuck away.

I gave Bylek and his crew a nod of greeting as I passed them, making a bee-line for the stables to drop off my gelding, even as I felt the eyes of the soldiers behind me burning a hole into the back of my skull. There had been quite a few sneers directed at me from the soldiers. As I passed the reins of my gelding off to a bearkin stableman, I counted four derisive sneers in the small group I could see looking back over my shoulder at them.

Whatever goodwill I had built with Kirkton after killing Mvargas was clearly gone.

Greeting a few of the residents of my town as I walked briskly toward my home—and hopefully an explanation from my mates about who and why we had so many guests encamped outside the city—I growled right along with my inner lion when I saw another group of armed soldiers standing in front of my home.

I ignored their calls to name myself as I brushed past them and enjoyed their looks of surprise after they attempted to stop me physically and failed. I took note of Itorin's calm voice starting to respond to a question from Jessica as I opened the door to my home, dropping my pack next to the door.

Seeing the dried thulu blood that still remained on it, even after my frustrating attempts to clean it, I left the stain it was making in our foyer a problem for later. I wanted to find out some answers about our new guests.

"Again, Jessica, our King does indeed need all of the goods I listed out for Baroness Larisa yesterday. We all must give sometimes in service to the kingdom as a whole, and Tamira is in a position to help ensure the kingdom’s safety and prosperity."

I grimaced as Itorin tried to use his politi-speak on my lioness. I placed my hand on her shoulder after I walked into the room.

"What does Tamira have that the city of Kirkton needs, Itorin?"

Asking my question before taking a seat between my mates, after they made room for me, I returned their surprised looks with a grin before returning my attention back to the panthkin ambassador. I smiled politely as he sat back in the chair across from us, relaxing in turn amidst the wide smiles of my pride.

"First of all, welcome back, Marvin. I am glad that your mission with the minotaurs went well. To answer your question, King Terr has asked Baroness Larisa to provide quite a bit of metal to help with a... disagreement between his kingdom and a kingdom of no concern to you. What is of concern to me, and the King, is the baroness's denial of my reasonable request of a percentage of the metal she has stockpiled."

I looked over to my seroci mate after Itorin finished his reasonable-sounding request. I leaned over to her when she crooked a finger at me, her lips pressed in a firm line.

"Reasonable my ass! He, the King, is asking for over two-thirds of our metal to build up his reserves that fell during Mvargas's rampage! I told him that we would need a day to decide on how we were going to make the… free, mind you… transfer work!”

Eyes widening while Larisa explained Itorin’s explanation for his and the soldier’s presence in a barely audible hiss, I realized now why there were soldiers camped outside our home and town. They were here to strong-arm us into giving up some of the metal we had traded for from the minotaur kingdom.

I noticed Jessica’s death glare at the calm older panthkin. I gave Itorin a glare of my own and, when my lioness gently pulled me over to her. I gave her my ear.

"There isn't a way to make this shit sandwich taste any better, babe. Larisa and I spent all day yesterday trying to figure out how to get back what they are trying to take from us by trading with the minotaur kingdom. It will take more than a year to recover from this—and all the smarmy words in the world won't make up for them fucking us over like this!"

As she explained what they had done to try and mitigate the damage caused by the King's greed, I let out a long sigh after Jessica's last whispered word hissed in my ear.

Itorin and the soldiers presence explained, I tried to calm my irritation with the panthkin. It wasn’t like this was his idea. He was just the messenger.

I turned back to the irritatingly calm panthkin. "There is an old adage that you seem to be aware of, even if you don't know about it directly, Itorin. Don't kill the messenger seems to be the primary goal for this personal visit—if the army outside our town and the soldiers stationed in front of my home are any indication. You'll get your metal, Itorin… but remember that when things go south on Kerxon, that the Belin Kingdom decided to shoot their best chance of surviving in the knee in favor of lining their pockets and salvaging their pride."

Rising from my chair after my declaration, I walked to Larisa's office and found the papers with King Terr's request after a short search. I also found a blanket and pillow from our bed that smelled of Jessica and Larisa. I signed the papers and dropped them in Itorin's lap. Managing to keep a scowl of indignation off my face, I barely kept myself from punching the smiling panthkin in his smug face.

"Signed and stamped, now get out of my house, Itorin," I rumbled after he’d finished inspecting the request.

"I am not sure that the King will accept this request if it is signed by a human, Baroness Larisa," he replied in a calm, composed tone.

"He is my husband, Itorin, and speaks with my voice. If the King doesn't like his signature on those ransom papers, then he can very well bring his own ass down here to watch me sign them himself."

Smiling as Itorin's eyes grew a little wide as Larisa told him to tell the ruler of their kingdom to ‘bring his own ass’ to Tamira, I stepped aside to let him leave after he cleared his throat indignantly and rose from his seat. Following the man to our front door, I almost shifted in anger when he stopped and gave me an appraising look.

"King Terr's no challenge binding oath notwithstanding, I don't think him finding out that there is another shifter race to worry about will turn out well for you, Marvin. You might not display it proudly, but you and your lioness haven't escaped notice entirely. The emblem council might have gone into hiding, but there are inquisitors whose job it is to handle surprises just like yours."

I vibrated with indignation and rage as the panthkin threatened my family and my lion tried to surface before he raised a hand to stop me from responding.

"Saying that, lion shifter, what you have going on in your corner of the kingdom has begun to make people start talking. Humans rising to positions of true power isn't something that Terr—or any other King—will let go unchallenged. There will be a cost to your attempts to make that change happen.” He studied me for a moment. “I just hope you are prepared and willing to pay the price once the bill comes due."

Losing my bluster as Itorin finished speaking, I gave the older man a firm nod before letting him leave my home unmolested. Even as my hands ached to wring his scrawny neck and my lion wished to taste his blood on our tongue, I let reason overcome those baser desires. With a heavy sigh, I closed and locked the door behind him.

Itorin, was just as smarmy as Jessica had called him and less than trustworthy—as his position called for him to be—but he was right. I knew the man must have spies integrated in Tamira's populace. My secret, which I’d hoped to keep from King Terr and the other Kings for a bit longer, as a lion shifter wouldn't last. What gave me pause, was his take on what my signature on that request would mean.

My attempt to change the social standing of humans on Kerxon was going to make waves—and even if we managed to make it happen, as Itorin had said, there would be a cost associated with such a change. How much we and our town would have to pay was the thing that worried me the most.

Walking toward the bathroom for a much-needed shower, I smiled when I heard Judith walk into our home through the back door of our house.

"Hello, lovers. I see our lion chased the scary soldiers away. How much of our metal did the smarmy panthkin make off with, Larisa?"

I smiled as my wolfkin mate crossed the room to kiss me, after setting down her basket full of vegetables from our garden, and before she asked our seroci her question.

"Enough that Marvin will have to adjust his plans for the wall that will protect our home in less than three years. I hope one of Terr’s toes gets crushed by a nice big piece of ore—or better yet… his head, if luck is on our side."

Stealing a kiss from my incensed seroci mate before making my way again to the shower, I smiled as Judith told her about Kiki's efforts to calm the worries of our town's residents after Terr's soldiers had arrived. I walked into our bedroom and sat down on our bed to pull my boots off, only to have Jessica follow me into the room and sit beside me.

She didn’t say a word, simply wrapping her arms around my shoulder and kissed me on the cheek.

"Hey, I'm going to take a shower to get the crust off. Do you want to join me and wash my back?" I asked with a gentle smile.

"I guess I could. I could certainly use a shower of my own. I spent all day yesterday running around and talking to the minotaur merchants and emissaries… trying to mitigate the effects of our ‘gift’ to Terr."

Helping my lioness to her feet after she air quoted and grumbled a bit more about the greedy King, we both stripped. I grimaced as a bit of thulu blood I had missed stuck my shirt to the center of my back . Dropping the soiled clothing into the dirty pile with a grunt, I followed my lioness into the bathroom.

I enjoyed the always riveting show of Jessica's naked body as she turned on the shower and adjusted the temperature before jumping in with a groan of pleasure. Joining her, I let out my own bliss-filled rumble of appreciation as I felt days of dirt, grime, and alien blood slough off me as I soaped up.

"What is this purple stuff between your shoulder blades, babe?" Jessica asked.

I gave my mate a long look as I contemplated explaining how I had been covered in alien blood for the past day and a half before shrugging. "Thulu blood. They pop like a balloon when they die," I responded before groaning again at how good it felt once I began to massage shampoo into my hair.

"Well, you missed some in your hair, too… because it looks like you gave Barney a blowjob, and he missed the mark."

Not having the focus to chuckle along with Jessica after her fingers went to work getting the thulu blood out of my hair, I basked in the euphoria this caused and felt my closed eyes cross in pleasure. I hunched my shoulders to force her fingers into the itch I had endured for far too long, after she began working on the spots on my back that I had missed—all the while, humming a soft tune.

"Clean as a whistle, now do me," she said with a smile, after finishing with my back.

Grabbing my forgotten soap, I cleaned the rest of my body quickly before turning around in the waterfall of warm water to return the favor to my lioness.

Smiling down at her, after she turned around and pulled her hair around her neck to bare her back for me, I began to wash her back, chuckling at the groan of relief she let out.

"Long night?” I asked. “I saw the blankets and pillows in Larisa's office."

Her long "uh-huhhhhhh" that turned into a groan when she responded as I added a gentle scratch to my back washing, caused me to chuckle before I added a bit more force into getting my swaying mate clean.

"Whew, almost fell asleep there for a second. Yes, we did spend the night in the office… and no, we didn't get to mess around—even a little. I would have thought they would want us more than stocked up with necessary resources like metal with those monsters running around in our backyard, but I guess that's just me."

Smiling as Jessica ended her statement with a tired shrug, I leaned down and kissed her before shutting off the shower. I stepped out of the shower and handed her a towel to dry off with, before following her and climbing in behind her on our bed. Pulling her back to my chest, I covered us both with the blanket.

I smiled after she almost immediately fell asleep in my arms. My eyelids began to grow heavy as my lioness's warmth and soft snores lulled me to sleep, but I had a small epiphany right before I nodded off. The settlement that had grown into Tamira had been abandoned for a reason. With its proximity to the mountains and the trade that would have offered, it should have been a bustling mining town at this point—at least even before we took ownership of it.

Why wasn’t that the case? With the relatively swift requisition of our metal stores and Itorin's assumption that we would somehow just make it work, I had to believe they had pulled this trick a few times before with the previous owners of our estate. Sighing as I burrowed my face into Jessica's nearly blonde hair, I used her calming scent to lull me into a sweet escape from my problems—at least for a few blissful hours.

Chapter 9

Tamira – Belin Region

Standing beside Bylek one morning a few weeks after my impromptu meeting with Itorin, I gave the updated plans he had made for our defensive wall a nod and wished the old panthkin hadn't run off with damn near all our ore and metal.

"The slight slope should mitigate the lack of internal reinforcement,” Bylek was saying, “but will take a bit more time to complete.” He scratched his chin. “Though… it should hold up to the monsters you are worrying about just fine."

Sighing before offering my hand for the huge minotaur to shake, I released it and laid my fingers on the edge of the plans—plans that contained my hopes for defending my new home.

"As long as it will do the job, I guess it will have to suffice. At least you didn’t quite have the gate done, and they were kind enough not to drag it down the road like the greedy fuckers they are.”

He barked a laugh.

“Let me know if you need anything, Bylek." Taking the minotaur's distracted nod for the dismissal it was after I’d finished speaking, I walked away from the partially built gate and peered down the road that led to the mountains in the distance. Seeing a few large riders on similarly large mounts, I hoped the group was part of the monthly caravan from the minotaurs, come to sell us the metal that we so desperately needed.

I had spent a few hours running from smith to smith this morning, trying secretly to commission one of them to make Jessica's scythe—but to no avail. Most of them were simply out of metal good enough to make a weapon for a shifter, and those that did have any metal, were using it to finish the work they had already agreed to do and had been paid for.

Leaning against the side of the gate to our town in the hopes of making a deal for some of the metal I prayed they had brought before the rest of the town got to it, I smiled at Celeste when I caught her scent on the warm wind.

"Hey, Celeste! I haven't talked to you in quite a while. How are things going?"

I kept my tone light after I saw her wipe the surprise off her face when I’d yelled her name, not to mention her subsequent blush that heated her cheeks before she walked over to me.

"Hi, Marvin. I am doing okay, I guess," she said awkwardly before sighing and giving me a conspiratorial smile.

"Much better, actually, now that I have a proper job with the guard, and a decent town to live in. I have to say it is much better chasing down the few criminals that we have around here, or that run through the woods you took me on."

Sharing a laugh with the panthkin woman after her ears perked up, I recalled the time I’d dragged her with me on a hunt for a group of shifters that had been in their animal forms for so long that they’d gotten stuck in them. I also remembered having to force her back into her human form - and how I had done it after she had fully shifted to help me with them.

"I take it you have learned your lesson, then?" I asked with a sly smile.

"Yup, no more running for miles chasing a stubborn lion on a full belly. Just leisurely patrols through the town for me, and..."

I gave Celeste a curious look after she trailed off, but kept my curiosity about it to myself. I wanted to reach out and hug her when her eyes grew a bit vacant. I watched her flinch away from me when I moved to do just that after close to ten seconds of silence.

"I... I've got to go, Marvin. I have patrol in a few hours, and I need to finish my shopping so I can make dinner for us after I get off. It was good talking to you. Later!"

Frowning as Celeste turned and quickly walked toward the market, her tail curled between her legs, I let the panthkin woman leave without asking about the strange change in her behavior. Looking over at the approaching group of minotaurs, my interest turned from Celeste's odd behavior to the Estures the leaders of the group were riding.

"Fuck! What now?" I grumbled before pushing off the wall I had been leaning on and walking toward the group.

Waving at a few of my citizens who were either arriving with their goods to sell at the market, or leaving town to hunt in the nearby woods, I squared my shoulders and readied myself for some relationship-building with the minotaurs. "Hello,” I called out. “I am Marvin Spencer, and I am in charge of this settlement—along with my mate, Baroness Larisa."

Stopping a dozen yards from the lead minotaur on his Estures, I waited for a response to my introduction. As the seconds ticked by, I heard the four riders talking amongst themselves. I caught a few of their glances at me, almost as if they were looking for something that only they could see.

I smiled at them when they nodded in sync.

I watched the four riders, whose horned mounts were adorned with a myriad of trinkets that I was unfamiliar with, separate and form a corridor between them. Wondering what or who could have needed this much fanfare without King Holden himself making an unscheduled visit, I gave the much smaller lightly armored minotaur woman that walked between them a curious look.

As she turned her Esture to dismount in front of me, I smiled upon recognizing the minotaurs’ princess, and said, "Princess Akasha, I am ashamed to admit that I wasn't prepared to receive such an important guest."

"My father told me of your help with our thulu'griff problem, and I decided that if you were willing to help us with that, then I might as well show you how grateful we all are with my presence before we make use of you again."

Chuckling with her after the princess's joke—that by her tone might, or might not, have been a request for more help from me—I watched her give her retinue a long look. I had noticed during her distracted glare at her retainers that my initial assumption about her features months ago had been a little off.

While she did have a minotaur’s customary muscular build and incredible fitness, though scaled down a bit, given that she was much smaller than her companions, her face more closely resembled a human's than the bovine snouts the rest of her race had. Wondering what had caused the difference, I gave her my undivided attention when she turned her gaze back to me.

"My guards will need lodging for the night while I speak with you and the baroness. I hope I am not imposing on you too much, but matters have arisen that only the two of you can handle, and time is of the essence."

Feeling my neck crack a little as I nodded up at the seven-foot-tall minotaur woman's request, I almost shifted to ease the strain on it before deciding that a nice sit-down talk would make that problem moot.

"We can have our talk, but if you and your guards don't mind, I have a very comfy chair in Larisa's office that I would prefer to make use of. By the way, did you know you are very tall?"

Finding that I liked Akasha's husky laugh after she chuckled before nodding with a smile, I led her and her group toward the town’s stables that would hold their large mounts.

"It didn't escape me that I am quite a bit taller than most of the other races that we have begun dealing with since this settlement gained a new steward in your wife. It has been a pleasant change, though, being able to travel through this area safely. You can't imagine how much those old bulls behind us treat me like a fragile little thing that will break at the slightest inconvenience or damage."

At the princess's confession, I glanced over at her with a shocked look, before continuing our walk into town. I barely managed not to laugh out loud at the concept of this woman walking next to me, who was built like an Amazon, having any trouble defending herself. Giving the twin axes whose hafts were almost longer than my arms clipped to her belt a lengthy look, I noted they had several shallow gashes on their faces that proved she used them regularly.

"I don't think much of anything would, or even could, hurt you too badly—but I have learned that the people who care about us generally won't just sit still and watch us get hurt, if we are foolish enough to put ourselves in such a situation."

"That is true, and I know they mean well… but it is stifling sometimes. I imagine it would be like having hundreds of big brothers and uncles that occasionally try and act like they are going to cut your head off during sparring."

I gave Akasha's estimation of how her guards treated her a shrug before waving to Bylek as we walked through the gates. I dropped my hand when the twelve-foot-tall man ignored me and dropped to one knee. Seeing the rest of the minotaurs and a few others of the various sentient races that shared the mountain drop to their knees as we passed by, I gave my companion a small, amused smile.

"I wonder, if we walked back and forth through here a few times, if we couldn’t get a jazzercise session going?”

I saw the princess mutter “jazzercise?” under her breath.

“But as to your comment, before Bylek decided to break out his new moves, I don't have anything to compare that to. I was, and still am, an only child – as far as I know.” I shrugged. “I didn't have any real friends or family growing up, besides my best friend and his mother."

Contemplating making another pass, just to see if the construction crew who had jumped back to their feet would drop again as quickly to one knee or if they’d get up a second time with the same pep in their step, I gave my walking companion a shrug while she frowned at me.

"Sorry, I didn't mean to bring down our conversation. I was enjoying it immensely before I had to bring up my tragic backstory."

"Nothing to worry about,” the princess waved my concern away, “though it makes sense, how you would take it upon yourself to become the caretaker of the town you have helped build."

I gave the princess another shrug at her comment before we turned toward the stables. I waited while they checked their mounts in, and gave the stable hand a list of tips to keep the large animals happy. Looking over at the group of ten minotaurs that chaperoned Akasha, I wondered where we were going to house the huge men.

Bylek and his minotaurs had built their own quarters that dwarfed all of the other buildings in our town. And though we did have an inn, I grimaced as I imagined the riders that had come with the princess trying to take rooms in it, for even one night.

"Hello, handsome. What are you up to, besides gawking at our royal guest that is, hmm?"

Turning my attention to my foxkin mate after she slid stealthily into my side, I smiled down at her before kissing the tease. Looking back at our guests, I replied, “Trying to figure out where she is going to sleep for her visit. Our spare bed would fit her like a toddler on a barbie bed, so I don't think she will be sleeping with us," I admitted with a playful sigh.

"We will figure it out.” She frowned as she peered up at the minotaurs. “I'm more concerned about feeding them for the day. Bylek and his crew have been destroying our food reserves and only just make up for it by ensuring we don't have to sleep in the dirt."

Chuckling with my mate, I pulled her along with me as Akasha finished her business with the stable hand. I watched the minotaur woman's long tail curl slightly when she saw Kiki by my side.

"You have very capable people working for you, Marvin. Dobber demonstrated quite a bit of knowledge about the Estures when he stabled them."

Giving the bearkin a thumbs up as he put away the last of the huge animals, I returned his friendly wave before smiling at the princess. "Tamira has only the best in our neck of the woods.”

I led the petite redhead at my side over to the minotaur woman. “This is my mate, Kiki. Kiki, this is Princess Akasha. After she heard about my assistance with their thulu problem, she decided to come down to visit and bother us for some more aid—though what that is, she hasn't decided to enlighten me about yet."

With introductions made, and the reason for the minotaur's visit provided, I gave the two women a curious look when a stare-down followed my explanation. As the seconds passed, I started to worry that I had said something wrong, until Akasha gave my mate a small smile that Kiki returned. I let out a soft sigh of relief when my foxkin mate offered the taller woman her hand to shake.

Akasha's large hand swallowed my petite foxkin's fingers as the princess shook her hand. With the two women sharing a smile, I grinned as Kiki slipped under my arm and led me towards our home.

Chapter 10

Tamira – Belin Region

I bent down and kissed Kiki's smiling cheek before I asked her "Feel like telling me what that was all about?"

Her soft giggle after my question did things to my stomach that I wished I could act on at that moment. Reining in my desire—or rather, promising myself a rain check to be enjoyed later—a shiver of that same need ran down my back when my foxkin pulled my head down and her warm breath tickled my ear.

"Just checking her out. You get a sixth sense about people when you are locked up behind bars. Someone might smile at you one day, and shiv you in the kidney the next. The princess doesn’t seem to be one who subscribes to that method, though. She seems like a fight you face-to-face kind of woman.” Her chuckle then sounded positively lewd. “And maybe a little bit more, if you're lucky."

Giving my mate a curious look at the latter part of her comment, she simply returned me a smug smile before leaning against me as we walked home. I shrugged in response to her silence and simply enjoyed her presence beside me for a moment before I checked on our guest over my shoulder.

Akasha's smile as she inspected our town seemed harmless enough, and I decided then and there that I liked the minotaur woman.

Reaching our front door after a short tour of our town, I inhaled deeply and smiled as I smelled whatever Judith had cooked for lunch. When Kiki chose to leave me at the door to go talk with our other mates, I looked over at our guest with a smile.

"Smells like lunch is being made. If you want to join us, I'm sure my wolfkin mate Judith has made more than enough for one more place at the table."

"That sounds wonderful, though I would prefer something vegetarian if that is possible," she replied with a smile of her own.

"I'm sure I can ask Judith to make another portion of whatever my seroci mate was going to eat. If you don't mind waiting in her office while I ask, I will see if I can't get the baroness and my other mate Jessica to join us, as well."

Leading the princess to Larisa's office to wait, I left her with a cool drink and excused myself before making my way to the kitchen after her grateful nod. I smiled as I walked through the door and saw Kiki leaning against the counter, chatting with Judith. Taking my time, I crept up behind my giggling wolfkin and laughed after making her yelp in surprise when I slipped my arms around her waist.

"Goodness, Marvin! You're lucky I wasn't working at the stove or cutting up vegetables for the soup. You're also lucky I’ve missed you enough to let that go, as long as you are willing to pay the proper price for your antics."

Smiling at my mate after I pinched one of her nipples through her blouse after hearing the suggestive tone in her voice, I took her gentle slap on my hand in stride before kissing her smiling lips. I enjoyed her soft moan of contentment while our tongues danced together before releasing her from my embrace. I then turned my attention to Kiki, who I had noticed staring at us.

"Don't mind me,” she said, wiggling her eyebrows suggestively. “I’m just enjoying the opening act before the main event later on tonight."

I gave Kiki's antics an amused shake of my head before leaning against the counter between my two mates. "I would have thought you got plenty last night, my little fox. I think me filling you up three times should have been enough to hold you over with our guest here." I let my hungry smile tell her how little I minded her request.

Last night had been a blast (almost literally), with the five of us making a mess of our bed. Glancing at the sheets hanging out to dry on the line outside of the kitchen window, I smiled as both Judith and Kiki blushed.

"Well, a lady can hope, can't she? Thinking about Larisa and Jessica eating up the cum you put in me before you did it again, has me all hot and bothered. And I think the guest room is far enough away from ours that we should be able to get away with it."

Frowning in mock disbelief at Kiki's suggestion, which Judith didn't seem opposed to, I sighed in fake exasperation, shaking my head at my needy mates.

The guest room had been purposely built as far away from our room as possible—in case Margaret and Steve came to visit and stayed the night. Wondering how good the princess's hearing was, I chose instead to focus on the task at hand—instead of wondering whether or not we could get away with a silent orgy.

"If you are a good girl, I will let you tempt me later, okay? For now, though, are Jessica and Larisa still talking with the Kirkton merchants about getting some metal for us? Or have the merchants already told us to go stick it where the sun doesn't shine?"

Sighing in real exasperation this time after Judith gave me a sad nod, I blew out a raspberry before leaning a little harder on the counter. Working on our metal problem had been frustrating, even after we had bought as much as we could from the minotaur merchants. Paying an outrageous price for what we did get, we still were painfully close to not meeting the needs of our citizens for the month.

"Well, hopefully our guest can do something about that—if we can schmooze her into throwing a bit of help our way," I muttered in a hopeful tone.

"Throw what whose way, babe? Hmm, Judith whatever you are cooking smells amazing! I am starving, and Larisa has been complaining about her stomach being empty ever since we left the merchants."

Smiling at my lioness as she walked through the back door and into the kitchen, I gave her a hug and her smiling lips a quick peck before she gave Judith's meal a long sniff. Leaving my arms, she hugged the wolfkin tight, kissing her in appreciation.

Chuckling at Jessica's silliness, I gave my seroci mate a long hug when she walked into my arms a second after Jessica left them. I kissed her frowning lips.

"No luck, I take it, with the Kirkton merchants?"

Larisa's long sigh in response my question was my answer.

Her forehead fell against my chest. "They pretty much laughed at us when we told them the amount of metal we needed. Terr pretty much cleared them out, too, and with his stupid challenge blocking bullshit in place, there is sweet-fuck-all we can do about it."

I gave my frustrated seroci's back a rub and a few gentle pats as she buried her face in my shirt before letting out a muffled scream of frustration.

"I was supposed to be enjoying my garden and getting my dose of lion dick today, and instead I have to meet with merchants who laugh at me and tell me to get behind them in line for the Terr fuck-over train. Go beat them for me, my lion, so we can steal their stuff. Then, I can get my dose of dicking and sleep soundly tonight!"

"You must have something magical in your pants, Marvin, if you have one of the proud seroci contemplating banditry just to get to it quicker."

My chuckle at Larisa's petulant tone and request ended when Akasha ducked through the doorway into the kitchen and made her comment. Silence reigned in the small space as I felt Larisa freeze against me. My other mates’ conversations faltered when the Minotaur princess waited for a response with a smile on her face.

"Well, this is awkward…” I scrubbed my face with my hands. “Ladies, this is Akasha—who you all know is the princess of the minotaur kingdom. Akasha, these are my mates: Kiki—who you have already met; Jessica, my lioness; Judith, my wolfkin mate; and last, but not least, Larisa—my needy seroci wife."

I returned the princess's smile and nod after my introductions and watched her give Jessica, Judith, and Kiki a smile that they each returned before she turned her amused gaze on Larisa's long red hair while my seroci mate remained still. Chuckling once again as Larisa's head bounced gently against my chest before she turned around and gave the princess an embarrassed smile.

I released her and she stepped forward to greet the much taller woman.

"He indeed does have something special in there, though I hope you won't take our lack of professionalism inside our home for a lack of it outside of it," Larisa said while offering Akasha her hand.

"No offense taken, though I have to say I enjoyed listening to all of you immensely," Akasha said with a wide smile as her hand engulfed my mate's.

"Good, I'm glad we can get past that embarrassing event. Now, as to your reason for visiting us, our lamenting about our recent ill handling by King Terr has kept my husband from enlightening us."

Sitting back against the counter between Jessica and Judith while Akasha explained to Larisa her reasons for visiting our town, I gave my lioness a curious look when she tapped me on the arm.

Jessica leaned in and whispered in my ear, "Her tits are huge!!! And those thighs could crush diamonds between them!"

As Judith, Kiki, and I stifled a laugh at Jessica's harsh whisper, I gave my lioness a tiny nod of agreement. The princess and Larisa chatted together before my seroci mate led the taller woman back to her office.

My eyes were drawn to the two of them, and I verified Jessica's assessment of Akasha's assets. The princess's breasts were bigger than my head, and her wide hips created quite the alluring figure. Her studded skirt did little to hide her firm ass, which also caught my eye.

There was a pretty significant gap between the bottom of her skirt and the back of her thighs, which caused vivid images of her bubbled ass to bloom in my mind. I cleared my throat when I found myself staring at empty air. I couldn’t disagree with Jessica's assessment.

I barked out a laugh after I imagined what would happen between me and her hundreds of "big brothers and uncles" if I chose to try and climb that mountain. Upon seeing Jessica's more than interested gaze, my mirth evaporated instantly.

"No."

I ignored my mate's crestfallen expression after my one-word answer to her silent plea before pushing off the counter to go join my mate and guest in Larisa's office. Jessica managed to get over her disappointment and followed me.

Akasha studied Larisa and I after I soundly kissed my seroci upon entering the office. I returned the princess’s small smile.

"Lunch should be done in a little while," Jessica grumbled as she plopped down on the couch against the far wall of the office, which meant she spoke to the princess's back.

Shaking my head as she leered at the long tail of silver Akasha had braided into her hair, I gave the princess a small nod as I passed her before sitting in the chair next to Larisa’s. I gave my seroci mate’s confused look a gentle shake of my head before turning my attention to our guest.

“Much comfier than standing around in the dirt to have this conversation. Now, did our guest bring you up to date, my baroness?”

Watching Larisa give my question a nod before she moved her chair closer to lean against me, I took the reins of the conversation, hoping we could use the goodwill we had built with the minotaurs to get them to aid us with our metal problem.

“The reason I have chosen to travel down the mountain to meet with you, is to ask for some assistance with the displaced monsters the thulu’griffs have driven out of their homes. With the expectation of strengthening our friendship and building mutual respect between our peoples, I hope you will take me up on my offer.”

I gave the small, elegant head tilt Akasha gave me and Larisa a nod of my own before giving her proposition some thought.

We had a little under eighty people permanently living in Tamira at the moment. There were many more than the one-hundred-person maximum set by Terr in our town at any given time, though most of them were merchants and farmers here to sell their goods.

A little under twenty of our populace were a part of the town guard, and could help with Akasha's problem—though I would have to go through my second, Jessica, who commanded them and approved their schedules. Giving her a look, I watched her turn her attention to me from Akasha before clenching her teeth and looking up and to the side while she did some quick calculations in her head.

"We could provide maybe five or six members of our guard to assist and still keep up with the current patrols, though they are going to want extra pay for hunting and killing monsters."

I smirked as I imagined what most of the guards would want as payment. Traipsing around a mountain full of monsters and dragons for days risking their lives for another kingdom would make anyone want to charge a pretty penny.

My lioness gave Larisa a questioning look while I kept my opinion to myself.

"We can afford to pay them rather extravagantly, if I am being honest. Our attempts to buy some metal to keep our building going and economy afloat certainly isn't being held back by lack of funds," Larisa replied with a shrug.

I smiled at my two mates after they provided Akasha with what she wanted and turned my attention back toward the woman to begin negotiations for a load of metal from them—hopefully at or below market rates. Seeing her less than enthused reaction to our acceptance of her request for help, I shelved my metal request speech for the moment to get her back in the mood to help us solve our problems.

"Is there a problem with the number of guards or their capability? I can vouch for them. They can follow orders, and have handled several bandit groups that have tried to fill the power vacuum left my Mvargus's death."

Watching Akasha's expression turn less and less interested as I spoke, I felt my hopes for more minotaur metal coming our way becoming less of a reasonable possibility.

"I came here at my father's request out of curiosity after hearing Gant's report on how you handled the thulu'griff. Your men and women would do well against any bandits that we might come upon during our travels back to the mountain, but battling ogres or even a dragon might be outside of their skill set. I would ask that you at least consider accompanying us to calm my father's worries, and to make sure your people all return safe and sound."

Groaning internally after the princess's request, I turned to look at my mates and saw them contemplating what Akasha was asking of us.

"Marvin isn't a commodity to be traded and employed at Holden's whim. He is my husband and consort who holds the same power as me, by my will and with the appropriate documentation stating as much. We understand that the monsters being upset from their normal habitats affects not just the minotaur kingdom but Tamira also. And as your neighbor, we have offered our people to help with that issue."

I sighed as I thought our negotiations at and end as Akasha frowned at my mate's argument.

"You are mistaken, Baroness Larisa. You and your husband are both commodities—commodities to my kingdom and the one you belong to. I have heard about King Terr's metal stockpile from our traders, and while we have enjoyed the profits from his purchases, we understand that it has put his own people in a bind. The minotaur kingdom is willing to provide your town with a month's worth of metal in payment for Marvin's proven capabilities—with further exclusive contracts to be made available, should he exceed our expectations."

I gave Akasha's offer a small smile as I wondered if I should be flattered by King Holden's confidence in me or like a cow being sold for slaughter. Watching Larisa give the offer some thought, I gave her a small nod after she looked over at me.

If I could fix our metal problem by swinging my ax a few times, I would swing it like the piece of meat that would make me.

"We accept your offer and can have a contract written up by tomorrow morning if that is acceptable. Until then I'm not sure where you planned to sleep for the night as the rooms in our inn are usually full of merchants this time of the month."

Akasha's smile after my seroci's suggestion caused me to blush as I remembered the offer I had made while we walked to my home.

"Marvin has offered me your spare bedroom for the night, and I think I will accept—that is, if you are okay with it," the smiling minotaur woman said while staring at me.

"Oh, he did, did he? Well, that makes us friends more than the contract you will be pulling our asses out of the fire with ever could, so I am going to be frank if you don't mind."

Watching as the princess gave my mate a smile and a nod, I gave her a questioning look.

Larissa cleared her throat and gave the minotaur woman a deadly serious stare. "Good. Now, tonight, I am going to get my dose of lion dick before you steal my husband away again, and I am not going to be quiet about it. As long as you keep to your room, I doubt we will bother you. But if you leave that room, I cannot promise my conduct will be becoming of my station."

I let out an incredulous scoff after hearing my seroci's ultimatum disguised as a friendly suggestion and I saw Jessica put in her two cents with a firm nod. Hoping that we hadn't just offended our guest and ruined the deal we had just made, I turned to her with wide eyes when she burst into loud guffaws of laughter.

Larisa and Jessica joining in made me turn my attention to them. I stared wide eyed at my mates before movement in the corner of my eye made me look over at Kiki when she poked her head into the room. Watching her give our mates and guest a long look before gazing at me, I gave her comment of "lunch is ready" a slow confused nod.

As she left the other ladies in the room to their laughter that was finally starting to peter off, I sat back and enjoyed our win. I only hoped I wouldn't regret selling myself for a few ingots of metal.

Chapter 11

Tamira – Belin Region

Groggily waking up after a long night sating my mates, I gently extracted myself from our cuddle puddle. Gently shifting Larisa's leg from across mine and moving Judith's arm from my chest, I quietly got to my feet just as nature's call began to feel like more of an insistent Karen screaming at me from my bladder.

After I enjoyed the relief that came with emptying my too-full bladder, I gave my still sleeping pride mates a smile from the doorway of our bathroom before pulling a shirt and pants from my dresser, pulling them on, and making my way to the kitchen. Finding the ingredients I’d hoped had survived Judith's second round of cooking to fill up our guest last night, I tossed together a breakfast omelet for each of us.

"Akasha might need a few of these," I muttered to myself, and began making a second and then a third vegetable omelet for the princess.

Cracking a dozen more eggs to do just that, I smiled to myself after scenting Akasha before she walked into the kitchen.

"You wouldn't happen to have any coffee made yet, would you?"

I inclined my head toward the pot sitting on the stove as I flipped the princess's second omelet over and took a sip from the cup I had made for myself.

"The sugar is in the second pot over, and I think we have some milk chilling in the ice box."

I caught a bit of Akasha's grateful smile for my forethought out of the corner of my eye as I started on her third omelet. Once that was cooking, I mixed the eggs for my second omelet, adding a few bits of bacon to the mixture.

"I've missed good coffee and sugar since the emblem council went silent. The few places that Kerxon has been able to cultivate sugar cane are nowhere near up to keeping up with demand."

I gave Akasha a curious look after I plated the last of her breakfast that had made me hold off on starting my second one.

"Are there any other items that have become scarce after the medallions went missing?" I asked the minotaur woman as I placed the plate in front of her.

"We only see so much from the mountains, and even less if it pertains to the more... advanced cites. I would assume that there is going to be a shortage of things like electronics and materials needed to keep vehicles running soon. Father tried to have a truck built for us close to a month ago to help with moving goods during the winter months, but was flatly denied."

I picked up my plate, leaving my second omelet for later, as I gave Akasha's revelation a slow nod. I masked my thoughts by eating my food slowly; I wondered if my trip to Earth might earn me more than a few beta males, or females, to grow my pride. I was certain that the profit could be put to good use.

"You mentioned that there will be supply issues in the future. What about their denial makes you or your father think that will be the case?"

Smiling a little as Akasha hummed in pleasure as she ate the first of her omelets, I returned her grateful nod and waited for her to finish. She chased the fluffy egg, peppers, onions, and cheese combination down with a swig of coffee before answering my question.

"I believe you have at least heard of Gant, right? Well, he and his tribe dug deeper into the vehicle merchant that we messaged and found a few interesting things."

I did smile this time, as the minotaur scout proved that he wasn't just a punching bag for the other minotaurs. Waiting for the princess to finish her second omelet after she took a bite, I finished off mine and moved to start on my second one.

"Neither father nor I were surprised to find the council's claws deep within the supply of goods coming from Earth. With the medallions gone, there isn't a way to fulfill orders—besides the ones they have already taken."

I poured the last of the egg mixture into the pan and waited a few seconds for Akasha to continue when she stopped speaking. As the silence stretched between us, I look back over my shoulder and had to shake my head at the small smile she was giving me.

Flipping my omelet over after the first side was done, I left the princess's secrets alone. She might like me and my mates, but spilling state secrets to someone she had only met yesterday felt like a little too much, for even me.

I finished making my breakfast and smiled after I heard Judith groan from our room as she arose from bed. My reason for waking up early this morning was mostly so that my lovely wolfkin mate could take it easy. I planned to enjoy the day or so it should take Jessica to collect the volunteers from our guard.

That would give me enough time to express my appreciation for each of my ladies, and for me to repack my bags. Larisa and I would also need time to write up a contract for the payment for those who volunteered to come with us.

I smiled when Judith walked into the kitchen and said, “Good morning, beautiful," to the sleepy head.

Her groggy smile and kiss in response pulled a chuckle from me before I snorted in amusement, seeing her eyes widened upon realizing I’d already made breakfast for her. She happily took her plate and sat next to me. The egg-flavored kiss I got after her first bite was more than worth the earlyish start to the day.

"You are lucky to have a mate that cooks for you—and cooks so well, Judith. Most of the men I get to deal with would rather shake their mate awake if she even thought about getting up after him."

Listening to Akasha while I made a mental list of the things that I would need for our trip, I smiled when Judith’s only response to the princess’s comment was to pat my arm—as her mouth was still full of her breakfast.

"He does this every now and again, and even if the food is simple, it is always very good," my mate said after she’d swallowed her mouthful.

"Hey!” I complained. “I would like you both to know that I survived college and single life just fine on those ‘simple’ meals!"

Giving them both a fake scowl in response to Judith's comment, I watched the two women exchange a knowing look that all men associate with our overblown opinion of ourselves. Catching the quiet sounds of my other mates getting out of bed over Akasha and Judith's chuckles, I bowed my head in defeat before waiting for the rest of my family to make it to the kitchen.

"I did say it was good. Did I not, Marvin? And I am not going to complain after my mate made something so delicious for me. I plan to reward it later on tonight, in fact, in the hopes of encouraging such behavior." She gave me a saucy wink.

Smiling despite myself, as my mate pushed her breasts against my arm suggestively, I gave up all pretense of being upset with her and returned the kiss she offered. I watched her give me a smug smile before returning to her meal and noticed Akasha examining us closely before smiling and shaking her head.

"You five give me hope for my future. I need to leave for a while to check in on my people in your town. If I am still invited for lunch and dinner, you can send a runner to Jardon's barracks—they will know where to find me."

Rising from my seat to walk our guest out, I smiled to myself after the princess gave me a small nod after walking out of our home and I heard my mate's sleepy excitement over the breakfast I had made. I shook my head in amusement after hearing a short round of hmms as they took their first bites and turned back to look at Akasha before closing our door.

My smile fell a bit as I watched the tall, muscular woman walk down the street toward Jardon's and I was reminded of Jessica's interest from yesterday. Watching Akasha's hips sway as she waved at a few of my town's residents, I pushed down the small voice in my mind that whispered, "nothing ventured, nothing gained."

The princess was a treasure that my lion and I wouldn't mind adding to our pride but as with Lezzo's comment, that treasure came with stipulations. Learning about their culture had enlightened me on his meaning—and it wasn't exactly what I had expected. Akasha the princess was less something to be won and more the true way into the Minotaur kingdom's good graces.

A smile or acknowledging nod from her could—and had, in fact—solidify an exiled tribe's standing, bringing them back into the fold of Holden's kingdom. Acting as his will within their borders, just as her mother, her grandmother, and her great-grandmother before her had done, my opinion of the woman grew with every story I heard and read about her.

There was also the issue of succession, but that required her suitor to at least be her match, thus ensuring the next King—or queen, curiously enough—would be strong enough to lead their people. Wondering how I would fair against her, I closed the door to cut off the temptation she represented.

It was with difficulty, however, that I twisted my thoughts away from how enticing her swaying hips and tail had looked as she walked away. That I loved watching her leave, however much I hated to see her go, was an accurate statement of things. Excluding the enormous number of minotaurs that would take offense at my meddling in their affairs, I had my own tasks to complete before I was forced to leave my home again.

Chapter 12

Belin Mountain Range – Belin Region

Passing through the tree line leading up the mountain in front of me as the morning began to warm, I smiled as the footsteps of the volunteers from Tamira behind me fell in sync with the minotaurs behind them. I was glad Akasha had chosen to walk along with us instead of leaving us to catch up with them on their birds.

I smirked when I caught Celeste glaring at me. Seeing that I was aware of her attention, she immediately looked away. The panthkin woman had balked a little when Jessica had signed her up for the mission and hadn't spoken to me for the whole six days it had taken us to reach the foot of the mountain. I had tried at least to assure the woman that I hadn't asked for her specifically, and that Jessica had sent her with me due to Celeste’s being one of the few competent warriors that she trusted to do everything necessary to keep me safe.

Watching the panthkin blush and try to ignore me for about the millionth time since we’d left Tamira, I gave the sparse forest around us a glance. While Akasha next to me talked to one of her guards about where we would be camping tonight, I gave one of the boulders that dotted the scree on either side of the trail a long look.

My attention was drawn to the gentle rise and fall of the huge rock that I assumed was caused by the heat of the perpetual summer, but after I saw the motion stutter before resuming, I gave Akasha's thigh a gentle pat. Ignoring the glare of the guard on the other side of her after he saw my hand touch his princess, I pointed to the not rock I had been looking at.

"Is that thing something we need to worry about?" I asked after Akasha looked over at me, which she did once she had given the upset minotaur a calming smile.

"Might as well, I guess. Trolls generally don't leave their caves during the day and that one must have been driven down the mountain by our thulu'griff problem."

Stepping to the side after a look from Akasha and a quick shout from her guard sent a dozen of the minotaurs she had borrowed from Jardon running toward the troll, I gave the princess's arm a curious look when she moved to bar me from joining in.

"I would ask that you just watch this time, Marvin, and learn a little before you rush in," she said, giving me with a small smile before she turned her attention to the monster her men were running toward.

I watched the princess's expression take on a decidedly commanding cast, one that didn't completely remove the pensive frown that had replaced her smile. Looking back at the small group I had brought with me, I saw them staring at the minotaurs in awe. A few marveled at the size of their opponent.

Listening to the troll roar in pain after an ax and then a sword creased its rocky hide, I barely managed to keep my mouth from dropping open when it rose to its full height. The rocky monster was at least twenty feet tall and outweighed the minotaurs attacking it by at least a dozen times. Resembling a severely overweight man on two tree trunk legs, the erratic swings of its similarly massive arms at its tormentors were nowhere near lethargic.

"It should be living peacefully in its cave, eating the rocks and making others of its kind,” the princess murmured. “Instead, it is going to die by our hands."

Looking up at Akasha after her soft statement, I saw her hands curl into fists of frustration and the crack of her knuckles was drowned out by the pitiful sound of pain that escaped out of the troll's throat. Its mewling pulled my attention back to the fight.

I played the princess's statement over in my mind while a few brave minotaurs tried, and mostly succeeded, in distracting the huge monster while a few others attacked its legs from behind. Hearing a few of my men hiss as the attackers dodged away from the troll's kicks at them, escaping with their lives by mere inches, I realized that there was true fear in the thing's grey eyes.

"It's afraid..."

"Yes, it is, and it shouldn't have to be. If it had been left alone, it wouldn't be down here to threaten our people and could have lived a long life. Unfortunately, we can't even capture it and tame the poor thing. It is too old and too big."

I watched Akasha's jaw clench after she responded to my shocked comment as one of her men's axes cleaved through the troll's ankle sending the terrified monster crashing over onto its side to the rocky ground. I remained with my men after the princess moved toward the helpless monster.

The troll lost its arms while she walked over, and I watched as she took a sword from a waiting minotaur and drove its blade into the troll's eyeball.

"I hope you all understand now what we have called you here to help out with. We aren't here to kill every monster we see, as there are some who make their home in these lower reaches of the mountain. Those that have been displaced will either need to be dealt with like the troll, if it is too dangerous to try and relocate them or, for those that can be saved, we will make every reasonable effort to do so."

Giving Akasha's order a gentle nod I found a new respect for the minotaurs as the wardens of the mountains we lived by. I gave the dead troll a long look as we passed it and gave the huge men that rejoined us a bit of silent thanks for keeping it away from our home.

Imagining what or how Tamira could defend itself against such a creature, I placed my focus on helping to prevent such a thing from ever occurring.

∞∞∞∞∞

Creeping towards a huge, green-skinned ogre a week after the death of the first troll, I gave Akasha a small nod after she stealthily pointed at its much smaller child.

I shifted as silently as I could and froze after a large foot crushed a branch beneath it. Seeing both the baby troll and its mother miss the noise as they tried to pull fish from a stream, I watched the fifteen-foot-tall female's back for any sign that I had been discovered.

I blew out a slow quiet breath when I saw that she was still fully engrossed in her fishing. I finished shifting my position and turned my attention to the baby ogre playing just beyond her mother's reach.

Our hunting expedition turned wildlife conservation adventure had brought me and a few of the minotaurs out to this stream by one of their villages to clear out the family of ogres. After waiting for the daddy ogre to go out hunting, the others had left us to lead him back up the mountain.

It had been Akasha's idea to use the baby to do the same with the mother, and as the faster of us, I was stuck being the baby sitter—well, the baby carrier—in order to get the mother to return to their normal range.

Ensuring my back right foot pressed securely against a large rock, I leaned forward onto my hands and gave the route I was supposed to take another long look. Shaking off my misgivings, I looked over at the princess—only to see her turn her attention from my tail waving above my ass, back to my face.

Rolling my eyes as I counted down from three on my raised hand, I launched myself out of my position and sprinted toward my burbling target. Sweeping the baby ogre off the rocks it had been playing on top of, I chuckled despite the situation when it let out a scream of joy. That happy shout became decidedly less happy when it saw its mother getting farther and farther away from it. And her roar of outrage put a little more speed into my strides as I neared the trees across from the stream.

I placed the still screaming baby on my hip while I used my outstretched arm to protect it from the low-lying branches that we rushed past.

"SLOW DOWN, YOU ARE LOSING HER!!!"

I groaned to myself after jumping a boulder in my path, and then did as Akasha had asked and slowed down. The baby ogre in my arms soaked my shoulder with fish-scented drool as it self-soothed by sucking on its entire fist. Leaping over another stream as my mostly level path began to angle upslope, I chuckled again as my little kidnappee screamed in joy upon catching sight of its mother over my shoulder.

I heard her topple a tree as I rounded another corner on my path and realized Akasha had been correct in separating the two parents before trying to attempt this. Imagining the damage that the two of them could have done to the forest if both had chased after me and their infant, I realized my goal was only a few hundred feet up the mountain face.

The cave that we had chosen to take them to was part of an old mine that the minotaurs had left open for just such a problem as we were dealing with right now. Choosing to follow the switchback path they had cut into the mountain instead of leapfrogging up to the cave opening, I missed Akasha's next shout as the mother ogre toppled another tree.

Reaching the large plateau after close to ten minutes of running, ducking, and dodging things the ogre threw at me, I pumped my arms and pushed my legs to move even faster. I needed a bit more of a lead if I wanted to drop off my screaming package and still have enough time to get out of dodge.

"Almost there, little buddy, I hope you enjoyed your trip."

Leaning my face away from the sticky green palm that had muffled the last part of my comment, I set the burbling baby ogre down gently in front of the cave entrance and darted towards the trees on my left. Diving into the brush a second before the mother ogre reached the top of the plateau, I heard Akasha scream one word that chilled my blood.

"DRAGON!!!"

I looked back over at the baby ogre, which held its arms open wide for its mother, and felt the ground under me rumble as something huge inside of the cave growled hungrily. Leaping to my feet as a puff of air left the cave and blew past the baby that I had set just outside of the entrance, my gaze shifted to the still running mother ogre and I groaned before acted on the stupid plan that had formed in my head.

I ran back towards the baby.

After I roared at the terrified mother to get her attention, I swept her baby off of the ground—ignoring the shiver that went down my spine at the sound of huge jaws snapping shut inches from my heels reached my ears. Tossing the screaming baby into its mother's arms, I spun back around and rushed the adolescent bronze-scaled dragon that crept out of the cave.

I roared again at the dragon, and it froze for a moment, turning its gaze from the escaping mother ogre and her baby to me. As I stood less than a dozen feet from its jaws, I chuckled almost giddily to myself—I was lucky I hadn't run into this thing’s mother. That hundred-foot-long monster was three times the size of the juvenile in front of me, and likely had close to a century of flying under its figurative belt.

I angled myself away from it in a slow run towards the cliff of the plateau behind me. I groaned loudly after I saw Akasha standing at the edge of it. Adjusting my plan somewhat, when she failed to notice the jerks of my head towards the woods, I let out a shaky breath and sprinted towards her. Enduring the painful sound of the small dragon's roar, I watched the princess's eyes grow wide when she noticed I was running straight at her.

"Don't you fucking dare!" I rumbled when she glanced behind her speculatively. The only thing beyond the edge of that cliff was plenty of rocks and trees for us to die on following a hundred-foot fall.

I extended my claws as Akasha's muscled curves filled my view. My shoulder slammed into her midsection, folding her body over it and forcing a whoosh of air to leave her lungs. Dropping to my knee to keep us from sliding over the edge of the cliff, I ruined my perfectly good set of boots by forcing the claws tipping my toes through the leather.

I pushed off the ground with all three of my points of contact and felt the wind of the dragon passing us as the sound of its jaws closing behind us sent a trill down my spine. Landing relatively unscathed by the rocks covering the plateau, I rose to my feet and looked behind me.

"Oh, fuck fuck fuck fuck!"

Watching the dragon recover from its impromptu dive over the cliff edge my mantra slipped from my mouth after I noticed it circle before angling its flight toward us. I gave my options a quick once over before I heard Akasha take a gasping breath on my shoulder. I ignored her order for me to put her down.

"The dragon's coming back,” I rumbled, “and I am faster than you—so unless you have a nifty hiding place for us to run to, you need to shut up and let me focus on getting us out of this."

Akasha’s arms wrapped around my lower back after my strangely calm comment, and I answered her muttered "fuck!" with a similarly calm "yup" before running for the cover of the trees.

"There aren't any caves nearby that we could hide in,” she hissed. “We picked that one because it was supposedly safe, so the parents wouldn't need to return to the lower elevation to escape any predators coming after the baby."

Ducking under a branch as Akasha explained just how fucked we were, I heard the dragon above us roar upon catching sight of us again. One of the many things my group and I had been instructed on, was that dragons hunted primarily by smell. Their sight was also excellent, so if there was some way to mask your scent, it was best to take it—or be dragon chow.

Seeing no mud pits or conveniently nearby rivers to jump into, I dodged to the side and watched the dragon yank the trees we had been standing next to out of the ground with a swipe of its claws.

"There is a waterfall a little over a mile away with a cave behind it we can hide in, if you think you can make it," the princess called out.

Following Akasha's outstretched leg and foot in front of me at her suggestion, I slipped my arm a little more firmly around her waist and ignored the feeling of her juicy ass pressed against my cheek as I started running again. I also ignored every lesson of the Prometheus school of running away from things, ducking and dodging the dragon's attempts to catch us.

I was beginning to feel the effects of my near half-hour-long sprint a few long minutes later and I kept my groan of relief to myself when I caught the scent of water in the air. Leaping to the side once again, just as the dragon carved a deep gouge through the surrounding forest, I caught sight of the river that led to the waterfall.

"The dragon's not stupid. If we just dive in, she is simply going to wait for us either to drown or to come up for air—and then this starts all over again. Tear off my armor,” Akasha instructed, “and I am going to do the same for the back of your shirt. When we jump, we are going to throw them as far as we can downriver, and swim for the cave."

Nodding as Akasha explained her plan as she bumped less-than-gently on my shoulder, I used one arm to grip her thighs, while using the other one to snap the straps of her leather armor and rip it off of her. Sliding that arm back around her waist before the action could unbalance me, I hissed in pain when her nails raked against my back as she grabbed a fist full of my shirt and yanked.

I dodged the dragon's next attack after we cleared the trees beside the river and rushed along its banks towards where the swirling misty air signaled the impending drop-off. Catching the dragon circling to try and catch us now that we were finally exposed, I ignored the fear that tried to freeze me up as my brain calculated the fall we’d take before plunging into the pool at the base of the waterfall.

"Ready? ... Now!"

Chapter 13

Belin Mountain Range – Belin Region

Releasing my grip on Akasha's waist as we both threw our torn clothing after I jumped off of the cliff into the large pool of water below, I caught sight of the dragon passing parallel to the cliff behind us before I lost sight of it over the trees. Hitting the water feet first—mostly—I felt a hand on my shoulder pull me down and I opened my eyes to orient myself.

I gave Akasha a nod to assure her I was okay, and followed her outstretched arm toward where the water was made opaque by the thundering falls. Swimming towards it, I felt a chill run down my spine as the water around me blackened for a split second, pushing me down like a great hand. Reaching the rocks behind the falls, I surfaced to claim the fresh breath my lungs so badly needed.

Clambering over the rocks behind the princess, I followed her deeper into the darkness behind the wall of water. As we walked deeper into the cave, the sound of the deafening waterfall behind us quieted, and I noted that what I could see of the walls around me were transitioning from hewn stone to something more natural. Releasing my shift and shrinking back to my normal size as the ceiling grew shorter, I tried not to stare at my companion's ass when she was forced to bend over to keep from cracking her skull on the stalactites dotting the ceiling.

"We should be safe here for a while, though we’ll need to wait until she grows bored or finds something else to hunt," Akasha said.

Stretching my legs out with an "uh-huh" of understanding after my long period of being hunched over in a tunnel that Akasha had needed to crawl through on her hands and knees, I gave the small grotto we ended up in a long look.

The largish room was illuminated by a gash in the ceiling that let in plenty of light and the frustrated roars of the dragon we had just escaped. Pulling off what was left of my ruined shoes, which had barely survived the rocky tunnel floor, I groaned in pleasure as I felt soft moss between my toes.

"If you like that,” Akasha said with a chuckle, “then you are going to love this."

I looked over at the minotaur woman and found myself staring at her ass once again as she knelt on the ground and leaned over to plunge her face into a clear pool of water. Finding the desire to cool my raw throat more than up to keeping my eyes where they belonged, I dropped down beside her and made it my mission to drain the shallow pool dry.

After coming up for air a few times, I finally quenched my thirst. I let out a grateful groan before I looked around, searching for a comfortable place to rest and wait out the dragon still hunting for us. Finding a softish pad of moss against the wall close to the pool I had just finished trying to drink dry, I softly groaned in relief upon dropping down onto it and leaning my back against the cool rock behind me.

Yawning as the exertion of my long run began to catch up to me, I ignored the chill of the rock wall against my warm back and checked on my cellmate. I smiled when I found her looking up at a bird that had chosen to perch on the edge of the slash in the ceiling directly above her. My smile slipped a little when I noticed for the first time that, like me with my tattered shirt floating downriver, Akasha was nude from the chest up—except for a wrap that kept her large and very pliable-looking assets in check.

I found myself envying the wrap around Akasha's impressive chest, despite my better judgment, while she was distracted by my draconian wingman. Taking note of the color of one of her black nipples peeking through a gap in the cloth, my gaze roamed along her well-muscled curves.

After my eyes slid to the thighs that my lioness had been salivating over, I found myself staring at how they pillowed on the soft moss under her. Amazed that the bands of muscle in them could look so soft and inviting in their relaxed state, I leaned my head back against the rock wall and simply enjoyed the distraction Akasha offered while the dragon continued searching for us.

Looking up at her face illuminated by the natural skylight above her I wondered how her skin would feel against mine and if her lips were as soft as they looked. There was no doubt that Akasha was beautiful—a beautiful woman, if I were being honest with myself. And even if the short fur covering the rest of her body looked odd, black spots that resembled tattoos in large patches against brown skin, my tired mind wondered what it would feel like under my fingertips.

"You’re staring, Marvin."

Shaking myself out of my exhaustion-induced haze at Akasha's amused statement, my cheeks burned that she’d caught me mid-leer.

"No, I wasn't...”

Her eyebrows crawled into her bangs.

“Well, maybe a little...”

She snorted.

“Okay, I was staring… but can we chalk it up to my survival instinct? You know, the old urge to spread your genes after a traumatic event?"

I gave Akasha a strained smile after my terrible attempt at explaining why I had been undressing her with my eyes before it widened a little after she giggled at my discomfort. Enjoying the sound that I was surprised to hear coming from her, I closed my eyes and rested my head on the stone wall, ready to take my—hopefully playful—tongue lashing.

"So, what I am hearing, is that you were eye fucking me with the intention of spreading your ‘genes’ with me before our new friend eats us both?"

Giving the princess's question a small nod as I surrendered to the inevitable teasing I knew I was about to get, I peeked an eye open just as our ‘friend’ chose that moment to let out a rage-filled roar.

"He or she is getting frustrated… and should get bored soon… I hope," I said with a frown at the ceiling above us.

"Oh no, you don't. We are going to discuss these gene-spreading thoughts of yours, and I am not going to let the dragon distract you from elaborating further."

Leaning forward and opening my eyes to try and refute her outlandish claims of trying to use the dragon to deflect from answering her question the words died in my mouth as I watched Akasha creep towards me on her hands and knees.

My mouth became as dry as the Sahara as I watched her breasts sway in time with her deliberate movements and my every attempt to shift them away from the tempting sight did little more than give me a different kind of show.

My gaze was drawn as if by a magnet to watching the swells of her ass peek through the remaining flaps of her leather skirt before they gave up trying to hide the soft brown globes, and all but one strap fell to dangle at her waist. That one strap did a pretty good imitation of a leather thong as she got closer.

I quickly chose what should have been a safer spot to stare at. After lingering too long on her shoulder, mesmerized by the dichotomy of it going from soft and supple to hard and strangely tempting, I glanced at her horns when they passed on either side of my head. Akasha's face filled my vision, and I looked down from the amusement in her brown eyes to once again marvel at how soft and full her lips looked.

"You were saying something about spreading your genes, Marvin?" the princess reminded me.

Feeling a little small as a great deal of tempting minotress kneeled in front of me, I found I kind of liked it. I gave her a small smile that Akasha returned. "I did, and while I'm not saying I wouldn't—given the chance—I would probably end up spread across the mountain by pretty much every minotaur within a hundred miles once they found out what I’d done. And then I’d have to miss out on my mates mourning my passing due to a horn or ten up my ass… Stop that!"

I gave my dick a quick smack as it began to rise to the occasion to end that terrible train of thought the sensation caused when Akasha's breasts slid against my thighs. Through the pain, I reasoned that fucking the princess blind would be a terrible decision—not only for me and my pride, but for Tamira as a whole.

Getting on the wrong side of my nearest and friendliest neighbors would most likely end up with the minotaur kingdom rescinding their generous offers to trade from my town—at best—though more than likely destroying what we had built up, if not worse.

"I admit that I would gladly make you my mate, given the right situation.” I sighed and pressed the heels of my palms to my eyes before continuing. “But I doubt we could get away with it sitting alone, half-naked, in a cave, while hiding from a dragon, and with your men most likely out looking for us both, right now."

Talking myself out of having sex with the princess was one of the hardest things I’d had to do since coming to Kerxon. That included fighting two thulus and escaping from a dragon.

I watched the disappointment flicker across her face before she pursed her lips, obviously contemplated something, and then smiled at me. Wondering what thought had run through her mind to make her shift through that riot of expressions, I groaned softly to myself when she sat back on her heels.

Watching gravity try, and fail miserably, to gain mastery over her massive breasts, I trailed my eyes down her eight-pack abs before looking away guiltily from the black triangle of cloth that peeked between the dangling flaps of her skirt.

"No, don't smack him for being curious… nor do you need worry about enjoying what you see before you.” She smirked. “Think of it as a reward for saving me from the dragon, though I do hope we can continue this conversation when we find ourselves in the ‘right situation’ as you phrased it. While we wait for our friend to find another meal to chase, why don't you tell me about Earth?"

I left the tent in my pants alone after Akasha's request and gave her a small smile before I began to distract both of us with stories from my old planet. We spent the next hour exchanging stories about our lives before we’d met, and I found out quite a few things about the princess that surprised me.

For one, she was a virgin, and she had enjoyed tempting me more to watch me squirm than in an honest attempt to seduce me. She was well aware of what would have happened to me and my town, if we had followed her teasing to its proper end. She had only let it go as far as it had, due to how she had seen I treated my mates.

What had been even more of a surprise, that lessened as I thought about it, was that Jessica's attraction to her was mutual. The minotress reminded me of our seroci, with how explicitly she described having us both at the same time. I also found out why she was quite a bit shorter than a normal minotaur and resembled a human more than the rest of her race.

Akasha's mother had been a slave the minotaurs had captured and her father had fallen in love with her almost immediately. That love affair had caused a bit of a scandal before most of the dissenters had switched their tune after she’d been born. The princess was definitely the baby sister of most of the minotaur race—and quite a few of the other sentient races.

She managed to cover up most of her pity after I told her my life story. I had been grateful for that, and said as much. I enjoyed seeing her blush after I sneaked a kiss on her cheek in a foolish bout of stupidity that I hoped I wouldn't regret. After that, our conversation moved to less sensitive topics—like what her plan for us was for the next few days and my hopes for finally being able to get Jessica's scythe made.

"I think she might be gone now," I said after not hearing our scaly warden for more than ten minutes.

"Or, she might be sleeping or hiding while she waits for us to try and sneak out. Take your pick.” The minotress shrugged. “I could throw you up there to check?"

I smiled at the princess's suggestion and shook my head before rising to my feet. Walking over to the gash in the ceiling I shifted and jumped as high as I could. Catching the lip of the long rent in the ceiling, I pulled myself out and gave the air around me a long sniff. Not scenting the now very familiar smell of hungry dragon, I ran around the area our little hidey-hole stood in and found no sign of the young dragon.

"She's gone!" I yelled down into the hole.

"Well, come and get me! These muscles might be good for swinging axes, but I don't think they are up to getting my big ass up there!"

Shaking my head at the now much less formal princess, I dropped down into the hole. I gave her a toothy smile as I looked down at her. In my fully shifted form, I was at or a little over nine feet tall—and with our roles reversed, I enjoyed the look of interest she gave my bare chest before I lifted her in my arms.

"I guess that's why they call this a princess carry,” I quipped. “Ready for your rescue, your highness?" Smiling as Akasha gave my shoulder a slap that stung more than a little, I pushed hard off the ground and barely managed to catch the lip of the wide crack in the ceiling.

I held myself still as she climbed up out of my arms and pulled herself out of the hole. Giving her muscular ass a less than gentle push when it passed my face, I grinned when she let out a surprised squeak before flipping over to land on her back.

I earned a slap in my face from her long silver braid of hair for my generous bit of aid. Impressed by her dexterity with the thing, I hoped the weapons we had ditched at the baby kidnapping site were still there. I rubbed the spot on my cheek that still stung after Akasha's playful rebuke, and returned her smile with a shrug before following her down the mountain.

Giving the destruction we passed a wide-eyed stare, I gave the princess a grateful smile for her quick thinking.

"It's usually not this bad,” she explained. “We have a few juveniles that get lost and find themselves at the lower elevations a few times a year, but the thulu'griffs have been appearing more often these past few months. I would like to thank you again for helping with that, by the way. Of late, we have been losing far fewer men than usual thanks to your unorthodox method of getting rid of them."

I gave Akasha a gentle nod as we reached the plateau that held the cave we had tried to lead the mother ogre to. Placing a finger on my lips as I saw a tiny green head poke out of the cave, I smiled along with her as a huge green hand with six-inch-long claws tenderly pulled the baby back inside.

"I'm glad they decided to give our cave a try," she said with a whimsical tone in her voice.

Nodding once again, I heard the baby ogre’s happy scream. Which was followed by the two parents growly cooing at it. With one last look over my shoulder at the cave, I followed the princess through the tree line to the edge of the plateau. I let out a playful sigh after seeing the creek far below where we had left our gear.

"Ladies first," I offered as we eyed the steep path downward.

"Are you being chivalrous, or are you just trying to stare at my ass again?"

The polite smile on my face widened into a grin when I noted the mischief in Akasha's brown eyes after her comment.

"And if I do, princess?"

Challenging her playfully with my eyes after my response, I watched her shrug with a smile of her own before she began her descent. Following several steps behind her, I chuckled at myself as I watched her tail swing in time with her swishing hips.

After close to a half hour of trekking through the forest, all the while enjoying my very entertaining view, we reached our gear. I picked up my pack and shouldered it.

"I am almost going to miss this little adventure,” Akasha sighed. “It's not often that I get to simply enjoy my company on these excursions."

I gave the princess's comment a mute nod as I watched her stretch and let out a long sigh before she picked up her own pack. Watching the play of her muscles stand out in stark relief on her short, mottled fur was a show in and of itself. But seeing her breasts giving gravity the middle finger while they strained the tight wrap only partially covering them was another thing entirely.

Underboob didn't even begin to describe the breathtaking sight before me, and I couldn't even bring myself to blush when she caught me staring.

"They are very tempting, and I am only human," I said with a shrug before I began to make my way to the encampment that held our combined groups.

"I guess they are… though you are a bit more than human, Marvin."

I shrugged again in response, giving the princess a smug smile. When she smirked at my smile, I shifted partially so that our heights matched. Smacking her thigh with my tail, I shouted, “Tag, you’re it!” before leaping away. We enjoyed a game of tail tag before our fun ended when we reached the encampment.

Chapter 14

Belin Mountain Range – Belin Region

I tried to ignore most of the disapproving stares from her guards after we split up to grab new shirts from our tents, though I also noted Celeste starting a little too intently at my naked chest. Smiling to myself as I found a shirt to wear, I figured I would tease the panthkin woman and see how she and my other men had faired with their minotaur leader today.

"Everyone doing ok?” I asked my question as I sat between Celeste and one of our bearkin guards. “No issues with our hosts that I need to know about?"

I returned everyone's smiles after they shook their heads. Accepting a bowl of the soup simmering in a pot hanging from a tripod over the fire in front of us, I dipped a piece of my travel bread in it and took a hungry bite.

Humming in pleasure, as the taste of the simple meal almost matched Judith's cooking, I finished my bowl of soup a little too quickly—and went back for seconds.

"Whoever made this stew needs to talk to me about becoming my next mate… it is fucking delicious," I said between mouthfuls of my gravy-soaked bread.

Finishing the next bowl a little slower so I could savor my meal, I looked up to give my regards to the chef, only to be confused by the rather smug looks my guards gave me. Glancing around our small group, I was shocked when one of the foxkin guardswomen inclined her head at Celeste next to me. My stomach dropped when I realized how far I had just shoved my foot in my mouth.

"I... it... “ I cleared my throat. “I mean that it's delicious, Celeste. Thank you for cooking for us," I said before I groaned as the panthkin woman rose suddenly from her seat and rushed off into the woods behind us.

"Dinner and a show! Makes it all worth it, right?" One of the wolfkin guards asked another wolfkin beside him.

Holding my hands up in surrender and shaking my head as they all chuckled at my expense, I quickly finished off the soup in my bowl before following Celeste into the woods.

I gave Akasha a wave when she caught my eye, and paused. I wondered if I should ask her if I should be worried about the monsters around here running off with either Celeste or me in the darkening woods. Shifting instead to my full height and weight as I watched the princess speak with a few of her commanders, I treated myself to a hunt to retrieve the panthkin woman.

Catching her scent after only a short distance outside the camp, I realized she must have moved a little faster after reaching the tree line. I sped up my steps. I was close to sprinting five minutes later when I noted that her current path would take her back to Tamira and I almost let her return home, instead of bringing her back to camp.

I decided against it, though, after I caught the scent of a pack of goblins a moment later. Even if Celeste chose to run through the night, she would need to rest at some point, and the road home was still full of dangers—despite our best efforts. Imagining her coming upon bandits, goblins, a troll, or ogres, I pushed myself a little harder to close the distance between us.

I caught sight of her a few minutes later and had to smile to myself as I watched her leap gracefully over a tree in her path. I was proud of Celeste's growth from the ‘city girl’ I had taken on that hunt months ago. Imagining that woman maneuvering through these woods as well as the panthkin did, now, put a smirk on my face.

"I can run and catch you, or you can stop and talk to me, instead of making me chase you,” I called out, “but one way or the other, that discussion is going to happen, Celeste!" I saw the panthkin woman put on another burst of speed at my shout. Following suit, I quickly closed the distance between us.

I stopped her in her tracks a short while later with a hand on her shoulder, then waited for her to catch her breath so we could have that talk. I noticed, after a few moments, that the rise and fall of her shoulders weren’t from her labored breathing, but because she struggled to hold back tears.

I turned Celeste around gently while I let go of my shift, ignoring the smack of her hand on my arm—which turned into a short session of her ineffectually beating on me. Sliding my arms around the woman while she screamed at me, I hissed as she used her claws to tear through my new shirt.

"Why won’t you leave me the fuck alone, Marvin!!!” she shouted. “You just had to say something about my cooking and fuck my day up, again!!!"

Opening my arms to let the enraged panthkin go when she screamed into my chest, I watched her stumble a few feet back from me before dropping onto her ass in the dirt. I waited a few moments for her to compose herself before I walked slowly over to her.

"All I did was compliment your cooking; the whole next mate thing was just a joke," I said, gently laying my hand on her knee.

Smiling at her when she didn't try to smack it away, I sat down beside her on the ground and waited. Listening to the sounds of the forest around us, I felt a relaxing calm. I wasn't sure if it originated from my harrowing escape today from the dragon, or my worry for Celeste. Sitting here with her—despite the circumstances—felt really nice.

"I fucked up."

Looking at Celeste after hearing her comment muffled by her knees, I remained silent, waiting for her to pull herself out of her mood.

"I was happy with Jaco for a while… before he did something he shouldn't have, and then I fucked up and now it is all fucked, and…” she suddenly sat up and then was crying against my chest. “And now I don't know what to do!"

I leaned back on one arm after Celeste threw herself into my arms and began to sob into the shirt she had already ruined. Using my other hand to hold her tightly while she released whatever feelings had brought on this crying fit, I felt her arms slide around my back.

"Shh… shh…” I murmured. “It's ok. Shit happens sometimes, and sometimes it keeps piling up while we try and keep our heads above water. And once we finally get time to take a breath, it all seems like too much to handle. I'm here for you, Celeste, just like my mates. If you want to talk about it, I will listen… and help, if I can."

Her claws scraped against my back as she filled her fists with my shirt. I maintained my silence as she vigorously rubbed her face into my chest. Letting the action be what it was, an expense of energy and nothing more, I waited while Celeste took what comfort she could from me.

I sat for what felt like an hour with the panthkin holding me tightly. I distracted myself from how good she felt against me by watching the dim light from the setting sun slowly fade from the trees above us. Sitting in the pitch-black darkness a while later, I realized from the slow even rise and fall of her chest against mine, that Celeste had fallen asleep against me.

I lifted her into my arms with a smile and walked back to camp. Along the way, I promised myself I would give the panthkin woman the choice to head back home, if that is what she still wanted to do tomorrow. Passing through the tree line surrounding our camp, I was surprised by the cheer my men and women gave me before a frown crossed my face and I glared daggers at them.

"What is the problem?” one of the bigger guards rumbled. “We were only congratulating you on your next mate!"

I gave the bearkin that had spoken a long deep growl that shut him and the rest of them up.

"Celeste is going through some shit, and rather than making assumptions, you should be checking on her like the good friends and neighbors I want everyone in Tamira to be. We are a community, and we should worry about our neighbors when they seem off—not cheering because you think I snuck off with her to get a little pussy in the woods!"

Leaving the dumbstruck group of guards staring at me while I looked around for Celeste's tent, I shifted a little to increase my sense of smell before I felt a hand on my hip.

"She’s set up over there, next to me,” a feminine voice said from behind me. “She can sleep in my tent, with me tonight, if you want. I will make sure to let her know what happened in the morning."

I gave the foxkin woman, Kera, a nod for her help before following her back into camp. Remembering her name by mentally reviewing Jessica's muster sheet in my head, I followed the short woman back to her tent. I set the sleeping panthkin on the pad that Kera brought back from Celeste's tent next door. Once Celeste was situated, I gave the foxkin woman a grateful nod before closing the tent flap.

Walking toward my own tent, I gave Akasha a small smile when she walked over to me.

"Looks like you had a bit of excitement tonight. Anything I should know about?"

I gave the princess a real smile after she added a playful swipe against my thigh with her tail to her question. Giving her one of my own, I shook my head. "No. Just stuff going on back home… though, depending on how she acts in the morning, we might be one guard short for the next few days."

Akasha gave my response a bit of thought and I watched her shake her head and smile, before sighing. "I was going to wait until morning to tell you this, but while we were holed up in that cave, I received a message from my father. I need to head to the capital after the sun comes up.”

She peered at me for a moment before continuing. “I would like for you to join me, if you would like—it would certainly help your image with the chieftains, if you were seen escorting me through monster-infested territory.”

I frowned, but then she set the hook by offering a carrot. “And our smiths are very good, and have metal to spare."

I gave Akasha's offer my own bit of thought, before nodding.

If I could garner a bit more goodwill with the minotaurs, it would help immensely when I tried to push Terr for equal rights for the humans in his kingdom. Enjoying the feeling of Akasha's hand on my arm more than I should while she bid me good night, I ignored the frowns her guards gave me before slipping into my tent.

Missing my mates more than I could express, I forced myself to go to sleep, knowing there would be an early morning wake-up. I hoped my seroci was ready for her lion dick when I returned. I had been teased entirely too much on this trip by the princess. Had I decided to act on those hints, the looks that I had just gotten proved that doing anything more than we had would be a bad idea—a very bad idea.

Chapter 15

Jokun – Minotaur kingdom

Walking through the streets of Jokun the afternoon after my exhilarating day running from a multi-ton dragon, I gave Celeste a small smile while she walked next to me.

The panthkin woman had chosen to remain with me after a short talk after she woke up, and with Akasha rushing our departure, I had simply accepted her company on our ride toward the capital.

"Still happy with your post as my bodyguard?" I asked with a smile.

"If it keeps Jessica from placing me on latrine duty I will survive, I guess," Celeste responded absentmindedly as she scanned the crowd around us. Seeing her lips quirk as the wall she tried to put between us crumbled as swiftly as she had built it, I ended my teasing and focused on getting to the smith that Akasha had recommended.

I joined my short bodyguard in exploring the market we had walked into, and found a few oddities—in addition to what I had expected of the minotaur kingdom. There were, of course, the requisite taverns that, like most of the buildings, were enlarged for their usual clientele. But I finally had my first view of what a female minotaur really looked like.

It was interesting to see that they were like Akasha in most aspects, except for their greater height, which was generally only a couple of feet shorter than their male counterparts. But where the princess's human heritage really stood out, was in her facial features. Seeing a bovine snout and ears on several women that otherwise closely resembled Akasha was a little jarring, and I had to keep myself from gaining the attention of a few shorter ones after I mistook them for her.

Reaching Toral and son's smithy after a half hour of walking, I chose to walk straight into the forge instead of into the small shop attached to it, upon hearing the clang of a hammer striking an anvil.

"Hello,” I called out. “You must be Toral. My name is Marvin, and I was sent to you by the princess to commission a weapon for my mate."

I offered the huge white furred minotaur standing in front of the forge the incredibly unique token the princess had given me as a form of introduction after my verbal one. My curiosity had been piqued when she’d given me the circular piece of wood. I noticed that it resembled the medallion still inside my bedstand to an alarming degree, but her answers to my questions about it hadn’t provided many answers.

All that Akasha had provided by way of an explanation for the similarity, was that it had been the symbol of the royal family since its creation. Whether that meant that the minotaurs had been in control of an emblem at one time or another, though, I wasn’t sure. That revelation had caused my thoughts to run down another track entirely, and I wondered if the minotaurs had ever been in possession of one of the highly sought disks of alien metal.

"Royal contracts are paid out by the King and pushed to the top of the list, so what do you need made?"

I gave the massive minotaur a nod of understanding and thanks after his reply and handed over the token to him before giving the half-finished pieces of work around me a quick glance, hoping to find a blade that would work as the blade for my lioness's scythe to cut down on the forging time. Not that I wanted to cut corners that might result in an inferior product, but I only had a day or two left in Jokun before I needed to start heading back home. Unfortunately, my search revealed nothing that would suffice.

"I need a war scythe made and coated with silver in the next two days, or by the morning of the third at the latest. It needs to stand up to as much punishment as possible, and if you could add a few embellishments, I will gladly pay for the extra work involved."

Showing Toral the silver, gold, and jewels I had brought with me in a last-ditch effort to commission Jessica's scythe, I watched the minotaur’s smile widen. I returned his wide smile when he took the bag of treasure from me.

"If my sons and I work through the night, we should be able to craft the weapon you are asking for. Do you have any preference for etching or whatnot?"

I gave Toral's request some thought before smiling and picking out a large blue oval gem from the bag of gems. Smiling, as it reminded me of the color of her dad's truck and our first real date that had led to the beginning of our new and quite different lives here, I handed it to the white-furred minotaur and took back the bag of jewels.

"Keep the silver and see if you can work it somehow into the blade. Otherwise, Akasha raved about the work you and your sons did on her hatchets, so I have full confidence in your abilities."

Watching Toral preen a little under my well-earned flattery, I smiled when he said with absolute confidence, "I have just the thing."

I heard Celeste chuckle at the minotaur's excited declaration and gave the panthkin a smug smile. She blushed under my gaze before averting her eyes and returning to keeping guard just outside the forge entrance. Turning back to look at Toral as the minotaur shuffled through a few boxes stacked at the back of his forge, I watched him pull a medium size box covered with dust out from behind a few discarded tools.

"Go now. I have work to do, and I would hate to have a friend of the princess get hurt inside my forge."

Turning to leave at the minotaur's dismissal, my eyes grew a little wide after I heard him mutter something about dragon bones under his breath. I gave my bodyguard a small smile that she managed to return before we started walking back in the direction of the huge building in the center of the city that King Holden called home.

As Celeste and I walked through the streets of Jokun, I watched a huge, grey-furred Yeti hand his centaur slave a bag as they exited a shop and grimaced.

"At least it is better than what they do with the humans in the other kingdoms," Celeste said with a small shrug.

Still disliking the act of owning another person intensely, I had to agree with her. Unlike the kingdoms on the other side of the mountains, slaves in the minotaur kingdom were only gained through raids that the King had approved, and only kept for several years before being released.

Upon gaining their freedom, they were also given the chance to join the kingdom—as citizens with all the rights that came with it, including property ownership. I’d heard there were even a few of them who had ascended the ranks of minotaur society to become chieftains. Hoping that I could get the minotaurs to adjust their way of thinking, I tempered my expectations and wondered if I could at least sway the other kingdoms to adopt the minotaur’s policy towards slaves.

Jokun's slaves were treated well, at least from what I had seen, despite their social standing. I knew I wouldn't want to piss off someone who might be in control of my home one day.

"Better or not,” I grumbled, “it is wrong to own another person. And even if the grass is greener on this side of the mountain, that doesn't make their way of doing things right." By the end of my comment, I was growling.

I caught Celeste's flinch out of the corner of my eye when I growled, and felt another one coming after I saw another cream-colored yeti smack a human slave upside his head when the slave dropped the goods he had been carrying. Shoving past my bodyguard's hand when she noticed my anger as the huge female yeti kicked at the human while he held his head in pain, I jumped forward to push the massive woman back and glared at her.

"You know that was uncalled for. You gave him too many things to carry and you think you have the right to discipline him after your mistake?!" Staring down the eight-foot-tall woman while Celeste helped her slave collect the spilled goods, I ignored the group that had gathered after my unexpected shove had caused the yeti to let out a deep shout of surprise.

"Peter said he could handle what I gave him and who are you to talk to me that way?! I will have you know my husband is the ambassador to the Yeti kingdom and will be hearing about this attack against my person!"

My mood soured after the woman made her declaration, and I contemplated shifting to make her look up at me with derision, instead of down her wide nose like she currently was. I decided against it, as Celeste guided Peter past me with his arms full of the yeti woman's purchases.

"I hope you get to your husband before I do, so you can try and adjust your story to suit your side of this. Have a good day, Karen. I’ll see you at the meeting." Shouldering my way past the woman with a little more force than was actually necessary, I kept my frown in place when Celeste giggled at Karen’s "oof" of outrage and surprise.

"Well, that was certainly entertaining, Marvin. Do you think it was worth getting on the Yeti Kingdom's bad side, though?" the panthkin woman asked when we were out of earshot of the woman and her slave.

"Did Jessica ever tell you about the place where we worked before we came here?"

My mood improved slightly when Celeste shook her head in response to my question. Clearing my throat before I began to regale her with the age-old tale of the struggles of food service workers the world over, I tried to tamp down how worried I was by the panthkin's comment about the Yeti Kingdom.

If the ambassador chose to take offense at me putting his wife in her proper place, I would gain both an enemy in the man and strain my developing relationship with the minotaurs who had worked alongside them for centuries. Hoping that there still might be some bad blood between the two races that I could use to my advantage after close to a millennium of warfare, I trudged forward toward the meeting.

Reaching Holden's palace close to half-an- hour later, I smiled at the guards who gave me a nod before letting me through the huge double doors they protected. I was glad that Akasha's word held such weight, as Celeste and I made our way to our rooms before showering and getting dressed in something less casual.

Chapter 16

Jokun – Minotaur kingdom

My casual stroll into the common room of our guest quarters ended after I saw my guard for the evening. I smiled as I looked her up and down, causing her to give me a confused frown.

Larisa, Jessica, and I had chosen to outfit most of our guards in leather armor that was usually unflattering but with us on the King and princess's good side I had allowed Celeste to dress down a little. Without the chainmail that she usually wore underneath the armor and the undershirt to protect her skin against the metal, the whole outfit was much more form-fitting and drew my eye to her curves.

Wondering if she had chosen to wear a pushup bra to make her breasts sit up and beg for my attention, or if she was only following Jessica’s instructions, I gave her slim waist under the cinched-down armor a quick glance before my eyes dropped to her similarly snug leather pants. Realizing I had been staring a little too long at the tantalizing eye-candy before me, I brought my gaze back up to her green eyes and gave her questioning look a smile.

"What?"

"Nothing. Just… well, you look good is all," I said with as much nonchalance as I could manage. Telling the panthkin woman that she looked like a tightly wrapped present that I really wanted to unwrap just felt like an awfully bad idea. I wondered if she would let my obvious ogling pass without comment.

"Thank you… I guess. Come on, the princess sent a messenger to my room while you were getting dressed. She said we should get to the meeting hall as quickly as we can."

Following Celeste after she pulled on her leather helmet, I felt a slight bit of worry after she’d relayed Akasha's message. I gave her triangular black ears which stuck out through slits in her helmet a smile, watching them swivel around as we walked. At the same time, my mind worked through the strange wording of the princess's message.

Her mention of as quickly as possible meant that there was a time limit that we needed to beat, but it should also mean that we weren't likely going to be met with swords to our necks and. Thinking over my earlier examination of the map Akasha had drawn for me and Celeste, I lengthened my strides to reach the meeting room quicker. I smiled to myself as I made Celeste jog to keep up with me.

"I can carry you, if you want," I offered playfully before chuckling at her muttered response of "fuck you, Marvin". Keeping my reply of "yes, please" to myself. We reached the huge doors of the main meeting room in record time and waited a few moments for Holden to be notified of our arrival.

I whispered "good job" to my bodyguard for not being winded after her light bit of exercise and gained a less than gentle punch to my right kidney when she realized why I had spoken. Groaning softly between my teeth as I tried to keep from laughing, I looked over at Celeste and chuckled despite myself, when I saw her fighting down her own grin.

Leaning down a little to poke the five-foot-nothing bear some more, I frowned when I saw her eyes widen after the doors opened and a bellowing roar filled my ears.

"Holy shit!" my panthkin bodyguard blurted out, and I tried to turn quickly to see what had made that god-awful roar. Before I could get all the way around, a huge hand picked me up by the front of my shirt and I was pulled up face-to-face with nine feet of pissed-off yeti.

"You must be the ambassador,” I said, my feet dangling almost three feet off the ground, “and I see that you and your wife have been talking."

Smiling after the black furred yeti gave me a deep growl that confirmed my suspicions, I grasped his wrists and used them to pull myself up far enough to look over his shoulder. Seeing several minotaurs sitting around a massive round table with Akasha smiling from where she stood behind her father, I gave the ambassador's wife a smug smile before I released my grip on her husband’s wrists and dangled again by my shirt.

Fighting to keep from laughing out loud after the man roared again in my face, I pulled back my hand after he tried to bite off the finger I tapped one of his yellowed fangs with. "So, Ambassador..."

I trailed off and waited for the furious yeti to provide me with a name, then smiled when Akasha shouted "Brex!" to help me out. Giving Celeste a calming wave of my hand after I saw her tail switch in preparation to attack the huge man, I used his turning to glare at the panthkin to shift, and smiled down at him when he turned back to look at me and was left staring at his hand holding my shirt.

Filling my hand with the fur on his chest and quite a bit of his skin I heard the clacking of the trophies attached to his leather skirt and smiled a bit as I saw the intense pain on his face as he suddenly wished he’d chosen to wear a proper shirt. I absentmindedly remembered the proper name for the skirt, Pteruges, from a high school class where the boys had had quite a laugh after the teacher mentioned that soldiers used to wear leather war skirts.

"So, Ambassador Brex, how about we talk this out, instead of yelling at each other? Though, if you prefer to go that route, I’d be more than happy to put you in your place, like I did your wife."

Holding myself still after the now shorter man tried and failed to use his strength to shove me back and free himself, I gave him a leonine grin when his ineffective push caused him to flinch as my claws tore some of the skin I held.

"I believe your point has been proven, Marvin Spencer. If you would remove your claws from the ambassador so that we can return to our discussion, I will allow a challenge once we are done,” the King said, “if his pride is still bruised."

I turned my attention back to Brex after Holden finished speaking, and gave the yeti a questioning smile while I pointedly looked down at the handful of my shirt still clenched in his fist. Looking back up at him when his grip remained firm, I widened my smile to show off my fangs, finally giving him a nod of thanks after he’d released my shirt.

Walking over to the table after suppressing a chuckle after the huff of indignance from Brex's wife caused Celeste to snort in amusement I caught a glimpse of Akasha's brief smile before she wiped it off her face. Taking a free seat after gaining a nod from the King, I smiled at my bodyguard as she took her place behind me.

"I hope that show of bravado was worth interrupting our meeting, Brex. Now, to the business at hand—instead of posturing for your wife. What help will the yeti kingdom be providing for the increasing thulu'griff threat?"

I suppressed another chuckle as both yeti at the table fumed as Holden chastised them. Taking note of the minotaur king's glare at me, I kept the grin off my face by the skin of my teeth. Akasha masked a snort of amusement by faking a sneeze.

Sitting back in my chair, I learned quite a bit about the yeti kingdom as Ambassador Brex danced around making any concrete promises of support to help the Minotaur Kingdom with the alien threat. I discovered that the Yeti’s capital was a little over fifty miles away, higher up in the mountains. The ambassador had said the passes were nigh impossible to navigate safely with the number of troops Holden had asked for.

I took note of the frowns that the minotaur chieftains gave the yeti during his attempt to weasel out of fully committing to Holden's request, and stifled another laugh every time Celeste snorted quietly in disbelief during his convoluted excuse. After King Holden secured a promise from the Yeti to send at least a token force—one that I assumed was to be sacrificed in the name of politics—I gave the King my attention after he gave the yeti ambassador a small nod and turned his gaze on me.

"I have heard quite a bit about you, Marvin Spencer, both from my commanders and from my daughter—who has been raving about you. I would like to formally thank you for your personal help with the thulu'griffs, and for showing my men the proper way to remove them from my kingdom. If I could have the promise of your ear for a discussion later, I will allow my daughter to entertain you until my meeting with the ambassador is finished."

I gave the King's request a slow nod as he turned to Akasha, whereupon she rose gracefully from her seat beside him. Watching the regal expression she had been wearing crack as she flashed a small smile in my direction once the other minotaurs couldn’t see it, I got up from my own seat and followed her out a door on the side of the huge room.

“When my father gives you his offer, I suggest you take it without question,” Akasha said after she pushed me against the wall of the well-lit hallway we walked into. Waving off Celeste’s help when she had stepped forward to defend me, I leaned down toward Akasha and took a deep inhale of the princess’s scent.

I wasn’t as accurate as a seroci in detecting the feelings of another through their scent, but over the past few months I had gained a reasonable level of confidence in my nose’s capacity—even more while shifted. Catching on to both Akasha’s excitement as well as her certainty about her statement, I smiled down at her when I also scented a hint of arousal.

Chalking that emotion up to my nose nearly touching her neck while I performed my little lie detector test, I gave her a small nod and watched her eyes flick down before she gave me a smug smile. Returning the smile, I waited a few long seconds before she removed her hand from my chest and began walking down the hallway filled with what I assumed were trophies.

"Good. Now come along, you two. My father has a special room set aside for important guests that I think you both will enjoy while we wait," Akasha called back over her shoulder as she walked away from us.

"Thinking about a trip to the woods, Marvin?" Celeste asked a bit too innocently.

I frowned down at the panthkin at her question, and then watched her green eyes shift to my crotch—where a noticeable bulge had formed. Seeing that I realized what she meant, an amused smile formed on the dark-skinned features of her face. Shaking off the embarrassment I felt at Celeste so blatantly pointing it out, I pushed off the wall behind me with a grunt and turned to follow the princess.

"You mean the woods that would burn, if I decided to visit them with Akasha? No, I don’t think her father would appreciate that very much," I replied as I watched the princess's hips ahead of me sway in counterpoint to her tail.

Hearing Celeste's scoff of disbelief as we slowly caught up with Akasha, I took note of the heads of the monsters that lined the walls around us. Somehow, I couldn't help from imagining my own decorating it. Chuckling as I thought about what the placard beneath it might read—"he chose the wrong head to follow"—I followed Akasha into a room filled with incredibly comfortable-looking couches. A number of minotaur maids waited patiently on us.

Akasha flopped down on one of the couches before saying, "Order whatever you want, Brex is usually pretty long-winded."

Chapter 17

Jokun – Minotaur kingdom

I gave my bodyguard a questioning glance that she answered with a shrug before finding a seat of her own between the door and the princess. I gave up questioning the strange arrangement and took a seat between them. Watching one of the female minotaurs walk over to me with a polite smile, I gave her my order for food and flinched when my seat jumped a little as Akasha's seat was pushed against mine by two others.

"I'm not sure how I was supposed to entertain you from all the way over there, but that problem is fixed, now. What kind of entertainment would you like, Marvin? These ladies are a few of the lower members of my father's harem and would be willing to dance for you, if desired… as long as you only look and do not touch."

Seeing Akasha's brows bunch together slightly as she made her offer, I chuckled before shaking my head. My initial reaction was not to take the princess up on her offer, and her expression only solidified my decision as the right one. Back when I had been a single bachelor, free and clear before Trisha had gotten her claws into me, I had let Terrell take me once—and only once—to a strip club. I still regretted that decision.

"No thanks. I will take the extra company, but I would much rather enjoy a nice conversation with you than put myself in a position to make a mistake—and I still want to be able to enjoy myself, guilt free, once I return home."

I gave Celeste an appraising look after I heard her chuckle and subsequently choke on a grape one of Holden's wives was feeding her after hearing my response. Leaving my bodyguard to be spoiled by the woman after she caught her breath, I looked back at the princess and saw the reward for my decision.

Returning her smile, I took the drink another of the King's wives offered me, taking a sip before relaxing back into my seat. I watched Akasha do the same, before I brought my gaze up from her throat while she took a few swallows of her drink and up to her face. I focused my mind on her cryptic request back in the hallway and not what else I would like to see in her throat.

"I agreed to your request that I take King Holden's offer, so I think I am entitled to an explanation of what he is going to ask of me and my town," I finally said.

After watching the princess give my request a small nod and a smile, I waved off the dangerous fruit one of the King's wives offered me.

"Well, I believe you saw how our alliance with the yeti is going, and King Terr isn't much more helpful with his side of the mountain. You and your town have provided significant assistance, and we have heard about a few interesting things that have been going on in Tamira..."

I got distracted as a splash of the ale Akasha drank dribbled down her chin, dripping on the exposed tops of her breasts that peaked out of the cleavage hole cut in her top. I returned her smile. Mine widened after she gave me a subsequent wink.

My grin faded slightly, when I noticed how much it reminded me of my lioness's teasing—mentally derailing my train of thought. I had to blink several times and shake my head to get my thoughts back on track. "And what have you and your father heard about the goings on in my town?" I asked playfully.

"Only that you have a distinct lack of human slaves, and that only those who accept your conditions are allowed into Tamira permanently. It isn't that different from what we have going on here, and I think my father will be willing to help you maintain and protect your haven for humanity."

A little dumbstruck by Akasha’s statement, I nodded distractedly as I thought about what Holden had offered me—and what it might mean for me and Jessica's mission to free humans from slavery.

Pushing the kingdoms to free their humans from slavery had always been a part of our plan. But if I could get the minotaur kingdom’s support with it, then our goal would be that much closer to being realized.

"And if I told you my goal was to make every kingdom similar to my little town, would your father support me in making that happen?" I asked.

I smiled at her gentle frown, lips pursing and brows drawing slightly together as she considered the implications of what I was asking. I took another sip while I waited for the princess to answer.

"You know about my mother having been a slave… and even before my father took her as one of his wives, our kingdom had been shifting towards what you see it is now. Moving toward what you want should be within his power, given enough time, and I like to think I am as open-minded as he is," she finally replied, stretching out a hand to rest it lightly on my shoulder.

Looking up at one of King Holden's wives when she laid a comforting hand similarly on Akasha's shoulder as she spoke of her mother, I watched a smirk cross the minotress's snout after the princess trailed her hand down over my chest as she finished speaking. Hearing the rest of the King's harem giggle as they went about their duties, I left Akasha's hand where it was.

Still enjoying the feeling of her hand on my chest and her body leaning against me as we talked and ate for about hour-an-hour or so, I still flinched when I heard King Holden be announced upon entering the room. Keeping my composure after he gave mine and Akasha’s closeness a curious look, I watched the King grab one of his wives and play tonsil hockey, before slapping her ass when she had to come up for air. He sat down on one of the couches they pulled over.

I kept my slightly uncomfortable chuckle to myself at the display of affection when I realized I wasn't any better with my mates, at least when we were alone in our own home. Vividly remembering the time that I had been taking Jessica over the kitchen counter before Larisa had joined in by leaning around to suck on her clit as our lioness came for us, I shivered.

At her curious look, I gave Akasha a small shake of my head.

That impromptu tryst in the kitchen had devolved into a full-blown orgy after Judith and Kiki had returned from their errands. Needless to say, dinner had been very late that night.

"I am glad that you chose to agree to this meeting,” the minotaur King said. “Please excuse my daughter for pushing to host you, herself. As I said, she hasn't stopped talking about you since her return.” He paused, studying me. “And I hope you are prepared for the consequences that come with that."

I gave Holden a small nod as his speech brought me out of my less than polite thoughts, frowning a bit and giving him a more serious one after hearing the serious note in his deep voice.

"Akasha has always been kind to me and my family, and I hope you will believe me when I say she has been the consummate professional, as well," I said while the princess in question gave my chest a gentle rub.

Watching the King give her a questioning look after my statement, I endured the challenging glare they exchanged before he let out a put-upon sigh any father with daughters old enough to date would recognize, taking the drink one of his wives offered him.

"I believe you, Marvin Spence. Though, when you have daughters yourself, you will see that denying them something they truly desire can be more difficult than running a kingdom at times. Now, as to the reason I asked you for this meeting. My wives have informed me as to what my daughter has told you about the state of things in my kingdom with respect to slavery, and I am willing to agree to what you asked for—with the stipulation that it will be a long process."

I smiled as Holden confirmed that he would be willing to help us force the Belin kingdom to free their slaves, though my grin faltered a little after the King gave me a look that made me feel like a ten-course meal he couldn't wait to devour.

"What I mostly asked you here for, was to confirm the rumor I have heard about a medallion being in your possession," the King continued with a wide smile on his face.

Pulling back from Holden's gaze, I gave Akasha a questioning look when she gave my chest a gentle pat to calm me. I watched her give me a small shake of her head before she inclined it towards her father.

"I have no plans to steal it from you, Marvin,” her father reassured me. “That would only make the other kingdoms descend on mine to take it from me. As heartless as it is to say, I would much rather leave it in your hands and watch from afar as the kingdoms of Kerxon burn your home to the ground to recover what they have lost. I would only request that you allow us to mutually benefit from its use. And if you do, I will help you keep it—within reason—should its existence become known outside of those who you deem fit to know about it."

I took a few moments to consider Holden's offer before giving the King a firm nod and extending my hand for him to shake. "As long as it’s within reason, and doesn't leave us entirely without assistance should Terr or the emblem council try and kill me, I think we can work together just fine, Holden."

Smiling along with the King at his deep chuckle that followed my statement, I downed my drink before I noticed Celeste giving me an intense look, filled with many questions. I left that discussion for our return to our men, who we’d left waiting for us back in the forest. Instead of indulging her sudden curiosity, I took the next drink they handed me and hoped I wouldn't regret confirming that I was in possession of one of the coveted medallions.

I swayed slightly a few hours later as Celeste led us both to our rooms. Apparently, I’d dive a little too deep into my cups with the minotaur King.

"You need to shift back," the panthkin woman groaned after my last sway sent us both into the wall before she shoved off it to get us both back on track, “your ass is heavy.”

"Akasha ashked if she clo... coo... could eshcort me. It'sh not my fault that you told her no," I mumbled as my attempts to shift back failed, and my human size evaded me.

"I'll bet she did. The princess all but had her hand wrapped around your cock during most of dinner.” My panthkin bodyguard snorted. “And if you had taken her up on her offer of an ‘escort’, you’d probably have been balls deep inside of her right now—in this very hallway. If you somehow managed to make it back to your room with her, I bet we’d have several little baby minotaurs in her belly before morning!"

Sobering slightly as I vividly imagined just what Celeste was describing, she shoved me against the door to my room when the evidence of my randy thoughts brushed against her shoulder and arm.

"Gahh… Go to sleep, Marvin, I will see you in the morning!" she snapped.

I watched my bodyguard give me a glare that couldn't completely erase the blush that blossomed on her dusky cheeks before she stomped down the hall to her own room and bed. Pushing my door open and locking it behind me, I dropped—still fully clothed—onto my bed and passed out, thoughts of Akasha's Amazonian physique writhing in ecstasy beneath me and my mate's tender care.

Chapter 18

Tamira – Belin Region

Riding through the mostly completed gates of my town with the summer sun above us, I gave the few men and women that split off permission to return to their homes in a tired wave.

"Not going to head home?" I asked Celeste after she remained at my side instead of leaving to enjoy a well-earned shower and home-cooked meal.

Waiting for the panthkin to answer me, I watched the Esture rider that had accompanied us to inform Jardon of our agreement pass his message to the huge minotaur before rushing back out through the gates to my town.

"I will once I give Jessica my debrief, and hear her tell me to my face that I am on light duty for the next week."

I smiled as a wistful expression grew on the woman's face. I well understood the joy of contemplating a week’s worth of half shifts. After she pondered what she was going to do with all her pending free-time after her shortened days of work, her wistful expression fell away.

She gave the area around us a long sweeping look.

My eyebrow crooked up in question after she looked up at me on my horse, stopping me with a hand on my leg.

"Is it true that you have an emblem?"

Once my heart rate slowed to a reasonable pace after I remembered the panthkin's sensitive ears had been in the same room as Holden and me when we discussed the highly sought for pieces of metal, I gave her a slow nod.

When she let go of my leg, we started forward again—the panthkin lost in thought. Watching her give me a smile and nod at my silent confession once we reached the stables, I exchanged a few pleasantries with Dobber before I began the longish walk home with the woman beside me.

I found myself casting my eyes and nose around ten minutes later while I searched for one of my mates. They should at least have met me along my route home, once word of my arrival spread through our small community. Feeling a little put out after I turned the corner leading to my home, I grinned before chuckling at the muted sounds of pleasure that emanated from my home.

"Well, I guess they started without me. Are you sure you want to talk with Jessica? She might be a little… uh… preoccupied."

Adjusting the shrouded scythe that had been riding between my shoulders all the way home, I watched Celeste's ears pin back before she swallowed thickly and gave me a firm nod. As we neared my home, my brows furrowed in confusion when I heard a male moan along with another feminine one. It was a sound nothing like any of my mates made.

"I think I will talk to Jessica… later. Have a good night, Marvin," Celeste said before she spun on her heel and bolted, leaving me standing there in the middle of the street.

"The fuck is going on?" I muttered before I sprinted the last few yards and threw open my door.

The first thing I noticed when I entered my home was a wolfkin standing behind a new desk. Past the man, my living room had been converted into a small dining area and where my actual dining room had been, there were now a bunch of bar stools cozied up to a long wooden counter.

“Lord Marvin!”

I growled at the wolfkin who greeted me and pushed past him to my bedroom. Throwing open the door, I froze in impotent rage.

I felt myself shift as I watched a slight foxkin man who stood on the bed behind a bearkin woman on her hands and knees giving her everything he was worth and then some. My rumbling growl finally pulled the two lovers out of their rutting.

I was glad they at least had the presence of mind to look ashamed.

"Lord Marvin!!! I... I... I... hope your trip went… went well,” he stammered. “I… I think there has been some sort of miscommunication. I purchased this home from your wife, the Baroness, a week ago, but they assured me that you had been informed."

Looking down at the wolfkin man who had shouted my name after I’d entered what had been my house, I gave the two lovers an apologetic nod before pulling the door closed behind me. I frowned when I heard them resume their adult activities after only a few moments of silence. Turning away from the door, I forcefully ignored them as I followed the wolfkin attendant back into what was no longer my kitchen.

My eyes widened after I saw the mess that they had made, though I just as quickly ignored it after I first heard and then scented my foxkin mate as she rushed into the house turned sleazy hotel. Looking over at Kiki while she leaned onto her knees after reaching the kitchen to catch her breath, I watched her breathing still for a moment as one of her ears swiveled toward the sounds of fucking that emanated from our old bedroom.

I frowned when I heard her snicker after she realized what I had walked in on. Seeing the look on my face as I stepped toward her, she almost fell over laughing. Glaring at the attendant and foxkin cook that I had missed upon entering the kitchen, I kissed my mate's cheek with a roll of my eyes. We left the two somber men to their jobs as I stomped out of our old home, my redheaded mate in tow.

"I would say welcome home, handsome,” Kiki said between fits of giggles, “but I think our messenger failed at his job.” She tugged my arm to get me to slow down. “If you want to take a left here, we can make our way to our new home and your other ladies waiting there."

Pinching Kiki's ass when she started another round of giggles when we both heard a loud crash as the bed broke in our old home behind us, I kissed her roughly then silenced her sharp yelp with my lips. I was halfway tempted to take my mate into an alley between buildings in town after she moaned into our kiss, and I caught the scent of her arousal.

I turned to contemplate a nearby alley and started to pull her in that direction. I was only stopped by her resistance, her hand pulling me back around to face her.

"Oh no you don't! I am going to be fucked properly and in a soft bed while our wives wait their proper turns, mister. Now, before I regret my decision and change my mind, do you remember the old run-down estate just outside of town?"

I gave my smiling mate a slow nod to answer her question while I sneakily slid one hand beneath the waistband of her skirt. Enjoying the shiver that she gave me after I caressed the globe of her ass cheek, I gently groped the damp spot in her panties. I smiled when she tried to give me a disapproving frown, ruined by the heated flush that crept up her neck to light her cheeks on fire. Just when her breathing hitched and she leaned in to kiss me again, I pulled back my hand, grabbed her around the waist and threw her over my shoulder before making my way to the estate she had mentioned.

While we made our way there, I was informed of the things that had happened while I was away; what they had been up to while dragons and ogres were chasing me. Finding out that my mates had been setting up this home move since before my first foray into the mountains was a bit of a surprise, but as Kiki regaled me with the accommodations our new home contained.

I soon found my strides lengthening to get me there sooner.

"And Jessica said you would enjoy the pool most of all,” my foxkin breathlessly said as she bounced on my shoulder, “though she said one of the larger rooms would make an excellent theatre room—whatever that is. She was too excited to really describe it coherently."

Smiling a bit wider as I imagined enlightening my mates with the wonder that was Ryan Reynolds and the terrible characters the amazing man brought to life, I turned down the gravel path that cut through the ditch my thulu wall would fill. Walking quickly down the path, bordered on either side by walls of shrubbery, I chuckled when I saw a few of Larisa’s and Judith's favorite flowers dotting the ten-foot-tall green wall.

I adjusted Kiki's ass on my shoulder after we walked into the drive and front yard of the estate, snickering when she squirmed and asked to be let down. Not until she begged, promising several enticements that I promised I would take her up on, did I put her back on her feet. She immediately grabbed my hand and led me towards the front door. Following her as she pulled me by two of my fingers, I chuckled again when she shouted for the rest of my mates.

Hearing the three of them drop whatever they were doing inside of the huge house, I smiled until my cheeks hurt as they rushed out the front door and into my arms. I let them knock me to my back after I tossed the scythe I’d been carrying to the side. Inhaling their scent, I kissed each of them in turn—until my lioness occupied my lips for over a minute straight.

"Surprise! We thought you might like it, and our Lord Marvin needed a proper palace to rule over his kingdom in," Jessica said with her legs wrapped around my waist and her tail slapping happily between my legs.

"Well, it is a surprise… and it looks great. Although, speaking of surprises..."

I pointedly looked over at the discarded scythe still in its cloth wrappings. My lioness followed my gaze, and I laughed out loud when she screamed excitedly before leaping off of me and darting over to her present. I listened to her tearing the beige cloth off the newly created weapon as I accepted the kiss my seroci gave me before she took Jessica's abandoned spot and hopped up to wrap her legs around me.

My hand, which had been gently running through Judith's black locks as she snuggled into my side, froze as my mind did a quick reset upon registering what Larisa was wearing. Feeling my pants become damp with what I figured out was pool water while I pulled back to admire the tiny red two-piece swimsuit my wife wore, I felt her tail slide between my legs and then snuggly grip me when little Marvin began to express his appreciation of what I saw, swelling between her thighs.

"Jessica ordered them for us,” Larisa explained, “and I had just gotten to enjoy our new pool when Kiki notified us of your arrival. I had planned on breaking them in properly after you got home, but I seem to be wet in all the wrong ways now. How do you plan on fixing that particular problem, my lion?"

Chapter 19

Tamira – Belin Region

Returning my seroci's suggestive smile before we both shared a groan when she pulled me out of my pants, I kissed her, Kiki, and Judith in turn while Larisa stroked me gently. I watched patiently as my seroci lifted herself slowly on her knees before sliding her bottoms to the side and just as slowly filling herself with me.

"I was going to join her after I had dinner cooking. Do you want to see mine?"

Nodding haltingly to Judith's question while Larisa moaned loud and long as she languidly gyrated in my lap, I was a little—and more importantly, pleasantly—surprised after my wolfkin mate stood up and tossed off her dress.

I had less than a second to take in her bright yellow two-piece bathing suit before she lifted her leg over my head, pulled her suit to the side, and dropped her plump ass onto my mouth.

My lips and tongue moved of their own volition, once my nose filled with the scent of my wolfkin's arousal. I enjoyed the shiver that ran down her body after I gave her soaked pussy a long, hungry lick. Dining on my wolfkin mate while my seroci shuddered through her first orgasm, a shiver ran down my spine when Kiki's breath tickled my ear.

"We have been waiting for you, handsome, and I want to try something new once my pride mates are done."

Feeling two weeks of cum building towards its inevitable release as both Judith and Larisa moaned loudly for me, I could only groan as my foxkin took two of my fingers into her mouth and sucked on them gently. I was a little surprised to find that she was already naked as she slid my hand behind her back—and even more so, when she placed those slick fingers between the cheeks of her ass.

Her soft, needy moan after I slipped one digit into her ass finished me off. And while she arched her back and moaned my name, I filled my seroci mate with my seed. Wrapping my free arm around Larisa's waist while my orgasm continued unabated, her shaking hands held onto my sides for dear life as my dick twitched and jerked inside of her clenching pussy.

I felt Judith's hands holding my head steady as she ground herself against my lips and tongue.

I continued to finger my moaning foxkin through another shaking orgasm, even as mine began to ebb. After Judith fell on her side next to me and Larisa collapsed against my chest, though she continued to gently rock her hips, I licked my lips as my lioness's moans reached my ears.

Looking past Kiki's blissed-out face at Jessica while she pleasured herself with the haft of her new weapon, I locked eyes with my mate and smiled after her soft ‘fuck!’ signaled the beginning of a truly powerful orgasm.

Watching her glistening pussy squirt all over the wood of the haft of her scythe before it slipped out of her twitching fingers, I removed my finger from my foxkin's spasming ass. I laid my softly moaning seroci on her back on the green grass of our front yard before walking over to my lioness's still twitching body and kneeling between her shaking legs.

I gently tilted her head to face me and once her eyes were again able to focus on mine, I slowly began to fill her soaked pussy with my shaft. She groaned and her back arched as her claws sank into my arms. Surprised at how close I was, even after filling our seroci just seconds ago, I groaned when the intense look she gave me caused my dick to flex inside of her and she let out a soft whimper.

"Don't. Pull. Out. I want it inside me, babe. Cum inside my pussy. Give me your babies, fill me with your cubs."

Groaning as Jessica's soft pleas triggered a primitive drive within me, I buried my nose into her neck and leaned forward. As she met each of my thrusts with one of her own, soon her shoulders were the only thing touching the ground. I drove myself into her mindlessly while her legs clamped around my waist. I had just enough presence of mind left to protect her head and neck with one of my hands, while the other slipped around her lower back to hold her still while I bred her.

My orgasm surprised me with its intensity a few minutes later and I remembered I needed to breathe once Jessica's head lolled back. She roared out her orgasm as I filled her. Thrusting into her with near animalistic growls of need, I grasped her blonde hair in a punishing grip and fought the urge to sink my fangs into her neck as our shared orgasm continued.

Coming back to myself a few moments later, I slowly became aware of blood in my mouth, and listened to my lioness's toneless moan before removing my teeth from her shoulder. Kissing the wounds that I had made gently before her shaky "it's fine, babe" eased my worries, I looked over at my other mates as I unclenched my fist full of her hair.

I felt a bit ashamed at my loss of control on seeing the fear in Judith’s eyes, before a strangled giggle from both Kiki and Larisa had me smiling sheepishly.

"Damn... If I thought that I could survive that, I would beg for it. Fuck was that hot..." Kiki murmured.

Giving my foxkin mate a soft smile, I felt Jessica's legs around my waist go slack and I diverted my attention from the mix of arousal and fear I scented from my mates to keeping my lioness from falling limply into the grass. Once I’d laid her down gently onto the ground— soaked in our combined fluids—I eyed Judith and Kiki with a soft growl of hunger that caused them both to shiver in anticipation.

I licked my lips as Judith's shiver reminded me of the taste of her on my tongue along with my dick bobbing in front of me called for me to give her, and Kiki next to her, their own helping of my cum. Stopping in front of them a soft growl of pleasure rumbled in my chest as they both pressed their lips to my cock before they used their lips and tongues to return me to full hardness.

Picking up Judith after my need to breed her and my foxkin got the better of me, I gripped my wolfkin behind her knees and slowly eased her down onto myself with Kiki's assistance. Lifting and then lowering her on my shaft, I slowly shifted back to my human form and swallowed her soft, needy moan as she came for me, with my hungry kiss.

I filled my wolfkin's shuddering body a few long minutes later, in the middle of her next shaking orgasm. I held her close to me, with her arms around my shoulders and her soft pleas for my pups forcing me to groan into her neck. Taking my time laying her down on the grass next to Larisa, I kissed my wolfkin mate gently as her eyelids fluttered closed. I gave my seroci one of her own after she smiled sleepily up at me.

"Oh no. In a proper bed, handsome, though the shower would be a decent alternative."

Giving Kiki a smile after her comment I growled at her hungrily while she tucked me away in my pants with aching slowness. I offered both Larisa and Judith a hand up off the ground and chuckled after they leaned first on me, and then each other, for support before walking over to my lioness and pulling her to her feet.

I chuckled once again after she waved tiredly at her scythe and gave me a kiss of appreciation when I retrieved it for her. Following my mates inside while my lioness used both me and her scythe for support, I licked my lips as my nude foxkin's ass called to me as she led us all inside.

After our ragged procession passed through the huge interior of our home, I gave Jessica, Judith, and Larisa's naked bodies another hungry look as they threw off what was left of their clothes and dropped exhausted onto our massive bed. Giving my seed leaking out from between their legs a long look while they recovered on their stomachs, I let my foxkin mate lead me to our bathroom by my dick after she’d freed it from my pants.

Watching her turn on the shower while I removed my shirt, I slid my hand up the front of her body and cupped one of her small breasts before kissing her neck hungrily. As my dick creased the cheeks of her ass, I turned her face to me with two fingers and then deepened our kiss as she invited my tongue into her mouth. With a grunt, I pushed myself harder against her cheeks.

"We can try for bigger later, but for now, I want you this size in my ass unless I tell you differently. Okay, handsome?"

I gave Kiki's instructions a nod and a smile before I let her nudge me back with a gentle push against my chest. Following her into the large shower in our bathroom I watched her pull a bottle of lube from a small shelf and I held her green eyes with my gaze while she gently covered my dick in the slippery liquid.

"I usually do this myself, or I have been since you’ve been gone, but if you want to be the first to touch this virgin ass I won't stop you, my l... love."

Giving Kiki a soft smile after her blushing stutter, I took the bottle from her shaking hand and kissed her gently. Losing a few moments as I passionately took her lips, I returned her small sheepish smile when she pulled back to catch a breath and ended our kiss. Then, with a grin, she turned around and wiggled her ass at me.

I shook my head as I moved toward her, placing a healthy amount of lube in my palm before I pulled her head back around so I could see her expression when I entered her. Sliding my fingers between the cheeks of her ass, I kissed her once again. Our kiss was interrupted a few times, when she moaned each time first one and then two slick fingers slipped into her ass.

Aching and ready to slide into her tight ass after a few more minutes of kissing and foreplay I placed the head of my dick against the slick ring of her sphincter and slowly pushed into her. I joined my foxkin in a long gasp as she stretched around me as I slowly inched forward. After a few quaking shivers ran through her body, my hips finally met her ass with a soft smack.

"Fuck, Marvin, you’re in my ass. Fuck, fuck, fuck, Maaarviiin."

Looking down at my foxkin mate as her soft moans rose in volume I watched as her mouth dropped open as she moaned my name as she moved on me, sliding me in and out of her ass with increasing speed. I felt my legs beginning to shake as the sensation of Kiki's ass stroking my dick dragged a long groan out of me. My hand on the tiles above her head joined my other one at her waist, and I began to thrust my hips in time with my mate's movements.

As the sound of our bodies coming together joined the sound of the water from the shower hitting the tiles at our feet, I felt my orgasm rising. I pushed my foxkin's body roughly against the warm tiles, shifting my grip on her waist to her throat and forcing her to look at me. I pushed my body against hers as I increased the pace of my thrusts, swallowing her strangled cry with my lips as I swelled inside of her.

I filled her ass with long surges of my cum, just like the sound of my hips smacking against her ass filled our bathroom. Ending our kiss, I groaned into her neck while I came down from my high. I felt her body against mine shiver as every twitch of my hips teased another after-shock of orgasm from her petite body.

Her soft mantra of ‘fuck, fuck, fuck’ filled my ears.

After we both came down from our peaks, I let my forehead fall against the warm tiles in front of me as my mate's ass came off of my oversensitive dick. Holding her up on her feet with one hand around her waist, I found I was just as winded as she was. We both moved under the hot water of the waterfall shower head that they had installed.

"Fuck, that was soooo good… and well worth the wait," Kiki murmured into my chest as she recovered in my arms.

Nodding gently as I felt the hot water running between us. I smiled with my eyes closed after she let out a startled ‘eep’ when I started to swell once more against her back.

"Not going to apologize for that,” I admitted, “but if you need time to recover, I have something we all need to talk about before we break in the new bed."

I felt Kiki's slow nod—which was at odds with the wiggle of her ass that did such wonderful things to my shaft nestled between the twin globes of her ass cheeks. Taking note of her flinch when I brushed against the sensitive area that we had both just enjoyed, I pulled a towel and soap from the ledge next to us and took my time cleaning my mate.

Taking extra time with her tail, I returned her suggestive smile as the scent of her arousal filled the shower before I was done. After she cleaned me, I enjoyed a quick blowjob after we turned off the shower. Toweling off quickly, I walked naked into our bedroom.

"You two are an inspiration. I would never, ever, ever let that monster in my ass unless our lives depended on it," Jessica admitted as she, Judith, and Larisa relaxed against the headboard of our bed.

"Don't knock it until you try it, my lioness. As long as Marvin is gentle,” my seroci mate said, “it might actually be as pleasant as Kiki made it seem."

Smiling at Larisa while Jessica gave her a wide-eyed expression, I kissed my foxkin as she slipped past me and joined our other mates on our bed. Seeing Judith’s shrug when I looked her way, I chuckled before slipping in between Jessica and Larisa. I made myself comfortable.

"I am definitely game as long as you ladies are. But before we start on round two and some experimentation, I have a few things I need to tell you about my trip."

I watched as my mates sat back and gave me their full attention, then I informed them of the agreement King Holden had made with me and Tamira, telling them about our new allies on the planet that we now called home.

Chapter 20

Tamira – Belin Region

I looked over at my sleeping mates as the muffled sounds of Judith making breakfast drifted in from the kitchen. Picking up the emblem that I had resting on my chest between my thumb and forefinger, I gazed at the metallic circle and smiled.

Our conversation about my trip that had lasted well into the night before I had given each of them another round of rough and gentle lovemaking before we all succumbed to our exhaustion. After asking Judith to bring me the emblem after she got up to make breakfast, I stared at the circular piece of alien metal for over a half hour as the scope of its abilities ran through my mind.

Remembering Torin's speech during my musings, I had hoped I could avoid his failings and make a triumphant return to Earth to create more lion shifters like me and my lioness.

"Are they going to keep to the agreement?"

I smiled after hearing my sleepy seroci's question and leaned over and gave her a nod and a kiss.

"I trust Akasha to hold to her word, and the King didn't strike me as someone that would stab us in the back unless his kingdom was threatened. As long as we keep it as much of a secret as we can that we have this in our possession, I think we have a good chance of going unnoticed, according to what the gromonix told me."

Watching Larisa give me a smile filled with confidence and comfort, I leered unashamed at my sexy mate while she stretched languidly with a hungry smile on my face. Feeling Jessica and Kiki stir on my other side, I kissed the bridge of my lioness's nose and followed my baroness out of our bed.

"No, don't leave us behind. Whatever Judith is cooking smells too good to pass up."

I chuckled as Jessica tossed off her covers and woke Kiki up while getting out of bed. I helped my foxkin make her bleary-eyed way to our bathroom for a much-needed shower. Before following her swaying path, I gave the emblem still in my hand a long look before putting it away in our bedside table.

We showered—with only a little shower shenanigans—before getting dressed and making our way to the kitchen. Kissing Judith after she gave me my plate, I devoured my breakfast like a starving man on death row.

"I don't think I thanked you yesterday for my gift, babe," Jessica said before kissing me while she grabbed my empty plate.

I laughed a little as I watched her tail swish happily after she glanced at her present, which sat next to our front door where she had left it during our procession to the bedroom. Seeing my mates happy was always a treat, and after I remembered the fun that we’d had after my return, I figured that was thanks enough but wouldn't mind a little more if my lioness was up for it.

Taking Larisa's smiling kiss as she passed me, I saw her spiked tail swing happily behind her as she joined Jessica and Judith in the kitchen and saw the knowing glance that she gave me over her shoulder. I returned it as I rose from my seat to join them in cleaning up breakfast, and I gave Kiki's mischievous smile a confused frown before she slid under my arm.

"So, handsome, how was your trip? We didn't get much time yesterday to talk about it."

I gave Kiki a hesitant glance after hearing the sugary sweet tone in my foxkin's voice before I cleared my throat as we entered the kitchen.

"It was good. I got to see a few of the tamed creatures the minotaurs use to help them survey the mountain. I have to admit seeing a tamed drake wasn't on my bucket list, but it was damn cool watching them use the overgrown lizards to scale cliffs."

I gazed into the distance while I remembered that incredible sight. Coming back to myself after a moment, I looked down at my mate and furrowed my brows after seeing the irritated expression on her face. As I wondered what had caused it, I caught both Jessica and Judith's ears swivel toward us during a break in their conversation.

"That's good, I guess... but was there anything else that might have stood out?" Kiki asked in a leading tone.

I slid between Judith and Jessica after Kiki abandoned her spot under my arm.

I kissed my wolfkin mate before taking a clean dish from her to dry before Jessica put it away. Taking a moment to think about what my three mates were leading me toward, I heard Larisa's soft chuckle as she dressed to tend her garden.

"Well, Akasha and I did get chased by a dragon after we played a game of keep away with a momma ogre and her baby."

Seeing my mate's interest grow after my comment, I enjoyed telling them about those exciting then less exciting but enjoyable hours for the next twenty minutes. I passed the last dish for my lioness to put away and chuckled after seeing the four staring at me with rapt attention.

"So, we climbed back down the mountain, and Celeste and I had a little altercation before the princess told me Holden wanted us in Jokun."

After I finished telling my mates about the two weeks I had spent in the Belin Mountains I smiled.

I had Judith's complete and total attention as she absentmindedly stirred a half full bowl way past being mixed properly. Looking at my other mates, I shook my head after I saw Jessica and Kiki leaning on their elbows on the counter.

Larisa was still holding a gardening glove between her delicate fingers that she had picked up over ten minutes ago.

"And then!!" Kiki said to me as her hazel eyes widened with impatience.

"And then we went to Jokun. There were a few monsters we either evaded or killed along the way but nothing too serious. I already told you about what happened between the King and me..."

Trailing off after I heard a knock at the door, I watched Jessica frown and glare in that direction before shoving herself off the counter to see who had made the trip from town to visit us. Larisa let out a short giggle and I looked at her curiously after my figurative ears perked up after I hear Celeste's voice coming from our front porch.

I left her to whatever amusement she had gotten from the panthkin woman after I strained to hear Jessica's voice after it dropped down to a harsh whisper.

"Since our mate doesn't want to give us the juicy details of his trip, I think we can get it from a more willing source," my lioness said as she and Celeste walked into the kitchen.

After a short round of hellos and good mornings went around, I opened my mouth to ask what juicy details Celeste had to share. I closed it swiftly after Jessica and Larisa gave me an intense look. I followed their silent request to keep my trap shut while Celeste glanced at me before blushing and sitting next to my seroci mate.

"Well, from what Jessica has told me, you all want to know what happened between Marvin and Akasha during his trip. Did he tell you what happened in the cave with him and the princess while hiding from the dragon?"

Watching each of my mates give me a long look that told me I would be elaborating on the panthkin woman's comment, I watched Jessica's tail sway behind her. I saw by its languid motions that I wasn't in trouble for leaving the few hours Akasha, and I spent together out of my story, for the moment, but she would require further explanation.

"Well, he didn't tell us much about what had happened on the mountain except for the Dragon hiding part, so you will have to ask him about that. They did come back topless, or mostly in the princess's case, so there is that. What I can tell you is that he and the princess got a little closer while we were waiting on King Holden..."

While I listened to Celeste give a pretty correct description of me and Akasha's interaction during our wait, I did feel like the panthkin didn't paint me in the best light as she mentioned the princess's hand on my chest the whole time we waited. I did admit to myself that having the woman touching me felt good, but Celeste claiming her hand had been halfway down my pants felt like a slight exaggeration.

"So, I dropped him off, and we went to grab your scythe. It looks great, by the way, Jessica. We collected the others and then made our way home," Celeste finished with a shrug.

Feeling a little vilified by Celeste's rendition of my visit to the minotaur kingdom, I kept myself from asking her about her run into the forest. I looked toward Larisa after she frowned at the panthkin woman.

"There is something you are not telling us about your trip, Celeste. I think it has something to do with our mate, forest, and darkness," my seroci mate said while her red eyebrows bunched up in concentration.

I watched Celeste freeze for a moment under Larisa's scrutiny and felt a little bad after guessing my thoughts might have caused my mate to examine our storyteller. Seeing Larisa shake her head at me, I still felt terrible for Celeste after a pained expression crossed her dark features, and she choked out an apology before rushing out of our home.

"So that happened... Care to enlighten us, handsome?" Kiki asked before she moved to sit in Celeste's abandoned seat.

As the rest of my mates joined the two sitting at the table, I took a moment to think about how much I was going to tell them about Celeste's breakdown. I realized more would be better after watching tears threaten to fall from her green eyes while she passed me.

I sighed and listened to Jessica groan softly.

"What?! I wanted to know what happened with Akasha after Kiki told me about the rumors going around the garrison."

Wondering what the rumors in the minotaur garrison would have to do with Akasha and me, I looked at Judith after she snapped her fingers to get my attention.

"Celeste first, she is a part of our community, and I like her. Once we hear about what happened, we can let Jessica enjoy her stories about our mate not fucking the princess."

My wolfkin mate's preemptive vindication of my time alone with Akasha caused me to give her a grateful smile. She smirked at my gratitude before looking at our other mates. Seeing Larisa and then Kiki nod their agreement, my lioness groaned before nodding grudgingly.

"Fine, but I want every. little. juicy. detail about the princess, Marvin. The curve of her neck, breast size, waist size, hips, thighs, and ass, all of it. Nipple size if you were able to see them."

A little taken aback by Jessica's intensity, I decided to give her a little tease after I thought back to my and Akasha's time in the waterfall cave.

"Gumdrops," I said with a smirk before I began to explain the less enjoyable time that I had spent tracking Celeste through the woods and hopefully make myself seem less like a lecher for enjoying Akasha's body against mine.

Chapter 21

Tamira – Belin Region

Lifting a heavy cast iron beam three days after confessing my sins with the minotaur princess to my mates, I grimaced as the weight of the immensely heavy girder lifted off my shoulders. I grabbed another as Bylek’s crane and pulley system went to work, embedding it next to the others inside the half-finished wall section next to the main gate.

I could have been doing anything else at that moment: helping Larisa fill out the paperwork to finish our agreement with the minotaur, training alongside Jessica and her new scythe, or even helping Judith and Kiki out in the fields. What kept me from doing any one of those things was my mate's insistence that I had dropped the ball with the princess… and badly.

They were confused after I’d admitted I’d suggested Akasha and I spread our genes together—confused, that is, that I hadn't done so after her warm reception to my statement. Further irritating me with the continued badgering to do something to bring her back within my orbit, I let my stubborn pride get in the way and flatly refused them.

I had taken their frustrated frowns in stride and left to do something a little simpler and safer than placing my town directly in the sights of thousands of pissed-off minotaurs. Holding up the weight of the next beam while Bylek’s men worked on securing ropes at each end of it, I found myself wondering if I’d acted rashly.

Holden and Akasha especially had been nothing but accepting of me, and with her ancestry, I didn't believe the King would take offense if I took his daughter as one of my mates. The thing that kept me from acting on that feeling was the looks I still got from the minotaurs in my town.

Feeling like a pariah, even if they still respected my position as the leader of our small town, I only had to remember their reaction to Akasha's arrival to see where their loyalties lay. Bylek gave me a signal that the section of wall we had been working on was complete and ready for the next step in its construction.

I moved on to the next section of wall while I remembered the first and only minotaur that had sworn himself to me.

As I lifted the next beam, I found myself wishing that the boost I got from the coward had lasted longer than it took for him to reach home. Wondering if Akasha would shrink like he had if she were to swear to be my mate, I turned my head when I heard the crunch of minotaur hooves on the gravel and dirt off to my side.

Looking over to its source, I gave Jardon a smile and nod while Bylek's workers secured my load to his crane. I frowned a little while they worked after seeing the look of fury on his bovine face and wondered what could have made the minotaur so angry.

Even when we had attacks on caravans from his kingdom, the garrison commander usually just mustered his men and a few guards from the town and hunted the bandits, monsters, and stuck shifters down with his usual efficiency. Seeing him truly angry was a first, and my smile fell completely after he started stomping my way.

I gave the two men securing their load a harried glance as Jardon came closer, and I groaned to myself after I saw that they weren't going to be finished in time to let me scamper away from the fight that was coming. Bracing myself after I saw Jardon's fist raise to hit me, I hoped I would remain conscious after his first strike. If not, the two wolfkin attaching the ropes to my load would have a lot more on their hands than they would know what to do with.

"Jardon, if you could give me a few seconds, we can talk or fight this out somewhere less dangerous... Ok, so no, fuck."

Raising my shoulder to try and take some of the blow, I rocked to the side a little after Jardon's huge fist glanced off my shoulder and head. Still seeing double despite his fist skipping off my head, I saw the two wolfkin in front of me give me a simultaneous thumbs up, and I managed to duck Jardon's next swing and put some distance between him and me.

"I'm not sure what has you so pissed, Jardon, but you could have gotten those four men killed because you didn't want to fight fair," I said to the twin minotaurs that were thankfully becoming one giant pissed-off one.

I swayed out of the range of the now singular Jardon's fist once he reached me, and I returned his rage-filled snort with a less impressive one of my own. Already completely shifted to manage the heavy weight of the beams, I used my increased strength and speed to capture his next swing and used his elbow and my palm as a lever to place the back of his head in knee striking range.

Adding a hop to my push on the joint, I pulled on his fist with one hand and twisted over his shoulder before pulling with both hands and landing a blow with my knee just under where his spine met his skull. Jardon let out a pained bellow before dropping to one knee.

I let the one I had struck him with slide over his far shoulder while my other one landed on the one closest to me.

The man tried to use his horns to throw me off his back, but I smiled after the movement put them in the perfect place for me to grab onto them. Sliding one of my legs around the minotaur's neck swiftly, I locked the other one around my ankle and used my convenient handlebars to yank back on his head with as much strength as possible.

Smiling despite the hard landing I received after Jardon's thick skull tried to crush my stomach, I tightened my leg lock around his throat and rode out his struggles to free himself.

"Oh no, you fucking don't, you asshole! You're going to fucking sleep whether you like it or not! I tried to talk this shit out, but you just had to use your fucking fists, and what did that stupid idea get you? Yup, getting choked out in the fucking dirt with my dick in the back of your thick skull!!! Stop fighting and go night, night, ass!!!"

I rode out Jardon's slowly weakening struggles as my inner lion became truly angry for the first time. Continuing to cuss out Jardon, even as my lion roared at me to kill the traitor to our pride, I barely kept the beast inside of me in check while I waited for Jardon's eyelids to flutter.

Releasing my hold on the minotaur after he went still on top of me, I shoved his head roughly off my stomach and moved swiftly to lay my ear on his chest. I prayed to whatever god was listening that I wouldn't have to perform CPR on the idiot. I soon let out a relieved sigh when I saw his chest rise and fall as his heartbeat pounded slowly in my ear.

My eyes turned from checking on the idiot to the crowd gathered around us after I got up off the ground, and I frowned after seeing several of Jardon's men giving me contemplative looks. Unsheathing my claws after I saw two of them step toward me, I readied myself to kill them instead of just giving them a less than pleasant nap.

Wishing I hadn't left my ax back home after storming out, I reflexively sunk the razor-sharp digits into Jardon's forearm after he grabbed my calf and looked down at him while he blew out a pain-filled breath.

"I think my fists might have been leading my brain, Lord Marvin. If you would let go of my arm, I think I am ready for that talk you offered."

I gave Jardon a long hard look after his request while I watched his brown eyes roll in his skull before I gave him a curt nod. During a few playful tussles with Terrell, I had gotten my bell rung a few times by him over the years and I knew the signs of a concussion when I saw one.

After I pulled my claws out of Jardon's forearm and grasped the hand on his undamaged arm. I smiled cautiously down at the minotaur while I helped him to his hooves and gave his men standing around us a glare that shouted: "fuck off."

"You said you were ready to talk, so talk, Jardon," I said while I steadied the minotaur.

"Not here... please. What I have to say is sensitive in nature, and I would prefer to explain the reason for my actions in a less conspicuous place."

I followed Jardon's gaze and exhaled irritably and let out a barking growl that sent the spectators of our short fight on their way. Wondering if I would hear something about it from my mates once I returned home, I gave the lethargic minotaur a harsh glare that got him moving.

We ended up in one of the inns that serviced the garrison after a short walk made longer by Jardon's slow recovery from his nap. After sitting at one of the oversized tables and ordering a drink, I cleared my throat lightly to get him talking.

"I believe you have spoken with the princess about her... special relationship with our people?"

My eyebrows furrowed as I nodded my understanding after Jardon's question. Seeing him sway dangerously on his seat while his eyelids fluttered, I almost ended our talk to let him recover for the night before I thought better of that decision.

As short as our fight was, I didn't want it to cause rumors to spread like those that pertained to Akasha and me. I also liked the man well enough to make sure I hadn't done any permanent damage, and that took time to assess.

"Well, the rider that came with you and the guards down the mountain brought a little more than just the weekly report. Discord is growing between the tribes since the thulu'griffs resurfaced, and one, in particular, has given the King more trouble than the rest."

Our conversation paused as a minotaur with a disgustingly dirty apron brought us our drinks. Examining my mug and finding it passably clean, I drank a swig of the strong ale I ordered and inclined my head for Jardon to continue after the man walked back to the bar.

"There is a tribe deep in the mountains that has always been... different. They fight without honor and only on their terms, accepting what orders they choose to follow from our King. The message sent here mentioned a need to check on the princess and your actions while you were assisting her."

My eyes widened, then narrowed after I figured out why I had to choke out twelve feet of minotaur. Their assumption that Akasha and I had done more than a bit of light flirting in that cave irritated me more than the fight it had caused.

I growled to myself as I put a bit of thought into actually doing something with Akasha to spite them. While doing so, I missed Jardon's flinch as the sound rumbled in my chest before he cleared his throat nervously.

"I would like to apologize for assuming the worst of you, Marvin. You have been nothing but kind and honorable in your interactions with my kingdom, and I would like to say that I let my fist get in front of my brain instead of simply talking with you about this subject."

Half listening to Jardon's apology while I imagined what I would do to Akasha's curves if I weren't so "honorable," I nodded distractedly at him before draining my drink and leaving payment for it. I waved off the minotaur's insistence that he pay for my drink as I left our table.

I made my way toward my home after leaving the inn with visions of a certain princess running through my mind.

After I made it home, I glowered at my front door a long time before sighing and opening it while swallowing my pride. Putting some actual thought into what was going on with the princess and me during my walk, I found fewer and fewer reasons why I shouldn't pursue her.

If the worst happened, my mates and I had an alternative to our initial plans to unite the kingdoms of Kerxon. I hoped that if that happened, an army of just lionkin could push back the thulus I knew were coming.

I saw my mates chatting lightly in our living room after I entered our home. Their gazes turning to me as one and their conversation cutting off just as suddenly made me smile.

"I was wondering how long it would take you and Jardon to bury the hatchet after your fight, babe," Jessica said with a mischievous smile.

"He just needed a slight correction to his way of thinking, and I provided the reset he required. I... I need to apologize to you four before I continue, though. I let my fears about what would happen if Akasha chose to join us overwhelm my good sense. That's not to say that I will force the issue, now. But if we find ourselves in a similar situation, I’ll let it happen instead of talking my way out of sleeping with Akasha again."

I made my way to our bedroom after giving my confession and left my open-mouthed and goggle-eyed mates in the living room while I went to get my emblem. Working on the contingency plan I had thought up while I walked home, I gathered it from our bedside table and rejoined my mates.

"So, are we going to get a sexy amazon princess to join us?!"

A chuckle left my lips after my lioness's question, and I gave her an amused nod as I sat between her and Larisa. Ignoring Jessica's excitement and resulting questions and my other mate's less greedy ones, I focused on the piece of circular metal in my hand.

Chapter 22

Tamira – Belin Region

After spending over five minutes trying every conceivable way but using the emblem properly to contact The Prophet to set up our escape plan, I left a silent message to return my call at his earliest convenience. Refocusing on my mates after I opened my eyes, I found them all giving me concerned looks.

"Are you ok, Marvin?"

My eyes turned to Judith after she asked her question, and my calm reply died on my tongue after seeing her, Kiki, and Jessica's ears pinned back in fear. Looking over to Larisa next to me, I picked up her hand on my thigh. She curled her spiked tail around my leg.

"I'm fine. I was trying to contact The Prophet to see if we could get our new arrival point set up. Why do you all look like you just saw a ghost?"

While I asked my question, I continued to rub my worried seroci's hand and watched Kiki rise from her seat next to her and kneel between my legs.

"You were vibrating like nothing I had ever seen after you closed your eyes. Then you stretched out a few times and weren't answering us when we called you," my foxkin mate explained before she wrapped her arms around my waist.

I stared at the top of her head against my stomach for a few moments before I began to rub the top of her head. After Judith, Larisa, and Jessica joined in on the group hug, I wondered if what Kiki had described was what happened when the gromonix had brought me to its ship.

"It looked like the snap of Thanos’ fingers in Infinity Wars, except instead of disappearing, you kept snapping back into one piece and dissolving again. I would greatly appreciate it if you would inform us the next time you try and do that, okay?"

Nodding after hearing my lioness's request, I leaned my forehead against hers and kissed her softly. I passed around a few kisses to my other mates that grew a little needy and desperate after Larisa set the rest of them off when she moaned into my mouth after slipping her tongue into it.

"Wait! Wait! Wait! Before the orgy goes down, I need to show you this!" Jessica said before she pushed Larisa and me apart.

I tried and mostly succeeded in focusing on the message she placed in front of me while Judith and Kiki worked on getting my pants off. Seeing Margaret’s flowery handwriting on it, I looked up at my lioness and smiled after she gave me a slow nod.

"They said yes and that they should be here in a week or two," my lioness said with a wide smile on her freckled face.

I returned it as another part of our plan fell into place. Running my fingers through Judith and Kiki's hair after they freed me from my pants, my head fell back as I basked in the pleasure of their warm wet mouths swapping my dick between them.

"Don't forget about me, my sexy lion," my seroci said sensually.

A groan left my lips as Jessica's lips and tongue joined Judith and Kiki's before one of Larisa's hard nipples filled my hungry mouth. Teasing the sensitive nub, I enjoyed the soft squeal of pleasure she let out before I slid one of my hands under her plush ass and gave it a hungry squeeze.

While I enjoyed my mates working to force the first load of the night from me, I couldn't help but imagine another pair of breasts even bigger than my seroci's waiting for my attention.

A few hours after thoroughly pleasing my mates—and having a great time, myself—I sat next to my happy seroci while we worked on the paperwork that kept our town running in her office. I smirked when she began humming a different upbeat tune before kissing me on the cheek before handing me a document to go over.

"I'm glad I could improve your attitude, Larisa. This expenditure report looks good, but we need to ensure the merchants keep their word about the quality of their goods," I said before placing the document in front of me and stamping it with my seal.

Larisa's casual grope of my ass had a smile crossing my face as I bent forward to add the document to the completed file for Jessica to pass on to her guards. That duty, along with a few others, had tempted some of the townsfolk to join the guards in non-combat positions.

They still needed to attend my lioness's training with the minotaurs, but it was an excellent way to circumvent Terr's stupid mandates and keep our town ready to defend itself. Looking at my seal for a moment, I felt a little more in control of the direction our lives were headed.

After my attempt to contact The Prophet had failed—mostly—it was nice to have a little bit of control of my life here in the palm of my hand.

"Here you go, my sexy lion, the market report for Itorin to give to the King," Larisa said as she handed me yet another form.

I held it for a moment between my fingers while I gave my smiling mate a confused stare.

"You agreed you needed to be more in charge here, and this is how we start making that happen. No swords, battles, or blood-covered claws for my lion. Nope, stamps, long lonely nights, and ink-covered fingers are how you will show the King that this is your kingdom to run."

A smirk curled my lips after Larisa's over-exaggerated response to my confusion that she kissed before returning to the pile of documents in front of her. Stamping the report without looking at it, I put it in the outgoing pile that would wait for the mail runners to arrive in a few days.

I sat back in my seat while I waited for my baroness-cum-secretary to hand over another form for me to review. As that thought reminded me of what we had just finished a little over half-an-hour ago, I had to shake my head and turn my interest to something less distracting after my seroci gave me a knowing smile and a wink.

"Do you know anything about the tribe Jardon mentioned?” I asked her.

A few moments after my mate paused in her happy humming to think about my question, she nodded and then resumed humming. Waiting expectantly for a few moments but seeing her return happily to her work, I sighed and glared at her.

"What is the matter, my lion? You asked a question, and I answered it," she said with a smirk turning up the corners of her full lips.

I kept my hands off her gently curved horns as I forced her to face me with two fingers under her chin, then could only roll my eyes when she licked her lips playfully. Not taking the bait my mate offered to adjust my mood, I moved our question-and-answer game away from her less than productive goal.

"Any particular reason why you don't want to elaborate on your answer?"

I chuckled after she nodded.

"Any idea when you are might choose to enlighten me?" I asked, still prodding my mate for information.

"Just as soon as you earn it, my love."

My eyes widened a bit after Larisa used the L-word on me, before laughing lightly. I kissed her blush-covered cheek. "I love you too, Larisa."

I figured Kiki's little slip might lead to a few more confessions we all might feel the need to make. It seemed to me that my seroci was acting a little needy, but I had more than enough time to tend to her wants. I imagined a dinner date with just us two would go over well.

Sharing my attention with our other mates had to grow tedious at some point, and I would hate for any of my mates to feel left out.

Her soft chuckle as I envisioned a candlelit dinner for two brought me back to myself.

"I will happily steal a date or two, if that is what you want, my lion. Mostly, though, I don't want to give you information that might send you running off again to the mountains while leaving us here to await your return."

My surprised expression pulled a giggle from Larisa, who then patted my arm gently in response to my shocked reaction to her confession. Returning her playful smirk after her patronizing comfort, I considered her response for a moment.

"I think if we set it up well enough, then a little working vacation to the mountains might be possible. I know Margaret, Steve, and Yusef should have no trouble keeping things running while we are gone."

Larisa looked less than convinced when I made my suggestion. I shot her a smirk as I readied myself to defend my point. “My degree in business didn’t pertain only to keeping track of boring reports, you know. It also taught me how to put the proper people in the proper positions to make our town grow.”

“I’m just not sure Margaret and Steve are the proper people to shepherd our town’s growth,” Larissa admitted.

"When we first came here, after getting the boot from Earth, Margaret told me she ran a marketing firm. Whether she sold shoes or not, reaching the top spot in even a mid-sized company means her leadership skills are more than adequate to keep Tamira afloat for a few weeks. I know Dobber won't mind lending a hand if need be, especially since he has been with us since the beginning."

My smile grew substantially when I saw my seroci seriously considering my suggestion instead of denying it outright. I gave her a few moments to think things over, as bringing up Dobber made me realize something.

We—my mates and I—had spoken at length about regaining the power I had lost upon Tamira's death, but there was also the strength I might gain from the one shifter race I had yet to have swear to me. Having a panthkin sworn to me, either as a mate or as a subject like Dobber, would be just as necessary as gaining another angelic’s allegiance would be.

I found myself wondering why the various shifters living in my town didn't count toward the ‘devotion’ that the Prophet said gave me my increased powers compared to other shifters. Cradling my chin in my palm as I did the exact opposite of what the alien had suggested, it wasn’t until Larisa's pinch on the skin of my upper arm made me look up distractedly at her that I realized I was overthinking this.

"If you were any deeper in your thoughts, Marvin, I wouldn't have been surprised to see smoke coming out of your ears. As to your suggestion… with the proper preparation, we should be able to leave Tamira in Margaret’s and Steve's hands for a short while—long enough for you to whisk us off on a mountain vacation."

Chapter 23

Tamira – Belin Region

I smiled at my mate after her comment and then looked again at the paper she was filling out while I’d been contemplating the nearly magical nature of the gromonix's changes to my body. Looking over her suggestions, I made a few notes on alterations before passing it back to her.

"That all looks good, but they’ll need to talk to Tina and Rena about any issues that come up with the farms. Dobber usually only deals with the herds and leaves the rest to the twins."

I watched as my seroci gave me a nod and read the alterations I made to her to-do list for Jessica's parents. Getting lost in the sight of my beautiful mate pulling a wayward strand of her flame red hair behind her ear as she rewrote the list in her flowing script, my smile became a little goofy.

I wasn’t sure how long I gazed at my beautiful mate before her husky chuckle brought me back to myself.

"The tribe that Jardon was talking about is the Blackwatch tribe. They are remarkably similar to the ninjas you used to have on your world. They became less valuable to the minotaur kingdom after Kerxon went through what would have been the equivalent of your world’s industrial revolution a few centuries ago."

My eyes widened slightly after Larisa explained about the minotaur tribe Jardon had alluded to. Thinking about the dichotomy between what a minotaur variant of the mysterious and mythical sect of assassins might look like compared to the human one I was familiar with, I turned my attention back to my mate when she cleared her throat.

"Speaking of the minotaurs, what are you going to do about the rumors about Akasha and you? I have a suggestion on that, if you care to listen instead of following whatever train of thought you were latched onto a moment ago."

I smirked at my seroci when she hinted at my amorous mood while watching her write and nodded for her to continue, all while giving her a put-upon sigh.

Larisa let out her own playfully exaggerated sigh before saying, "What? Your mood before this led me to believe that you wanted to focus on work, so this is me working!"

After leaning over and laying a peck on her pouty lips, I kept myself from deepening the kiss by leaning back in my chair and waiting for her to continue. My curiosity was piqued, and I was eager to hear what she had to say about these Blackwatch.

"The way I see this rumor playing out, is that King Holden will either make Akasha denounce them or let her make his own decision about their veracity. That is only one part of the issue, though. I think your choices are either leaning into them to get closer to the princess, or denying them entirely and courting her publicly."

I had already decided to pursue Akasha, but my mate's suggestion put a new spin on my plans. I slowly nodded. "I think I will correct their misconceptions when we reach Holden's kingdom and let him know my intentions towards his daughter. I don't want the minotaurs to think I didn't act honorably when it comes to their treasured princess."

Finishing my plan with a shrug, I watched Larisa give me a smile and nod before she returned to finishing our work for the night. I placed the last stamped document in the outgoing pile for its morning delivery in a few hours before standing and stretching. Yawning as several pops sounded along my spine, out of the corner of my eye I caught sight of my seroci's large breasts straining against the fabric of her dress. One button, in particular, seemed to be all that restrained them from bursting free of their confines.

Larisa turned to look at me before she said, "That was fun, as always. Are you ready to rejoin our mates in our warm bed, my lion?"

Stepping forward with a nod, I pulled her red hair back off her shoulders and gave them a gentle massage. Listening to her moan while I worked the stiffness out of them was delightful as I rewarded my seroci for all her hard work.

I naturally let the desire that had returned upon watching her stretch determine what I did next. As I worked my hands up the sides of my mate's slim neck upon finishing with her shoulders, I gently scraped my fingernails along her scalp before gripping one of her delicate horns.

"I think a short nightcap might be just what we need after all this hard work. What do you say, my love?"

Larisa's soft moan as she let me push her cheek down onto her desk was all the answer I needed to my question. Kicking her chair out of my way as she was forced to rise up off of it, I ignored its clatter against the wall. All of my attention was focused on my mate.

The slight jiggle of her ass as my firm pressure against her horn forced her onto her tip-toes caused a hungry growl to rumble in my chest. Pulling down the light cotton pair of sleeping pants I wore before lifting the hem of her dress up to her waist, I left my night shirt in place.

I smiled hungrily at the sound she made when I slapped my dick against my seroci's clit. She moaned – a long, hungry plea for something only I could give her.

My gaze fell to her wide hips and plush ass after she wiggled it needily for my inner lion and me. I enjoyed the long pleasure-filled groan Larisa let out as I filled her tight pussy. As I worked to satisfy my mate before we went to sleep for the night, I hoped our trip would be everything we wanted it to be.

We needed support if we were going to get Kerxon prepared for what was coming, and as Larisa pushed back against my thrusting dick, I hoped a certain Amazonian princess, as Jessica had called her, would be doing the same—and sooner rather than later.

∞∞∞∞∞

The light from the morning sun creeping into our bedroom caused me to let out a grunt as I stretched out the kinks of an eventful evening. My movement resulted in a few disgruntled groans from my still sleeping mates. Looking over at Larisa where she slept behind Jessica, I noted that she hadn't moved an inch.

After our short but intense session in her office, I carried my unconscious seroci into our room and placed her on the bed behind Jessica—where she still lay.

I gently extracted myself from between my lioness and Judith. I smiled at Kiki when she gave me a bleary-eyed look before snuggling back into our wolfkin's black mess of hair.

I relieved myself in our massive bathroom before taking a hot shower to wash off the evening’s extra-curricular activities. After walking out into our kitchen, I cooked a quick breakfast before a knock at our door pulled me away from my meal.

"Good morning, Lord Marvin, I’m just here for the daily mail," the panthkin guard said after I’d opened the door.

"Thanks, good morning to you, too. Give me a moment, and I will go get it."

I waved at the man’s back after delivering to him the stack of documents that included my lioness's orders for the guards that she was too exhausted to supply personally. Closing the door behind me and making my way back to the kitchen to finish my breakfast, I was reminded of our upcoming visitors.

Mentally ticking off the things I needed to do before they arrived, I smiled at Judith when she walked into the room.

"I'm surprised you’re up, my love. I thought Larisa and you would be the last of us to wake, after your very loud nightcap."

I gave my wolfkin mate a smirk for her teasing and rose from my seat to kiss her soundly. Dipping her while I was at it, I smiled down at her wide-eyed expression as I held her up by her slim waist with one arm, stroking her cheek with my other hand.

"Lions on earth have a bit more stamina than your average beast. If you want, I can show you just how much, my love," I all but purred. I smiled hungrily at my mate's curves in her night gown.

I frowned a little in disappointment when Judith closed the ample display of cleavage her nightgown displayed with one of her hands, placing the other on top of mine against her flushed cheek.

"As much fun as that sounds at the moment, Marvin, if I let you have your way with me every time you swept me off my feet, I would never get anything done. Now, let me up so I can start our day properly."

I took my sweet time following my wolfkin's request, all the while enjoying her playful smirk. She gently kissed the palm of my hand after playfully biting it for taking ten whole seconds to return her to her feet. Watching her move to make breakfast for the rest of my mates, I took my seat at the small table in our kitchen.

My mind wandered as I listened to her hum a tune that her mother had taught her. Rising from my seat after a few minutes of thought, I encircled Judith's waist and told her, "Tell the others when they wake up, that I am helping Bylek with the wall," before kissing the tip of one of her ears.

After releasing her, I made my way to one of the spare bedrooms. Jessica had told me during a break last night that the spare rooms were packed with extra sets of outside clothes for me, just in case I wanted to get dressed without waking them.

After pulling on a sturdy set of pants and a work shirt, I made my way to the wall—the work-in-progress that was my attempt to keep us all alive while I figured out how to push back the threat that we knew was coming.

Chapter 24

Tamira – Belin Region

Lifting a bearkin shifter from his feet and slamming him down on his back in the small training ground in my backyard a week and a half later, I placed the training sword in my hand against the man's chest.

I offered Oppa, my opponent and son of a merchant I was buttering up, a hand up and grunted despite my strength as the corpulent shifter came off the ground with a long sigh.

"Thank you, Lord Marvin. That was both fun and informative," the man said while he shook my hand.

"No problem, Oppa. I’d hoped it might sway you into joining the guard. We could definitely use a man of your size."

After watching the merchant's son give my offer a serious nod of consideration, I turned around to watch a much more exciting fight. Sitting in the cobbled-together camp chair I had made for such training days, I focused my attention on the fight between my lioness and her panthkin trainer, Celeste.

Watching the two of them avoid the other's blows was akin to watching two ballerinas trying to knock each other's heads off with wooden weapons. The light leap Celeste made that took her away from the slice of Jessica’s training scythe—the one she had made exactly to her Runner’s specifications—demonstrated both the panthkin's training and her experience.

The name Jessica had given the scythe I had commissioned for her was all at once both cute and cringeworthy. She had named it ‘Runner’ after the blood she wanted to see run from its blade. For some reason, I couldn't tell her how cringy that sounded—I just couldn’t bring myself to do or say anything that might remove the glorious smile that had grown on her face after she had named the weapon.

Jessica had only had a week with the scythe in her hands and only a day or two training with its training replica, but my lioness was no slouch. She twirled her training scythe around her back with one hand before catching it with the other in a show of amazing dexterity. The blonde continued to show her innate skill with the weapon as she swiped the scythe's blunted point down in an overhand swing at Celeste's chest.

I saw a flash of fear flicker across the panthkin woman's face as my mate rushed at her during the attack. Celeste again showed her training, though, as she mostly succeeded in dodging the blow that sent a rush of wind past her shoulder instead of trying to block it with her shield.

I imagine that if she’d tried that tactic, she would have regretted the results.

Jessica's continued attacks were mostly dodged or diverted by Celeste's shield after she got her feet back underneath her. I found myself rooting for the panthkin as the underdog in this fight. The woman might have experience and training on her side, but I was again surprised by what Jessica, and I, could do as lion shifters.

My mate pressed the attack, not relenting at all, keeping Celeste on her heels thanks to her greater strength and speed. After close to another thirty seconds of a furious exchange of blows, parries, and counters that left the smaller woman on her back in the dirt, I groaned playfully when my lioness ‘killed’ her opponent by tapping the blunted point of her scythe over the panthkin’s heart.

"That was good, Jessica, but you must work on your footwork. The only reason you beat me, was because you were so much faster and stronger than me. If you keep your feet under you better, you will have better control of your swings and will be able to put more power behind them."

I rose from my seat as Celeste gave my mate a few pointers that she paid close attention to and then mimicked under the experienced panthkin's gaze. Waiting for Celeste to make her corrections, I smiled after my mate pulled her into a grateful hug.

After returning Jessica's kiss, I turned my attention to the panthkin standing with us. “That was amazing, you two. What might a humble lion shifter have to do to get some private lessons with our resident trainer?"

"You're too big... Bigger than... Your size makes training you correctly, a bit of a problem. Women's bodies move differently, so what might work and feel natural for Jessica might feel awkward to you. That being said, I can give you the basics to add to what you have been doing naturally."

I gave Celeste's flustered response to my question a smile that faltered when she recovered her usual professional attitude.

"I will take what help I can get. Let me know when you are available, and we can set up a schedule for training. That sound good?"

After seeing the panthkin's curt nod at my suggestion, I watched as her ears perked up and then flattened against her head as I scented Jaco coming around the side of my home. I watched the two shifters exchange a long look filled with something weighty, and I almost interjected myself into the silent squabble, before Jessica's hand on my arm stopped me.

I missed whatever led to the conclusion of their silent argument when I turned to look at my mate. Hearing Celeste's, "excuse me," before she left us to join her mate, I slowly turned back to watch the two shifters leaving, not missing Jaco's hand on Celeste's ass as they left.

After taking note of the man's possessive squeeze, I turned back to my frowning mate.

"She wants you, or I think she does. Her heat, or something like it, always starts when you are around," Jessica said before leaning against me.

My eyes turned to the side of our home Jaco and Celeste had walked around, before sighing. Jessica had floored me with her confession. I had placed the panthkin woman in the friend zone after she’d fought and beaten Judith for Jaco.

I had to shake my head as my lioness's assertion made me question that decision. Teasing the woman was one thing. Going after her now was another thing entirely, and would cause strife in my town when we needed to be unified against the thulu.

"Then she needs to make a decision, just like Judith did with Simmo," I eventually growled out as my inner lion revealed his opinion.

My lion would much rather have taken over the wolfkin's pride and made it his own, rather than let a perfect mate like Celeste be wasted on the weak wolfkin. Shaking off the conflicting feelings with a growl, I put my lion in its proper place.

"She might not be able to—just like with our wolfie. She can't just leave him, due to Terr's decrees.” Jessica tapped her chin, brows coming together. “You could always kill him, though."

When Jessica's comment caused me to give her an unamused smirk, she turned her attention to the back entrance of our home when my wolfkin stepped out of it.

“We have guests,” Judith called.

My smile broadened when she ducked back into the house. Scenting Margaret, Steve, and Yusef as soon as she opened the door, I looked at my lioness in concern when I felt her vibrating anxiously against my arm.

"What if it doesn't work, and we hurt or kill them?” she asked as she gave the door to our home a fearful glance.

“They are adults and can make their own decisions, babe.” I pulled her into my side and gave her a one-armed squeeze. “We made what we were going to do clear the last time we saw them, and they wouldn’t have said yes if they weren’t willing to accept the risk.”

I kissed the side of my mate’s head before burying my nose in her blonde hair. Feeling better after inhaling her comforting scent, I pushed down my own worries about her parents and pulled her along with me into our home.

“Hello pumpkin, ready to give your mother a run for her money,” Steve asked when we walked into the kitchen.

“Dad, are you sure you want to go through with this?” Jessica asked with a frown.

I smiled as I hugged Margaret when she walked over to me, even as her daughter ran over and hugged her father.

“Yes, we are pumpkin. There has been...” She trailed off, then cleared her throat. “We need to do this, to be sure about a few things...”

As I let my mother-in-law walk over to hug her confused daughter, I noticed a few bruises on Margaret’s upper arms that were almost fully healed. Looking over at Yusef, I saw a few similar purple and yellow on his neck and wrists, noting some on Steve’s exposed skin, too.

I looked at Larisa, Kiki, and Judith with wide eyes as Jessica and our parents shared a hug. When Yusef joined them, I got nothing but shaking heads from my mates. Standing inside the doorway to our living room as the group hug ended, I waited for an explanation for their bruises with my arms crossed. An explanation, it seemed, that would have to wait.

Steve turned to look at me after the hug ended and said, "We are ready, Marvin... Son…"

He leveled a firm yet accepting gaze at me.

After letting out a sigh and moving towards the training ground Jessica and I had just left, I heard everyone in the house get up to follow me. I stopped where I had put Oppa on his back before turning and smiling at the two, hopefully, new members of my lion pride.

"Margaret… babe. You two go ahead and figure out how you are going to do this. Steve, whenever you are ready," I said with a hesitant smile.

"Hey mom,” Jessica growled, “remember when I was nine, and I tried to keep that stray kitten?"

My smile widened as Jessica used a few slights from her childhood to get herself riled up. Seeing Margaret take the bait and try to defend her decision, I turned my attention back to my father-in-law.

"None of that is needed with us, Marvin. Fathers all over the world, Kerxon included, would love to be in my shoes right now," he said with a grin before charging at me.

Chapter 25

Tamira – Belin Region

I dodged his first swing easily, almost embarrassingly so, before lashing out with a blow to his stomach that dropped the man to his knees. Kneeling to check on him, I earned a head butt for my trouble.

My surprise as Steve managed to get a hit in, despite gasping for breath, was intensified by the fact that he was back on his feet in less time than it took for me to recover from his attack. Dodging his swings that came closer and closer to connecting as he fell into a rhythm, my eyebrows bunched when a frustrated growl rumbled in his chest.

After a few moments of surprise at how quickly the speed and power of Steve's swings increased, I gave into my lion and let myself shift. Swinging at my father-in-law after he landed a stinging blow to my side, I heard his ribs pop after my enlarged fist connected with his chest.

I stopped dead in my tracks as I watched Steve's body tumble away from me. I rushed after him when he fetched up against the gazebo that sat at the back of our yard. Worried that I had inadvertently killed him when he remained still during the entirety of my run to him, I froze and then smiled when he finally lifted his head.

His yellow eyes stared back at me.

A relieved sigh left my lips before I said, "Well, I'm glad that worked."

Steve let out a low, rumbling growl. My brow furrowed. Watching him grow half a foot and gain a significant amount of muscle as he rose from the ground, I felt my inner lion ready itself to fight the challenger that now stood before us.

I kept a wary eye on my father-in-law as he slowly stalked toward me, holding his gaze. As he approached, I tensed—but then, he simply hugged me. I returned his hug as I retracted my claws.

His shoulders began to shake. "Thank you, son. I thought I was going crazy there, for a minute," he said before ending our hug and holding me at arm's length, his hands on my upper arm.

"Margaret, Yusef, and I have been fighting, and it has only gotten worse over the last month. Little tiffs here and there that got blown out of proportion. The last one, over Margaret almost getting kidnapped, was the worst..."

After Steve trailed off, his arms falling to his sides, I turned to watch my mother-in-law and my mate. Watching the two rolling around on the ground was entertaining, to say the least, as they both growled and roared at each other while fully shifted.

"Tell me about it while they exhaust themselves," I said before taking a seat on the steps of the wooden gazebo.

"Do you think they will be alright?” Steve asked. “Margaret doesn't look like she is pulling any punches."

After her mother caught her with a fist to her jaw, I saw shock flash across Jessica's face. I chuckled as my mate growled out her anger. She paid Margaret back for the surprising, and painful punch, with a head butt followed quickly by a fist to the ribs.

My lioness could handle herself. I gave Steve's shoulder a comforting pat after he sat next to me. "They will be fine, just some mother-daughter bonding. Now, tell me about what happened." I motioned to the bruises that had already started to fade on his neck.

I sat and listened to Steve's story for over ten minutes as our wives continued to fight in the training ground's dirt.

"So, she didn't ‘almost’ get kidnapped, did she?" I asked to clarify that part of his story.

Steve sighed and then hung his head. "No. She was out shopping for lunch and dinner one night, and they accused her of escaping from her ‘master’ and took her into custody. Yusef was still out working the fields, and my word wasn't good enough to get her home. I... I tried to fight them, verbally and physically, but I just wasn't good enough or strong enough to make them release my wife, Marvin."

My nod as I watched Steve give his exhausted wife a long look of concern once he’d finished his story was filled with worry for my own similarly spent mate.

"How much trouble did they give Yusef after he got back home? I'm not trying to be insensitive here... I just want to figure out a few things," I said while we both watched Yusef walk over to help Margaret to her feet.

As my other mates playfully struggled to pull Jessica to her feet, I watched my family come together under a stressful situation. Listening to Steve grumble while his new, more powerful, emotions got the better of him, I smiled when my lioness and her mother hugged before sharing a bit of banter and laughter.

I imagined this was what a real family looked like. I made a promise to myself to visit Mrs. Jensen if… no, whenever we made it back to Earth.

"Now that you mention it, they were almost as reticent with him as they were with me to release her. I... I'm sorry Marvin, I need to go and apologize to my family... my mates? Yes, mates. That is just… so weird. Do you feel like this all the time?"

My smile widened as I watched confusion grow on Steve's face before chuckling and giving him a firm pat on the back.

"You'll be fine, Steve. Two things, though. Don't shift fully if you can help it, and get some birth control for Margaret—unless you want to give Jessica a sibling," I said before laughing again.

After my wide-eyed father-in-law’s hesitant nod, I followed him over to the others and pulled my smiling lioness into a tight hug.

"I'm glad this worked out as well as it did,” Jessica said when we finally separated. “Mom, you sure have one hell of a right hook."

We all chuckled when Margaret flexed her arm and gave the new muscles an open-mouthed gasp. She flexed them a few more times and then gave Steve and Yusef a hungry look. Watching her pull them into another hug, I couldn’t help but give my mother-in-law a curious look as she whispered into their ears.

I saw both Yusef’s and Steve's tails start to wag happily as Margaret tried to wave all of us back. It was a signal, sadly, that my mates and I all missed.

My eyes and those of my mates widened as the three shared a kiss and began pulling at each other's clothes hungrily. Sliding my arms around my staring pride, I turned on my heel and forced them back into the safety of our home as the three lovers behind us lost themselves to their beastly desires.

"Do I sound like that?" Jessica asked after her mother let out a long moan.

I watched her shiver in disgust before the sounds of slapping flesh, thankfully, cut off as the door closed behind us.

"Not at all, Jessica. You sound more like this," Kiki said, and then gave a pretty good imitation of what my lioness sounded like in the throes of passion.

Chuckling with the rest of my mates before we heard a muffled roar from Steve, I watched Larisa wave away the air in front of her after taking a deep inhale of Judith's scent.

"Much better. Margaret is going to need a double dose of that yucky tea when all of that is over—however long that takes."

As Larisa shivered upon making her pronouncement, I watched as Jessica walked over to the window that faced the backyard and pulled the curtains closed with perhaps a little more force than was necessary.

"Yuck! Well, they’ll have a whole suite all to themselves, far enough away on the other side of the house that we shouldn’t have to hear each other. At least there is that. How long are we going to let them go at it before we drop our weighty responsibilities on them, babe?"

I shrugged after my lioness asked her question. Taking a seat between Kiki and Larisa, my mind was more focused on what we might run into on our trip to the mountains.

"Let them have their fun. As long as they keep the hanky-panky on their side of the house, we can let them enjoy this new side of themselves for a few days," I said as my foxkin and seroci leaned into me.

Margaret and Steve's transformation had proven The Prophet correct, yet again. That little bit of knowledge was a strong reinforcement of our need to prepare for the thulu. Letting my in-laws enjoy a few days of peace before we left them in charge of the town was a nicety that I believe they had earned for leaving everything behind to be with their daughter.

Chapter 26

Belin Mountain Range – Belin Region

As I pulled my ax from the last of the bandits that attacked us on our way to the minotaur kingdom, I looked at Jessica as she did the same with her scythe from the last of her opponents. Watching her smile at Runner as blood dripped from its blade, I smirked as I imagined another ‘rough’ night in our tent ahead of me.

This being the third group that we had run into during the week-long ride into the mountains, I had enjoyed my lioness's excitement after a fight—along with the rest of my mates—more than once.

I whistled to get the attention of the seven guards stationed around the large cart we used to carry our supplies in, then watched them check on the rest of my mates hiding inside it. Once one of them gave me a thumbs up, I smiled at Jessica as she fell in step beside me on our way back to the horses.

"I wish we were able to bring vehicles from Earth back here. Roughing it has been fun, but I would appreciate an RV and its amenities right now, especially the shower."

I shrugged as she sniffed a spot of brown on her armor to see if it was rust, mud, or worse with a grimace, before kissing a clean-ish section of her cheek.

"I had to ride for days covered in Thulu blood a few weeks ago. I think there is a mountain stream a day or so on up ahead that you should be able to take a dip in.” I shuddered, remembering that stream. “I will warn you, though; it will be a very cold bath."

We hopped aboard the back step of our cart and my lioness shivered at the prospect of an ice-cold bath before we held on to the sides of the cart as it began moving again.

Upon reaching our camping spot for the night and setting up our tent, me and a few of our guards were returning with dinner for us, and I gave the laughter coming from me and my mate's tent a smirk. Passing off the rifle I had used to take down tonight’s dinner to one of our guards, I distractedly returned their nod before stalking towards my tent.

"Especially since they have that massive bed that we put in to explore," Kiki said before another round of giggles—except for Jessica—went through the group.

"Eww, you guys. That is my mom and dad you are talking about!"

"Plus, Yusef! I wonder if they let him go all alpha on them like James used to. It is nice sometimes, simply to enjoy a pair of strong hands on you, as your alpha takes his pleasure while you enjoy the ride."

At my wolfkin’s comment, I knelt gently on the ground outside the canvas as a broad smile grew on my face. I sniffed the wind as it changed, to ensure my snooping wouldn't be discovered. After being sure I hadn’t been detected, I slowly eased myself down to the ground.

"Speaking of wolfkin and their penchant for taking control, both in and out of the bedroom, have any of you heard about what is going on with Jaco and Celeste?"

My ears perked up when I heard Kiki's question.

Their strange departure last week after training had been weird, but I hadn't pushed myself into their personal business. Hearing Larisa's tired sigh and Jessica's soft growl, I assumed at least two of my mates had heard something.

"I checked in with her before we left, to make sure she was enjoying her light duty after taking care of Marvin during his last visit and her response to my coming over was... odd."

I suppressed a growl after hearing the panthkin wasn't content in her own home, and made a promise to myself to check on her and Jaco when we got back. Sealing that promise with a little bit of blood as I bit my cheek to keep me in place, I focused on getting what information I could from my mates before acting on it.

"What was odd about it? Did she seem abused or malnourished?" Judith asked, a bit of anger creeping into her tone.

"No, just that she was hesitant to answer the door until she saw it was me. There are movies back on Earth where wives in the military receive news that their spouse has died from other soldiers. It was kind of like that, but in reverse. Like she was scared to answer the door until she saw it was me..."

When Jessica trailed off, I thought about her answer to our wolfie's question. If Celeste had taken her time answering the door, that could only mean one of two things: either Celeste didn't want company at the time—although that wouldn't have resulted in the relief my lioness described upon seeing that it was her—or the panthkin thought it was me, the only other lion shifter she knew about, on the other side of the door.

That thought brought up Jessica's comment about Celeste's apparent attraction to me. As that short conversation replayed through my mind, I bit back a sigh. Larisa's groan of distaste turned my attention to her.

"If we are going to talk about her, I guess now is the best time to discuss this,” my seroci said. “It’s clear she isn't happy with Jaco. Every time they are together, she smells miserable and tired. I don't want to interfere with the relationships in our town, though—I already have more than enough keeping me busy to go adding that to my plate."

As Larisa took a breath to continue, I suppressed another sigh.

"When she is with our lion, she simply smells happy—not head over heels in love as Judith stank of when we first met. I just don't know if we should do something about it at the moment. There is the option, I suppose, for one of us to suggest that she leave Jaco and hope she ends up with someone she actually loves."

I was a little taken aback by Larisa's comment, when she did not automatically mention me as a replacement for Jaco. Tempering my expectations and reminding myself that the world didn't revolve around me, I almost rose off the ground as my foxkin mate continued where Larissa had left off.

"I agree with you, Larisa, though she might just feel guilty about her feelings for Marvin—which might explain what you caught from her, Jessica."

Unable to repress a sigh when Kiki commented on Larisa's suggestion, I smiled as the women inside the tent went still. I rose and joined them.

"I caught most of that,” I admitted as I walked into the tent, “and I agree that Celeste deserves to have real love in her life. If it is with me, I won't complain one bit, but I think this has gone on long enough." I said before kissing my wolfkin gently.

"A week or so of them fighting is one thing, but it has been a few months since I first noticed a difference with her. Who knows how long it was going on before that? We can give her the choice to leave once we return back home. For now, let's get some food and go to sleep. We have an early morning again, tomorrow."

I held open the tent flap for my mates and took the smiling kisses each of them gave me as they passed by. Watching the light of the campfire illuminate their bodies as they helped serve dinner, I thought about the two other women I still hoped to add to their number and felt my inner lion rumble his agreement.

Chapter 27

Jokun – Minotaur Kingdom

I walked alongside King Holden a little over a week later. I’d received the same treatment as before from the King, except that my assigned room was a little bigger than last time due to my mates being with me.

Akasha's temperament during our stay, however, had been markedly different. It was almost as if she was avoiding me—and seemed terribly depressed, to boot.

After accepting his invitation to tour their new defenses a few days later, I gazed in awe up at the sixty-foot-high wall that had been built after my last visit. This wall and two more that were still under construction behind me faced the mountains. While my mates chatted with the princess behind us, I returned my attention to the King when he cleared his throat.

"We started on these walls after the last thulu'griff made it nearly halfway to our town. Don't worry, your training with Abe's group has continued to serve us well. They were prepared for the creature’s explosion—though the mountainside has only just returned to its normal color."

I smiled politely when Holden made his joke.

My focus shifted between Holden as he explained the last few Thulu attacks and Jessica’s and Larisa’s attempts to include the reluctant princess in their conversation with Judith and Kiki. As they mostly failed to get her out of her funk, I swept my gaze over the destruction the aliens had done to one of the tall sections of wall.

The King noted what I was staring at. "That one was close, I'll admit. Three of the monsters got past our scouts and managed to break through our front lines before we could subdue them," Holden said this last with a pained expression on his bovine face before turning to look back over his shoulder.

I followed his stare and frowned after noticing how it lingered on his daughter.

"I know she is fond of you, Marvin…” He blew out a gusty sigh. “But things are changing faster than I feared. I might have to end the relationship growing between you two for the sake of keeping my kingdom whole."

My head snapped to Holden after this confession, and I heard a soft rumble from my lioness while the King gave me a sorrow-filled look. I stifled my own growl of displeasure and forcibly calmed myself, hoping my words might get us out of this situation.

"Why would you need to do that, King Holden?” I asked. “If it is because of the rumors about Akasha and me, I would like to disprove them—formally if necessary. I haven't laid a hand on your daughter that wasn't to keep her safe when she was in my company, though I do wish to seek your permission to court her to be one of my mates."

I ignored Jessica’s and Akasha's muffled squeals of happiness and Larisa's and Kiki’s accompanying giggles at their giddiness.

Holden gave me an intense look after his attention shifted back to me from my giggling mates. A smirk of mild amusement curled the minotaur's lips at my confession—no doubt aided by my mate's and his daughter's excitement.

I kept my hopes high and my face neutral as we continued walking.

"Would that I could allow that, Lord Marvin. It hasn't escaped me that your help is what has kept my kingdom from being overrun by monsters.” He paused and sighed again. “But we have our own internal problems to deal with—and despite my daughter's objections, she can alleviate them."

I furrowed my brows and gave the King an intense look of my own before asking, "Akasha's displeasure wouldn't have anything to do with the Blackwatch, would it?"

When he nodded, a smile grew on my face.

"And if I were to guess, I’d say you plan to marry Akasha off in order to bring them into your family and thereby regain their loyalty. Tell me, please, if I am wrong."

I kept my smile polite by an exercise of will when Holden nodded once.

"It seems I am not the only one with eyes and ears within my neighbor's home. Tell me then, Lord Marvin, what would you do to bring the Blackwatch back into the fold?"

My smile grew so broad it hurt my cheeks as Holden fell into my trap.

"I would first ask to gain your permission to court your daughter if I am successful in getting them to rejoin your kingdom in a meaningful way," I began.

Seeing the King give me a hesitant nod after considering my request for a moment, I ignored my mate's and Akasha's silent cheer behind us.

"If you can give that strange group what they want, bringing them back from the brink of secession, I will gladly call you my son. Now, what is your plan, Prince Marvin?"

As I laid out my plan for bringing the Blackwatch tribe back into the fold to the King, I calmed his worries to keep myself focused on gaining the hand of the princess who openly leered at me, along with my mates. Hoping to meet and exceed all of their expectations, I only needed to use what I had learned from Terrell's geeky fascination with ninjas to make it happen.

Chapter 28

Blackwatch Village outskirts – Belin Region

As I walked with King Holden and his guards through the forest that he’d said contained the Blackwatch tribe, I distractedly gave the cobblestone path we were walking on a glance. I was half-listening to my mates and Akasha chatting lightly behind our twenty-strong group, but I couldn't shake the feeling that I had seen paths like this somewhere on earth.

We passed another marker on the side of the road and the realization hit me. I smiled, chuckling softly to myself.

"I'm glad you are enjoying our walk so much, Marvin. May I ask what has you in such a good mood?" King Holden asked as he eyed me.

The minotaurs, except for Akasha, had started complaining about sore hooves after only the second day on the path we trod—and her father the King was no exception. My suggestion of some sort of shoes for them to wear resulted in snorts and scoffs before the stubborn men simply suffered through their discomfort in an increasingly grim silence.

"Nothing much, just that that road marker over there reminds me of a few a friend back on Earth showed me on the internet. Larisa mentioned to me that the Blackwatch are similar to a group of humans called ninjas from a country called Japan—and it seems my wife was spot on."

I watched Holden nod at my explanation before he tried, and mostly succeeded, to disguise the limp he’d developed two days ago. The trip to the Blackwatch’s home village should only have taken four days at the most—but the slow pace of the stubborn minotaurs and their sensitive hooves had extended that trip to just over a week. I wasn't complaining one bit, though, as our journey extended twice as long as it should have.

Every night after we’d left the border of Jokun behind, my mates and I enjoyed Akasha’s company around the fire in front of our tent. Listening to them chat about growing up on Kerxon—or Earth, in Jessica's case—was comforting, and only reinforced my desire to see the princess added to my harem of mates.

I looked back at my group of five women and smirked at my seroci when she playfully winked at me. A sly smile grew on her face before she laid a playful but loud smack on Akasha's ass. Larisa licked her lips teasingly at me when the princess giggled in response to her antics.

I rolled my eyes when the tease joined Akasha and Jessica's conversation about… rabbits? I wasn’t sure, even after Judith and Kiki added their two cents to the discussion that I couldn't hear over the drone of minotaurs’ groans.

As I walked in front of them, I planned a little something special tonight for my tease of a mate. I mostly had the plan in order after twenty minutes of scheming, when I was interrupted by the scent of a minotaur that wasn't one of the now familiar smells of those in our group.

I discretely cast my gaze around as I tried to locate the hidden minotaur ninja. As more unfamiliar scents hit my nose, I slowed my stride. My eyebrows furrowed when I slowly realized they had us surrounded.

I had a moment of confusion as to why, but that was cut short. A super-sized shuriken embedded itself in my shoulder. Roaring my outrage, I pulled the dinner plate-sized thing out of my shoulder while hearing similar cries echo throughout our group.

I spared a look back over my shoulder at my mates after catching another shuriken and tossing it blindly back into the forest where it had come from. Finding my lioness deflecting several of the spinning blades with ease, I smiled when I saw Akasha doing the same with her twin hatchets.

I only relaxed after I noted Kiki putting her agility and speed to good use, easily taking care of what few stray shuriken the other two missed, while Judith and Larisa stood behind the impenetrable wall they made. I left my capable mates to defend themselves. Dodging out of the path of another shuriken, I heard the muffled sound of a silenced pistol, quickly followed by a minotaur’s roar of pain a second later.

I caught sight of a shadowy figure darting through the dense trees along one side of the road before another silenced shot softly coughed, and my attention was drawn to a second swiftly moving shadowy figure.

"BABE!" I shouted while I pointed at the culprit of the most recent shot as I ran towards where I’d heard the first one. As I crashed through the trees in pursuit of my target, I caught sight of the minotaurs in our group recovering from the ambush before I focused on taking one of the guns out of the fight—a fight that had lasted a total of ten seconds, so far.

Tracking the scent of the minotaur from the thin, acrid stench of gunpowder left by his pistol, I caught the strikes of his twin daggers on the haft of my ax. I grimaced as the nine-foot-tall minotaur pushed back with daggers that would have been short swords in a human’s hands and leaned forward with one of my shoulders before deflecting his weapons with the haft of my ax. Trying and failing to catch his leg with the beard of my ax as I passed him, I rotated my underhanded swing and missed again when he nimbly leaped out of range of my lateral swipe at his neck.

As I took the second or so his leap gave me to examine my opponent, I noted the dark leather mask that was dotted with small metal plates to protect his bovine face. The similarly dark and armored leather shirt and pants he wore looked tough, too.

My eyebrows bunched after my eyes dropped to his hooves for a split second. I noted his padded shoes that were eerily similar to toe shoes. My examination abruptly ended as my opponent turned to run away. Chasing him back towards the road, I ignored his dropped gun to close the distance between us.

A smile formed on my face after a small explosion sounded behind me, and I caught the harsh odor of whatever had been packed in his smoke bomb before I closed the distance between us enough to catch his leg with a swing of my ax. I let go of my weapon when the minotaur's legs threatened to tear it from my grasp and send it flying off into the trees.

After both my weapon and the minotaur tangled up by it dropped to the ground before me, I landed a powerful blow to the base of his skull as I jumped on top of him. I added a few more to ensure he was either dead or out of the fight before reaching for my weapon. I grabbed my ax after he remained still for several seconds and then rushed to the sound of shouting and roaring minotaurs.

I had only a second to take in the scene of Holden's men holding the shield wall they had formed around the King before I diverted to help Akasha with her opponent. I swept my ax cleanly through the leg of the minotaur ninja whose daggers and her hatchets were locked together. As I passed her, she smiled and shouted, "I had him!"

Following my lioness's scent toward her and her gun-toting opponent, I caught two minotaur ninjas—minjas—that were trying to sneak up on her and her three opponents with assault rifles in their hands. Driving my ax into the skull of one of these three, I drove the snout of the one toting an assault rifle with breasts into the tree they were hiding behind.

Ignoring the crunch as I smashed the bones of her face against the tree, I yanked my axe back and cast my eyes to the small clearing where Jessica was systematically dispatching her opponents. I roared in fury when I noticed a half dozen other rifle-toting minjas up in the trees trying to get a clear shot at my mate; my loud roar got their attention.

As I rushed toward the closest minja in the trees, I felt several bullets smash into my toughened skin. I only hoped it was up to absorbing the power of the shots as I leaped at my first target. I caught the minotaur by her leg when she tried to fall away from my descending ax and hauled her up by it before slamming her head against the branch I had landed on.

I shoved my clawed hand through a gap in her armor and listened to the short cry of pain she let out before my hand crushed her heart, ending her pain. Pulling my blood-covered forearm out of her chest, I dropped to the ground to retrieve my ax, catching the death of my lioness's last opponent out of the corner of my eye.

Watching Jessica sever the minja's arm from his body, I left my deadly mate and her scythe to seek my own opponent as she removed the minotaur's head from his body with her backswing. Through the near deafening sound of gunfire that continued to fill the air around us, I barely heard my lioness's snarling growls. Looking over at her after hearing the sound, I returned her hungry smile before we both jumped up into the trees in search of more prey.

We were subjected to another run through the tops of the dense trees when the last two minjas turned tail—literally—and tried to run. I took off after one of them while Jessica chased down the other. Reaching the road a few moments later in pursuit of our prey, Jessica and I stopped in our tracks upon seeing what had become of our group.

Ten of King Holden's minotaurs lay dead on the ground with stab wounds and bullet holes in them, while the King was surrounded by the remnants of his force. My lioness and I turned our worried gazes toward our mates, and we both let out a relieved breath after seeing them unharmed—surrounded by twelve dead minjas.

I returned Akasha and Kiki's firm nods when they caught sight of us before my attention turned to the three unmasked minjas who walked out of the forest on the far side of the trail our prey had run into. Nodding my head at Jessica to go join our mates, I walked over to the group of larger minotaurs protecting their King.

"You okay in there, Holden?!" I called out when I reached the shield wall.

"As fine as I can be without my daughter safe in here with me. You fools will either let me out or bring her in here!"

I found a bit of humor in his declaration, despite the situation, and I chuckled and shook my head as Holden ignored my dropping his title in his worry for Akasha.

"Your daughter is fine, isn't that right, Akasha?"

My princess responded with, "I'm more than fine, father." With all that had just happened, Akasha undressed me with her eyes.

A broad smile spread across my face when she gave me an intense look, boldly eyeing me up and down. Shivering with a bit more desire than I had expected at her smoldering gaze, I turned my attention to the three minjas walking toward us.

I brought my ax to bear with a flourish when the three unmasked minjas stopped a dozen feet away from me and Holden's fortress of solitude, smiling grimly.

"You wouldn't think I fought to keep my title as King!” the King snorted as he shoved his way through the wall of bodies. “What do they want?!"

I suppressed a smile—well, mostly suppressed—after Holden gave his unapologetic guards a scathing glare, before shrugging at his frustrated question. "Your guards just want to keep you safe, so they don't have to fuss with the boring parts of running a kingdom. As for these three, though, I don't know... they seem to be waiting patiently for you to surrender," I responded.

The three minjas and their underlings still surrounding us waited silently during our short conversation, and I assumed their silence would continue until Holden decided to address them himself. My guess was proved right a few moments later, once the King turned his attention from checking on his daughter to our… hosts?

"What is the meaning of this attempted coup, Gant! I believe I received a message stating that you and your dishonorable group would be awaiting my arrival. Do you deny sending such a message?!"

I watched the minotaur that had been scouting when I had first assisted the minotaurs with the thulu nod before calmly walking towards us, leaving his compatriots behind. Returning Gant's slight nod after he stopped a few feet away, I watched as he and the much taller and bigger King held each other's gaze for several long seconds.

"I indeed did send that reply to your message, King Holden. What you see here is the result of you taking my family for granted, and I hope you understand now how poorly we in the Blackwatch view your rule. If you will follow me, we can begin the negotiations you requested."

After Holden nodded grudgingly at the shorter minotaur, I watched him and his men follow the three unmasked minjas down the road. Taking the kisses my mates gave me once they stopped beside me, I froze as Akasha placed one on my cheek.

"Thank you for trusting me to defend myself and your mates, Marvin. It was nice to actually face battle with an enemy that knew how to fight properly."

"You’re welcome, Akasha, and from what I saw the last time I was here, I had no doubts you could handle yourself. I'm just sorry I didn't get to see more of your sexy self in action."

I watched my reply to my princess's comment cause a blush to blossom on her beautiful face. Surprisingly enough, it started at the base of her horns and spread down her forehead and into the collar of her armor. Listening to my other mates giggle as Akasha stuttered a response to my flattery, I grinned before following the minotaurs down the path towards the village of Blackwatch.

When I’d suggested I join Holden on this trip, I hadn’t planned on lowering Blackwatch's numbers. My plan might have run into a bit of a snag, but my mates were safe, and, from our host's demeanor, my plan hadn’t completely run off the rails—yet.

Chapter 29

Blackwatch Village – Minotaur Kingdom

I checked my bound wrists for the millionth time as I followed Holden's men into the village of Blackwatch. My eyes then fell to Jessica's similarly restrained wrists.

My lioness shrugged at the irritated glare I gave the thick ropes.

It seems my plan skipped a few tracks when we were immediately bound upon reaching the village. I was forced to accept the indignity or be barred from entering. The only redeeming quality to letting the Blackwatch minotaurs secure my wrists with the tough rope was the hesitant looks they gave me while doing so.

Taking their caution as a good sign, while watching Jessica deal with the same treatment had pushed my patience more than a little. I growled deep at her restraints for the hundredth time.

"It's fine, babe. It just means that they are taking us seriously—which should give our counteroffer some real weight," my lioness said with a chuckle.

"You would think us wiping out a few of them wasn’t an unexpected surprise in that ambush."

Jessica let out a playful snort at my remark and I listened to my mates behind me giggle before Akasha pulled my head down to her height, placing her lips against my ear.

"It's nice to see a man use his brain for once," she whispered.

When Akasha gave me her compliment, I felt a shiver go down my spine as my princess's breath tickled my ear. I gave her a shaky nod while she gently ran her fingers along the back of my neck.

Our situation hadn’t worsened—despite the restraints—as we continued to follow the minotaurs. I examined the area around me while my mates talked amongst themselves. I was further reminded that whoever had built the village was either from feudal Japan, or was a hell of a weeaboo by every structure I saw.

I smiled as I checked out the weathered boards that made up most of the buildings around me. I imagined Terrell visiting Blackwatch. He would have a hell of a time exploring the hidden mountain village, and I would be right alongside him, enjoying his excitement and enthusiasm.

"What's on your mind, handsome?" Kiki asked.

My smile widened a bit when I looked down at my foxkin mate and saw her smirk. Wishing I could kiss those smiling lips after her question, I remained in my fully shifted state and slid my tail up and down her back instead.

"I was just thinking about a friend back home who would get a kick out of seeing this village. He has a thing for all things Japanese, which is where the minjas seem to have gotten the inspiration for their buildings."

I watched Kiki give my explanation a slightly confused smile before she leaned over to ask Judith to explain. I saw my wolfkin shake her head in amusement as she shared the knowledge she had gained during our short time on Earth. At her explanation, I nodded and enjoyed her pride filled smile.

Kiki's look of wonder as she peered at the village around us with new eyes diminished a little after we watched King Holden duck inside a large building. As we followed him, Gant, and his minja companions inside, I gave the large room we walked into a long look.

Covering what I assumed were paper walls was a combination of painted murals and a few wide-screen TVs that made me wonder if the minotaurs here had found a reliable power source here in the mountains.

"You can free them,” Gant said to a few minja guards waiting inside the room. “Marvin Spence has shown himself to be a reasonable man."

I gave them a grateful nod when they released Jessica first, and then me. I then joined Holden at the low table in the middle of the room, looking back over my shoulder at my mates when they stopped right behind me. Turning back around, I heard them settle to the mat-covered floors.

Gant began, "King Holden, I believe you asked for talks, and we have kindly accepted," before taking a cup from a female minja.

I turned my attention to him, and my eyes widened a little as Holden shivered with suppressed rage at Gant's dismissive comment. Bumping the King gently with my shoulder as I sensed his pride beginning to get the better of him, he gave me a gentle nod and I sighed with relief when he crossed his huge arms over his massive chest with a grunt.

"I have talked to the King about serving as a mediator between him and your tribe,” I responded, “and he has graciously accepted my offer of assistance. If I could ask you to explain further why an ambush was necessary before we begin these talks, I believe we might be able to get the King in a more amicable mood."

I waited for the three minotaurs to confer before Gant leveled an even-eyed gaze at Holden and then me.

"The King has proven to be as short-sighted as he is dismissive of our abilities and usefulness. An attack to prove we are more than capable of simply scouting the dangers of the mountain was necessary to adjust his thinking after our many complaints went unanswered. As I said before, we have taken his disrespect for long enough, and now recompense is required. What we unleashed is only a taste of what we are capable of, and I’d hoped he would admit that with only a slight bit of bloodshed."

"You killed my men, your fellow countrymen! What, if anything, does that solve, Gant?!" Holden shouted before my hand on his arm calmed him down.

"As much as I understand the need to lash out after being treated so poorly, I have to ask,” I continued with a frown, “what your plan was, if the King did not take your attack for the cautionary tale it was supposed to be?"

My eyes widened as I looked around at the minjas standing along the room's walls after they pulled weapons from around their persons and held them ready to use after my question. Feeling my inner lion and my lioness's beasts prepared to defend our pride, the growl that emanated from my chest ended only after Gant raised a hand and the men and women around him made their weapons disappear.

"We have several other options, as you can see, Lord Marvin. Those options have proved to be more open-minded about our usefulness, and it is only the vow we have given to the King that keeps us from abandoning his kingdom entirely."

I followed Gant's hand to glance at the wide-screen TVs along the wall before nodding my understanding at the last part of his comment. I decided to keep my questions about how they could use such advanced technology for later; his statement made me freeze for a moment.

"Correct me if I am wrong,” I said, before asking with a smirk, “but did you not just admit to working with other emblem holders?"

After seeing the three minotaurs exchange a look before nodding, I gave them a toothy smile as I adjusted the plan I had outlined to Holden on the fly. I had initially planned to provide Blackwatch with a few lucrative contracts to spy on the rulers of the other kingdoms to offset Holden's poor use of them—hoping thereby to slowly get them back on good terms with the kingdom.

I planned to use what information they gathered to further my own goals. My first goal was to get the other rulers to disavow slavery in their kingdoms, and my second goal was to form some kind of alliance to battle the coming Thulu threat. With Blackwatch's advanced technology—which shouldn't have worked on Kerxon—I had another, quicker method of giving them the purpose that they so clearly desired.

"I can guarantee you the ability to get technology from Earth if you do two things for me," I said in as much of a compromising a tone as I could manage.

If the capable minotaurs accepted both of my offers, then plan B for the invasion—not to mention my shifter project—would become a hell of a lot more straightforward than I had dared to hope.

Watching Gant confer with his two associates, I felt my mate's eyes boring into the back of my skull. I heard Larisa whispering to them a few moments later after she sensed the surety in my emotions. Giving the minjas sitting before me my full attention after hearing Jessica's grudging grunt after our seroci finished speaking to her, I smiled when Gant gave me a nod.

"I want the Blackwatch tribe to swear their eternal allegiance to the minotaur kingdom through me, the prince consort. My marriage to the princess should come swiftly after you agree, but the King has already confirmed that she will be my wife should you accept my terms. To help your decision along, I would like to add I am the only emblem holder left on Kerxon."

When Gant’s eyes, along with the eyes of all of his companions widened, I knew I had them.

"The second part of my terms is for your tribe to provide my new mate and me with a select group of your members who would be willing to travel to Earth. I have things to do there, that I believe will be more easily accomplished with your tribe’s particular skill set."

I held onto my question about their ability to use the technology from my world as they discussed the terms of my offer. Sitting back, I waited for them to agree to my proposal.

The three minotaurs' eager looks after my comment about holding an emblem made their acceptance a given. Looking back at my mates, I chuckled as I watched my lioness start sizing up our princess. Watching Jessica lick her lips in anticipation of climbing that sexy mountain of woman, I returned Akasha's eager smile.

I confirmed that the rest of my mates found my declaration of our pending marriage acceptable before turning back to the minjas. When Gant returned his full attention back to me, I smiled at the stoic minotaur.

"We accept your terms on the condition that we answer to only you—or to Princess Akasha, if you are not present. As to the veracity of your claim to be an emblem holder, we can wait for you to provide one of our members with proof of its existence, thanks to your previously honorable inclinations."

I nodded in acceptance of their conditions before watching the two minotaurs sitting next to Gant rise and leave the room. I rocked a little when Holden patted me roughly on the back.

His comment of “good job, son” caused a surprising sense of pride and warmth to grow in my chest.

Managing to make it look like I took the comment in stride, I smiled as my mates began talking excitedly about my and Akasha's wedding preparations.

"If you have a moment, Gant. I wanted to ask how you are able to use the technology from my world?"

The minotaur appeared to give my question some thought, before snapping his fingers and whispering something into the ear of one of his men. I gave Gant a curious look, but then smiled at the female minotaur who handed me a drink before the one who’d apparently been given some instructions ran off after Gant dismissed him with a tired wave.

"There are ways of getting around the emblem’s preference of keeping Earth's more advanced technology on that world. As long as we are sharing secrets,” he said, “I think it would be prudent to provide you with at least that little trick."

I watched the minotaur Gant had sent off rush back with a plastic bundle a few moments after the unmasked minja finished speaking. Taking the nicely wrapped packet from the runner after Gant inspected it, I unwrapped it and examined what he had brought.

"The design isn't that old, but it works well enough. The inner silver lining, from what I have been told, protects the electronics inside from the effects of the emblem transferring what's inside from Earth to Kerxon and back."

I listened to Gant's explanation of the magical properties of the plastic bag that he had given me. Though I’ll admit I was initially skeptical of what was essentially a Ziplock bag with a sprayed-on silver lining inside of it, the professional bright yellow stamps on the outside of the plastic, not to mention the TVs on the walls, led me to believe it did what he’d said it did.

"I didn't know TVs were electrostatic sensitive devices. As long as they work—and it certainly looks like they do—I want to thank you for answering my question honestly.”

After offering the minotaur my hand to shake as I rose from my seat, I smiled when my mates surrounded me in a giant group hug. Keeping my hands—mostly—to myself as Akasha's large breasts pushed Larisa's head back against my chest, I laughed along with my mates when she motorboated them playfully.

"I can't wait to work alongside you, husband," Akasha said.

"I can say the same, wife, though we might have to adjust the height of our ceilings and doorways before the wedding day... though that might not be necessary."

I watched my mates join our princess as she gave me a confused look at the end of my statement. While I schemed about that particular hope, I watched Jessica's eyes grow wide with comprehension.

I gave my lioness a firm pinch to keep her from ruining my surprise. Jessica glared at me as she rubbed her sore butt cheek, but thankfully kept my secret to herself.

"It is good to see you again, Akasha,” Gant said to my new mate as he passed our excited group. “I hope you have kept up on my teachings after all these years."

"It is good to see you too, Grand Master. I hope you will provide us with the best of your men to assure my husband's plans come to fruition."

I inclined my head to Gant after his deep bow toward me. Akasha's bow was a great deal deeper and made before the taller minotaur smiled and returned it.

I watched Blackwatch's Grand Master leave through the door King Holden had departed through after an agreement had been reached. Looking back to my smiling mates with more than a little hunger in my eyes, I licked my lips in anticipation of consummating my marriage to my horned Amazonian mate.

"Not just yet, husband,” Akasha cautioned. “You can jump me as soon as the message of our engagement goes out to the other tribes. While we wait, I will simply enjoy the show as the rest of my sisters get a taste of what I will enjoy as soon as that day comes."

A little let down by Akasha's declaration that I wouldn't be able to enjoy her curves for a while, I watched as Jessica whispered something into the princess’s ear. I gave the two a confused look when they continued to speak in tones so soft that even my sensitive ears couldn't pick them up. I could only frown and listen to Larisa’s snort of mirth as Akasha gave our lioness an amused nod.

"Let's go, then!" Jessica shouted before pulling Akasha, me, and our other mates with her out the door.

Chuckling as my lioness dragged us all down the hallways our princess directed her through with a bright smile on her face, I could only assume our stay in Blackwatch was going to be… eventful.

Chapter 30

Blackwatch Village – Minotaur Kingdom

As I walked through the hallways of Blackwatch village's main building with Akasha the following day, I forced myself to focus on her voice instead of remembering what I had watched my Amazonian princess do to herself the night before.

Jessica had been more than a little let down when Akasha refused to let her between my princess’s thighs. Still, my lioness had undoubtedly enjoyed watching Akasha enjoy our rough lovemaking, as she pleasured herself while watching us. Remembering the feeling of Akasha's breasts against my back as I had taken my seroci, I had to shake my head to get that particular memory off repeat when she pointed out a bit of monitoring equipment laid out on one of the tables in the room we walked into.

Akasha snickered. "I'm glad I was apparently able to provide you with such distracting memories, husband, but if you could focus on the here and now, I promise to make your night once we return home one you will never forget. Well, after I get a taste of what the others got last night, that is."

I returned my princess's smirk after her comment about my being distracted. Looking at what appeared to be the command room for Blackwatch's organization, I whistled in surprise upon seeing an open laptop.

"I await that day with bated breath, my princess, but if I didn't know better, I would swear Gant somehow has internet access."

Akasha giggled at the tone of wonder in my voice as I walked over to the laptop and gaped at the Wi-Fi icon on the lower right side of the screen. Frowning once I saw that it was only intranet, I scanned a few of the files on the long list of hard drives under ‘Local Drives’ and smiled at what I found.

The minjas had been remarkably busy.

After I found several dozen less-than-flattering pictures of King Terr in the middle of a number of compromising acts, the rest of the folders I skimmed through with other ruler's names on them felt tame by comparison. Giving my plan to split my minja forces between Kerxon and Earth some more thought, I tempered my desires with a little hubris as I hoped my plan for Akasha worked.

"Well, we won't be scrolling on Pornhub for tips on our first time together anytime soon, but I think we can definitely work with what Gant is able to provide us. Now, are there any other secrets you would like to show me, or would you rather practice for the night after our engagement goes public?"

My princess laughed as I waggled my eyebrows at her following my inappropriate question. My salacious smile only widened when she just nodded.

"There is a bit of practice I would like to do with you, Marvin, but I'm not sure how excited you will be about it, once we are in the middle of it."

As I returned her challenging smile, I pulled my Amazonian mate into a deep kiss—grinning at her unfocused eyes after it ended. "Any time, any place, Akasha," I growled.

Her smile and comment of, "I hope you are ready for it," only broadened my smile. I eagerly followed the ass I was going to claim back out of the building, visions of her dripping pussy pulsing around my shaft dancing through my mind.

∞∞∞∞∞

As I hobbled back from the training ground Akasha had taken me to a few hours later, my very smug princess walking beside me, I was man enough to admit to myself that I hadn't been as ready as I had thought. I winced as my swiftly healing body continued to complain at the abuse she’d administered.

I’d quickly discovered that there was a world of difference between ability and skill once Akasha dodged my initial rush. If that hadn’t convinced me, then the next backhanded blow with her training hatchets had driven the point home. The only reason I’d managed to remain on my feet during our training session was only due to my being both faster and stronger than my sexy opponent.

Her skill with her weapons had more than once let her deflect strikes from my ax that should have taken her off of her feet. My betrothed was more than capable of standing toe to toe with me—and for some reason I found that fact almost as attractive as her firm ass. As our private villa just inside the village's borders came into sight, I could only sigh as I freely admitted that Master Gant and his student had gained even more respect in my eyes.

"I hope I didn't wound your pride too badly, Marvin, but I think that with a little help from me, you won't be swinging that ax around like a bull who just found out his dick shoots baby batter when he plays with it."

I gave my potty mouth of a mate a wide-eyed look before laughing at her comment. "Nothing hurt here, except for my ass after you gave it a spanking. If it helps me get better and keeps our family safe, then I will let you paddle me any day of the week," I said with a smile at my beaming mate.

"One thing, though. I didn't expect you to be that…" I trailed off for a moment as I tried to find a less offensive way of phrasing this. "That good,” I finally concluded. “Jessica and I handled the men and women that Gant ambushed us with easily enough."

"Those were probably first, or second-year initiates. Gant said he wanted to send a message, and even if the more seasoned members might not be my match, they would have killed several more of father's men had he used them."

I watched my princess's ample chest swell a little with hard-earned pride just as we reached our assigned quarters, but then flinched when our door flew open.

"Hey guys, there's a message from home for… us," Jessica called out loudly before trailing off when she saw the state of my clothes.

"You didn't! You two fucked, didn't you?! No fair, I wanted to watch!"

As my lioness threw a tantrum in the door jam, Akasha burst into peals of mirth before my laughter joined hers. While we both struggled to find the breath to explain what had actually happened, Larisa came to our rescue—though with a smirk and chuckle of her own.

"They neither smell nor feel like they have been fucking, our lioness, so dry your eyes and let them in so we can talk," our seroci said, even as she rubbed Jessica’s back.

I pulled my lioness into a fierce kiss before looking into her yellow eyes. "Larisa is right. No hanky-panky went down, unless you count what happened between her hatchets and my ass as such. I know how badly you want to watch us, so let's head inside, babe, and you can tell us all about this message."

The suspicion in her demeanor clearing once she got a long hard look into my eyes, I accepted the conciliatory kiss she offered me and let her pull us into the guest house.

"As long as we have an understanding,” Jessica growled. “This came for us in Jokun a few days ago, and they sent an Esture rider to get it to us as quickly as possible," Jessica explained as she handed me the message.

I kissed Judith and Kiki when they brought me something to eat for lunch, and I ate the sandwich distractedly while I read Margaret’s missive. My scowl only grew as I read Margaret's message with wide eyes and learned about our unwelcome visitors. Halfway through it, my eyebrows furrowed with rage. I had to take several calming breaths before reading the rest of the message.

The remains of the sandwich crushed between my fingers got a frustrated glare as I solidified my decision to return home a bit sooner than I had planned.

"Well, that was a waste, husband," Judith clucked softly as she took the ruined mass of crumbs, meat, and cheese from my hand.

"It's understandable, though,” Kiki said. “How soon are we leaving, handsome?"

I looked down at my foxkin’s raised brows after briefly pondering her question, then cast my gaze around the room. "Now, if possible,” I admitted. “I can't believe Terr would try something stupid like this.” I smashed my fist into my other hand. “Scratch that. It is just like him to try and fuck up our town for his selfish pride. It is just odd that he chose to do this while we were gone."

As I trailed off into dark thoughts, my mates sprang into action. They moved like a well-oiled machine as they prepared for our three-week journey back home. I looked at my newest mate as the others set about packing us up—which they would have done in relatively swift order.

"We will be running most of the way back to Jokun and then back home. I'm not sure how this engagement works, but I would like for you to come with us—if you can. If not, I may have to plead guilty to a charge of kidnapping."

I watched our princess smile and then laugh at my joke before she kissed me and then nodded. "I will go where my husband goes. Can I send a letter to my father to let him know what is happening?" Akasha asked

I nodded in response.

After handing her the letter explaining what had transpired back in Tamira while we had been gone, I watched my princess run back out the door like a woman on a mission. I grimly scarfed down the new sandwich my wolfkin handed me before assisting my mates pack our things.

King Terr had preempted my attempts to use the minja’s blackmail material against him by ‘stationing a fucking Battalion’ outside of Tamira ‘for the common good’. At least that is how Margaret described it in her message. My mother-in-law mentioning that the leader of those forces reportedly had been sent to assess how our human residents' treatment affected the other denizens of Tamira felt like a load of politi-speak bullshit.

What it actually reflected, was how much Terr was beginning to worry about the growing human population of my town, as they fled his cities’ stifling oppression under a system that made them less than second-class citizens.

I was going to make Commander Seline Demarch, the leader of those forces, regret ever thinking she could force the King's prejudices on my people. Rushing from Blackwatch twenty minutes later with my mates in tow, I hoped for the commander's sake that her men hadn't laid a hand on my pride or my people.

If they had, she would find out how bad an idea it was to stick your head in the lion's mouth.

Chapter 31

Tamira – Belin Region

A week and a half after leaving Blackwatch, I felt my flagging stamina return when I caught sight of the army—a few hundred men and women decked out in Terr's colors—just outside of my town. Running on fumes with only eight hours' sleep in the past sixty, I looked back at my five mates running behind me before I jerked my head indicating Larisa, Judith, and Kiki should run around the army and head home.

I watched my exhausted seroci glare at my dismissal and shake her head before putting on a burst of speed to catch up with Jessica, Akasha, and me.

"They are here to question my decisions, and I am not going to let them talk about me behind my back," Larisa growled.

My chest swelled with pride for my mate, and I heard my lioness and princess give her encouraging chuckles before both Judith and Kiki each surged up to run beside Jessica.

"I am going to go check on my counselors and make sure no one has been hurt or taken against their will," Kiki said before doing as I had bid earlier and running around the army toward our estate.

"I will check on the farmers to ensure they haven't tried anything with them,” Judith declared. “Then I will meet up with Kiki after."

As the wolfkin followed my foxkin mate, I watched as they both gave the army a wide berth. Only once they were well past the intruders before us, did I focus on the assembled mass of men encamped next to my town. Taking note of the weapons that they carried, a smirk grew on my face when I noticed that the most potent weapons that they had were the bolt-action rifles that I had first seen on my initial visit to Kirkton.

With the cautioning reminder that they might be packing silver ammunition in mind, I felt my minjas were much better armed—though they were much fewer in number.

As we rounded the leading edge of the army, ignoring the looks that we garnered, I smiled when I saw Margaret standing in front of the main gate to our town, her arms crossed over her chest. I looked over at my lioness and then back to the figure before the gate as I watched my mother-in-law's tail lash the air behind her.

Jessica chuckled mirthlessly.

"She does have quite the imposing presence, doesn't she," I said to my lioness, and could only laugh at her affirmative growl.

"She seems smaller than I would have thought,” my newest mate mused. “Is there a reason you two are much larger than her?"

I gave Akasha's question some thought as I watched the furious expression on Margaret's face clear once she saw us running towards her.

"Maybe The Prophet added a little too much toner when he first made our copies and got the dimensions closer to what he wanted with Margaret and Steve," I replied with a shrug.

As we reached my still-furious, but clearly reassured mother-in-law, I saw Jessica pat Akasha's muscled arm before shaking her head at our princess’s confused look. Leaving explaining my revelation until later, I watched Margaret give us all a smile filled with relief.

"I'm glad you got my message," she said before giving Jessica, Larisa, and me a hug.

"I'm not entirely sure who you are,” she said to Akasha with a grin, “but I am glad you chose to join my daughter and son-in-law. Now, let me give you a refresher of what you three missed before she gets here."

As Margaret began explaining what had happened while we had rushed home, the smiles we wore after she’d addressed Akasha so fondly fell. While my mother-in-law explained things, I watched a heavily armored female angelic walk towards us from the ranks of the assembled battalion.

"She has been coming by the gate every morning to ask if you, Marvin, have returned yet. She has been polite enough, I guess, but I suppose she can afford to be polite with several hundred gun-toting men at her back."

I glared at Seline Demarch when she stopped a few paces before us and fixed her polite smile on my mother-in-law.

"Margaret, I am glad to see you finally produced the Baroness and her consort, as promised.” The woman turned to my seroci mate. “Baroness Urik, I am Seline Demarch, and I come to voice our King's concerns about how you are running your admittedly thriving town."

After the angelic gave my seroci mate a deep bow following her introduction, I watched Jessica shoo her mother away when Seline's snide tone provoked the irritated woman to take a step toward the commander. I watched Margaret give the angelic a scathing glare before she spun on her heel and walked through the gates.

I had to swallow a chuckle when I heard her muttered growls and less than complimentary remarks about the woman.

"I believe I have written the King and specified that my husband now takes care of matters pertaining to our town, Commander,” my seroci mate said. “I hope my message hasn't been lost amongst the many dozens the King receives in reference to troublesome members of the kingdom."

As Larisa addressed the angelic in a polite tone that belied her exhaustion, I was suddenly glad we’d elected to stop early last night and get a relatively good night's sleep in preparation for this meeting. After watching my seroci give the Seline a dismissive sniff of disdain, my eyes followed the sway of her leather-clad hips through the gates back into our town.

Despite the circumstances, it was good to be home. I licked my lips in anticipation of what would come later tonight.

In our rush to get here in time to avert disaster, we hadn’t permitted ourselves to indulge in the stress release we all badly needed for the past week and a half. I knew I wasn't the only one hungry for something besides real food and a bath. As Larisa's swaying hips gained a pronounced snap to them as my mood shifted to something less angry, I turned my attention to our guest.

"As my wife said, any issues you might have with the citizens of Tamira, you can tell me about, and I will address them… if necessary," I growled.

"It’s just as well, I suppose. I was getting tired of waiting for the infamously negligent daughter of the Uriks to make an appearance," Seline said.

I lost a bit of my composure, eyes narrowing. "I'm not sure who you think you are, but anyone who belittles my wife will not be accepted in my town."

After emphasizing my wife and my town with a deep growl, I managed to keep my fingers from closing around the woman's throat by strength of will, alone. Gazing down at her after she shifted into her stone-skinned form in response to my angry growl, she now barely came eye to eye with either Akasha or Jessica, despite her best efforts.

I raised one eyebrow at her, slowly unsheathing and retracting my claws in anticipation as I waited for the woman to apologize. As the seconds ticked by, I saw a few of her men raise their weapons in my direction. Turning to figure out which of them I was going to put in their place first, my decision-making was rendered moot when several shots rang out from my town.

Looking up to locate the source of those shots, I smiled when I saw several dozen of my townsfolk holding rifles, pistols, and sharpened farm implements pointed at the much larger group outside of our walls.

I waved at Dobber. He acknowledged me with a fist pump before returning his focus to pointing the rifle in his hands at the angelic next to me.

"And that is the crux of your problem,” our unwelcome guest sighed, “and why I was asked to come and persuade you to… fix it. Lord Itorin's nose is still sore from when one of your people broke it, and it seems the malaise has been spreading."

After I calmed the citizens of my town down with a gesture, I heard several of the curses they spit at the assembled army in general, and the angelic specifically.

"Itorin getting his nose bashed in is news to me. Would you care to enlighten me about how that old panthkin got cold-cocked by someone in my town?" I asked in as reasonable a tone as I could manage.

"From his side of events, Margaret's mate Steve decided to take offense at Lord Itorin, mentioning how you treat the humans in your town. He mentioned it to the King, and then sent me here to collect Steve—if I couldn't come to an agreement with the baroness on her turning him over."

My forced smile faded as Seline gave her explanation of why she was here. By the end of it, I was sporting a full frown. Imagining what the old panthkin might have said to set my father-in-law off didn't take much effort.

What did take more effort than I could have imagined, was restraining myself when the woman mentioned ‘collecting’ Steve to punish him for refusing to take any more abuse from the shifters of this planet. Pushing down the desire to deny the angelic outright, I put on my political face and held out a calming hand to my growling lioness.

"I am not going to allow you to take any of my citizens, Seline. And I doubt your men would fare very well against my defenders. I will permit you to accompany me to my home, where you may get my father-in-law's side of the story, and if we can't agree at that point that the old cat got just what he deserved, then I suppose I will have to make a trip to go see King Terr."

I watched the Angelic let out a breath—one that felt suspiciously like a sigh of relief—before she nodded curtly.

"I believe I can accept those terms; I do hope we can avoid bloodshed today. I have enough on my plate, right now, if we are being candid," the armored angelic responded.

Looking over at my two mates, I permitted myself a small smile after seeing their expressions. Jessica still looked like she wanted to send the angelic packing–preferably with my lioness’s not-so-dainty boot print on her armored ass. And despite my polite but firm words, I didn't necessarily disagree with her. Akasha's expression was a lesson in calm observance that didn't keep me from noticing the quirk on the corner of her lips as she examined our guest. Assuming that our coming talk with Steve went tits up, I doubted my princess would let me get away with visiting the King to argue our case without a fair bit of blackmail material on my side.

Turning back to the angelic, I nodded my understanding. I then kissed both of my mates before leading us all through the gate.

Chapter 32

Tamira – Belin Region

My heart skipped a beat when I caught sight of Celeste conversing with Kiki as we made our way to my estate’s entrance on the far side of town. Averting my gaze, so as to avoid adding that problem to my quickly filling plate, I heard my lioness stifle a giggle.

Akasha questioned her after her amusement ended.

As Jessica filled our princess in on that particular dilemma, I focused on our guest's demeanor. Seeing her watching the humans in my town calmly go about their business as we walked, I noted that she took the stares that she and her golden wings garnered in stride.

I returned to my usual form when we made it to our home, and then smirked at Seline when she looked at me curiously.

"We don't usually stay shifted at home,” I explained, “and I seriously doubt you are going to be looking for trouble while you're here. If you will follow me to the office my wife and I share, I will ask my sexy lioness to please go retrieve our father, so we can hear his side of things."

Jessica smiled, kissed me on my cheek, and then took off to do what I had asked her to do.

I slid my arm around my princess's hips and returned her wide grin. Enjoying her amusement almost as much as the feeling of her curves leaning into my side, I took advantage of the differences in our heights to enjoy the soft breast that I had only been able to admire up to this point, that nudged against the side of my head.

When we made it to the office, I was tempted to throw propriety to the wind and motorboat my princess's bountiful assets before she lifted my face with two fingers under my chin and leaned down to kiss me. When she pulled back after a delightful minute, she smiled at the noticeable bulge in my pants.

"None of that, now, husband. I'm going to go shower and get Larisa. She should be here for this talk—even if the ultimate decision on how it goes is up to you."

I frowned at Akasha's playful tone and grudgingly nodded at her logic before giving her firm ass a pinch and letting go of her waist. Watching the sway of her hips as she left the office, I realized that I definitely had a type.

Fortunately, my sexy mates more than fit the bill.

"I am going to assume that if you are finished groping the princess of the minotaurs, that we are ready to begin our talk," Seline said, the amused note in her voice surprising me.

"I am,” I admitted, then frowned at the angelic. “But we are still missing a few people. Get comfortable, if you would like, I am a little hungry after our rushed trip home."

At my offer, I watched the angelic pull off her helmet and adjust her waist-length silver hair before spreading her wings slightly and taking a seat on the couch. I inclined my head to her as I left the room, chuckling when I saw my seroci out in the hall walking toward it, a sleepy expression still on her beautiful face.

My question of "enjoyed your nap?" earned me a playful glare and a much less playful kiss before she made an affirmative noise and entered our office. Still tasting her tongue in my mouth as I entered our kitchen, I put together a quick snack for Larisa, myself, and our guest—in case she wanted some.

I paused as I passed by our room on my way back to the office, enjoying the sight of Akasha's back as she dried off after her shower.

As my pants tightened upon seeing the swells of her breasts around the sides of her muscular back, I almost decided to push her on her ‘no sex’ edict before simply enjoying the sight of my naked mate for a few long moments. I left her to finish getting dressed in something a little less travel worn, and had to smile as I heard Larisa and Seline having a much more civil conversation.

"I do understand my previous inclinations toward excess, to my detriment, have caused my family strife,” my seroci was saying. “With the help of my husband, though, I have done a great deal in our little town to reverse that image. And so, I accept your apology, Seline."

"I'm glad you two have buried the hatchet, so to speak. Let's hope that the issue that brought you here can be fixed as easily," I said, setting the platter of food filled with sandwiches and sliced up vegetables on the table in front of our angelic guest, and returned her smile.

My mood had improved significantly upon hearing that the woman had apologized to my seroci. If the angelic had enough humility to fix that mistake, even if only to speed along this process, I had hopes we might convince her to let it go entirely.

After I passed Larisa the plate I’d made for her and received the kiss she gave me in thanks, I sat down next to my mate. I was hopeful that the conversation between us might remain peaceful, but I wasn’t going to hold my breath.

"It is unusual to see a baron—or one who holds equivalent rank—serving himself," Seline admitted after she’d collected a bit of food from the platter.

I shrugged in response. The sandwiches had been simple enough to make, and Larisa's vegetables were always a treat. I took a bite of the sandwich I’d grabbed filled with meat, cheese, onions, tomatoes and a bit of Judith's sauce.

A smile curled my lips when the angelic did a double take upon popping the piece of cucumber drizzled with the sauce Judith had made into her mouth.

"That’s just one of the vegetables my wife and other mates have been cultivating in our garden. I'm glad to see you are enjoying them."

After seeing my seroci give the angelic a smile filled with pride, my attention was drawn from my wife's lips to the stomping of feet out in the hall. My smile grew a bit wider after my lioness walked into the room. I gave Steve a similarly broad grin as he stomped toward Seline.

"I'm not sure what that flea-bitten cat told you,” my father-in-law grumbled, “but he earned every bit of my fist in his face for talking to my wife the way he did!"

My eyes widened, and I stifled a laugh as I watched my father-in-law stop, legs wide and fists on his hips, as he vented his spleen on the seated angelic. As he grew several inches during the rant, I looked over at Jessica and pointedly inclined my head towards our father.

"No,” Steve snarled, seeing the nonverbal back and forth between me and his daughter, “she needs to know that he called my mate—and I quote—'the fucking help’! I don't give a rat’s hairy ass who the fuck he thinks he is. He doesn't get to talk to her that way—certainly not now! We are fucking shifters, for pity’s sake, and I won't allow anyone to treat us like that ever again!"

I rose from my seat and let out a low growl to bring Steve back in line when I saw him truly getting wound up and shrugging off his daughter's calming hand on his arm. I held his yellow-eyed gaze when he looked up at me and simply waited a few moments for him to submit to my lion. My glare succeeded in getting Steve to stand down, and he flashed me a thin-lipped grin and nod of thanks before taking a seat on the couch that faced Seline’s.

"Itorin came to Tamira less than a month ago,” he began, “to check on how we have been handling things here in Marvin’s and Larisa's absence. We had thought everything was going okay, until he took issue with something Margaret had made for him the second night of his visit. The snide comment I mentioned he made pushed my patience a little too far—and I let my anger with him get the best of me."

I smiled at my lioness when she placed her hand on his shoulder and squeezed it after they slumped as he explained the chain of events that had led to this meeting.

"There was a week between when Itorin ran off back to Kirkton and when a pack of wolfkin returned to take me into custody. Not surprisingly, the good people of our town disagreed with my abduction, and we sent them packing. Thank goodness Bylek finally finished the walls a few days after they left with their legs between their tails. Once she came calling,” here he nodded at Seline, “we hid behind our gates. Margaret had enough after a day or so of them clogging up the road and went to talk to her."

Opening my mouth to try and talk our way out of the punishment the old panthkin and King had sent Seline to dish out, I was surprised to see her take his hand gently from across the table between them.

"I have an inkling of what you are going through,” she said before looking over at me, “and I promise to do my best to keep the punishment… acceptable."

Mine weren’t the only eyebrows to crawl upwards at her choice of words.

"This is not entirely unfixable, you know. Lord Itorin didn't mention that either Margaret or Steve were shifters—most likely to paint, you, Steve, in a worse light due to his embarrassing loss of face. If you can convince King Terr of that fact, then the dispute will most likely be resolved as are all simple conflicts between two shifter—which is much different from a human assaulting one of their betters."

After Seline gave me a smile filled with the calm assurance that she had settled this issue without bloodshed, I frowned after hearing the final part of her argument.

"I am here to fix this issue with the least loss on both sides,” she concluded. “I have had my own problems with the current leadership of my kingdom, and I would like to return to Kirkton with the same number of men I left there with."

Still frowning after the angelic finished speaking, I decided against explaining the reason for my irritation or exploring her statement about these issues she had with the kingdom’s leadership in favor of ending our discussion on a pleasant note.

"We can travel to Kirkton in a few weeks to talk with the King and get this misunderstanding resolved. I’d like to thank you for your assistance with this matter," I said before turning my attention to Jessica and our father.

"I believe something was missed during my explanation. You can certainly take whatever time you need before making the trip to convince King Terr of Lord Itorin's deception, but Steve needs to come back with me, now. I cannot return to Kirkton without a prisoner in tow," Seline said with a frown, pulling my attention back to her.

I glared at the pleasant smile on her face and lifted a hand to stop both Jessica’s and Steve's growls. "You will not be taking my father-in-law into custody—today or any other day. I don't think you understand what you will be tempting, if you force me to fight you on this."

When Seline's smile grew patronizing after my declaration, I almost rose from my seat to remove the smirk from her face before my gaze snapped over to Akasha as she entered the office. My mind went blank for a moment as I took in her curves in the dress that she had chosen to wear—one that accentuated her impressive bust and trim waist before hugging the curve of her wide hips.

"What my husband is trying to tell you, is that if you choose to take our father-in-law from here without his consent, you will be starting a war between the Kingdom of Kirkton and the Minotaurs and our allies."

My mood shifted quickly as I watched Seline's smug smile crack and crumble incrementally as my princess spoke. I frowned once more when her smile returned bigger than before, this time filled with relief.

"Thank you, Princess Akasha, for making this process much simpler for me," Seline acknowledged before bowing her head to my mate and turning her attention back to me.

"It is beyond my orders to start a war over this particular issue. I will return to Kirkton and give them your response—though I would caution you to make the trip in a few days instead of weeks if you don't want to run into a real army on your way there."

I nodded my understanding and watched my seroci walk our guest out after kissing my cheek with a broad smile. Left alone with my two mates and father-in-law, I pressed the heels of my palms to my face before laughing at the new speed bump in our path.

"Akasha, please send a message to Jardon to get a hold of Gant. We are going to need his minjas a bit sooner than expected. Also, have them bring every bit of dirt they have on King Terr—and anyone else that might try and get in our way.”

Cursing softly under my breath, I slumped in my chair and stared at the ceiling. “I'm done playing by their rules. If someone tries to hurt or take what is ours, we will make them hurt ten times more than they would have hurt us." A growl rumbled in my chest as I finished giving my mate my instructions.

I returned her smirk after she slipped into my lap and then had to pull my head down for a kiss before going to do as I’d asked. Apparently, I’d fully shifted in my anger. Seeing Steve give my declaration a toothy smile before he, too, left the room, I gave my lioness a hungry look that she returned before leaping at me.

Catching Jessica in my arms, I devoured her lips as I shredded her clothing before laying her less-than-gently on the table in front of us. Sheathing myself in her after she gave my pants the same treatment, I was distracted from her moans of pleasure by the door to the office opening and then closing.

"Yay! Lion dick before we go and fuck up the kingdom?! Count me in!"

I smiled at my needy seroci after she made her comment as the next surge of my hips pushed Jessica over the edge into a quaking orgasm. Groaning as her tight pussy milked my dick, I watched Larisa strip out of her clothing before sexily swaying towards me and my still twitching lioness.

After she dropped her dripping pussy on Jessica's face, I slipped my hand around Larisa's lower back and forced it to arch for me with a gentle application of my claws. Biting down on one of my seroci's hard nipples, I smiled as her sudden orgasm brought Jessica along for the ride. Thrusting into my lioness's clenching pussy, I groaned into my seroci's soft breast as Larisa filled our lioness’s mouth with her release.

I joined them a few seconds later, filling Jessica with my seed before lifting and then flipping Larisa's shaking body over to lay her down on the table, face to face with Jessica. Sliding into the seroci’s soaked pussy, I began working to give her a helping of my cum before we left our home yet again to battle the forces aligned against us.

Chapter 33

Near Kirkton – Belin Region

"I’d thought that Terr’s sleeping with other men's wives would have given us more leverage than breaking trade agreements. But if Terr using his power to get some booze from his neighbor will do it, then I guess that's what we will use."

As I looked over the list of the King's faults a little over a week after Seline and her troops left my town, I saw Akasha and Larisa give my decision a firm nod. We had spent two days enjoying being home for once before the angelic's timetable had sent me, Jessica, Larisa, and Akasha on our way to Kirkton.

We left Steve and Margaret behind, after my lioness and I firmly agreed that we wouldn't be giving him up to the King for any reason. Meeting up with the Esture riders that had brought my minjas a day ago, when we finally began going over their intel, I got a swift education on the do's and don’ts of royal etiquette.

"I don't like it either, husband, but like with our wolfie's brother, it happens more than you would believe. Terr usually gets away with it because if someone were to challenge him, he has more than enough men to throw at a challenger before they get to him. It's all a part of that insipid agreement."

I gave my seroci mate a shrug and a nod before closing the laptop full of incriminating information that would pull our asses out of the fire. I had a few ideas on how to bypass the King's agreement, like our volunteer noncombat guards back home, but we needed to make more lion shifters before I was ready to challenge the King.

As I lamented the constant interruption of that plan, I handed the laptop back to the minja who had brought it to us for safekeeping and then packed away the handwritten documents that I would actually be showing Terr. Picking up our things and leaving the three minotaurs that had split off from the group of ten Gant sent us to follow in our wake, I gave the city of Kirkton on the horizon a long look.

"Isn't it strange that every time Itorin comes around, we always end up with more trouble? I'm beginning to think he plans these attempts to keep us on our toes, but I don't think Terr would allow it. I know more than just our town got the shitty end of the stick with that whole metal fiasco."

I voiced my concerns as we mounted our horses. After hearing Akasha's snort of amusement, I turned my attention to her as we began riding toward the city.

"There are several interesting documents and notations Gant has made on that laptop he sent us. More than a few have to do with the emblem council,” our princess said, “and how they are using what power they have left behind the scenes. I'm not saying that Itorin is one of them, or even one of their representatives, just that it isn't outside the realm of possibility."

My eyes widened as Akasha spoke, and I watched Larisa's eyes do the same before she looked at me.

"I have been investigating Terr since he yanked all our metal out from under our asses, and have found he is very vain and easily manipulated. One thing that stood out readily to me, however, is that Itorin has been unusually active in Terr's court since we killed Mvargus."

After pondering my seroci's comment, I groaned internally before shaking off the frustration her insight had brought on. If the old panthkin did have ties to the emblem council, then that made my need to grow my pride even more critical.

After an hour of waiting in the guard house just inside Kirkton's walls later that day, my suspicions and patience had worn thin. I glared at the bearkin guard unfortunate enough to have been assigned to watch my mates and me. When he flinched, I caught Jessica’s snort of amusement—amusement that Larisa and Akasha swiftly echoed.

“Don’t worry, he doesn’t bite,” Larisa said with a grin.

“Much…” my lioness added.

Our guard tried to puff his chest out at me and was summarily ignored as the three of them broke into giggles. I tried to keep from focusing on the reason for our long wait, but couldn’t help another growl that rumbled through my chest. “Fucking Itorin,” I growled under my breath.

After we’d arrived at the gates to the city, we had been sent into this little room to await someone from the castle that Terr called home. My mind wandered and I worried about hidden assassins that might try and kill my mates and me before we could reveal Itorin for the lying, manipulative bastard he was. Even Jessica and Larisa's attempts to alter my mood by playing with the tufted end of my tail couldn't entirely pull me from my murderous thoughts.

Akasha embraced me from the side before pulling my head down for a kiss, following which she said, “You can deal with him after we clear Steve's name, husband."

I grumbled some more, despite her attempt to calm me, growling in minor annoyance as the sensation of Larisa toying with my tail was added to the feeling of my princess's lips nuzzling my neck. As a shiver of desire went down my spine when Akasha pulled my head down again but then deepened our kiss.

I smiled, despite myself, after Jessica pulled me into a shorter but just as passionate lip lock after it ended.

"Yum! Do you feel a little less murdery now, babe? I don't see how you could be with us around to distract you," my lioness told me with a smirk.

"I think I might just be back to right. All we need now, is a bed to let you three finish me off…” I paused, studying the room we were in. “… or not. We haven't had wall sex in a while."

My lecherous grin became a genuine smile when I saw the looks of interest my mates gave me upon hearing my comment. My ears immediately swiveled toward the iron-bound door to the room when it opened, and I growled in frustration once again. I had been more than a little serious about my offer.

My mood and attention shifted after I saw Seline walk through the door.

After she said, "I apologize for my tardiness," in a tone that was anything but apologetic, I noted the frustration on her striking features as she nodded dismissively at our guard.

My curiosity was piqued by her ruffling the golden feathers of her wings. I was also interested in her change of attire. The angelic had forgone her bulky plate armor and instead wore an elaborately embroidered, form-fitting dress that complemented her silver hair and golden wings.

It also accentuated the figure that her armor had hidden.

Seline was almost a match for my seroci when it came to her assets, and her waist, hips, and thighs were a great deal slimmer than Akasha's but equally as toned by strenuous training that had added a smooth, balanced movement to her stride.

When my eyes raked in her attire and curves as she walked over to stand in front of me, I saw a smirk quirk the edges of her lips.

"Surprised to see me? Good. It seems that, despite my best efforts, the King and his advisor are trying to force this issue.” She pursed her lips, shaking her head. “I again must be the voice of reason. Now, come, this dress the courts insist on me wearing is horribly inconvenient to walk in."

I kept my smile to myself after the angelic's smirk fell into an annoyed frown as she spoke, giving my mates an amused glance after Seline turned on her heel. I returned their smiles before following the woman. As we walked through the city toward Terr's castle, I suppressed a chuckle as Seline somehow managed to stomp on the cobbled stones, despite wearing rather dainty looking slippers.

Catching sight of a few of the city's residents on our way to plead our case, I growled as I saw a few collared humans following behind their masters.

Seline noted my frown every time we saw collared slaves. "Your town doesn't treat humans this way. Why?" Seline asked after she turned her attention to me.

"We disagree on such abuse—that someone should ever be treated as property,” my lioness growled in response. “There are many people, shifters and humans alike, who could greatly benefit those around them, never mind the kingdoms they belong to, if they were simply treated as what they are—people."

I nodded my agreement with Jessica's forcefully delivered statement, as she answered the angelic's question for me.

Seline smiled wanly at my lioness before pursing her lips in consideration before resuming her usual detached and annoyed expression. The angelic's response to Jessica's question was not what I’d expected and piqued my interest again about her story.

"That is an interesting way of thinking,” the winged woman eventually said, “but I will warn you not to mention it to the King. Lord Itorin has chosen to highlight his issues with your town's approach to humans and how it resulted in his injury."

"You seem to keep providing us with assistance, despite your station, Seline. May I ask why?" Larisa asked with a smile.

"Let's just say that I understand a little of your views regarding the lower races," Seline responded nonchalantly.

I wasn't sure I liked the woman's response, but I kept my opinions on it to myself. With more than enough on my plate, I didn't have the time or the inclination to get into a discussion over basic human, and non-human, rights with the angelic. She seemed like a decent person, if something of a bigot—though that could be said of every angelic I had met.

When we reached the castle, I expected Seline to go on her merry way and was surprised as she followed us all the way to Terr's meeting quarters. Putting on my game face as we walked into the belly of the beast, I got my first look at the King who ruled my town.

Terr was a seroci that, despite what I had heard of the spoiled man, did look the part of a ruler who had earned his spot. Seeing Itorin standing calmly next to the lavishly dressed seroci, I suppressed my lion's growl of anger after I saw the smug look of anticipation on the old panthkin's face. Walking into the large room mostly filled with a stepped dais, I chose to listen to my better sense and took a knee behind Serine after she dropped to hers.

“Baroness Urik, I am saddened by the reason for our meeting today. I do hope your trip from my town to my city wasn’t too strenuous.”

I raised my head to look into the King's red eyes after he greeted my mate and not me as her husband.

My teeth clenched as Terr ignored Larisa's message and dismissed my other two mates and me entirely. Raising my hand to stop my mate from rising to answer Terr's backhanded greeting, I rose to my feet and said, "it wasn't."

A smile grew on my face as I watched both the King and his less-than-loyal advisor frown at me. As I walked toward them, I chuckled after I felt my mates rise from their crouched positions to join me. Noting the stiffness in Serine's back and wings as I passed her, I stopped just a little ahead of the angelic.

"I would like to dispense with the backhanded pleasantries if we could. Your little lying advisor is trying to take a member of my family from me, and I don't think that would be a very good idea given what is in these documents."

I held up the copies Gant's men had made for me as I finished. Smiling as Terr gave me a death stare before rolling his eyes and waving patronizingly for the papers I held, I was a little taken aback and handed them to Serine after she moved to do as her King silently bid.

"What did you think I would take your little outburst personally? One doesn't gain the power I have by taking such obvious bait, Marvin Spence. You will be put in your place shortly after I appease my curiosity about what you think you hold. A few days in the stocks, while I appease something else with your wives, should be just the trick."

My growl of irritation after the King finished speaking lagged far behind Jessica and Akasha's. It turned into an involuntary laugh after my princess whispered, "he wishes," into my ear. Looking over at my seroci to gauge her reaction after both of my other mates placed comforting kisses on my cheeks, my attention was drawn from her smirk to Terr after he shouted, "Out!"

I watched the guards stationed around the room, along with a few garishly dressed nobles, rush to follow the King's demand.

Left alone with the King and Itorin shortly after, I was surprised by Seline staying at the bottom of the dais, where she had moved after delivering the documents.

I saw a ghost of a smile on her lips as she looked at Terr before the King asked me, "Where did you get this?!"

"It's just a tiny portion of the dirt that a few birdies gave me, is all. I am glad we didn't have to go through with my mate's threat of war to get you to understand your position. Now about the charges brought against my father-in-law?"

As I watched confusion grow on Terr's face while I spoke, I noted Itorin's expression grew pinched before the snap of the King's spiked tail as he turned to look at the panthkin made the old man flinch.

"What war?! You told me that one of the humans of Tamira disrespected you, and this was to be a simple meeting to deal out punishment. When were you going to inform me of that being on the table?!"

I smiled as Itorin gave the King a deer in the headlights look before stuttering out an apology.

"Regardless of whether he told you or not, taking my father will result in the full force of the minotaur kingdom coming down on your head. I believe your neighbors to the east and south would jump at the opportunity to "help" you keep the borders of your kingdom safe. Maybe even farther into them if you seem preoccupied."

A chuckle left me after Akasha saved the old panthkin from a tongue lashing as she reminded him that several other kingdoms would love to take a piece of his. Listening to Terr grumble in angry indecision as he thought over his options, I basked in his frustration after remembering what he had put my town through with the metal fiasco he had caused.

"Fine! The charges against your father-in-law have been dropped, Spence. What else do you need from me to keep this from seeing the light of day?"

I gave Terr's rage-filled question a broad smile as I implemented my plan. Freeing the slaves immediately to keep the eastern kingdom from sanctioning Terr would be a tall order but working them into the regular population and giving them the same rights over time would be more than doable.

If the other races saw it as an edict from Terr, it would make keeping myself out of the enraged citizen's sights all the sweeter.

"You will have the next year to impose this mandate. All humans, regardless of their station, will be free from servitude from any master. If you try any stupid workaround like imprisoning them for silly crimes, I will place you firmly in the sights of every kingdom whom you have slighted by spilling every little secret you have."

As I watched Terr crumple the papers in his fist before giving me an angry nod, my attention was mainly locked on the old panthkin standing next to him.

Itorin's expression had grown darker and darker as I laid out my terms.

I gave Terr's advisor a hungry grin as I made plans on how to sus out his involvement with the Emblem council. If my suspicions were correct, this wasn't the first time he had tried to take my family away from me.

After giving Terr a nod filled with my implied threat to his hold on the kingdom, I filled my arms with my mates before I turned to leave the two rulers of the kingdom that I called home in my wake.

"If our engagement isn't official before we return home, I might have to take out the frustration you just caused out on the training ground instead of the bedroom, husband," Akasha said as we left Terr's castle.

I smirked as Jessica added an excited, "yes, please!" as we made our way home. And my amusement boiled over into a belly laugh after my seroci licked her lips with a suggestive, "yum!"

Chapter 34

Tamira – Belin Region

"He doesn't know the meaning of too much, does he?"

Jessica shivered after asking her question as Larisa finished washing her back in their shower a little over a week after they’d visited with King Terr. Feeling the evidence of Marvin's vigorous attempts to fill her past bursting with his cum trickling down her leg, she smirked at the laugh of the other victim of their mate's desire this morning.

"Our lion can be intense, at times. I'm just glad he doesn't try what he did my first time with him as often as he would like. I doubt our town would do as well as it has been, if its baroness was perpetually in a sex-induced coma."

As she laughed lightly along with Larisa after her joke, Jessica took the sponge the seroci handed her from over her shoulder. She turned around to return the favor by washing Larisa's back after the seroci moved her wet red hair out of her way.

Jessica tried—and mostly succeeded—to keep herself from getting sidetracked by Larisa's long moan of pleasure as she worked, by focusing on her comment instead of the bubbles running down the crack of her sister mate’s large, shapely ass.

"Is the town doing well enough that we can get rid of those pesky drinks and make some little lions, wolves, foxes, seroci and minotaurs?" Jessica asked.

"Hmm, I can't think of a good reason why not—except for the increased thulu sightings," Larisa responded with an airy tone.

A sigh left Jessica's lips before she nodded. There had been at least two sightings from the minotaur kingdom since they’d left Kirkton that had put her guards and all of Tamira on high alert.

"Well, hopes and dreams, it is then. We can both take a nice sip before we begin our days then."

Jessica shook her leg as her mate's seed trickled down her leg again and gave Larisa's shiver a laugh.

"There is the trip back to Earth Marvin has been planning. With enough luck, I can find enough birth control to keep us out of being in the family way until we are ready."

"We can hope, though, if we aren't careful when Akasha and Marvin's engagement is made official.” The seroci sighed. “We might not have another chance to do anything about it, other than to accept that he is going to get his way."

As she nodded in agreement with Larisa's statement, Jessica felt her anticipation for the day growing. After they had returned home to find no letter proclaiming that the wait for their engagement was over, Marvin and Akasha had turned into matching balls of need and frustration. Jessica had felt bad for their princess, forced to watch them enjoy themselves with their mate while she could only pleasure herself at the sight.

As her fingers slipped lower on Larisa's back , she remembered the princess's fingers longingly sliding past the lips of her own pussy and she slipped a finger into the softly moaning seroci.

"How about seeing how easy it will be to distract our lion from his work for a little while?" she whispered into Larisa's ear as she leaned her breasts against the woman’s bare back.

Hearing her soft moan of agreement, Jessica smiled as she teased the hard bud at the apex of the seroci's sex just the way she knew her sister mate liked.

∞∞∞∞∞

I caught sight of Celeste sitting on the step of my front porch upon returning from an intense training session with my princess. Confused as to why the panthkin was at my home instead of her own, I ignored the aches Akasha's rough training had caused along with the aching frustration that was the result of her teasing during the session.

A frown crossed my lips as I saw no letter on the porch next to my guest that would allow me to pay my princess back for a raging case of blue balls. Resuming my walk and shaking off my disappointment, I felt a little ashamed of my one-track mind when I heard Celeste stifle a sniffle.

“Hey.” I watched her roughly scrub her cheeks to wipe away a few tears before I asked, "Is everything ok?"

I kept my mild amusement to myself when she flinched before slowly looking up at me. I took a seat next to the distressed panthkin and gently pulled her against my side.

"I'm fine, I guess. I just needed a moment to let it out in a place I felt safe, is all."

My smile dissolved, replaced by a furious frown upon hearing Celeste’s response to my question. Moving to rise from my spot and place her in the safety of my house before going to kill her mate, I stopped as she jerked on my arm.

"I don't need you to fight my battles for me, you big brute. I just needed some space for a moment and maybe a shoulder to cr-“ She stuttered before correcting herself and continuing with, "…lean on. Can you do that, without running off to save the day… please?"

After taking a moment to consider Celeste's request before answering honestly, I nodded, then pulled her against me again.

"Remember in the forest when I told you I fucked up? Well, Jaco hasn't forgotten about it, and I can't make it go away. We fought again this morning, and… and it was bad," Celeste went silent for a moment, and I saw indecision flicker across her light brown complexion before her full lips firmed into a line.

"Before we left for the mountains, Jaco and I were intimate, and I moaned your name instead of his."

My eyes widened for a second before I sighed and pulled the blushing panthkin tighter against my side.

"I thought you weren't into men, or was that just me?" I asked.

I smiled when she pulled away from me and stared disbelievingly into my eyes before slugging me in the chest. Giving her a playful groan, I watched a small smile tease the edges of her lips.

"Not going to gloat that the Lion of Tamira has one of its guards begging for his cum instead of her mate's?"

I shook my head sadly when Celeste asked her question.

"I was in Jaco's shoes once… before, back on Earth. My girlfriend, before Jessica got her claws in me, cheated on me. That kind of hurt doesn't just go away, but I have to wonder why he stayed with you. Seems like a good way to torture yourself, if you ask me."

As Celeste's expression fell once more, I waited for her to respond to my pointed remark. I didn’t want to indulge her attempt to dodge her issues, but to help her as a friend. I watched her wrestle with her response, remaining silent.

"I asked him to stay and told him it would never happen again. He let me leave to go with you to the mountains afterward. I hate that I feel like I cheated on him, though that isn’t what happened. Things haven't been right with us since, and keep getting worse."

I tucked Celeste's head under my chin when she trailed off with another sniffle as she finished. Smiling, despite the situation, as her triangular black ear flicked against my cheek, I felt her shift toward me—to do what, though, I wasn't entirely sure.

I cursed myself for a fool when all she did, was to sigh and relax against me.

"He keeps trying to force me to submit to him, both inside and outside of our home—either out of jealousy or caution. Which one, I'm not sure. What I am sure of, is that I lied… or I feel like I am still lying… to him and to myself. Whatever those feelings were, they haven't gone away."

As the panthkin nestled into my side went silent again, I only avoided leaning down to kiss her after her confession by clearing my throat and thinking of a solution to her problem instead of following my inner lion and taking her as our own.

"Do you want me to divorce you two? Larisa or I can do that, and let you start over again—if that is what you want."

I felt Celeste freeze against me for several long moments after my offer before she shook her head gently.

"I am going to try a little longer to make this work. It feels too much like quitting at this point. I don't think Judith would take kindly to me giving up the mate I fought her for, and then taking even more time from the one that chose her away from her."

After her reply, I watched Celeste rise from her spot next to me and shrug after giving herself a sniff. Rising from my seat, I followed her path back into town and wondered just how bad the fight with Jaco would be when she returned home smelling of me.

I smirked as my inner lion preened at the thought of another male rightly fearing that we had taken his mate as our own. Shaking my head as I left Celeste to make her own choices—right or wrong—I walked into my home with the thought of her joining my harem occupying a small corner of my mind.

Walking into the kitchen to enjoy a late breakfast with my mates, I ignored my seroci's intense, knowing stare as I enjoyed a lingering kiss from Judith. My wolfkin's tail wagged happily when she placed my plate in front of me as I listened to Kiki and Akasha giggle after exchanging a whispered comment.

"No, she didn't sample the wares, Kiki. We just talked a little because she needed a shoulder to cry on," I said, still focusing on my plate.

The soft clanking of dishes as Judith set them to the side of the sink for cleaning filled the air of our dining room, along with Larisa's suppressed laughter.

"She wanted more than a shoulder to cry on, my love… more like a shoulder to moan on. If she would just be honest with herself, then she could enjoy some happiness instead of moping around town."

The frown that followed my seroci's comment earned me a smirk from her and my brows drew together as I glared playfully at the perceptive woman sitting across the table from me. Turning my attention to our lioness walking in from the hallway that led to our room, I saw her smile at our mate's advice turn into a frown.

I shrugged in response a moment later to Larisa's comment before chuckling after Jessica added, "and in the guard house, too," before taking her seat. A smirk tugged on my lips as the two shared a long look before turning their gazes on me. Remembering our intense morning session, I assumed I might have to make an encore before getting on to our business today.

"Before we get to our daily duties, Larisa, is there anything else you can think of that will keep Terr honest? I don't mind waiting, but some extra ammo would be helpful. Akasha, if you have something to add, I would appreciate it."

I smiled at my two mates after they shared a quick look before leaving them to their own thoughts. Digging into my breakfast before it got cold, I watched my princess snap her fingers and nod permission to enter for the minja that descended from the roof of our home.

The ten-man group had kept up a rotation of two minjas guarding our home from the roof while Akasha and I kept the rest of them busy ferreting out Itorin's spies.

After they had found two of them over the past week, one a foxkin guard and the other a human farmer, I had waited on removing or killing them until I was sure that every one of them had been found. Adding the minjas to Jordon's roster was my next step and job for the day.

"Nothing that we need to implement at the moment, my lion. Most of what I have been able to gather is similar to what Gant has collected. I think Akasha and I might have to take the day and go over what we have available to us."

I watched my seroci and princess share another quick look before Akasha gave her a nod.

Larisa moved over to share in the conversation Akasha was having with our minotaur guard. I turned my attention to my lioness and foxkin.

"What are your plans for the day, loves?"

"I have to check on the volunteers we have been getting since Serine's army decided to darken our doorstep. I kind of feel for the drill sargents back on Earth. Trying to manage the kids that keep stepping up is starting to drive me nuts!"

I chuckled at the exasperated look on Jessica's freckled face before I shifted slightly and used my increased height to reach her lips with mine across our table. Flinching as Kiki decided to tease my tail after it fell in front of her face, I gave her a playful glare after I returned to my seat and normal size.

"My day should hopefully be short. I have a few more families to check on to call their worries and answer a few questions about the army's departure. I was going to ask if you wanted help with the recruits, Jessica. I know once some people get an idea in their mind that they tend to hold onto it for dear life even if it pulls them down in the end."

While my lioness gave Kiki a grateful nod before they returned to their breakfast, I thought about the former part of my foxkin's statement.

"Hey, Kiki. If I set a day or two a month to do a question-and-answer town hall meeting, how many of our people do you think would show up?"

I watched her pause her chewing for a moment before giving me a shrug.

"That depends on what has happened between those meetings. I can put the word out that they will be happening if you set the days of the week you want to have them on. Who knows how many will show up, but we can try."

After giving my mate a nod, I set the first date for two days from now, at the end of the week and market day, to allow the word to spread and hopefully pull in as many of our citizens as I could.

My plans to return to Earth needed my town to be safe and stable. If that required me to deal with a few Karens and Richards, then so be it.

"And you, Judith?"

As my wolfkin mate smiled at me after my question, I took the kiss she gave me before she passed behind me to reach her seat.

"I have a few farming families to check on while Larisa talks with Akasha. After that, just keeping our home in order is my plan for the day."

I gave my mate a nod before looking around at my mates.

"I would like to try and contact The Prophet again tomorrow and if I can make a trip to Earth with Akasha and Jessica. Does anyone have any issues that might make that a problem?"

As each of my mates thought over my question, I finished off the last of my breakfast after they gave me a shake of their heads.

"Jessica, if you could put together a few packs for you, me, and Akasha sometime today that would be amazing."

My lioness nodded her understanding with a warm smile as I passed her on my way to the kitchen. Washing off my plate before I left for the minotaur garrison, I smiled as I saw two more containers of food sitting on the counter.

I was glad my wolfkin was taking care of those who were taking care of us. Passing through my town, I saw more than a few extra humans that had made the trip from Kirkton to Tamira after Terr had begun implementing my demands.

I waved at a few unfamiliar faces, receiving smiles and waves in return before I stopped for a moment upon reaching the minotaur garrison. I sniffed the air around me and caught the now familiar scent of the minjas stationed here. They used some sort of fragrant flower that grew around Blackwatch to mask their bovine odor from the shifter races while remaining hidden. I wondered for a moment if that was strictly necessary while they were in my town before I shook my head, leaving the decision about what was and what wasn’t appropriate in their capable hands.

After I entered the massive building through its huge doors, I smiled as the sounds of fighting from the training grounds behind the building reached my ears. The minotaurs were nothing if dedicated to keeping themselves ready for battle. I hoped that they wouldn't push too firmly against my insistence that they include the volunteers from Blackwatch in their preparation.

Walking past Jardon's office, I noted that the man wasn't in before making my way to the double doors leading to the rear of the building. I pushed open the doors, and after walking a few paces out of them, froze as silence swept over the vast field of trampled dirt. Watching each of the twenty twelve-foot-tall men drop to one knee, it took me several moments to realize that I was the reason for the action.

A smile grew on my face as I contemplated testing my hypothesis that evidence of our engagement finally becoming official kneeled in front of me, based on their reaction to Akasha's first visit. Leaving that fun experiment for later, as my smile broadened, I focused on the task I had come here to complete, instead of running back home to inform my minotaur bride.

After finding my target, I enjoyed immensely saying, "Jardon, you may rise," in my best imitation of Holden's tone of voice.

Watching the minotaur get back on his feet and walk over to me, I tempered my smile a bit as he shouted for his men to return to their training.

"I'm glad that Akasha and I are finally official—and I hope you won't think too badly of me for swinging my weight around as soon as I get it, but I need to ensure that Gant's men and women are being put to proper use."

As I finished my statement, I snapped my fingers and barely managed to keep my expression neutral, when eight of the minjas dropped down behind me from the top of the garrison roof. Ignoring how cool it was to have them at my beck and call, I looked up at Jardon and raised an eyebrow at his frown.

"They have mostly been too occupied with finding your spies to train with my men, for me to get an idea of their capabilities. I will admit, though, that they have been honorable enough to keep me informed of their comings and goings. I don't foresee there being a problem with them joining us once your rats have been ferreted out. From what I have heard from the King, they are more than capable enough warriors that I wouldn't mind having at my side."

After hearing Jardon's opinions on the minjas, I gave them a smile and a nod. Hearing confirmation that my hopes that their integration wouldn't be too painful, I gave them a dismissive wave. I watched them return to their posts and turned my attention to the massive minotaur next to me.

"I'm glad King Holden took Blackwatch's lesson to heart. Now, if you could point me in the direction of the message that has all of you doing lunges in my presence, I need to hurry home and make a certain princess a very happy woman."

Jardon smirked at me after my request before saying, "as you wish, my prince," then leading me into the garrison.

Following the minotaur back into the building, I couldn't keep my own smirk from stealing over my face. But even though I could now claim my mate without putting our home at risk, my thoughts turned to less lecherous intentions. With my marriage to Akasha all but finalized—leaving only the ceremony in a few months—I now had several thousand more people to worry about and keep safe.

Taking the document that proclaimed the princess to be my mate now and forever, I looked it over again—reading its flowery text as Jardon took a knee in front of me. Finished reading, I looked up and gave the man a brief nod that he could begin.

"I, Jardon Coldstone, swear my life and those of my men to protect your life and the lives of your mates until I take my last breath. This, I vow as the Gand of the princess and prince consort of the minotaur kingdom."

As I accepted Jardon's vow, I felt my power increase and my normal form grew several inches in height and packed on additional muscle mass. My Gand, or bodyguard, lost a negligible amount of both, as the vow was spread across him and his men. With us nearer in height thanks to the gromonix's devotion magic, I placed my hand on his shoulder from my now close to seven feet of height.

"I, Marvin Spence, in lieu of my mate, accept your vow of protection against any harm that might befall me or my family, Jardon Coldstone. Rise and shield us well with your might, Gand."

A smirk crossed my lips as I found my neck a smidge less cramped as Jardon did as I bid and rose to his hooves.

"Hopefully, in a few weeks, Itorin's spies will be gone from our home. Until then, please keep doing what you have been and acting as if the Blackwatch members are a part of your command."

After Jardon gave me a respectful nod, I walked out the massive doors of the minotaur garrison with a great deal more responsibility on my shoulders, the deed to it all in my hand. Meandering through Tamira, I answered a few questions about our new residents and helped my foxkin spread word of the upcoming town meeting.

I was a little surprised to see how well received the meeting was, before I remembered just how starved for control of their lives the people of Kerxon seemed to be. Passing by the town stables, I greeted Dobber when I saw the bearkin standing in its doorway, leading to the street.

"I hear that congratulations are in order, Prince Marvin," Dobber called out with a broad smile.

"I figured it wasn't going to remain a secret for long.” I shook my head, but grinned. “If you can keep it that way until I tell Akasha, I would appreciate it."

Dobber gave me a smirk before chuckling and nodding. "It can't have spread too far. The Esture rider only left a few hours ago. I think you have at least that long before everyone knows."

I chuckled to myself as I threw my hands up and shook my head in playful exasperation after Dobber's cheerful reminder of how small our town really was. Watching another new batch of faces through the open shutters on the wall behind me working to take care of our cattle and horses, I turned my attention back to the bearkin.

"How are your new people settling in?" I asked.

"As well as can be expected. Quite a few of them simply left with only the clothes on their backs after the first round of releases were announced.” He grunted then turned and spit to the side. “Can't say I blame them. There are few things worse than having your freedom taken from you. Hell, I was ready to travel all the way out here with you just for the chance to get some of it back."

I smirked at the bearkin's put-upon tone and offered him my hand. "And you're now as free as can be, though I think I might have gotten the better part of that deal. Take care, Dobber."

I gave Dobber a gentle clap on his shoulder as I walked past him after our handshake. Making my way home, I spied Celeste on patrol with a group of wolfkin and returned her slight smile and wave.

As I wondered if she had managed to patch things up with Jaco, I couldn't help the thoughts that ran through my mind that dared to hope otherwise. Remembering her curves in her armor during our trip to visit Holden, I reminded myself that the woman had made her choice.

While I enjoyed the sun warming my skin as I passed through the market, bustling with the noontime rush, I felt more than saw Jessica and Kiki pass beside me. Reaching out with a smile, I chuckled as they yelped in surprise before my mirth ended when my foxkin's hidden dagger poked me in a very sensitive area.

"Marvin! What the fuck! What happened to you? I thought some bearkin had decided he wanted a Prince Albert!"

Chapter 35

Tamira – Belin Region

Pulling my lioness and foxkin into a tight hug after Kiki finished yelling at me as she put her dagger away, I kissed them both.

"I just got a little, well two, little surprises from the minotaurs. One of them gave me a little boost, and the other is going to make a certain princess of ours very happy. What have you two got going on?"

My question pulled my mates out of their examination of my slightly larger body. After they both licked their lips expectantly, I watched Jessica's eyes widen with comprehension before Kiki spoke.

"Jessica was just helping me with a few check-ins after we took care of the majority of our new recruits."

I watched Kiki's comment pull my lioness out of her lust-filled thoughts, and I chuckled when she had to shake her head and clear her throat before elaborating on their day so far.

"I took a children's psych class in college, and I saw the chance to use it. But back to the surprise you have for Akasha, is it what I think it is?!"

A laugh rumbled through my chest as Jessica barely managed not to dance in place after she’d voiced her question. Imagining how different our lives might have been if I hadn't taken Torin up on his offer, I nodded at my mate's excitement and handed her the message that would let her finally play with our princess.

"It is. I was going to give her and Larisa a chance to finish with their talk before I distracted our princess with the good news. Mind if I join you two?"

After my mates shook their heads in response to my question, I let them pull me along on their walk through town. The next few hours were spent simply enjoying my mates’ company. I also got to learn more about the people who called Tamira their home.

I was enjoying our walk back toward our home after helping solve a border disagreement between two of our farmers when Jessica and Kiki stopped in their tracks. As they stopped, so did I, as their arms were looped in mine. I looked down curiously at them.

"We are going to let Marvin surprise Akasha by himself, right Jessica?" Kiki asked.

A smile quirked my lips as I watched my lioness frown for a moment after Kiki's comment before brightening back up. "Yes, we are, Kiki.”

She turned to smile at me. “Make sure to enjoy having her all to yourself, babe. I'm going to make sure we all get to play with her later, so please don't break her… too badly."

I took the smiling kiss Jessica gave me after she dropped her petulant tone and then leaned down to kiss my smirking foxkin mate. Watching them waltz off back towards the center of town and the delicious smell of cooking food as the sun dipped toward the horizon, I chuckled after my sensitive ears heard Kiki softly call out my wolfkin's name.

I imagined my surprise might not have been one, at least where my mates were concerned, before I resumed my walk back home. The cool breeze that blew past me on my walk was more than welcome and relaxing. I found myself wondering what our family would look like, when I became King after Holden retired.

I imagined there would be more than a few of my spawn to keep track of, as my luck eventually ran out—or increased, depending on how you thought of it. Taking a moment to consider that disparate thought, I chuckled after envisioning a little version of me with a smattering of Jessica's freckles on his face running around and terrorizing the towns’ girls.

As I mused about how each of my offspring with my mates might look and behave, I quietly opened the door to our home and followed my nose to my princess. I smiled when I found myself staring at her, sitting alone in Larisa's office. Watching her play with one of the braids of her long silver hair, the little princess I had imagined her holding during part of my walk had been doing the same thing with her mother's hair.

I shook off that vivid vision and cleared my throat to get Akasha's attention before walking into the office.

"Hello, husband. I hope your day went as well as mine and Larisa's."

My princess's bright smile enraptured me as I closed the distance between us, but her eyes got big when I went down on one knee and presented her with the message I had been holding behind me. My smile may have turned a bit goofy when her grin turned into a shocked expression.

"It came?!" She asked as I set our engagement announcement on top of the document she had been reviewing.

"It did. I am glad I somehow managed to keep the surprise from reaching you." My smile fell a little as Akasha gave the announcement a curious look, her expression shifting to amused contemplation.

"Larisa got a message that she was needed out in the fields a little over an hour ago. I can only assume we were left alone intentionally, my love."

A smirk crossed my face at Akasha's deduction before leaning down to kiss her smiling lips. "I'm glad they at least let me surprise you. I imagine that if a war were to break out in our town, I would be the last to be informed—after everyone got their stories straight."

She chuckled at my joke before I came around behind her and filled my arms with her curves. I saw her smirk at me as my hands glided up her thighs, across her hips and along her body before cupping her face as I kissed my betrothed.

"I daydreamed about jumping you as soon as I got here, but now I find I'm just glad that you are mine. What did you two learn while we were out?"

My princess chuckled again before laying down our engagement decree on top of the documents she had been looking at before my arrival. Though I only caught a brief glance, I saw her and my seroci's handwriting completely filling at least one of the pages in the stack.

"We have a few plans in place to mitigate some of the repercussions we see coming from Terr and what remains of the emblem council. Hopefully, we won't have to execute a few of the plans that place our people in jeopardy.” She paused, and then frowned. “But while we are asking questions, why do you seem taller to me and bigger now that I can feel your arms?"

I smiled at her questioning look before rising and crooking a finger for her to follow me to one of the couches. Looking back over my shoulder at her when she stood, I noticed that I was indeed only a few inches shorter now than my minotaur mate.

"Now, remember when I made that comment about the Prophet using too much toner on Jessica and me?” I asked.

She nodded.

“There is a bit more to the story besides our special relationship with it." Then I told my princess about the alien who had provided me with the means to save Kerxon from eradication.

I also told her about the abilities it had given me, to make that possibility happen. One of them, the one that answered her previous question and caused her expression to shift from wonder to intense contemplation, was the matter of the gromonix's devotion magic.

Her expression shifted between amusement, shock, and disbelief during the rest of my explanation.

Gently running my hand along her side while she laid across my lap on the couch after I finished speaking, I waited for her to digest what I had told her about Kerxon and the history of its races.

"So, if what I am hearing is correct, you grew several inches and packed on a dozen pounds or so of lean muscle because Jardon chose to become your Gand, and he swore his men to your service?"

I nodded my agreement with Akasha's question before I leaned into her hand as she gently stroked my face.

"That's pretty much it. I gain power by gaining devotees, and I have four of the seven races as my mates.” I paused. “Though I'm not sure if Jessica counts as a human or lionkin."

My sigh of contentment as I traced her side gently was interrupted by one of Akasha's fingers filling my vision.

"Five of the eight races, my lion. I think I can call myself devoted to you and our family. History has always cast us in the worst light."

I smiled before leaning over to kiss my mate as she tilted her lips toward me.

"I think you are cast in just the right light, my love," I said before I slid my hand behind Akasha's head, gripping one of her horns gently.

As I pulled her lips to mine for another, deeper, kiss, I groaned along with her as she pressed herself into me, arching her back in need. I quickly hardened against my princess's ass as its firm softness ground against my lap. She smiled into my lips as the tuft at the end of my tail thumped against the floor.

After our kiss ended with each of us simply staring at each other from a few inches away, I watched a small smile curl the edges of her red lips.

"Are you ready to ‘jump’ me now, husband?"

I chuckled lightly as Akasha gave her ass a wiggle against the tent my dick had made of my pants. I gave her a shake of my head while my pulse pounded in my throat. "No, I am past jumping you, my princess. All I can think about now, is devouring you before I fill this tight little hole of yours with my cum."

One hand slid down the slight dip between my mate's massive breasts and cupped a heavy breast while I spoke, as I slipped the fingers of my other hand under the waist of the leather skirt she had on. I grunted in surprise when I found her bare, wet, and ready for me. Pulling my hand from her top, I slid first one and then two fingers into my princess.

I held her gaze as it unfocused with pleasure when I took a firmer grip on one horn. I watched her brown eyes dilate as it took my time exploring the soaked pussy that I had only been able to admire as she pleasured herself while I satisfied my other mates. Holding her still with my hand around her curved horn, the sound of her soft moans and the slick sounds of my fingers sliding into her were the only sounds in the room.

As my princess gasped in bliss, squeezing my arm as she reached her peak, I felt a low, pleased growl rumble through my chest. Still holding her in place as she recovered, I slipped my fingers out of her and forced her to watch me slowly lick the dripping evidence of her orgasm from them.

I hummed in anticipation as I meticulously cleaned the delicious nectar coating my digits while Akasha shivered with need in my grasp. Releasing her horn, I grunted as her ass slid along my turgid cock while I moved out from underneath her. Watching her breasts sway in the sleeveless leather vest she wore as she settled against the cushions of the couch, I watched the muscles of her stomach clench in anticipation when I knelt before the couch and began to pull her skirt down.

"Cut it off. I can get another one," she groaned, breathless with anticipation.

I smiled hungrily at my princess's request and shifted my body in response. Sliding my claws gently across her toned stomach, eliciting a needy shiver from my mate, I felt another pleased growl rumble in my chest as she moaned softly for me after my claws bit into the waistband of her skirt.

After cutting through the tough material with my razor-sharp claws, I licked my lips in anticipation once the puffy, dark lips of her drenched pussy revealed themselves to me. Leaning down between Akasha's thick thighs, I slid my roughened tongue through her netherlips and groaned right along with her, as I got my second taste of my mate.

I stroked my thumb gently across her lower belly while I slowly teased open her pussy with my tongue. I slid my thumb rhythmically above her engorged clit once I reached it. I barely managed to keep my eyes from crossing, when the spice of my princess's flavor surged on my tongue.

Akasha arched her back for me as my thumb and tongue forced another intense orgasm from her. I pulled myself back from my long-denied meal when I heard her fumble with her vest. Taking only a moment to savor the sight as her twin globes sprang free of their confines, I pushed my tongue as deep into her shaking body as I could. With my nose pressed to her mound, I smiled as my princess tried to tweak her right nipple while she came, as I had learned she liked to do.

I gave her hard clit a gentle suck, pulling a shuddering moan from her while I quickly slid one of the claws of my free hand up between her breasts.

Her scream of pleasure after she reached the sensitive bit of flesh was muffled by her thighs squeezing around my head. Ignoring the mild pain this caused was simple, as my focus was placed squarely on not drowning or suffocating through my princess's intense release.

The firm grip of my princess's hold on the back of my head relaxed as she came down from her peak. I pulled back and took a gasping breath, before licking the sweet saltiness of her orgasm from my lips.

I pulled off my clothes as I watched Akasha's breasts rise and fall as she recovered from her trip to paradise. I kicked my shoes and pants over by my seroci's desk before leaning over her prone body.

I paused with the head nestled between her still twitching lips, waiting until she gave me a brief nod to continue. I listened to her soft, "fuck," of disbelief as I pushed into her for the first time, exhaling a long sigh of relief. Then, taking long, measured breaths along with my princess as her tight pussy stretched around me, I felt my own denied orgasm threaten to overcome me, despite my restraint.

"Fuck, you are so fucking big! Ahhh… Fuck!"

As Akasha shivered through another, less intense orgasm after her declaration, a shiver ran down my back as her quivering legs clamped around my waist. Enduring the feeling of her shaking hands crushing my sides as the sound of her horns tearing through the material of the couch cushion filled the room, I slipped one of my hands up underneath her arched back.

Supporting my full weight on that elbow against the couch, I growled with impatience, wanting nothing more than to drive myself into my mate while I slid my other arm under one of her knees. With my princess held firmly in my inescapable grip I began to drive myself mindlessly into her. My first orgasm roared through me less than a minute later and I continued taking my screaming mate while I filled her with my seed.

Still hard and lost in the pleasure of my princess coming undone around me, I kept up my relentless pace as I rocked multiple orgasms from her quaking body. I heard the claws of my feet biting into the tiles of the floor underneath me as I began my ascent into another powerful release. The groaning of the couch under us became audible as my thrusts into my mate's cum filled pussy grew harder and more desperate before her hands gripped my face firmly.

"Come for me, husband. Put your babies in me!"

A long groan of intense pleasure that was distinctly lion-like left my lips as Akasha's eyes rolled back in her head and her demand drove me into a hip-thrusting frenzy. Lost in the primal desire to give my princess what she asked for, I disregarded the spike of alarm that ran through me at making that sound, and I gave in to my inner lion's desire to breed our mate.

The cracking sound of the couch coming apart underneath us heralded my long roar of release as I filled my softly moaning princess's body with another load. Filling her tight pussy to overflowing in several long surges, I groaned into her neck, clenching my teeth with every spurt of cum inside her.

As my mouth watered with an intense desire to bite into the meat of her shoulder to mark Akasha as mine, I pushed myself as deep as I could inside her while my orgasm continued unabated. After what felt like an eternity of planting my seed inside of my mate's womb, I finally started to come down from my peak.

My return to Kerxon was interrupted, though, as Akasha clenched her walls around my still achingly hard dick. I grunted in almost painful pleasure before looking down at her. Seeing her lusty smirk, I pushed myself firmly inside her before teasing one of her hard black nipples with my tongue.

"We are going to have to take this to the bedroom if you want to continue, my love,” I said after releasing the sensitive nub. “I fear this poor couch has suffered its last indignity."

"If that is what you wish, my lion," Akasha responded before letting out a shivering moan as I attacked her other nipple.

I mumbled, "I do," before kissing her with an intensity that surprised us both.

Feeling my inner lion try and push me to destroy the couch beneath us, I tempered that desire—for the moment. I groaned as I pulled out of my princess's slick pussy.

A longer groan left my lips as Akasha gripped my dick in one of her hands and pulled me up her body before placing it between her breasts. Letting my mate enjoy herself for a few moments as she licked and sucked on its head, I smirked as she took her time sliding her soft, warm tits along my shaft.

I began rocking my hips in time with her slow ministrations, despite my earlier comment. Basking in the warmth of my mate’s tits around my cum slicked cock, I realized that if I didn't do something, we wouldn't reach the bedroom anytime soon.

It took me a few moments of listening to her moan around my dick before I firmed my resolve. I stood up and chuckled at the pout she gave me before reaching down and tossing her onto my shoulder.

I laughed at her shriek of surprise before it became a huskier squeal when I placed a loud smack on the taut globe next to my head. Walking toward our room and looking forward to a long afternoon and night of claiming my princess, I only hoped our bed would be up to the task.

With a snicker, I realized I already had to replace a couch. Adding the cost of a new bed to that furniture order was not going to stop me from firmly claiming, and reclaiming, what was now mine.

Chapter 36

Tamira – Belin Region

As I slowly woke up to Akasha's soft moan in one of our spare bedrooms, I grunted in surprise as something wet and warm enveloped the head of my dick. Catching the scents of my lioness and foxkin, I ran my fingers through the hair of whoever was the culprit of my pleasurable wake-up.

I smiled as I said, "Good morning, Kiki," after feeling her pointed ears slide under my hand. Unable to wait long enough to reach our bedroom after leaving Larisa's office, Akasha and I had spent the evening, night, and the early morning making use of the spare bed I had thrown her down onto.

"Good morning, handsome. I'm glad you two enjoyed yourselves yesterday, but we missed you in our bed last night,” my foxkin mate replied. “Didn't we, Jessica?"

My chuckle after my lioness distractedly agreed, with her face buried between our princess's legs turned into a long groan as Kiki gave my shaft a long lick. After my hand behind her head was slapped playfully away as I tried to pull her up my body to make up for my absence last night, I shivered when she gave me a playful glare before kissing my dick gently.

"We can certainly make that happen, my lion, but later, you have a world to invade."

I grumped playfully at my foxkin mate after her comment before she took the next few minutes literally to blow my mind. Coming right alongside my princess a few minutes later, I kissed Akasha, Jessica, and my smug foxkin once my princess and I had a chance to recover from our wake-up call.

"I wouldn't mind getting woken up like that regularly, Jessica,” Akasha admitted, still somewhat breathless. “I would even return the favor, if you wanted."

As I listened to my mates chat while I showered, I felt excitement run through me as I planned out what I hoped would happen that day. Reaching the gromonix was my first hurdle, which the girls’ concern following the first attempt leaving me still with nothing, though it was months later.

If I could reach it today and convince it to at least change our arrival location on earth, I believed the rest of my plan should work just fine. Walking out of the shower, I smiled as both Jessica and Kiki eyed my naked body hungrily. I returned the look—with interest—before Akasha stole my attention for several long moments while she kissed me.

"I am so glad I chose my husband well,” Akasha said. “Last night was wonderful, my love, and I can't wait for an encore tonight."

A hungry smile grew on my face as I watched her hips sway as she passed me to wash off the evidence of our rough lovemaking which had lasted into the early morning hours. Looking back at my other mates, I chuckled upon seeing Jessica trying to watch both of us at once, with Kiki's gaze firmly locked onto my dick.

"Come on, babe,” I called softly to Jessica. “I'm sure if you follow her into the shower, it’s doubtful we will be returning to Earth today."

I smirked at my lioness's pout before pulling her close and kissing her. Tasting Akasha on her lips, I slipped my tongue into her mouth and smiled as her eyes remained slightly unfocused after our kiss ended.

"I'm going to see if I can get the Prophet on the line, ladies," I declared.

After I pulled out a pair of pants from the dresser in the room and slipped them on, I first made a stop in our bedroom and grabbed the emblem before walking out to our living room, my two mates behind me. Giving Larisa and Judith a kiss each in passing, I sat on the couch and smiled as my mates got comfortable around me.

"If I disappear, it means that it worked. Wish me luck."

I closed my eyes after attempting to calm my mates and focused on contacting the Prophet, who I knew was flying high above our heads.

"What do you need, Marvin Spence? I believe our last conversation provided you with the pertinent information necessary to save the races of Kerxon."

I tried and failed to open my eyes upon hearing the gromonix's voice in my ears, then began to panic as my body failed to respond to my commands.

"Why is your heart rate rising? I had hoped that this means of communicating would help the female members of your home remain calm during our talk."

I latched onto the confused but still calm tone in the alien's voice and my panic began to subside once I realized it hadn't brought me to its ship this time. When I figured out that it could speak into my mind through the emblem I held in my hand, I thought my request at the gromonix, instead of speaking it out loud.

"You did provide me with plenty of information—and, before I forget, thanks for fixing my toes—but I need to ask you to let me alter our arrival point on Earth, if you can. The government where I lived has pretty much exiled us to Kerxon, and I need to be able to arrive somewhere, in case they have someone watching and waiting for us to come back."

After my request, I was left in darkness and silence for several long moments—what I’m sure were only minutes, felt like years. Counting the seconds to keep myself sane, I tried to ignore the sensation—or lack thereof, actually—of floating in space without a body. I felt my mind flinch when the Prophet finally spoke again into my mind.

"I have made a workaround for you similar to the system I achieved for emblem travel to Kerxon. Please do not contact me again. The hermix have taken note of their thulu failing to gain a foothold on Kerxon due to your interference and are implementing measures to mitigate it. Goodbye, Marvin Spence. You have been a helpful research subject."

I opened my non-existent mouth to try and speak after the gromonix's dismissal, but was subsequently—and rather roughly, I might add—returned to my body for my efforts. Licking my lips as a coppery taste suffused my mouth, I was confused for a moment as I stared up at my mates once I opened my eyes.

"How long… how long was I out," I asked hesitantly, before struggling to sit up.

As I rode out the dizziness the movement caused, I saw Jessica look over at our other mates before turning her golden gaze on me. "Probably less than five minutes, if I had to guess. We weren't worried much about time, after you tried to smash your face into the floor when you passed out."

I looked at my lioness in confusion before shaking my head and accepting what she said. Feeling something beginning to cut into my palm, I opened it as Judith ran off, saying, "I'm going to get him something to drink."

Opening my hand, I examined the emblem and the imprint it had made in my palm during my time speaking with the gromonix.

"Well, I talked to him, and we are a go to make our trip.” I accepted the large cup of water from my worried looking mate. “Thanks, Judith."

I chugged down the cool water Judith handed me. I gave my wolfkin a smile for her assistance before I rose from my seat on our floor. Looking over at Akasha after coming to my feet, I saw three bags hanging on her shoulder, along with three pistols in belted holsters in her hand.

I took a bag and a gun from her, along with a shirt and boots—slipping the pistol into its holster on the belt around my waist. I shrugged on the backpack and examined my mates’ progress.

Jessica and Akasha were still in the process of getting ready for our trip. I turned to my other mates and laughed when Kiki threw herself into my arms.

"You come back to us safely, you hear? No heroics, no tempting fate, and above all, no helping anyone but our family. Understand?"

I nodded my understanding into her neck as my foxkin squeezed my head as hard as she could after making her demands. After the rest of my mates not joining Jessica, Akasha, and I on this trip launched themselves at me, I opened my arms for them to fill with a chuckle.

Their accompanying "diddo!" to Kiki's demands were followed by lingering kisses before they would let go of my neck. Smiling as my foxkin remained plastered to me, I shivered when she kissed and then licked my neck.

"Come home safe, handsome, and I will let you have my ass again."

I nodded distractedly before shivering once more as she possessively bit my neck before dropping two feet back to the ground. Properly motivated to bring my mates and myself back home safe, I smiled as Jessica and Akasha looped their arms in mine. I glanced at the emblem in my palm before I looked at the space in front of me.

My heart rate rose a few dozen beats per minute before I collected myself. "Earth, Earth, Earth, Earth, Earth, Earth," I said, as my throat became dry despite the drink my wolfkin had given me.

I watched the blue portal back to my home planet rend apart the space in front of me, and found myself rooted in place for a few moments by sudden abject terror. The gromonix's explanation about how the emblems allowed us to travel between worlds was suddenly at the forefront of my mind. Glancing at my two mates, I worried about them having their bodies destroyed once their minds were downloaded—along with my own.

I offered each a wan smile when they kissed me.

"To infinity and beyond?" Jessica asked, eyebrow arched and a crooked smile on her freckled face.

I laughed at her attempt to lighten the suddenly somber mood and gave her a kiss for her efforts. "Star academy material we are not, my love. If we have time, we should educate our princess on a few of the… better movies."

Jessica's light slap on my arm after my jab made me chuckle once more. After seeing Akasha's curious look at our short exchange, I focused on my mates who would be staying home, here on Kerxon.

"We should only be gone for a week at the most. I love you all."

I watched Larisa hold back tears and mouth, "love you too," along with Judith's slight step toward us. My foxkin broke the somber mood by lifting her dress and flashing me before spinning around to wiggle that delightful ass at me, shouting for us to "hurry back!"

As I shook my head at Kiki's far from subtle reminder of what awaited me upon my return, I walked through the swirling blue and white portal, my mates by my side. Arriving in the familiar nothingness between worlds, I gave the five options for our arrival destination a good look.

The cabin in Colorado where the government had exiled us was one that I quickly dismissed. Landing back there with only some government functionary to watch us explode and die wasn't on my list of things to do today.

My eyes widened in surprise when I saw the interior of my old apartment as an available option to travel to before I dismissed it as another death trap. Even if it had been close to a year since I last set eyes on it, I was positive that the agency that had given us the boot was keeping an eye on the place.

I studied the following two options before dismissing them, grateful that the alien had gotten rid of the shrinking ‘get your ass moving’ mechanic of the space in between. Terrell's apartment was a little less likely to be watched than mine—but still, as my best friend, he most likely had eyes on him. The second to last location appeared to be a colossal mine that I saw wasn't even close to familiar, but which I had to assume was the one in South Africa that the emblem council mined for gold.

Keeping that little tidbit that the Prophet had tossed me in my back pocket for later use, my nonexistent lips quirked in a smile after I saw the last destination the gromonix had given us. Mrs. Jensen's house filled the last arrival site available, with its huge backyard and the ten-foot-tall privacy fence she had built to keep her neighbors’ noses out of her business. Hoping that it wasn't too late at night, as I watched car headlights briefly illuminate the darkness of her backyard through the slats of her fence, I selected that image.

Jessica and Akasha’s arms filled mine after the gromonix's orbital copiers did their jobs. Looking at my lioness, I saw her eyes grow wide after she looked past me to our princess before a happy smile bloomed on her face. My smile grew smug after I did the same, and I quietly chuckled after Akasha gave me a curious look.

"Why are you two looking at me like that? Did the Prophet mess something up?!"

I shook my head at my princess's panicked expression, barking out a laugh after she yelped as her suddenly too-large leather skirt fell to the grass. My assumption that the gromonix couldn't pass up the opportunity to fiddle with Akasha and, by proxy, the minotaur DNA she carried during our reconstruction was proven correct after I looked at her. Helping my princess pull up her skirt was a little tricky, as I soon found out she had gone commando—as usual.

I took the few moments it took to make her decent once again to enjoy her softer but still muscular curves as Akasha pinched a few inches of slack in the waist of her skirt with one hand while she tried and mostly succeeded in managing her too-large top.

Her skin tone in her human form was light brown, similar to someone from the Middle East. She was now shorter than me by a few inches, but still over six feet in height—much taller than our lioness's rather average height, now that we were back on Earth.

What hadn't changed, surprisingly, was her considerable assets—assets that, while much smaller than they were in her nine-foot-tall form on Kerxon, might cause a few accidents if we didn't get her some better-fitting clothes. Enjoying the side boob extravaganza for a few more moments as Jessica leered along with me, I pulled Akasha in for a heated kiss before releasing her.

"Welcome to the shifter club, princess. We have pins, secret meetings, and even a special handshake," I said as I ran my hands through her long silver hair.

I held her gaze with mine after my comment and slowly watched the shock disappear from her light brown eyes. Letting her nestle her face into my shoulder after she smirked at my pitch, I ran my free hand down the smooth skin of her back.

Jessica slid up behind us while I helped hold up Akasha’s skirt when she chose to hold onto me instead of it. Taking another peek down at my princess's ass before pulling her skirt back up to protect her modesty, I shared a smile with my lioness.

"Being human isn't so bad, right?"

I felt Akasha shiver in my arms as Jessica trailed her fingers up the dusky skinned beauty’s exposed stomach and into her loose-fitting leather shirt while I smirked at the suggestive tone in my first mate’s voice. I could only shake my head as our princess nodded her agreement into my neck. When our lioness pinched one of her nipples, I felt Akasha's warm breath on my neck as she shakily exhaled.

"I'm not sure how it feels when it lands on your fur, but when Marvin cums on my tits…" Jessica’s voice trailed off as the floodlights facing Mrs. Jensen's backyard suddenly illuminated us.

Akasha pulled away from me as she and Jessica turned to face the source of the blinding light. I smiled as the back door to Mrs. Jensen's home flew open, and I saw the twelve gauge she pointed at us.

"What the fuck do you think you are doing in my back yard, you… hoodlums?!" Mrs. Jensen’s shout trailed off and her eyes grew wide once she saw me.

"Marvin?! What? How? When did you get here?!"

Chapter 37

Farmingdale, New York State - Earth

"Hello, Mrs. Jensen, I'm back, and these are my..." It was my turn to be at a loss for words, as I tried to think of a way to tell the woman who had raised me for years that I now had five wives—two of whom were currently standing next to me.

"Hello, Mrs. Jensen. I am Jessica, and this is Akasha. We are Marvin's girlfriends. We arrived a few minutes ago and decided to talk back here about how we could break the news to you."

I gave my lioness a wide-eyed look as she exposed our throuple to Mrs. Jensen before clearing the emotion from my face after I realized what she had done. Convincing the older woman that what we had going on was just a fling didn't necessarily sit right with my inner lion—or with me, really—but we could shift her opinion of our family arrangements later.

Jessica's instincts were spot on as I watched the disapproving frown Mrs. Jensen had been sporting since she burst out of her house turn into a roll of her eyes. Following her beckoning hand, after she flicked on the safety and shouldered her shotgun, I frowned at my lioness as she and Akasha followed me into Mrs. Jensen's home.

"You three go sit in the living room while I get this put away properly. Marvin, you know the way."

I nodded my understanding after Mrs. Jensen gave me a firm glance. Chuckling quietly to myself, I realized that it felt like I was eighteen, all over again.

After my mother had left me, I had done well enough on my own, but having a haven from the struggle my life had become, kept me on track— mostly. That safety came with rules, though, and with the short but fierce woman who hadn’t been shy about fetching her shotgun, you did what you were told, when you were told—and that was that.

"She seems like she already made the trip to Kerxon," Jessica whispered once she, Akasha, and I took our seats on the couch in Mrs. Jensen's living room.

"You should have seen her back when Terrell and I were still living here most of the time," I said with a broad smile.

As I regaled my mates with some of what my best friend and I had gotten up to—at least the parts Mrs. Jensen already knew about—I felt the comfort I had found in her home slowly return. Here, I was just Marvin Spence—an orphan that his best friend's mother had taken in and treated like her own son, despite my already being an adult by that time.

The expressions on Jessica and Akasha's faces switched between wonder, amusement, and disapproval as I told them a few stories. I looked over at Mrs. Jensen where she leaned against the doorway to her kitchen, when she sniffled softly and wiped away a few tears.

"You were always a bit less of a handful than my other boys. I think you appreciated what we had a bit more than their spoiled selves," she finally admitted.

I rose from between my two smirking mates and walked over to hug Mrs. Jensen. Listening to her chuckle at the bear hug I pulled her into, it was a long moment before I set her back down on her feet.

As she pulled my face down to hers, staring into my eyes for several moments, I watched a smirk grow on her face.

"You seem to be doing alright for a dead man. Sit down with your ‘girlfriends’ and tell me what you have been up to," she said after releasing my face.

I returned to my seat as she moved to sit in the lazy boy facing a flat screen tv.

"Well, for starters, these aren't my girlfriends… more like wives with benefits. There are also three more that I married who I hope you can meet some day."

Mrs. Jensen's eyes widened at my confession, and I smirked at my lioness after the older woman turned a confused look her way.

"There's… more?" Mrs. Jensen asked incredulously.

"Yes. Larisa, Judith, and Kiki are the names of my other three wives.” I grinned sheepishly, my smile soon twisting into a grimace. “You might want to brace yourself, though. There is a lot that has happened since I have been gone."

As I began explaining to Mrs. Jensen what had happened after Ming had put Terrell in the hospital, I saw her expression grow increasingly skeptical.

"You and Jessica traveled to this Kerxon planet, and now you can shift into a nine-foot-tall lion man at will?" she asked. Mrs. Jensen gave me a frown and crossed her arms once she’d asked her question.

With a sigh of exasperation, I rose from between my mates. "Seeing is believing, I guess," I said before I shifted.

I watched Mrs. Jensen's jaw hit the floor when I towered over her, hunching over with my head at an awkward angle as my shoulders nearly pressed against the ceiling. Listening to Jessica snicker with Akasha as Mrs. Jensen just sat there dumbfounded, frozen in shock, I returned to my human form after swatting at my mates’ playful grabs at my tufted tail.

"Well, I guess I can believe some of what you said after that, but what was that you said about the world ending in three years?"

Sitting back down between my smiling princess and lioness after my tail disappeared, I grimaced on hearing Mrs. Jensen's second question.

"More like two years and a few months, by now. Once Kerxon is wiped clean—if I fail, that is—then Earth is next on the chopping block for the hermix."

As Mrs. Jensen slowly absorbed that particular bombshell, I focused on another reason I had come back to Earth.

"I have been trying to make things happen on Kerxon to avoid that particular outcome, but I don't want to rely solely on that plan to keep my new family safe. Are Peter and Jeff still in the military? I could use their help to ensure we have a place to run to, should the worst happen."

I saw terror, anger, and finally, acceptance flash across Mrs. Jensen's face at my question.

"And you’re sure of this alien's insistence that our worlds and every living thing on them are going to be consumed by these Cthulhu?” she demanded, sitting up and giving me a stern glare.

My slow, sad nod calmed her down, and I let out a breath I hadn’t realized I was holding after Mrs. Jensen nodded gravely at me. Terrell's brothers might have an idea about where I could escape to, or at least be able to point my minja's in the right direction.

After seeing Akasha gain a new form, my plans for them grew exponentially.

"Peter is on leave right now, helping Terrell move into his new apartment across town—so you can catch them both if you leave early in the morning. Jeff is deployed to Germany, but usually calls me every few days. If you give me your number, I can patch you into a three-way call the next time he does."

I smiled and nodded as Mrs. Jensen did what she did best, made shit work. Looking at my mates to see if there was anything they wanted to add to my story, I glanced at the clock over the fireplace.

"I have a lot more to tell you, but it's getting pretty late—or later. If you want, we can come back the day after tomorrow, when we can finish bringing you up to speed."

As I started to rise from my seat with my mates, ready to make our way to a nearby hotel for the rest of the night, I stopped after my first step when Mrs. Jensen cleared her throat. Looking down at her, I smiled as she pointed to the seat I had just vacated.

"You know very well, Marvin Theodore Spence, that I am not going to let you go hunting for a place to stay at this time of night. You might be a little stronger and bigger than you were when last you stayed in my house, but that most certainly hasn't changed the fact that this is still your home."

I smiled as Mrs. Jensen walked over and hugged me tightly after she spoke.

"The back bedroom is still yours… and your girlfriends, if you want it. No hank-panky, now.” She paused, and then pursed her lips. “Actually, never mind. I'm still hoping to see some grandchildren before I die."

My eyes widened as Mrs. Jensen gave Jessica and Akasha knowing looks before she turned and waved at us over her shoulder on the way to her own room. Turning to look at my mates after Mrs. Jensen closed the door to her room behind her, I could only shake my head when they both started giggling at my dumbstruck expression.

"Well, it seems at least one person doesn't want me to pick up that birth control. What do you say, Akasha?”

Suddenly, I didn’t like the looks of the wicked smile on my lioness’s face.

“Feel like picking out some baby clothes, instead?" she asked.

I groaned after my princess answered Jessica's question with an excited, "Yes, please," before they both broke down into another even bigger fit of giggles.

"Baby clothes or not,” I grumbled, “let's go get some sleep. I know Akasha and I didn't get much sleep last night."

After watching my lioness give Akasha a hungry look at my comment, I rose again from my seat and started toward the back bedroom. Hearing them whispering behind me, I imagined one of two things would happen in my near future—either I was going to make a mess of my old bedroom, or our plans for birth control had gone right out the window with Mrs. Jensen's blessing.

Regardless, I decided, I was going to enjoy the ride.

Chapter 38

Farmingdale, New York State - Earth

Waking up sandwiched between my two mates in my old and much too-small bed, I kissed the bridge of my lioness's freckled nose. Smiling to myself as she grumbled softly in her sleep before trying to merge her body into mine, I turned gently to keep from waking her and did the same with my sleeping princess.

When Akasha did the same as Jessica after my gentle kiss, I chuckled to myself, wondering how I was going to accomplish anything this morning with the two sleepyheads holding me hostage between their warm and curvaceous forms.

Hearing kids playing outside, I laughed again as I found out just how long I had been gone. The school year had just ended when we’d first left for Kerxon—and if school-aged kids were playing outside right now, then I really had lived a full year on another planet. Their laughter, more than anything else, motivated me to gently extract myself from my mate's clutches. Our interesting, but ultimately successful, attempt to make good use of my old bed after Mrs. Jensen's less than subtle hints had been well worth the effort.

I shivered as I remembered Jessica's breathy whisper into my ear to "put your baby into her" as I thrust into Akasha.

As I mostly succeeded in getting out of the full-sized bed without waking my mates, I watched them quickly roll in to fill the space I’d vacated. Watching them snuggle together for a few moments, I again reminded myself how lucky I was to have them.

I left my sleeping mates to wake up in their own good time after last night’s extra-curricular activities. Showering with the soap and towel that Mrs. Jensen kept available for when Terrell, Peter, Jeff, or I came over, I smiled at the older woman as I walked into the kitchen.

"Did you three sleep well? I don't think that bed is built for more than two people," Mrs. Jensen said to me with a knowing smile.

I didn't take her bait, though, and simply nodded while I made myself a sandwich. We had tried to be quiet, being gentle—or as gentle as we could be—and still enjoyed ourselves. Feeling Akasha's silky, smooth skin against mine while she slowly rode me, while watching as she and Jessica made out was more than enough stimulation for us all.

"A little too well, or not enough, I see. I hope you are going to make honest women out of them all, Marvin. I dread the call I'll get one day from some random woman saying Peter or Jeff have a baby somewhere overseas."

I chuckled along with Mrs. Jensen at her comment and took a sip of water to wash down my sandwich before answering her. "There is a wedding planned for Akasha and me in a few weeks or so—that is, if you want to do some interstellar space travel.” I smirked at her shocked look. “Though that is mostly due to her being a princess of one of the kingdoms I told you about. The others are pretty happy with our current arrangement as mates. Jessica is the only other one that I think would appreciate jumping the broom with me."

Mrs. Jensen nodded her understanding, and I waited a few moments for her to agree to travel to Kerxon. Imagining her becoming a lion shifter chilled me to the bone for a moment. She had become quite a force to be reckoned with, after Terrell's father had died. That was when I was a little over ten. After that, she hadn't remarried, instead focusing on keeping her sons—and me, eventually—fed, clothed, housed, and out of trouble.

Adding that intense focus to the drive to be the better animal that came with becoming a lion shifter was… scary, if I was being honest with myself.

"I think I have a few dozen weeks of vacation time waiting to burn. I'm not sure how we will set it up, but I think I would like to see one of you boys enjoy what I had before Kent died."

I nodded gravely in agreement before taking the last bite of my sandwich. "We will be glad to have you. I hate to change the subject, but before I go visit Terrell… how is he doing? After the… you know…" I trailed off, my guilt over my best friend getting shot because of me returning with helpers in tow.

"He's doing as good as he can be, I guess. He did lose his place in the city after being in the hospital for a few months, though.” She frowned at the pained look on my face. “Don't be like that! He won't appreciate it, even if it was your fault some crazy woman shot him."

I pursed my lips grumpily as Mrs. Jensen chastised me, dropping my eyes to the table when she mentioned Terrell's long hospitalization. I looked up when her hand covered my clenched fist.

"Just promise me,” she said, “that if he decides to run off with you, that you will look after him, okay?"

After I gave her a firm nod, I stood up from the table and hugged her tightly. Chuckling along with her after she grunted and playfully slapped at my arms to let her go, I put my plate and cup in the sink before looking back at her.

"I think Jessica and Akasha took your request for grandchildren a little too seriously last night. Whenever they wake up, can you ask them to do a little shopping for phones and to text Terrell or Peter after they get them?"

I hugged the woman who had treated me better than my own mother tightly once more before walking out of her house. Looking down at my attire, I resigned myself to looking like a strangely dressed morning jogger as I jogged in the direction of Terrell's new place.

My loping stride ate up the miles, and I stopped and checked the street name Mrs. Jensen had scrawled on a scrap of paper last night during our talk. Seeing as I had made such good time, I slowed down to a walk as I perused the house numbers of the block in search of Terrell's address, I smiled to myself when I saw him and Peter struggling to carry a large dresser out of a U-Haul.

I managed not to laugh as they repeatedly insulted the heavy-looking, solid oak dresser—fat old cow was about the only family-friendly epithet I heard—while I snuck up on them.

"Heavy fucking marketplace piece of shit!" Terrell growled, grunting as he lowered his end of the dresser onto the ramp of the U-haul.

"Don't fuck up your stitches again, dumbass!” Peter told him. “I told you after the last time just to take the money I tried to give your stubborn ass to hire movers! But nooo, you had to be fucking difficult!"

My lips quivered as the two brothers curses switched from the wooden dresser to each other. With one hand, I lifted the dresser off the ramp between them and burst out laughing when they both yelped in surprise.

I managed to set down my load before I dropped it, softly chuckling after hearing the schlick-click of bullets being chambered before I sat up from my hunched-over position. The barrel of Terrell's forty-five filled my vision before it clattered onto the top of his dresser.

I had just enough time to hear him gasp out my name in disbelief before he nearly put me on my back, leaping over the dresser to clasp me tightly in a hug. Seeing Peter grimace in disapproval as he picked up my friend's discarded weapon, I patted Terrell on the back while he hugged me.

"Hey, Marvin. Welcome back from the dead," Peter finally said after he holstered Terrell's gun in his brother's concealed carry belt clip.

"Good to be back, Peter," I replied while Terrell thumped my back with his fist.

"I knew you wouldn't leave me in this shithole by myself. I just knew it!"

My smile fell a little as I caught the scent of my best friend's unshed tears. It became a frown as I figured out how bad my usually nonchalant friend must have had it during my time on Kerxon, by the smell of blood coming from him.

"It's worse than it looks,” Peter admitted. “The fool keeps trying to find work to figure out how to pay his hospital bills after you left. The ER over by mom's house knows him on sight at this point."

I nodded at Peter at this comment, wishing I’d had the foresight to put a few gems in my pockets before running here.

"Well, those bills will be gone as soon as I can find a pawn shop, so don't worry about them, okay? It's mostly my fault that you got shot, anyway."

Holding Terrell at arm's length as I tried to explain how I’d make things right, I pulled him into a big hug before stepping back. Wiping away my unshed tears of guilt and anger, I returned Peter's one-armed bro-hug before sighing.

"I have a lot to fill you guys in on, and some important questions to ask.”

“Questions? Like what kinds of questions?” My friend asked.

“For one… Terrell, how attached to this place are you?"

My eyes widened, and I had to shake my head and chuckle in disbelief when my friend placed his boot firmly on the dresser he and his brother had just been struggling with, and kicked it over. Moving to support him, along with Peter, after Terrell grimaced and clutched his stomach painfully, I gave Peter a knowing look.

We walked Terrell into the apartment building, and I may have growled at a few people walking down the street whose gazes lingered a little too long on the abandoned van. I didn’t feel sorry for taking my best friend out of the rundown and likely roach infested building. I didn’t see any of the critters running about, but the coloration of a carpet meant to hide stains might have camouflaged more than a few.

I slid Terrell's arm higher around my shoulder after the would-be thieves rushed off as the lizard part of their brains warned them of a nearby predator. My own instincts kicked in, telling me someone was staring at me.

With a grimace, I returned Peter's even gaze.

"A lot to fill in, indeed. You still drink?"

I smirked at him and his silly question, dropping Terrell off in the lazy boy that took up most of his tiny living room. Watching Peter head off toward the kitchen, I heard the clicking of glass bottles before Terrell's hand on my pants leg turned my attention back to him.

"I don't know where you have been, Marvin, but it seems like they are at least a few decades behind when it comes to fashion," he said, laughing and tugging at my pants.

"You wouldn't believe it if I told you, man. First off, though—and no bullshit this time—how bad is it?"

Terrell shrugged after I’d asked my question, tapping his stomach under the blood stains on his shirt.

"Not bad, only popped one or two stitches. But, back to the…” He accepted the bottle his brother handed him. “Thanks, bro… let’s get back to the reason why you suddenly returned from the dead."

I took my beer from Peter and grabbed one of the rickety seats tucked around a similarly dilapidated table in his kitchen. Popping the top and taking a swig, I looked at them both before sighing.

"I wasn't kidding when I said you wouldn't believe it. Remember the woman who kicked your ass and left you for dead?”

He nodded, frowning.

“And do you remember her ears?” I asked as his eyes went wide. “I have a set of my own now, along with a tail."

As Terrell and Peter exchanged a look of amused disbelief at my statement, I looked up at the ceiling of his apartment, judging how cramped this would be and groaned. The ceiling was nowhere near high enough for me to stand upright in if I shifted fully, but I wanted to see the shock on both of their faces after I showed them how badass I had become.

Rising from my seat and taking a seat on the living room floor, I glanced at the closed blinds and door before letting my inner lion out to play.

Terrell's "holy shit!" and Peter's goggled-eyed stare at my increased size were well-worth having to sit in the tiny living room like a toddler. Showing off my claws before returning to my normal—well, normal for Earth, that is, size—I walked back to my seat with a shit-eating grin on my face.

As the two brothers processed what they had just seen, I finished my beer and went to get another round. Seeing Peter recover from his shock first, I passed him his beer and set Terrell's next to his untouched bottle.

My friend stared at the spot I had just vacated with wide, dumbstruck eyes. Waiting patiently, I popped the top off my beer and took a sip while he came back down to Earth.

"You mean to tell me you were off changing into a fucking lion man while I was stuck in the hospital?!" he finally asked.

My brows furrowed as I heard the betrayal in Terrell's comment and saw the genuine hurt in his eyes, despite his playful tone. I sighed.

"No… yes… well, not really. I said I had some stuff to tell you and that little display was to keep you two from getting me or yourselves committed to the loony bin before you heard the full tale. Now, where to begin," I mused before laying out what I had been doing for the last year.

As I finished telling them what had happened to me on Kerxon, I watched Peter shake his head and chuckle without amusement while Terrell simply stared off into the distance.

"That sounds just about right for our government,” Peter admitted. “I will call Jeff in a few hours, when he is supposed to get off his shift. I don't think I have the juice to even think about finding a place you can hide, but Jeff is connected to all that secret squirrel shit—and should at least be able to point you in the right direction."

I nodded my thanks to Peter as he took another sip of his fifth beer after he finished speaking. Looking at Terrell, I watched him shiver before he downed his sixth in one long pull.

"Okay… I believe you. Sorry for blaming you for that bitch trying to kill me. Now, on to more important things. Cat girls. I love me some Yoruichi!"

It took me a moment to remember who or what Terrell was referencing, before I laughed after Celeste came to mind. Reminding our suddenly prickly inner lion that the panthkin wasn't ours to claim—at least not yet—I nodded.

Terrell's smile widened at my confirmation.

"Ok, fuck this place then! Where do I sign up!"

As Peter and I smiled at his brother's enthusiasm, I held up both hands to calm him down. “I believe I told you what Jessica and I had to do to her parents to make them lion shifters, right?” I started to explain that it wasn’t so simple, before Terrell cut me off.

“I have had my ass kicked plenty of times, and never became a fucking shifter for my troubles! Kick away, man, once we get to Kerxon. I’ve got some literal tail to chase!”

I shook my head in defeat as Terrell muttered something about some anime character named Blair before we all turned our attention to the knock at his door. Rising from my seat as my heart hammered in my ears, I sighed in all-encompassing relief after hearing Jessica tell our princess that they were indeed at the correct address.

“One moment, guys—my mates are here.”

As I walked to the door, I heard the safeties on both Peter and Terrell’s pistols click. Opening the door, I froze in shock as I took in what my mates were wearing. In the few hours I spent with Terrell and his brother explaining what my friend would be stepping into, my mates had been enjoying a little retail therapy. It seems with no baby stuff anywhere to be found, they definitely planned on making me want to make a few with each of them.

Jessica had bought a pair of painted-on jeans and a golden crop top that matched her blonde hair, hugging her breasts in a less than secure grip. I chuckled after she bounced in place for me, showing off how unrestrained they were.

Akasha’s outfit was slightly less revealing, but her toga like dress was just as tantalizing. After my eyes slipped down her hourglass curves—curves that the white dress’s silver embroidery flatteringly accentuated—I returned her victorious smirk as Jessica sighed in defeat.

“She went through four outfits I picked out for her before settling on this one.” Jessica said with a pout at our princess.

“It reminded me of home, Jessica. Besides, I think our lion approves—and that is all that matters.”

I most certainly did approve of Akasha’s dress—mostly because the outfit left plenty of light brown cleavage on display. And while her dress extended all the way down to her ankles, the high slit in it teased me with brief glimpses of her long, toned legs.

"Here, babe, Mrs. Jensen told us you wanted one of these, and here are a few dollars I was able to get from a pawn shop across town for a small bag of gems."

I kissed my lioness in thanks as she handed me a burner phone and a stack of cash before doing the same with my princess.

"Thank you, sexy. I was just telling Terrell here what he can expect when he returns with us, but for some reason he keeps getting fixated on catgirls."

The smile my mate's surprise appearance had put on my face widened when Jessica's grin turn mischievous. Watching her pull Akasha inside the living room before closing and locking it behind her, I chuckled hungrily after she put on a show for Terrell and Peter by shifting.

As she grew to several inches taller than me, I saw my friend and his brother's mouths drop open before my lioness plastered herself against me.

"Sold!” Terrell shouted before knocking over his chair in his rush to leave his old life behind. “Let's go!"

Chapter 39

New York City - Earth

"Whoa there, speed demon, I have a few things to take care of before you get to chase some tail."

Terrell gave me a look that somehow combined defeat with puppy-dog eyes as I held him back with one hand. I chuckled as I took pity on my best friend for bursting his bubble—for the moment.

Akasha's hand on my shoulder ended my plans to try and restore his good mood. Instead, I patted him on the shoulder before giving my mate my attention.

"Gant sent along a list of things Blackwatch has been lacking since the emblems went missing. We won't be able to get them all, since we aren't really supposed to be here, but I used the internet to find a few things Mrs. Jensen said she doesn't mind having them shipped to her home."

I nodded after listening to my princess's explanation and looked over at Peter. "I'm going to go and get some money to take care of the expense of breaking Terrell's lease and paying off his healthcare debts. Is there anything you need from me before we go?"

After Peter shook his head at my question, I gave Terrell a smirk. "Ready to spend money like it is going out of style?" His nod was all the answer I needed before I gave Jessica a heated look.

She shifted back to her normal size. We left my friend's almost home with my mates and him in tow. I shook my head in amazement at seeing the colossal SUV Jessica and Akasha led us to.

"What? You thought we were going to walk everywhere?" my lioness asked before opening the back door for our princess.

After helping her in and closing the door for my princess, I did the same for Jessica as she got up into the driver's seat. I tried not to worry too much about how she had gotten the SUV.

"Don't worry, babe. We used our feminine wiles to pay for this in cash—without handing over any forms of identification, isn't that right, Akasha?"

Akasha's giggle at the questioning look I gave her after turning around to look at her from the passenger seat made me smile. Terrell's door closing behind him ended my less than polite response to my princess's pretty smile.

"The teenager at the car rental place was distracted enough by our attire that Jessica was able to convince him that we would have the car back to him in just a few days."

My smile turned into a disapproving glare when I turned back to look at my mate.

"What?! I can't help it if he let his imagination get away with him." Jessica said with a playful pout.

I kept up my charade of disapproval for a few more moments, until the smile I was fighting to hide broke through my facade. I had to admit that my mates certainly looked delicious in their new attire—and if the rental boy decided to put his job on the line due to some fantasy, then I was happy to take advantage of it.

"Let's just make sure we don't get him arrested. Now, let's do some shopping!"

∞∞∞∞∞

Six hours and over two hundred miles on the SUV's odometer later, I sat back in my seat in the back of the packed-down vehicle and chuckled along with Jessica as Akasha hummed in pleasure as she sampled her vegetarian meal. Our princess had enjoyed her whirlwind tour of Long Island and New York City's outskirts while we collected as much of Gant's list as we could.

She wasn't the only one surprised by the shopping trip.

Terrell more than once stopped in his tracks after hearing the totals of some of our purchases. Answering his subsequent questions had given me more amusement than I expected, and I planned to spread that joy out on a few throuple dates with my mates during our stay.

"How rich are you, man?! That big screen tv you ordered cost over 10k!" Terrell hissed in a harsh whisper as he glanced back over his shoulder into the back of the huge SUV, which was full of our various purchases.

"I did say one of my mates is a baroness, didn’t I? We had initially planned to swing back and forth between Earth and Kerxon, selling gems for gold and visa verse until we were richer than sin, but the government put the kibosh on that plan. This is just a taste of what we can make, and I hope most of it gets used to twist some arms so we can make more."

I growled out mine and my inner lion's desire to put Terr and the rest of the rulers of Kerxon’s kingdoms in their proper place, as I finished my explanation. Looking at Terrell in the rear-view mirror, I saw his nod of agreement.

During our shopping trip, I had brought him up to speed on our plans to at least bring the Belin kingdom to heel. My best friend was very much on board with kicking some ass, when he wasn’t chasing tail.

Terrell's insistence that he would be beating the ladies off with a stick had been bought up several times during our trip. He had mentioned it enough that even Akasha's pitying giggles had turned into a smirk, as she and Jessica speculated how well my friend might do with the ladies.

My lioness cautioned him a few times that things might not work out quite the way he hoped, but Terrell insisted that ‘the ladies’ would all come flocking once they saw what he had to offer.

I left that bag of worms alone, and just told him that Kerxon's dating scene was a bit different from what he was used to. Arriving at Mrs. Jensen's to drop off our first load, I carried in an armload of expensive and sensitive electronics.

Jessica, Akasha, and I left Terrell to convince his mother that going to another world on short notice was a good idea as we packed away our purchases in Mrs. Jensen's shed.

"How is our list going, love?" I asked Akasha after closing and locking the shed behind us.

"There are a few things labeled ‘for later retrieval’ that Master Gant will probably steal from whatever government agency he can. But other than those rather specific and otherwise impossible to secure items, we have most of what he requested."

I nodded at my princess's reply and put some thought into what we were going to do for the remaining six days until we could return home. Rejecting the idea of bringing the rest of my mates to Earth for a little vacation getaway—seeing how Itorin had used the last one to try and take my father-in-law away from us—I smiled as I just settled on spoiling Jessica and Akasha rotten.

"Marvin! Jeff is on the phone!" Mrs. Jensen yelled out of her back door.

I kissed my mates hurriedly before rushing inside and waved at Terrell as he took a bite of his dinner. Getting a wave in return, I took the phone from Mrs. Jensen with a smile.

"Hey, Marvin. I talked to Peter and to mom, and I think I have a place that just might fit your needs. It's an abandoned missile silo up in the Rockies that should house a few thousand people if you can build up the area around it and don't mind the cold."

As Jeff gave me the coordinates of the silo, which was a little over twenty miles from Yellow Pine, Idaho, I flipped open the phone Jessica had given me and smiled as the miracle of technology, the internet, and google maps, let me see my next purchase.

Studying the area, I imagined we might be able to do something suitable with it. If we kept a low enough profile, I hoped my plans for my minjas over the coming year would keep us from being bombed out of existence if we were forced to retreat to Earth.

I hung up with Jeff after thanking him for the help. Typing the government listing he had given me for the property into my phone I gave a low whistle at their price. It looks like I was somehow going to have to come up with a few million dollars to purchase our little hidey hole—never mind outfitting and provisioning the place. I also wanted a clear title to the neighboring areas’ mineral rights to keep the government from buying our home out from under us. My frown grew when I saw the price tag for that freedom of mind.

None of what I had seen was impossible—not with our gem resources. The problem was going to be getting it done legally. That was going to be a bitch.

I closed my phone and mulled over the problem before a smile formed on my face. There were shifters here on Earth without proper leadership since the emblem council had lost access to the planet. Contacting them was on my list of things to do, and my takeover of their business had only increased the importance of that task.

Knowing that I could disguise my minjas, thanks to the gromonix fiddling with my mate's DNA, I had the perfect force to start my hostile takeover. Looking over at Jessica and Akasha while they chatted with Mrs. Jensen and Terrell, I hoped my hubris wouldn't put them in too much danger. I might have both worlds in my sights, ready to grasp them in my claws, but without my mates, the conquest of either world felt empty.

Joining my family, I tempered my desire, and I felt my inner lion ready himself to hunt down and stalk our prey.

Chapter 40

Farmingdale, NY – New York State

I stood in Mrs. Jensen's huge backyard a few days after Jessica, Akasha, Terrell, and I had gone on our initial shopping spree with a frown on my face. Helping my princess collect intel during our stay on Kerxon Mining for our eventual hostile takeover of that business had put me in a terrible mood.

Gant had trained her well—in an attempt, I assumed, to have her put the Blackwatch to proper use once she took the throne. But even with her aptitude for digging up secrets, it was going to be a tall order to bring that corporation to heel.

Their CEO was obviously a seroci who had somehow managed to keep his ancestry secret. We had investigated him, and after more than a dozen interviews of some of the higher-up staff that he’d fired, their continual references to him being a demon was a little too on the nose for my liking. Stephen Verto's last name was a dead giveaway; the man had connections to the capital of the Belin Kingdom.

I was going to have to make either removing him from his position of power—or even better, killing him—the focus of my minja's visits to Earth. How that plan would play out, though, I wasn't really sure.

What I was sure of, however, was that the man and his company were conveniently cut off from any help except from the humans they were hiding amongst. There was plenty of history proving that hiding in plain sight never worked out as well as one hoped—I was going to make sure that his reign ended as soon as possible.

"Ready to go, babe?" Jessica asked after she slid under my arm.

I smiled as I pushed a stray strand of platinum blonde hair behind her ear and out of my lioness's freckled face. I nodded then kissed her, remembering the results of our date from two nights before.

A shiver ran down my spine as a split-second mental picture of her face twisted in ecstasy flew through my mind. I smirked when she squeaked in surprise as I dipped her in my arms and kissed her soundly. Bringing her back up, breathless and flushed, I steadied her for a second before bringing her back under my arm.

"As ready as I can be to topple some kingdoms. Did you and Akasha ever figure out if you were going to get some birth control or not?"

Jessica frowned at me for a second before pulling out a case of pills from her pocket.

"We decided to at least get them for the other ladies, so they have the freedom to make their own decisions. I think me and our princess are going to continue to take ours until we see how the kingdoms handle the thulu. After that, stud, you’ll be swimming in babies if we have anything to say about it."

My lioness playfully squeezed my ass with this comment. I chuckled at her antics before noting her hungry stare. My inner lion and I both swallowed, reevaluating just how serious she was about that. Whether or not they chose to use the pills wasn't my concern, or my choice, really. I did want kids—more so than ever since the gromonix had changed me, but I understood their right to choose.

Listening to them beg me to breed them, pleading for me to put my babies in their bellies was a pleasure that I hadn't expected to turn me on so much. To be honest, I wasn't sure if I even wanted to know if the rest of my mates would take the contraceptives or not.

"Looks like I need to sign up for swimming lessons, then. How is Mrs. Jensen taking Terrell’s leaving?"

I’d missed most of my best friend and his mother's talk after she pulled him back into the house from where he’d been helping me stack our purchases in a cleared area of her backyard. Adding the finishing touches of the aluminum-coated bags to the more sensitive items that Akasha purchased the day before had taken much more time than I liked.

"Similar to my dad's when you took me on our first date, so plenty of threats and love. When are you going to burst his bubble about his odds with the ladies when we get back home?"

"I'm holding out for the results of the beating he is going to have to get to earn his lion powers doing most of that for me," I replied with a playful smile.

The disagreements Terrell and I had gone through during our long friendship hadn't gotten physical since we were kids, but he wasn't the smallest of the litter. Getting his scholarship hadn't just been from skill alone. My best friend was a big boy—and with that came a sense of prides that I hoped to temper a little. My inner lion tested me when it came to others pushing against my will—and if Terrell's lion was anything like him, it might need a bit more time and space than I hoped.

I looked at the back door as Akasha walked out of it with our packs. As she did, she said, "Mrs. Jensen is finally done with her baby. Are we ready to go?"

I smiled and nodded. After she took her place by my side, I smiled again as Terrell and Mrs. Jensen walked out of the house.

"You take care of my baby, Marvin Spence,” a red-eyed Mrs. Jensen told me, “and make sure I get my invite for your wedding."

I returned her hug before she gave one to each of my mates.

"We will,” I promised. “Terrell, hold onto Akasha's hand and don't let go. Babe, grab mine and get the gear."

As everyone followed my orders, Akasha placed her hand on my shoulder as I pulled the emblem out of my pocket. Waving at Mrs. Jensen where she waved back from her back porch, I gazed at the circular piece of metal in my open palm.

"Kerxon, Kerxon, Kerxon, Kerxon, Kerxon, Kerxon."

I smiled as Mrs. Jensen gasped in surprise when the blue and white portal opened under our feet. I gave her one last wave as we fell into it.

Chapter 41

Tamira – Belin Region

We arrived in our backyard following a short trip through the in-between nothingness after selecting my home that the gromonix had thankfully made an option. I smiled when I heard Larisa's shout of joy.

I caught my seroci after she leapt into my arms before I was bowled back a step by Judith and Kiki following right behind her. Enduring their kisses and rapid-fire questions while Jessica and Akasha stood to the side, patiently awaiting their own warm welcome, I caught Terrell's excited, open-mouthed gaze out of the corner of my eye.

My mate's excitement simmered down a little, but not until after Larisa had pounced on our lioness hungrily after loudly demanding some lion dick from me. The two other beauties in my arms settled for hearing about our time on Earth.

"Did you manage to get everything done that you needed to?" Judith asked while she gently burrowed into my chest.

Running my fingers through her long black hair, I nodded before teasing the tips of her black ears.

"We did, love. Our plans for Kerxon Mining might take a little longer than we initially thought, though. How have things been here?"

My wolfkin made a noncommittal noise as she covered me with her scent, I smiled at Kiki when she reached up to pull me down for a deep kiss.

"Our wolfie missed you, obviously,” she grinned after eventually coming up for air. “As did Larisa and I. Everything has been going well, though. Gant's men and women caught a few more spies Itorin tried to sneak in with the latest group of humans that arrived from Verto. I hope that means that the old man has scraped the barrel clean in Kirkton. Than said that is the most likely reason for the old cat pulling in ‘talent’ from so far away."

I looked over my smiling mates at the leader of the minja's assigned to us upon Kiki’s speaking his name caused Than to leave his position on our roof.

"Mistress Kiki speaks the truth,” the minja rumbled. “The last spy we caught mentioned he was heavily compensated for making the trip here. The amount was quite a bit more than would warrant the trip and any information he could have provided the council, so I have requested reinforcements to double your guard from the Master of Blackwatch in order to mitigate the cornered rat’s reprisal."

"Does that mean we have confirmation that Itorin is working for the council?" I asked with a frown, after pondering the nine-foot-tall minotaur’s pronouncement.

His nod both excited and terrified me, as I realized that I had let that furry snake into my home.

"Let me or Akasha know when the reinforcements arrive, and if you haven't already notified Jardon that we might be assaulted, please do so."

The minotaur's reply of, “yes, my prince,” was followed by him leaping back up onto the roof and returning to his post. I turned to my mates and best friend after Than left so we could figure out what to do next.

"If Than has notified the Master of the high probability that the council might target us, then father will also be sending troops to keep us safe," Akasha said to reassure me.

"Larisa, I need you and Akasha to send a message to Terr. We need to convince him that the increase in our troop strength is benign."

"Can’t we use the excuse of your marriage ceremony to get away with having an army here for a while, Akasha?" Larisa asked. She had to end her assault on our lioness's lips to ask her question.

I watched Akasha think for a second before nodding.

"That might work, at least for the first few weeks after the ceremony, but its utility as a viable excuse does nothing after that," Akasha admitted with a frown. She and Larisa walked toward our home, discussing alternatives that would keep us safe in the long term.

"I have breakfast cooking, my love,” Judith declared as she pulled back from my side. “I want some of what Larisa and the others will get later, so don't wear yourself out."

I smirked at my wolfkin as she made her demand, laying a firm smack on her dress-covered ass after she turned to head back inside. Watching her furiously wagging tail make an audible swish as she left us to finish breakfast, I helped my breathless lioness up off the ground where Larisa had left her.

"Talk about a handful.” The way she licked her lips as she said this, not to mention the gleam in her eye, put the lie to her displeasure. “Do you mind if I occupy our needy seroci while you and Terrell talk, babe?"

Jessica's hungry look at Akasha and Larisa as they entered our home pulled a chuckle out of me. Her smile widened when I responded to her request with a nod. My lioness had been missing her pride mates and the benefits that came with them.

I watched her tail flick across her bouncing ass as she stalked toward our mates with malicious intent. I licked my lips in anticipation of the party my lioness was about to start, frustrated that I couldn’t join in immediately.

Best to get this done as quickly as possible, so that I could partake before missing out on the show I was sure had already started. “Terrell?" I yelled over my shoulder as I watched Jessica's tail slide up Akasha's leg and over Larisa's hip.

My best friend had just enough time to answer, "Yes?" before my fist connected with his chest. As he crumpled to his knees, gasping as he tried to catch his breath, I looked over at my smirking foxkin as she turned away with a laugh.

"I'm going to go help Judith with breakfast, handsome. Don't hurt him too much, okay?"

I smirked at her airy tone and laid a smack on the ass I was thoroughly going to plunder later on tonight. Looking back at Terrell as he angrily got to his feet, having recovered from my cheap shot, I rolled my shoulders in preparation for what I’d have to do to him.

"I'm sorry, man,” I apologized, “but you did say kick away."

After he avoided my next swing at his chin, I let Terrell land a punch on my chest that did nothing more than sting a little. Letting my inner lion out to play, I watched his eyes widen as I grew in height and bulk.

"You still in there, man?” Terrell asked in a wavering tone.

I nodded before striking out with a restrained punch at his stomach, which he barely managed to block with his arms.

"Still here, Terrell. I need your lion to decide to come out, so then I know you can defend yourself."

I lashed out with a kick at my friend's side after my comment. The kick sent him sprawling and my lion chased after his tumbling body. I saw some blood seeping from his tousled hair when his tumble ended.

I firmed my resolve, vowing to ensure he was either safe from Itorin's machinations or that he’d be sent back to Earth as he groaned in pain. Landing with him between my feet after a short leap, I began raining punches down on him—a grimace of distaste for the necessary task on my lips.

I had to push aside my growing worry as his defense slowly fell to my greater strength and I wore him down, I was a few seconds from calling the whole thing off when Terrell's hand snapped up to wrap around my wrist.

"Fuck! Marvin, that last one really hurt! I think you broke a rib!"

I tried and failed to pull my wrist from my friend's grasp. I smirked as the Prophet's meddling gave me my best friend back. A second time, I tried to yank my arm out of Terrell's grasp, watching as his body began to grow beneath me.

My eyes widened when he surpassed Steve's height and weight. Somehow he just kept growing and growing, finally stopping when he towered over me.

Groaning, he continued to rub his bruised ribs. "What's up, man? I'm still good to go. I just needed to get my feet back under me. Give me a second, and then we can go at it like we used to when we were kids…”

He trailed off when he saw my goofy grin. “Why are you looking at me like that? Come on!"

My chuckle as my now twelve-foot-tall friend roared out his challenge became a full-on belly laugh when his eyes went wide upon hearing his own roar. That laughter died when his eyes took on a less amused cast.

Dropping to my knees, I swung my elbow at his chin when my friend tried to pull my arm towards the sharp teeth in his mouth. There was genuine challenge in Terrell's yellow eyes, and I felt my inner lion rise to meet it. My blow connected, but did very little to dissuade Terrell's lion. It continued trying to chew my hand off, despite the yowl of pain it let out when I managed to land another strike on his jaw.

He roared in rage, and I was forced to jump off him.

I avoided ending up under my much larger friend and dodged his accompanying swing at my head before launching myself at him as he tried to get up. My fist connected with his temple as he got to his knees, which I followed up with a knee to his jaw that still didn't keep him from getting to his feet.

As I circled Terrell, leery of closing now that he had his claws bared and ready for another rush, I snapped my fingers and whistled—trying and shift his focus to my face instead of my neck.

"You still in there, buddy? I don't want to hurt you if I can help it."

My attempt to get Terrell to regain control of his lion earned me another roar before he rushed at me. Smirking as the oversized brute tried to use his size and strength to bowl me over, I put my princess's training to good use and sidestepped out of the way of his charge.

I slid my foot out to trip him up for good measure and managed to keep my focus sharp as he tumbled head over heels. Akasha had demonstrated time and time again, much to my chagrin, that skill outweighed any advantage my greater speed and strength brought to our training. And unfortunately for him, Terrell only had one of those things going for him.

"Gonna apologize for this now, man. I'm sure there are going to be more than a few ladies who might go for this caveman act you’ve got going, so let's get you settled down, and you can go work your charms on them, okay?"

I ran toward Terrell as I spoke to him, more to calm my worry for him than an honest attempt to get him back to rights. As ‘okay?’ came out of my mouth, I landed a flying kick against his side that sent him sprawling. Dodging the countering elbow he swung at my head, I landed on his back and put him in the same chokehold I had put Jardon in a few months ago.

A grunt of pain left my lips as he raked his claws down my arms. I bit into his shoulder to latch onto him as Terrell managed to do what Jardon couldn't. Namely, he got to his feet with me wrapped all around his neck. I held on for dear life as his lion’s claws sliced into the meat of my arms, shoulders, and legs, trying to tear me off him.

I exhaled in relief into his bloody shoulder when he finally went still, but then felt his legs bunch underneath him, as he leaped into the air. Groaning as I prepared myself for what was to come, I managed to keep my firm grip around his neck, but my teeth lost their grip on his shoulder when we crashed to the ground, with me underneath his larger body.

His weight crushed me, and I struggled to breathe; I heard him gagging as he did the same. My oxygen-deprived brain managed to hear a few coherent words amid his choking, and I let out another breath of immense relief before releasing him—which I instantly regretted.

"I remember the last time we did this in high school, to see who would get to date Milly Spears. She was a dead lay, by the way."

I punched Terrell's sides as hard as I could while he laughed at my predicament before raking the claws of my feet down the length of his back.

"Ow, ow, ow! Alright! Okay! You win. I still tapped that ass, though." Terrell said as he rolled off me.

"I'm glad you got your laughs in, fucker,” I growled, before the grin stole over my face. “Milly said she could barely feel it, by the way."

I blocked my friend's playful elbow strike at my stomach at my comment, and then added a kick to his side for good measure—just to show him, and his lion, who was boss.

"My point still stands, Marvin.” He paused, then, turning to me with a frown. “Why does Kiki smell so good?"

A growl of possessive anger rumbled through my chest as my inner lion sensed another male sniffing around my mate. A moment from truly putting him in his place, I saw the confusion in his yellow eyes.

"I'm going to let that slide because you just got your first whiff of a shifter in heat. Keep that nose of yours away from my mates, though, and we will be fine. There are a few other things you need to know now that you are a part of this club."

I laid out the rules for shifting to Terrell as we sat on the ground, both of us recovering from the surprisingly difficult fight he had put up. Adding a few Kerxon dating tips to the end of my explanation, I stood and then pulled my larger friend to his feet.

"Anger is how you shift. I use the protective feelings that come from having my mates in danger. If you see a female that catches your eye, you can challenge their mate for their hand. It's kind of like a shotgun wedding—without the parents involved. Now, there is one more thing that we need to do before you can announce yourself as Tamira's most eligible bachelor."

As I locked eyes with Terrell after I finished speaking, our inner lions examined each other. I had won the fight between us—that was clear enough after his lion surrendered and relinquished control back to him. What I needed to know, now, was if another conversation was needed to establish who was boss.

After a few moments of glaring at each other, Terrell smirked before clapping me on the shoulder. "Don't worry, boss. He understands who the head tomcat around here is. Now, if we are done, where is the nearest watering hole so I can start working on my own harem of kitties?"

I chuckled as the Terrell I knew and loved returned, waggling his oversized eyebrows at me before taking a calming breath and shrinking. Following his lead, I returned to my normal size before clapping him on the back.

"You have the choice of staying in one of our spare bedrooms for the night,” I told him, “or getting a room at the inn in town, which actually used to be my old house."

"If I didn't know better, I would think you are trying to kick me out!"

As Terrell's voice playfully rose in pitch after giving me a wide-eyed look, I grinned and nodded before patting him on the shoulder.

"As you heard, I have an important date with my mates that I doubt they will let me postpone for some guy time. If you do choose to go to the inn, ask for Dobber and tell him I sent you. That should get you plenty of drinks and maybe even some gossip and recommendations to help you figure out where to start on your harem."

I had to hold Terrell back from rushing off before I could give him directions to the inn—as well as Jardon's garrison, in case he wanted to try his hand at climbing some mountains. I watched him rush off like a man on a mission. Walking into my home, I heard the familiar sounds of my mates enjoying themselves without me.

I added to the trail of clothing that led to our room, praying fervently that no one would disturb us for at least the next twenty-four hours. I had been gone for a week, and the house would definitely be rocking for a few days.

Chapter 42

Tamira – Belin Region

I inspected the newest report from our spies within Kirkton two weeks later in mine and Larisa's office. Even having my princess beside me couldn’t distract me from the lack of actionable information in the report. I sigh as I hoped for some kernel of intelligence on a second more thorough inspection of the document, before looking up at Than.

The only thing that made our lack of progress at bringing Terr to heel bearable, was the fact that Than had delivered a little surprise. Finding out that Itorin had connections to the emblem council did nothing to better our current position, but was welcome none-the-less.

"Thanks for delivering this, Than. I will see what use I can get from it. But as to why I called you here, I need you and the group you gathered to head to Earth and collect every scrap of information you can get on Kerxon Mining. I need them broken and ready for our takeover in less than a year."

I smiled as the minotaur nodded and pulled the emblem out of my pocket. Placing it on the table between us, I watched Than's eyes grow wide with disbelief as he looked at first Akasha, and then at me.

"I can't take that, my prince. Master Gant hasn't even been allowed to use one before—none of the masters have."

My smile remained in place as I pushed the emblem toward the dumbfounded minja. "Then you will be the first from Blackwatch to enjoy that honor.” I turned to my princess. “My love… if you would, please?"

Akasha smiled at me at my request, and shifted into her human form, just as we had discussed before asking Than to meet with us. Catching her clothing before it slipped off her now much smaller frame with practiced ease—something I’d had quite a bit of practice at with our mates these past two weeks—I nodded at her before turning my attention back to the shocked minotaur in front of us.

I managed to keep my eyes forward as my princess's light brown skin shifted back into slightly darker short fur as she returned to her usual size. I tapped the emblem between us once more.

"I want you to ensure that your men and women are prepared for that once they get to Earth. Take what supplies and money you need to set up your personas and bring the emblem back to me when you report to us in a month. I don't think I need to tell you to keep this new ability secret, correct?"

After Than reverently picked up the emblem from the table, he nodded once in understanding. I returned his deep bow before he left.

"That went well, husband,” my princess said. “I will talk with a few of them to allay any fears that might come up after we are done here."

I nodded, accepting my princess's offer and sighed playfully after retrieving the documents I had set to the side when Than had arrived. Sliding a hand absentmindedly behind me to caress and squeeze Akasha's ass after she leaned against me, I went over the information that the minjas had collected with a smile.

There were plenty of scandals and unethical activities that I could heap on kings like Terr, who basked in their impropriety, but nothing like the treaty breaking that I could use to pit them against one another. The King on the throne in Verto had a laundry list of crimes that would have earned him multiple life sentences back on Earth.

What got him here, however, was several bastards from emotionally scarred mothers—women from noble families who happily took his hush money. Tapping my teeth with one of my claws more than twenty minutes later, after chasing our tails in circles over the information, I returned Akasha's kiss before she left to go assist some of the more reluctant minjas.

Most of the dirt that Than had brought us on the other royals fell into the same categories as Verto's King. It seems a singular knife to put in the figurative backs of Kerxon's rulers still evaded us. Rubbing my temples as I took a momentary break before diving back into the report, I flinched as clawed fingers slid along my shoulders.

"Judith said you were busy, and that you might not be able to talk,” a new but not unfamiliar voice said. “And I see she was right."

I looked up from the frustrating report and smiled despite my surprise after seeing Celeste's smiling face over my shoulder. Sighing and stretching after tossing the report aside, I leaned back in my chair and let her distract me from fruitlessly scanning the document for some clue of how best to blackmail the kingdoms into helping us.

My smile widened as the panthkin's smile grew pensive as I stared at her. Watching her good mood wither, I trailed my fingers through her long black hair then slid them along the brown skin of her neck.

"I'm not going to say this isn't a pleasant surprise, but I doubt Jaco will be happy to hear that you are in my home," I said as I watched a shiver run down her body.

"He and I are done. I-I…" Celeste stuttered before firming her resolve. "I came here to ask you to sign our divorce papers."

I kept my excitement to myself as I nodded at the panthkin's response. "May I ask what happened?"

"I have been putting money away for a while now, intending to surprise Jaco with my plans for a new home for us outside of Tamira.” Her lips pressed together, and her eyes clouded with anger. “When he found it and accused me of trying to divorce him, that was the final straw for me. I have been doing my best to make up for what happened before I left with you for the mountains, but nothing has been enough."

I frowned when Celeste finished her explanation with a quaking sigh before rotating in my chair to face her. Watching her fists bunch up as she tried to control her emotions, I had to restrain myself from reaching out to hug her. My instincts told me that she wouldn't appreciate the sentiment—not at that moment.

Instead, I showed what concern I could by gently grabbing one of her hands. "That all sounds like it sucked, and I can't imagine having to live through it. I will write up a draft to formally separate you two, though I think my position as your friend might allow me to give you a nice discount."

Celeste's smile in response to my offer was well worth the nepotism I was flaunting. If the rulers of the kingdoms could get away with swinging their weight around, I figured a little of mine wouldn't rock the boat too much. I was going to pay the rest of her fee from my own pocket in secret. Itorin's position above me in Belin's hierarchy demanded no half measures that he might use against me to weaken my position.

My attempt to turn around and rifle through my desk for the seldom used document was stopped by Celeste's hand on my shoulder. Looking up at her at the unexpected action, I returned her smile when she placed the filled-out separation decree on my desk in front of me.

"I asked for one from Larisa while you were gone. It took me days to fill this one out, so don't make any mistakes—I’d hate to have to do it all over again."

I returned her wane smile before nodding at her request. Using the lessons my Baroness had taught me in the long hours we had spent in this office, I filled out the sections of the decree that required my signature.

After I signed the last line of Celeste's divorce decree, I took a few moments to look over the document, to ensure there were no mistakes. I had a vested interest in the panthkin getting free of her mate and my inner lion and I were in accord in ensuring that our i's we’re dotted, and our t's appropriately crossed.

I handed the completed document back to Celeste with a smile I hoped wasn’t too wide. "I would say I am sorry for your loss, but I think this is more of a celebration. Make sure to honor the week-long wait for this to become official after it gets sent to Kirkton. Now that you are a free-ish woman, Miss Celeste, what will you do next?"

I smirked as I finished the altered spiel that most magistrates would have given Celeste before her soft lips touched mine. Recovering quickly from my surprise, my hand slid around the panthkin's slim waist. My surprise returned in full force when her tongue slipped into my mouth.

As we made out in the office, I groaned into Celeste's mouth after she grabbed me through my pants. Feeling her other hand gripping the front of my shirt, I realized she had used it to pull us together before she pushed us apart.

"That is what I am going to do, my lord.” She hopped back several steps as I got to my feet. “Ah, ah, ah,” she waved a finger at me, “there is a week to go before you get to sample more of that, Baron Spence."

I glowered at the panthkin tease when she gently pulled my hand that had slowly been slipping under the waistband of her leather pants out of that temptingly soft and supple paradise. Growling at her playful smile as my inner lion called for us to claim the now free panthkin, I grumbled unhappily as I let her escape our clutches.

"Much better, my lion. Your friend could use some lessons from you," the smiling panthkin declared.

A chuckle from me broke the tense battle between me and my lion as Celeste reminded me of Terrell's playboy-ish attempts to speed run his harem creation.

"He’s just excited. A little overly excited, if you ask me, but he means well,” I explained.

“And from what I have heard, he is even a gentleman about,” Celeste agreed, “despite asking to jump in every single woman's pants, the minute he learns they have no mate."

I laughed right along with Celeste, as I remembered the first time that I had seen my best friend trying out his new body's ability to draw the female eye.

"I wouldn't say he failed completely,” she admitted. “Tina and Rena have been enjoying his company, and he hasn’t failed there. I think, if he keeps treating them as well as he does, that he might have the beginnings of a harem of his own."

Nodding as Celeste finished, I wondered if the foxkin twins might be something like my own foxy mate. If so, Terrell would be a terribly busy boy. The complaints I expected when I told him about my plans for making him the leader of my lion shifter project only made the smirk on my face grow. I had tempered my desire—so far—and had yet to break the news to him.

I was hoping to let him get his Kerxon feet under him before dumping that load on his shoulders. Though, with Celeste's comment, I imagined my friend might not be spending as much time on those feet as I had thought. An extra week to let him enjoy his new mates didn’t sound like too much to ask.

"What is this place?" Celeste asked after looking over my shoulder.

After turning around to see what she was asking about, I had to ignore the feeling of her breasts pressing into my shoulder and focused on the map she was pointing to.

I shrugged, enjoying the feeling of a hard point suddenly poking me in the shoulder. "Just something Akasha and I have been working on to help us find the Emblem Council's hiding spot. That little cave is on our to-do list, but things keep cropping up that keep getting in the way," I replied with a growl of irritation.

It seemed like every time I made some progress on my laundry list of things to do, some new bit of trouble popped up.

"I just pointed it out due to a few rumors I heard while I was working as an enforcer. They all seemed to talk about a similar cave in the desert to the east of Verto.” She pursed her lips. “Just saying."

I nodded and turned to apologize to Celeste for letting my emotions get the better of me, which had caused her to back away from me slightly as she spoke. Rewarded for my actions by another—albeit tamer—kiss, I managed to keep my hands to myself… mostly to myself.

"He can be taught!” Celeste purred with a grin. “I need to go now and clear out my stuff before Jaco returns from the fields."

As Celeste ended our kiss and made to leave my office, I stopped her—my hand still entwined with hers.

"Don't, Marvin. I already have a place to stay—and it isn't here. I will come back once the necessary week is up."

I released the panthkin's hand when she’d kept her face forward as she spoke. Instead, I leaned into her soft tail as it caressed my face before she walked out. With a heavy sigh, I once more focused on the reports awaiting my attention.

Chapter 43

Belin Basin – Belin Region

A few days after Celeste's visit, I was enjoying a nice escape from Tamira and my responsibilities with Jessica, Akasha, and Terrell. Pulling my best friend out of the twin's home after Dobber informed me that they hadn't been seen in two days, I smirked as he gave me yet another scathing look as we walked toward our destination.

"We can't all spend our day balls deep in our mates. I think some time actually doing work will help all three of you manage your time better."

Terrell's soft mutters of, ‘cockblocker’, ‘traitor’, and ‘fucker’ were interrupted by the crashing of trees about a mile in front of us. Smirking and letting my friend sulk as I pulled out my ax, I watched my mates pull out their own weapons.

The monster that had been cutting a swath through our herds for the past day and a half was about to get a very fatal spanking for taking what didn't belong to it. My princess informed us that it was likely an ogre or troll that had slipped past her father's patrols, and I was keen to show off for my lioness.

As we neared the crashing a few minutes of walking later, my eyebrow furrowed when I didn't hear the growls I expected of either of those two monsters. Slowing my strides as I heard the snap of a whip, I rushed forward upon hearing someone scream.

I smashed through a few small trees when an awfully familiar scent reached my nose and added haste to my steps. Shocked, I realized that somehow there was a thulu within a day's walk of my home.

Jessica passed me in my rush toward the mother and child cowering behind a tree. "I've got them," my lioness shouted at me.

Her rush to reach the two ruffled my clothes as she passed behind me. I answered her shout with a nod and altered my approach, with my lioness now protecting the two innocents. I placed myself between them and the thulu.

The purple abomination's first swing at me with one of its sucker-covered tentacles flew my way as I hefted my ax. My axe cut through the tentacle and was swiftly put back into use as the thulu followed up its initial attack with several more.

Akasha’s arrival beside me was the cue I needed, and she cut through the next tentacle that stretched toward me as I tried to get around behind the monster. I split my attention from reaching a good position beside the thulu's hindquarters after I heard more crashing coming from behind and beside us.

"Terrell!” I shouted, “Stay with Jessica!"

After hearing my friend's confused shout in response, I moved to circle the thulu in front of my princess and me, with her covering my back. My strikes and counter strikes grew harried as the sounds of more thulu grew closer.

"Slow down, Marvin!” My mate commanded. “We will work through this together!"

I nodded as I listened to Akasha's shout, even as she cut through a tentacle that had managed to encircle her waist. Measuring my strikes to maximize their effectiveness, I grunted as a suction cup-covered limb grabbed a hold of my ankle.

I kept my feet by adjusting my current swing to cleave through both the tentacle coming my way from my current target, as well as the tentacle of the thulu that had crept up behind me. Feeling Akasha's back slam against my own after the second thulu tried to knock her off her feet instead of pulling her off them, I grimaced as I heard Jessica's scream of rage just outside the tree line.

Casting a quick look around us as I defended my mate while she collected herself, my blood ran cold upon seeing four of the monsters around us. Grasping the back of Akasha's leather shirt, I pulled her off the ground and dragged her behind me as I ran toward where I’d last heard Jessica.

I saw the woman we had rescued falling with a severed tentacle around her waist before all twelve feet of my friend caught her just above the fifth thulu's jaws. Stopping just long enough for Akasha to get her feet back under her, I saw my lioness land after severing half a dozen of the tentacles with Runner.

"Jessica, you've got the front!” I commanded. “Everyone else, get after that ass!!!"

Once I saw Jessica's broad smile and nod at my shouted orders, I dove past the tentacle that the thulu she had been fighting swung my way, and attacked its hindquarters like a man possessed.

My brain barely registered Akasha and Terrell joining me with her hand axes and his sword while I tried to make quick work of our first foe before the rest of them could reach us. Cleaving through the leg in front of me a few seconds later, I yanked the nearly severed limb out of my path before two sets of hands grasped each of my arms and pulled me back.

I glanced back at Akasha and Terrell behind me. That look was what kept me from getting a face full of purple blood and guts as the thulu exploded.

"The other four are getting closer! Do we pull them towards town or back into the mountains?!" my lioness asked.

I turned my attention to Jessica when she landed next to me and asked her question. I wiped the splatters of purple thulu gore that clung to my face while I thought for a second.

My lioness rode out the thulu's attempts to unseat her well enough, that I almost discarded her question. We could easily handle them all here, but that would only solve our alien problem for today.

"We pull them towards town. If we can, I want to capture one. If Terr sees the thing, he might finally give us and the minotaurs some help!"

As I spoke, I saw the first thulu in line crash through the trees.

"Everyone pick a thulu and pull it away from the others. If it comes back, let it, and we can deal with two at once."

After my mates and Terrell nodded in understanding, I looked over at my smirking lioness. "You always take me on the best dates," she said with a wink before rushing at the first thulu.

I shook my head, exasperated with my excitable lioness, and saw Akasha and Terrell do the same.

"This shit’s fun,” my big friend said, “but let's not make it a habit, yeah? Tina and Rena are going to make me shower two or three times once I get home."

A laugh left me as Terrell cracked his joke.

Akasha slapped him on the back, before pushing him forward. "We need to find another traveling companion. That one only has one thing on his mind."

I nodded as I watched Jessica pull her chosen thulu away from the others by severing one of its tentacles with Runner. "Let's just hope he doesn't get his plans ruined by becoming a snack," I said before moving to help my lioness cut down her thulu.

∞∞∞∞∞

Diving away from the second to the last thulu as it exploded, I returned to my feet and looked over at our final foe.

Over the past half hour, we had switched between monsters and had managed to cut them down in order. Walking towards the remaining thulu as Jessica severed the last of its tentacles, I watched Terrell and Akasha cut through the leg muscles keeping the monster on its feet.

"And there it goes," I said as it flopped onto its belly.

I clapped my exhausted friend on his back as I passed by. Terrell had been through the thulu crucible and come out better for it, in the end. Saving him a few times in the process, I looked forward to dangling that over his head if and when he got too big for his britches.

"Akasha, Terrell, grab a leg and pull. Jessica, you and I are on recovery and feeding duty." After I drove my ax through the swiftly healing muscles of one of the thulu's legs after my order, I joined my mates and friend in a long sigh as we got to work.

The darkness we had been trudging through hours later slowly evaporated as we reached Tamira's gates. I took note of our guards standing along the wall as the bound thulu we had been dragging behind us began to struggle in its restraints.

I dropped a dead rabbit in its gaping maw as Jessica shouted for the gates to be opened.

The guards complied swiftly, thankfully.

I attributed most of their speed to them gawking at our catch during the last half mile of our haul.

"Get it tied down,” I commanded. “I want everyone that is currently off-duty put on guard and feeding duty!"

As my lioness took charge of managing the thulu, I waved back at Terrell after he started heading towards Tina and Rena's home.

I hoped he would get a hero's welcome as my town woke up from their slumber to inspect the cause of all the commotion. I saw the woman and child we had rescued rush to their home. Keeping the thulu fed and from exploding had been made manageable, thanks to Homera and her ten-year-old, Kent.

As I put some thought into an appropriate reward for the wolfkin woman, I returned Akasha's kiss as she slipped under my arm.

"Come, my love. It seems our lioness is going to be busy for a bit, and we need a bath."

I nodded before letting my princess pull me towards our home—and hopefully a hero's welcome of my own.

Chapter 44

Tamira – Belin Region

I grumbled as I woke up the day after dragging our thulu prize home. Extracting myself from my mates’ entangling embraces, I chuckled a little as my body complained about the hero’s welcome I’d received upon my return home.

As I moved through my morning routine, I added Celeste's suggestion to check out the cave in the Lumar Desert to my weekly message for Gant. Passing that on to the minja replacing Than while he was on Earth, I decided to take a walk and check on our guest.

My hopes of keeping the thulu prisoner until we could haul it before King Terr fell a little upon seeing the state of the guards Jessica had assigned to it.

There were plenty of eye patches, splinted arms, legs, and bandage-wrapped torsos to be seen as I inspected the field behind the main stables where we were keeping the thing. Seeing Dobber walk out of the building, I turned to look at the bearkin.

"It won't keep long like this, Marvin. It has gone through an eighth of my feed since last night, and I refuse to start feeding the thing my chickens and goats."

One of Dobber's goats took offense at his comment and sniffed the thulu. I waited along with the bearkin for a few moments before the goat took a bite out of the alien monster.

I chuckled darkly and nodded before looking back at Dobber.

"I plan on dragging the thing to Kirkton the day after tomorrow. I just need you guys to keep up with it long enough for me to go hunting and keep it alive until then. Can you do that for me, Dobber?"

I caught the bearkin's grouchy nod out of the corner of my eye as I watched one of the exhausted foxkin guards drive a woodcutter's ax through one of the swiftly regrowing tentacles. After the guard had jumped back out of the path of the thulu's accompanying jerk towards him, falling on his ass, I walked over to the man.

As he scrambled away from the struggling thulu in a desperate crabwalk, I pulled him to his feet and inspected him. "Doing better than the rest, I see. Anyone die last night?"

I sighed in relief when the foxkin shook his head, stuttering out his thanks before walking back towards the stable.

"It's repairing what we do to it slower than it was last night. I can spare a few goats, I guess, Marvin, but it needs to be gone… soon."

Dobber's comforting hand on my shoulder and his compromise made me feel a little better about leaving my people to mind the beast while I pleasured my mates and slept in. Looking over at the bearkin, I noticed dark circles under his eyes for the first time.

I placed a hand on Dobber's shoulder after taking note of his lack of sleep. "Just keep it contained and alive for me, Dobber," I said.

His nod spurred me into action, and I soon left the field and the stables behind me. As I passed through the safety of Tamira's gates, I hoped my people would last long enough to give me this chance to save us all.

∞∞∞∞∞

Kirkton – Belin Region

I absentmindedly threw the rotten carcass of a deerlike creature at our bound thulu a week and a half later as Kirkton's gate guards forced us to wait for someone from Terr's castle to escort us there.

Jessica tossed me my ax in a motion that had been drilled into her, mine, Akasha's, and our guard's brains over our frustratingly long journey. Chopping one of the thulu's tentacles down to a nub while I held the guard captain's gaze, I sighed as the smaller door beside the massive gate finally opened.

Even seeing Seline's beautiful face couldn't lift my spirits, though I did smirk at her distasteful grimace at the sound the severed limb made as it thumped to the dirt.

"His Majesty has asked for the…" the angelic began, but then stopped as I chopped another of the thulu's tentacles off. "For the creature to be brought before him to verify your claims for aid and assistance."

I rolled my eyes, but nodded.

I watched our guards groan as they pushed the cart that we had carried the alien monster here in through the gates. Following them, I looked over at Seline when she matched my stride.

"I'm going to assume that there is some reason you were sent here instead of a contingent of guards? Most likely to soak up some of the glory, I'm guessing. If I'm wrong, don't hesitate to correct me."

Seline's slow nod made me sigh. My testy comment might have been a little short tempered, but it seemed I was right on the money. Larisa had told me to expect some grandstanding from Ter—and most likely Itorin, as well—once we got to Kirkton. Once again, seroci had proven herself to be spot on.

I endured the angelic's waves to the guards and townsfolk we passed as she took credit for the thulu's capture by proxy, simply because of her proximity to it. I heard Jessica's snort after Akasha whispered into my lioness’s ear as we passed through the city around us.

I was less concerned with her actions, if they meant our exhausting and irritating journey would at least get Terr on board with helping us defend against the threat the thulu posed. Ignoring the guard's questions to Seline when we reached Terr's castle, I sent our Tamira guards off to enjoy some well-earned rest, before they returned to Tamira ahead of us.

My baroness had also suggested that we wouldn't escape the fanfare entirely—and Akasha had seconded that sentiment. Readying myself to endure the King's court, their questions, and bucket loads of false praise, I smiled at my mates when they looped their arms through mine.

"Hey, at least they are going to let us shower first, babe," Jessica said before she and Akasha pulled me into the belly of the beast.

After a delightful shower and change of clothes a few hours later, I again stood next to Seline as Terr belted out a long-winded speech. I cast looks every now and again over at Itorin, while the seroci royal embellished the lie that he’d had anything at all to do with the thulu's capture.

The old panthkin stood by in his position as his lord and master's right-hand man with no one the wiser about his duplicity. With Than's report in my figurative pocket, I kept my temper in check upon remembering that Itorin was the mastermind behind most of the strange occurrences that had plagued me since I’d returned from the gromonix's ship—from Steve's almost imprisonment, to his lying about the attack while my mates and I had been in the minotaur kingdom.

I smothered my anger, though I hoped to use it later. What mattered most, at least what mattered most right now, was that Terr saw an opportunity to use the struggling thulu at the foot of the platform he had hastily built to aim his kingdom’s might at the outside threat.

Akasha's discreet elbow to my ribs pulled me out of my ruminations. I smiled and waved after a moment, returning the stares of the many citizens in front of me. Terr deciding to give me a bit of credit for the capture of the thulu had been very much a surprise.

"It will be over soon, husband,” Akasha murmured. “Jessica says Margaret told her about a restaurant here that she wants to try. If you can keep from growling at the panthkin, we both promise to make your restraint more than worth it."

As I watched, my lioness lick her lips suggestively while my princess pushed her chest out, making her offer clear. I bit back a groan before standing up straighter and focusing on enduring Terr's never ending speech.

A few hours after formally leaving the thulu in Seline's hands at the end of Terr's longwinded oratory, I hummed in pleasure as I sampled a bite of fish at the restaurant my mother-in-law had suggested. Watching Akasha enjoying her vegetarian dish, I rolled my eyes when Jessica stole a bit of my meal.

I gave my lioness a playful glare before she shrugged and said, "You know it's always better when it comes from someone else's plate."

Her comment made me freeze for a second before sighing.

"I know you two have talked to the others about Celeste. Am I in the wrong for enjoying the fact that she is a free woman now?"

As my two mates exchanged a look at my question, they both chuckled before shaking their heads.

"Not at all, husband. Celeste and Jaco are both adults, although his actions do tend towards the opposite. If she chooses to pursue what she feels for you, we aren't going to stop her… or you."

I shared a smile with my princess after her reply before Jessica's giggle turned my attention her way.

"We’ll need her to finish our collection, babe. This whole situation could have been a major mess if she was a total bitch—but I like her, and the others do, too. It helps that she has been with us from the beginning and knows her shit."

Reminded of Celeste's capabilities, I couldn't disagree with my lioness's comment. If we were going to go head-to-head with the emblem council, having the panthkin at my side didn't sound like a bad deal. Opening my mouth to take another bite of my meal, I and my mates froze upon hearing the splintering crash of a building collapsing on the other side of the city.

"Should we look into that," I asked them.

"Mom's directions have always been better than dads, and Seline mentioned that she was taking the thulu to the guard district. And that," Jessica paused for a moment while it sounded like another building crashed to the ground," is the direction of the guard district."

I groaned as I looked down at my unfinished meal. Margaret had been spot-on. The food and the atmosphere had made this date with my mates a most pleasurable one. Shaking my head, I started shoveling the tasty food into my mouth.

"It would be a shame if Terr's city fell apart all around him," Akasha casually said before she took another bite of her food.

"That it would," I seconded after swallowing and taking the last bite of mine.

Jessica, for her part, growled in irritation before shoveling more food—from off her own plate as well as mine—into her mouth and chewing it angrily. We stood up as one after our lioness swallowed. Dropping payment for our meal on the table, we rushed off towards the distant sounds of fighting.

Reaching the chaos that the guard district had become, I spared a moment of thought for the families that were losing their homes to the thulus before grabbing a discarded sword and leaping onto the closest monster's back. I cut through the tentacles the thulu was using to hoist ten men, women, and children over its gaping maw. Cutting through the two it swung at me after they dropped to the ground, I saw Jessica and Akasha performing their own rescues amid the chaos.

After seeing that they had their thulus handled, I dropped down behind mine, lamenting that I had left my ax in our room at the castle. Making do with deep but narrow cuts into the twisting and turning thulu's back legs, I grimaced when my borrowed sword snapped in half.

My only saving grace was the fact that there were plenty of replacements strewn around me that their dead or escaping owners surely wouldn't miss. Diving under the tentacle of another thulu that had responded to the first one's roars of pain, I collected two swords and awkwardly kept the tentacles at bay while I tried to disengage.

"It looks like you could use some help, Lord Marvin."

I looked up at the sound of flapping wings and smiled despite my situation as Seline landed behind me, clothed in a night dress, and bearing her sword… and little else. Nodding as she put her back to mine, I made sure to avoid tangling myself in her wings while we each took a thulu to hold off.

"I will show you how best to deal with these things,” I grunted as I ducked below the tentacle that my blade severed. “I will take the back end apart, if you can keep their dangly bits away from me."

Seline answered my suggestion with a grunt of agreement. I chose a thulu at random to attack and was surprised when the angelic followed my lead. She cut through three of my chosen thulu's questing tentacles and proved to be every bit as capable as I had hoped. I was also surprised at her competence in doing her part in cutting the thulu down, until I saw the angelic taking notes from my lioness.

Akasha cutting down her thulu caused our lioness to leap from her perch on the dying monster's back. My princess managed to dart behind an abandoned cart as their thulu swelled, while I dove out of the splash zone of mine as its skin stretched, hoping not to get covered once more in purple alien goo.

Seline did neither.

Our monster exploding covered the angelic in purple muck from head to toe, including her wings. Falling backwards, covered in gore, the edges of my lips curled as I suppressed a smile. I took a moment to appreciate Seline’s curves in her nightdress that the thulu blood had made pretty much moot, before pulling the angelic back up to her feet.

"We have to stay focused, right? Now that you know that they explode, let's work on the rest."

I gave the destruction surrounding us a half-hearted look as I avoided meeting the eyes of the gore-covered woman whose dress now clung to her curves like it wasn't there. Seeing almost two dozen of the monsters running amok, I feared that Kirkton couldn’t be saved.

My mates grimaced in distaste as three of the monsters split into six a few blocks away from us and proceeded to level a building to get to its occupants.

"You might have to take care of yourself for a while, my lord. I need to get my men and women in order before this mess gets any worse."

I shielded my eyes as Seline's purple and gold wings spread the former color over me and the rest of the street as she launched herself into the air. Watching her fly off, I absentmindedly cut through a thulu tentacle as I stood there, my mouth agape.

"Pink, huh? Who would have thought it?"

Chapter 45

Kirkton – Belin Region

After shaking myself out of my surprise, I turned to focus on something much less frilly.

As the sun lightened the horizon hours later, I swung my tenth sword through the stomach of my millionth thulu belly and exhaustedly cheered after it exploded above me. Uncaring if it added a few more gallons of its blood to my already drenched clothes, I wiped the mess away from my eyes and sighed in relief after seeing that mine was the last.

Walking over to my exhausted mates, I dropped to the ground next to them with a sickening squelch of soggy clothes.

"I want to ask for a special trip to Earth to buy up all the douches. I think I got some of it inside me when I sat down."

I didn't have enough energy to muster even a smile at Jessica's joke as I felt a trickle of thulu goop slide down my inner thigh.

"I think a week-long soak might loosen up some of this crap," Akasha said while she tried to separate her gore-covered braids from her horns.

"A bath and a few medals of honor will certainly be required to make up for this mess. I want to know whose bright idea it was to let that fucker free to make some friends?!"

A growl rumbled in my chest as I watched a foxkin child no older than four slowly toddle down the purple-coated street, calling for someone I assumed was her mother. Watching Jessica groan as she got up to comfort the crying child, I hoped our efforts and those of the guards who had followed our lead had managed to save her mother.

"There were a few villages that ended up like this back home before you showed us the way, husband. You soon learn that you can't keep everyone safe during war—and mark my words, there will be war after this, whether Terr likes it or not."

I nodded in agreement with Akasha before groaning and rising from my seat. Offering my princess a hand to help her up from her own spot on the ground, I returned her grateful smile. Whatever heat it held fell away after a lump of purple meat fell to the ground behind her.

"Maybe a two-week soak... Is there any left?" Akasha asked before turning around.

I discreetly cleared away what I guessed might be intestines from her tail at her tired question, then laid a smack on my princess's firm ass and said, “Nope! Clean as a whistle.”

As we walked toward Jessica and her wayward charge, I paused when a runner stopped in front of a group of the recovering guards. Listening in on their conversation, I froze after hearing Seline's name and something about ‘taken into custody’.

I walked towards my mates after the group ran off with the messenger in the direction the angelic had flown. As I reviewed a few reasons why they might be searching for the woman, I shook my head as a few less than pleasant scenarios came to mind.

As I knelt to look into the foxkin child's blue eyes, while Jessica stroked her purple splattered black hair, I smiled down at the child. At first, she pulled back into my mate’s arms, peering up at me shyly.

“The monsters are all gone, little one,” I reassured her.

A solemn nod was her only response until a wolfkin woman hoarsely shouted her name a block away from us.

"Auntie!" the little girl shouted, wiggling out of my lioness's embrace.

We watched her rush toward the relieved woman, and I briefly watched their reunion before looking down at my mates. Jessica's tearful gaze had me pull her tight into my side, and I returned Akasha's smile while our lioness sobbed happily.

"I hope the child was who she was calling for, and not for the child’s mother trapped under all of this," my princess said before frowning at the devastation surrounding us.

"Me, too," I muttered before pulling my mates toward Terr's castle and, subsequently, the direction the guards had run off.

"Did you hear what they said about Seline?" I asked.

It was a few minutes later that I wondered out loud what had happened to the angelic as we made our way through the gore-covered streets. Ignoring the half-eaten body of a bearkin that a thulu had left behind, I saw both Jessica and Akasha nod.

"They are either going to string medals around her neck or a noose. I'll let you guess which they are more likely to use."

Akasha's sarcastic comment fell in the same direction as my own thoughts on the subject. Beside me, I heard Jessica’s mirthless chuckle a moment later. "We do need an angelic, babe,” she reminded me. “What do you think, Akasha? Do we have time to save her from the hangman?"

"If we move swiftly enough, maybe. I doubt we can convince Terr to hand her over to us once her verdict goes public, though. You know they need a scapegoat to blame this on, and either way she fits the bill," our princess replied with a shrug.

"Then we better get moving." My comment stopped my mates in their tracks, and I looked at them curiously when they both broke down into a fit of giggles.

"Sorry, babe. We're both tired, but I couldn't help remembering how you stared hungrily at her panties when she flew off."

Akasha nodded in agreement with Jessica's reasoning, and I rolled my eyes before laying stinging smacks on each of their asses. "You’re both cute, but incorrigible. Now come on, I'm not going to let this one get dead."

Only half playing around with my turn of phrase, my ladies got their asses in gear and the miles between us and Terr's palace passed in what seemed like moments. Coming out of the guard district a short while later, I frowned when my suspicions were proven correct.

I caught sight of Seline's purple splattered wings from across the untouched cobblestones immediately surrounding Terr's palace. The angelic was surrounded by guards, who forced her none too gently through the open doors.

I figured someone would be held responsible for the death and destruction my mates and I had just walked out of. Seline as the thulu’s supposed guardian was the scapegoat the cowardly seroci needed. There were also several groups of the wolfkin guards patrolling the area. I spotted a group of disheveled shifters entering the square seeking help and shelter. My frown upon seeing Seline deepened after one of the groups of guards brusquely sent them back into the guard district at sword and spearpoint.

"Well, at least she knows what side her bread is buttered on," Jessica said, her arms crossed over her chest.

After grunting in response, I walked toward the palace at a much slower pace as I readied myself to bargain with the King.

A few hours and several showers later—as my mates kept finding splotches of dead thulu on my body—I stood before King Terr and thanked my lucky stars that Itorin was out doing damage control. Some of those stars must have been on the fritz, though, as I got my first taste of a real inquisitor.

Yamir had appeared out of thin air after the announcement of Seline's guilt in failing to keep the thulu contained. The aloof bearkin had yet to announce her death sentence, but with a quarter of the city in ruins and the guard decimated, allowing crime to run rampant, I assumed it would be swift in coming.

"Lord Spence, your assistance in keeping the guard district from completely falling to the thulu'griff threat has been noted, and honors for your family will be forthcoming… in time. I ask again, though, why you wish to speak to the accused when her fate doesn't concern you."

I kept my inner lion in check as the weaker bearkin yet again questioned my request to speak to Seline. I barely managed to keep my expression neutral as I repeated my petition. "As I already told you, Commander Demarch has earned my respect. I simply want to hear her side of these charges that have been brought against her."

As I waited for Yamir to question my request once again, I couldn't help my tail's languidly swings as my inner lion prepared to correct the bearkin's misconception that our request was anything but a formality. A growl rumbled through my chest as I waited. I smiled toothily at the inquisitor when the King whispered into his rounded ear, and he nodded.

"King Terr has verified your claims of knowing the commander, and I will permit you to speak to my prisoner before announcing her sentence."

I shared a long look with King Terr after Yamir's declaration.

There was a bit of hope in the seroci's red eyes that I found curious. Leaving the King's court behind, with my mates at my side, I followed the guard Yamir pointed at after he made his decree.

"Any reason you can think of that the King would help us," I asked my mates after we’d exited the massive chamber.

"He might be trying to garner some favor with you, hoping to keep the information we used against him the last time we were here from getting out. The King lost many of his defenders today, and were we to expose his full indiscretions, he might have to fight his own battles or worse—at least until he replaces the men and women of the guard he lost today."

I nodded as we descended into the bowels of Terr's castle and smiled at my princess for her insight. When we reached the prisoner's cell a few minutes later, I frowned after seeing the state they had left Seline in.

The angelic was still clothed in the nightgown they had brought her in. Several thick purple spots on it hid what I hoped were only thulu guts after I noted a bit of red around them. I kept my angry growl to myself after I saw that the angelic had also been left hanging from the ceiling by her wrists, pulled off the floor until only her toes touched the cell floor.

The chains holding her rattled as she looked up to see who had come to visit. Seline's blue eyes widened when she saw me and my mates standing inside her cell.

Chapter 46

Kirkton – Belin Region

"Come to gloat over how far one of the vaunted angelics' has fallen, Lord Marvin?" Seline asked after she got over her initial surprise at seeing me.

I looked over at a guard who had decided to join us in front of Seline's cell. My growl of irritation sent the man scrambling away. I glared at the door behind us and, after there were no more interruptions, I focused on my plan that had brought us here.

"Did they hurt you?" I asked as I ignored her sarcastic greeting.

"No, but they left me out to dry before they hung me up like a side of beef. Why are you here, Marvin?” she snapped at me before taking a deep breath and blowing it out all at once. “I hope you will excuse my lack of etiquette, coming from a dead woman and all."

After shaking my head at her attempt at gallows’ humor, I heard Jessica tsk in irritation before rushing over to the woman hanging from her chains, suspended in the middle of the cage.

"I thought they at least gave people a burlap sack or something! They left your tits hanging out and everything. Here you go. At least you will be warm when they string you up," Jessica said.

I smirked as my lioness pulled off her shirt, ripping two holes in the back of it for her wings, before covering the angelic with it. Seeing her left clad in only a bright pink halter top that the gromonix hadn't altered, I walked over to the pail sitting beside the iron-bound door to her cell.

After I saw the disgusting state of the water within, I called for some to replace it—along with some warm water and a clean rag to wash the dried thulu blood from the angelic.

"I'm not sure what I did to deserve such service from the baroness's consort, but if you are in a giving mood, I would rather not die, please."

I chuckled at Seline's sugary sweet tone as Jessica and Akasha did their best to make the woman comfortable. Part of that was peeling away her dress, which had been covered in nearly dry thulu blood, off of her. I turned to face the door while my mates worked to get her nightgown off.

I’d noted a few spots that had adhered to her skin before the door filled my view. There were times when you just had to yank the bandage—or in this case, the nightgown—off. I grimaced in sympathy as she screamed through gritted teeth as my mates pulled the sticky fabric off her.

"You can turn around now, husband," Akasha said in an amused tone.

I returned her smirk before seeing what they had done to make Serine as comfortable as she could be. With Jessica's shirt straining to contain the angelic’s breasts and her rag of a nightgown wrapped around her waist, the angelic looked more like a spring break reject than the warrior I had first met outside X’s gate. Looking away from her slight blush at my regard, I took the clean water pail and bowl filled with warm water and a rag from the guard I had spoken to.

There’d been a fair bit of respect in the panthkin's gaze when he’d handed the warm water and rag to me. What I saw as he looked up at the hanging angelic, though, was orders of magnitudes greater. The strange interaction only made me want to save the woman even more. Handing the containers over to my mates, I ignored the angelic's groans of pleasure as they cleaned her up as best they could.

Seline gave my princess a grateful smile after taking a long sip of clean water from the pail my mate held to her lips. Jessica finished cleaning the angelic as well as she could before Seline nodded and smiled her thanks at my lioness.

"That almost makes me feel ready to meet the hangman. Thank you, Lord Marvin."

I nodded in response before walking out of her cell and up to the guards. "I want everyone to wait at the end of the hallway. The commander and I need to speak, alone, and I would hate to have to ensure our conversation were kept private."

As my growl accompanied my request, I watched the panthkin guard give the others a firm look that got them moving as I requested. Watching them pass around the corner and only entrance into the dungeon, I walked back into Seline's cell.

"Keep an eye out in case they think snooping will earn them some coin, loves," I instructed.

Akasha and Jessica chuckled darkly as they moved to stand, one inside and one outside to the door, which Jessica pulled shut.

"Now, I am curious, Marvin. Am I about to get some of your vaunted lion dick before I die? I will warn you I will make my rape as painful as possible for you."

My eyes widened at Seline's comment, and I growled at the angelic for her assumptions.

"I suppose I could try to do that, and my mates would probably castrate me—rightly—for doing so, or you can listen to an offer that might let you see the end of the week above ground, instead of swinging on a noose."

As I waited for Seline's response, shock draining the color from her striking features, I smirked when Jessica made affirmative noises behind me.

"Well, if torture isn't in my future, what is it you are offering me, my lord?" Seline asked, before relaxing into her restraints.

"I doubt I can convince them to let you go, simply by citing your assistance with the fight against the thulu. What I think I can swing, however, is asking for your life to be placed in my hands.”

“The only way they would do that,” Seline snorted, “was if I were to be stripped of my identity and become your slave.”

When I didn’t respond for a long moment, she gasped. “That would make you my…”

“Yes,” I nodded, “but as your master, I can keep Yamir from making a blind-date for you with the hangman. I don't condone slavery—but if it will keep you alive, then I can stomach it, I guess."

Seline grimaced in distaste when I mentioned the bearkin inquisitor. Her heavy sigh when I mentioned her most likely fate worried me for a second before the angelic finally nodded in defeat.

"Yamir is a hard ass, that's for sure. I sure hope you know what you are asking for, Marvin.” She lifted her head to meet my gaze. “The angelics aren't going to like me being in your power, never mind as your slave."

A rumble of pleasure reverberated through my chest as my inner lion and I imagined what the stuck-up angelics would have to say about Seline being ours.

"I doubt they could do worse than what will be coming soon enough.” I shrugged. “When I say the disaster that we experienced today is but a drop in the bucket, I don't think you understand how enormous that bucket is. If everything I have planned for you goes as is, the term ‘slave’ will be the farthest thing from your mind."

I waited for Seline to think through my comment for a few moments as I listened to Jessica and Akasha's conversation through the door. I smiled as they wondered aloud if the restaurant where we had left our food would still be open once the angelic accepted our offer. I watched Seline's full lips firm into a harsh line.

"I'm not sure what your mates are thinking, my lord, but I haven't accepted your offer yet," the angelic spat with a great deal of vitriol.

Still smiling, despite her denial, I held the woman’s furious gaze until she sagged in her restraints. "I will pledge myself to you, Lord Spence, but hear me now! If you ever try and touch me without my permission, the baroness will find she can only fuck herself with an imitation of that… that thing between your legs!"

I smiled in response to Seline's demands before walking over to her. "That sounds like a deal to me, Seline. I will have your pledge now."

As the much shorter woman looked up into my eyes after my demand, I licked my lips in anticipation of her vow.

"I, Seline Demarch, commander…" the angelic stuttered for a moment before clearing her throat. "Ex-Commander of King Terr of the Belin kingdom's forces, solemnly vow to serve Lord Marvin Spence of Tamira until my dying breath. So do I swear."

A groan left my lips as I felt power fill me after Seline's last word. As my form hardened and my mane returned to its full glory, she pulled away from me as I grabbed the restraints holding her upright. I felt rather than heard the metal of her chains whine in my grasp as I pulled them out of the ceiling. Seline stumbled and weakly tried to push away from me as dust and small bits of rock rained down on us, pulling a growl of irritation from me.

My intense glare into her wide eyes froze her in place and, after a moment, she relaxed into my arm around her waist.

"You promised not to touch me without my permission, my lord."

A little drunk with power, I felt my roar into her face shake the stone walls around us. My angelic could make her demands, but she was mine to command. I shook my head a moment later, after my humanity returned and I’d leashed the beast inside me once more.

"You are coming with me, and these were in the way," I said with as much compassion as I could.

Seline's silent nod was her only reply to my comment before I released her from my grasp. Looking over at my mates when the scent of their arousal reached me, I watched shocked amazement flitter across their faces.

"Marvin, babe. You still in there?" Jessica asked while she carefully stepped towards me.

"Of course, I am. Why?"

"You look a little different, husband. You might want to take a look in a mirror before we head back up. That, or only partially shift, until you do."

Frustration built up in me as a bit of fear wormed its way into my alluring mate's scent. Mastering the emotions that raised within me took a moment, but I finally felt my body return to its normal size.

Frowning at my princess from where she stood in the now open doorway, I grumped, "There isn't a mirror within a hundred yards of here, now spill it, you two."

"Your face was like a lion's, babe. Full whiskers, fur, and everything!"

My main fear, as I absorbed her comment, was that I had almost gone too far while drunk on the power Seline had given me. Jessica's declaration threw me for a loop, and I had a panic attack. Swaying on my feet, it took her and Akasha both to soothe me and keep me upright. What eventually brought me out of my panic, was the fact that—despite my momentary loss of composure when the angelic had pulled away from me—at no time had I not been in complete control of my body.

"Do you think it was due to the minotaurs pledging themselves to me?" I asked after getting my feet back under me.

I watched Akasha shrug, a movement echoed by Jessica, at my question. Looking over at Seline, I saw her glancing rapidly between us, her hand on the small of my back, supporting me.

"It's possible the Prophet decided to alter you further. I would almost guarantee it after our trip to Earth, husband," Akasha said.

A relieved sigh left me after hearing my princess's assuring words.

"As long as I don't go full kitty cat, I think I can live with that, my love," I replied before kissing my smiling mate.

"Seline? Could you…" I started to say before the angelic patted me on the back patronizingly.

"Yes, I know, my lord,” she snickered. “Could I keep this to myself until you are ready to reveal your secrets? I can and will protect you with all I have. Now, can we leave this dreary place. I need a proper shower and some new clothes.”

She smiled at my mates. “Thank you, by the way, Princess Akasha… Mistress Jessica."

I couldn’t hold back a chuckle when my lioness giggled before saying, "She called me mistress."

Rolling my eyes at her excitement, I shifted as much as I dared and moved out through the doorway and into the hallway beyond. A smile curled my lips when I saw that none of the guards had pushed their luck.

"Ladies, I think a bit of prep before we go give Yamir the good news is in order. We should talk through the likely scenarios we will face upstairs, how they may respond, and what we can do about it. "

As Jessica's giggles petered off at my suggestion, she, Akasha, and Seline nodded in agreement.

I doubted I would escape this visit to Kirkton without having to spar verbally with the old panthkin, but if a bit of extra time spent in the dreary cell that they’d shoved my angelic into was necessary, it would be time well spent.

Chapter 47

Kirkton – Belin Region

I smiled as I watched Yamir's expression shift to shock when he saw Seline trailing behind my mates and me when we reached Terr's courtroom. We stopped a few yards away from the dais where the king and inquisitor stood. My smile grew teeth after I saw Itorin standing on Terr's other side.

"Lord Marvin, this is very unusual… even with the events from earlier today. May I ask why the prisoner is free and walking?" the bearkin inquisitor asked.

My smile remained in place after Yamir asked his question. Turning, I nodded at Seline to join me at the foot of the dais.

"Seline Demarch has chosen to become my servant instead of accepting your ruling against her, inquisitor. I believe the option, though rarely used, is available to her, and will satisfy the debt she owes the King thanks to her failure to prevent the destruction caused by the rampaging thulu."

As I waited for the inquisitor to accept Seline's decision, I managed to keep my displeasure to only a frown when Itorin cleared his throat.

"Mr. Spence, I believe it was you who brought that monster into our city, due to some insipid desire for fame and glory. I think you might have put the cart before the horse, to use an Earth term you would recognize."

I managed to keep my reaction to the old panthkin's jab to only a chuckle as he performed his role to a ‘T’.

"I believe my catch was absconded with as soon as I reached our King's fair city.” I paused and then frowned. “Well, to be honest, it was a fair city before the thulu’s rampage. My accountability for the monster ceased when the commander took responsibility of it from me."

Seline placed her hand on my back as I was forced to implement a part of our plan to get her out of Kirkton safely. Hanging her out to dry had been at the bottom of the list of options we’d talked about in her cell. Still, having to use it left a bad taste in my mouth.

"That, Spence,” the panthkin continued, “calls into question why you would want someone as irresponsible as she at your side." He kept the smirk off his face, though I could see it dancing in his eyes.

"I believe in second chances, advisor. I saw the kingdom throwing away a capable and compassionate woman, and decided to offer her a new chance at life instead of wasting her potential at the end of a noose." My reply was a little growly, as I imagined Itorin had likely had a hand setting Seline up.

To what end, I wasn't sure, but his absence—while delightful—was suspicious.

My reply shut the normally aloof panthkin up nicely and I couldn’t keep the victorious smirk off my face. Itorin's silence was a victory I wished I could enjoy, but as much weight as his word held, the inquisitor was the one I needed to convince. I kept that thought foremost in my mind as I removed the smirk from my face and turned to look at Yamir.

"As long as the accused submits voluntarily to her chosen punishment, I see no reason that her sentence shouldn't be handed out immediately. Do you have any objections, your Majesty?" the bearkin asked.

My smirk returned with full force as I turned my attention to Terr.

The seroci's nod was another victory under my belt. Terr then sitting back on his throne and ignoring us all was another. It made me want to grab and kiss my princess, for her and Larisa's insight in twisting the King's figurative arm.

"As the Prophet bids it,” Yamir intoned. “Seline Demarch, you stand accused of failure to complete your duty as Kirkton's guard commander. How do you plead?"

The angelic standing beside me in her second-hand shirt and gore-covered makeshift dress straightened and came to attention. I felt pride for her fill me as she loudly and clearly announced, "Guilty!"

Our conversation in her cell had also covered what would likely happen next. Being completely honest with myself, if I was in her shoes, I wasn’t sure I could have stomached it.

“Very well, then. Seline of the Demarch line, I hereby strip you of your family title and any holdings you might receive at the time of the patriarch's passing. I sentence you to eternal servitude to Baroness Larisa Urik and her consort, Lord Marvin Spence. Lord Marvin, do you wish to allow your servant to retain her name?"

I nodded in response and had to suppress a shudder as I imagined having the entirety of my identity stripped away from me, if I were the one in Seline's petite shoes. Losing my home on Earth was one thing, but I had come to Kerxon with my first mate. And since then, I knew I had Larisa's family name to fall back on, after my plans there failed.

Seline had lost that—and more.

"As you wish, Lord Marvin. The guilty party's sentence has been handed out, and I have a great deal of work left to do to ensure Kirkton is brought back to its former glory. You may go."

I nodded my thanks before placing a hand on Seline's stiff back. Pushing her a little to move her from her frozen position, I smiled when my mates clustered around her, whispering in her ears. This finally got her moving.

As the angelic stared into the distance like a victim of shell shock, I hoped I wouldn't have to assign her a suicide watch. She had lost everything that mattered to her in one fell swoop, and the only thing I could do even to attempt to make it right, was to provide her with the best life I could.

Well, that… and to make the ones who had put her in this position pay for their crimes.

I glanced back over my shoulder at Itorin as we left Terr's court. The panthkin scowled as he watched us walk away with our pyrrhic victory. I promised myself that his days were numbered—and that his death would be as painful as possible.

∞∞∞∞∞

Tamira – Belin Region

A month after our return to Tamira with Seline in tow, I smiled as the angelic roughly washed the dishes under Judith's capable, if amused, supervision. The woman's refusal to accept the position I offered her as the guard commander of Tamira hadn't been much of a surprise. Adjusting to her new life, she chose instead to assume the role of maid in our home—though she made a terrible maid.

"Seline, that dish is rather…" Judith started to say before she trailed off as the angelic broke yet another dish. "…delicate.”

With a long-suffering sigh, my wolfkin mate turned to me, still shaking her head. “Oh well… my alpha, please add another order of dishes to the list, please."

I chuckled at my wolfkin's singsong tone as she made her request and blew her a kiss for her patience with the newest addition to our family. Making a note on the report in front of me for another order of dishes, I enjoyed my new workspace and its view.

The angelic's desire to avoid her earlier line of work had made completing our work in my and Larisa's office untenable. Being surrounded by the scent of Seline’s misery and anger had been too distracting for my seroci mate these past few weeks.

My attempts to have Seline talk to me about the things that made her unhappy ended more often than not with her firm denial of them. If she didn’t deny them outright, she reminded me that she was the servant, not the other way around. I had begun to enjoy our little matches of who could out servant who. It was entertaining, if nothing else.

I chuckled to myself as I remembered Kiki taking the angelic’s comment as a challenge and the woman falling to my foxkin's firm resolve before accepting her help coping with this new reality—whether she liked it or not.

And so it was that I had moved my work to the kitchen table—where I enjoyed my new office, with its clean air and show. I’d only just picked up a new report to get back to work when Akasha rushed into the kitchen.

"Marvin, you need to see this!" she said before dropping an old, frayed rope on top of my reports.

I picked up and examined the grungy thing for a moment before giving my princess a curious look.

"Ok, I'll tell you then, husband. Remember our conversation about taking a look into the thulu escaping? Well, our spies in Kirkton delivered that this morning.” She pointed to one side of the rope. “And it was cut, not broken."

My eyes widened before a growl rumbled in my chest as I reexamined the rope, noting how most of one end, though frayed, was frayed along the same line.

I had to close my eyes and take several deep breaths to regain control of myself before asking, “Were they able to confirm who did it?”

"No, but they were able to confirm that it was hidden away—on Itorin's orders—for disposal before a dumpster diver retrieved it. We have paid the woman handsomely for her information, by the way."

I bobbed my head in understanding as Akasha finished her report, then flinched when I heard the snap of another one of our poor plates breaking. Looking over at Seline, I watched as Judith backed away from the angelic who had shifted to her stone form in a rage.

"You are telling me I lost everything, because that fucking cat paid someone to free the monster!"

After my wolfkin ducked behind Akasha, and the ceramic plate in Seline’s hands crumbled to dust, I rose from my seat. I walked over to the enraged angelic and laid a hand on her arm. "As far as we can tell… yes, Itorin set you up. Can you think of a reason he might do that?"

As I asked a question that I already knew the answer to, I watched Seline's brilliant tactical mind distract her from doing any more damage to our home. My angelic shifted back to her human form after curtly shaking her head.

Pulling her into a gentle hug, I leaned my head on top of hers. "What Itorin is probably trying to do, is attach my name—and Tamira's—with the monster destroying Kirkton and weakening the kingdom. Thulu attacks are nothing, though, compared to what is coming.”

I felt the woman in my arms take a deep, shuddering breath.

“And as long as you are willing to direct that anger toward helping us stop it,” I continued, “I think it is time to bring you into our little secret."

I winced, but held her close as Seline gripped my sides painfully and screamed her rage into my chest. The angelic's disregard for her no touching policy as she vented her anger was a nice step in the right direction. My eyes widened and I grimaced in pain as her grip became even stronger with her next deep inhale.

I chuckled as my angelic began another course of scream therapy into my chest.

"Does anyone else have anything they want to tell me while Seline gets her mind right?" I asked my mates over Seline's muffled screams.

"There is this, husband," Akasha replied with a smile.

With one of my hands occupied, patting the still screaming angelic between her shaking wings, I held my other hand out for the note Akasha extended to me. Examining the folded note my princess handed me, I smiled as I felt the emblem wrapped within it.

Dropping it into my palm, I pocketed the precious bit of metal and read Than's message.

"Prince Consort, I apologize for my delay in returning the emblem to you, our attempts to evade the council’s representatives on Earth necessitated us going to ground for an extended period of time. Our operations are proceeding smoothly, and I will leave reports on them with Terrell's brother stationed in Germany on a monthly basis."

A chuckle left me, bouncing my still screaming angelic's head off my chest before I looked over at Judith and Akasha after reading why Than hadn't given the emblem to me personally.

“Calm down,” I finally told the distressed woman screaming into the ruff of my chest. “You are going to make the neighbors wonder what we are doing in here.”

Judith snickered. “I doubt a few screams are going to raise more than an eyebrow today after the noises you had us making last night.”

"We weren't that loud last night, were we?" I asked.

"You fucking were! I could hear you in my quarters all night!"

I laughed as Seline answered my question for my mates. "Done?" I asked her when she looked up at me, biting her lower lip.

"For now," she answered before blushing and pushing away from me.

I shrugged as Seline continued to glare at me. Her breasts against my chest had felt amazing, and I wasn't about to apologize for my reaction to them. "Well, if you are done, I guess I can tell you about the Prophet, the hermix, and the thulu."

Chapter 48

Tamira – Belin Region

A week after I blew Seline's mind with the true history of her planet, I found myself ducking under her swing. Shoving Terrell away hard enough to land him on his ass before he could take advantage of me being off balance and stab me with his training sword, I elbowed my angelic in the back of the head. I smoothly glided past her falling form before gently dropping my training sword on the back of her neck.

Turning quickly, I lunged forward to tap my friend in the throat with the blunt tip of my training blade before he could react. Dropping his sword with a curse, Terrell hastily muttered, “I yield.” Stepping back with a big grin, I tossed my training blade to the side and offered Seline a hand to help her up. I returned her smile when she rose, but then had to shake my head in mild amusement at the smirk she gave me—playfully challenging me with her eyes for another round.

“We have too much to do today, to give you another shot to get even with me,” I explained.

Frowning slightly—pouting, actually—I tempered my desire to smack her with the flat of my training blade for her antics and left her to shift back to her normal form. I smiled then, as Terrell groaned overdramatically from the ground as I walked over to him. I offered him a hand up with a grin, chuckling at the put-upon groan he let out when I easily jerked him upright.

"If I weren't bigger than you, I would be in my feelings about how easily you toss me around now, asshole!"

I smiled as Terrell grunted and winced, stretching his arms overhead after I’d yanked him to his feet. "Well, it's the new norm, so you better get used to it, you big baby. Time to get a move on, you have new recruits to teach."

My smile broadened as I reminded my friend about his new duty teaching our growing lion shifter population the ins and outs of keeping the peace. Better him than me, I thought to myself, thankful that my twelve-foot-tall friend was the largest of my growing pride. I mostly let him swing his own weight around when he felt the need to.

"As long as we don't have another fresh group from Earth to manage. I haven't seen more spoiled babies in my life—ever!" My friend dramatically threw the back of his hand up to his forehead and mock swooned. “If I never have to deal with another entitled college kid again, it would still be too soon.”

I had to reach up a bit to clap Terrell on the shoulder, agreeing with his hope that the new batch would be made of tougher stuff than the last one.

Suddenly, a loud shot rang through the air, ending my amusement. It also froze me in place as I searched for its source. My search ended without finding its location as I saw the grimace of pain on my best friend's face. Terrell dropped to his knee with a much less playful groan, his hand clutched over his stomach.

I snarled in rage as I watched blood pool around Terrell's fingers and caught the scent of silver coming from the wound. Looking over my shoulder as I traced the path the bullet had to travel to reach my friend, I saw flashes of darkness through the trees of my backyard as my minjas rushed towards the attacker.

Seline seemed to be torn between wanting to aid my guards and protecting me. With a jerk of my head, I called her over to help me with Terrell.

"Fortunately, it went clear through, Marvin," Terrell gasped as he tried to stand.

I nodded in understanding as I slipped my shoulder under my friend’s arm. Seline shifted again and slid under her other arm, though I took most of his weight as he tried to hobble towards the safety of my home.

I’d have to let my minja guards take care of things until I could get my friend into the house and a tight, clean bandage around his gut.

“We might have to start paying more attention to how much food you stash in that trash compactor you call a stomach,” I grunted as I helped the big guy shuffle slowly forward, one hand slung around his lower back and the other pressing a wad of his own shirt into the wound. “You’re too big already.”

With a weak groan, his only reply was a weak, “That’s what she said.”

Seline’s startled bark of laughter at the quip made me smile. But then my blood ran cold when I heard my seroci’s scream from the far side of the trees.

"Take him inside and bind that wound," I ordered Seline.

She glanced quickly at me as my growl got her moving faster. Leaving the angelic to protect Judith and Terrell, I rushed toward Larisa's garden, hidden in her little grotto just past the tree line.

As the tree trunks flew past me, a terrifying thought rushed through my mind as I tried to place each of my mates’ whereabouts. Jessica was out with Celeste, doing some training with our guard recruits. Akasha was visiting Jardon's garrison to take a report from Holden. Kiki had been doing her morning rounds before her session with Seline and, as I caught her scent, I remembered her mentioning how she planned on helping Larisa with her garden when the angelic had joined me and Terrell at training.

Pushing myself harder as I prayed that my foxkin had brought a weapon with her, I felt my balance shift and I fell forward onto my paws. A roar left my much larger throat when I heard my mates fighting for their lives, and I dug trenches with my back claws as I blew through a tree in my path. Huffing as my enormous lungs pulled in as much air as they could after I heard Kiki snarl in pain, I burst through the trees that surrounded my seroci's garden.

My attention was drawn to Kiki as I watched her try to leap back from her attacker, and I roared again when I saw her nearly fall and then limp back several steps—her leg barely able to support her weight, thanks to the huge gash on her thigh. Not seeing Larisa amongst the panthkin's dressed as bandits fighting my minjas, I watched my foxkin's eyes grow wide before filling with tears.

Her shout of "NO!" turned into a scream of frustrated rage as she lunged forward, keeping her assailant’s attention on herself as I rushed him from behind. Kiki's cry of denial still rang in my ears as I crushed the bandit's head in my jaws. I tore the pulped skull free from its body, one paw on the dead bandit's body, and almost swallowed the mess whole to free my jaws in order to kill the rest of the fools who dared to attack my pride.

I swung my massive head around as I searched for my seroci, tossing the mess of bones and brain aside. Catching Larisa's scent, I ignored my foxkin's shaking hand on my foreleg in favor of assuring my other mate was safe. Her scent seemed to be coming from the other side of a stone wall in the garden—a wall that I’d had have tried to jump over in normal circumstances. These circumstances were anything but, though, so I opted for the shortest path between me and my mate.

After I crashed through the stone wall keeping me from my seroci's side, I roared in impotent rage upon seeing her weakly grasping her slashed throat next to a bandit with a trowel in his chest. Darting over to her as the scent of her blood filled my nose, I watched her rolling pink eyes grow wide as they focused on me. She tried to speak.

Her attempt to call my name caused blood to spill from her lips, and I lowered my head to clean it away with my tongue.

My heart hammering in my chest, I tried to figure out a way to save my dying mate. I carefully slipped my jaws around her waist after a crazy idea bloomed in my mind and took off. Jumping through the hole I had made in Larisa's garden grotto, I felt Kiki leap onto my back as I rushed towards the back of our home.

The emblem would destroy my seroci's body and give her a new one if I could reach it before she died in my arms. As I felt Larisa's blood soak into my mane, I prayed we would make it in time to save her. Reaching our backyard what felt like an eternity later, I saw Jessica, Akasha, Celeste, Judith, Seline, and Terrell's eyes grow wide when they what I held carefully in my jaws.

"Get the emblem, NOW!" Kiki yelled from her perch on my back.

I missed my lioness's tear-filled nod before she flew into our home to grab the bit of metal as I lowered the form of my limp seroci to the ground.

Terrell muttered a soft "fuck" as he looked between Larisa and me before placing his hand over her sliced throat. Though I know he didn’t mean anything bad by it, his action forced a deep growl from my chest. He was new enough to being a shifter that such instinctual things didn’t occur to him.

They did to me, though, and a snarl followed my growl as I took issue with another male touching my injured mate. Soothing words and my other mates’ hands running along my sides calmed me down enough not to tear my friend’s head off. Though I continued to growl at Terrell while my mates all made choked soothing sounds, I turned from Terrell's sweating to look up at my lioness when she crouched next to Larissa’s pale face.

Still holding the emblem, she grabbed hold of a fistful of my mane in her left hand, while touching Larissa’s cheek with her right. Her shout of, "Earth, Earth, Earth, Earth, Earth, Earth," was the last thing I saw and heard before we all fell into a blinding white and blue hole.

Apex Shifter 3

A FANTASY ISEKAI EPIC

Chapter 1

THE PROPHET'S SHIP – ABOVE KERXON

I let out what was supposed to be a deep roar as I exited the emblem portal.

What came out was much higher and less intimidating than I would have liked. Sniffing my surroundings, I hissed at the huge leg that landed in front of me.

I rushed away from it as I became acutely aware of my diminutive size.

"I'm glad that worked, Marvin Spence. I wondered if the orbital printers would have returned you to your normal self. This is an acceptable result, either way."

I hissed again as the voice of the giant creature in front of me boomed in the air around me. Looking up past its tree trunk-sized legs, I felt the fur along my back stand on end.

The monster's mouth situated under a single giant eye staring at me, was massive. I looked for a place to hide before a white glow surrounded me.

As I began to float off the metal beneath my feet, I hissed again at the monster. Its massive eye examined me, and even my swipe at the creature did not free me from my floating prison.

"It seems you are still being controlled by your lion instincts, Marvin. A moment, please."

The massive monster's giant eye closed for a moment after its request.

I gasped and looked around me after the gromonix returned my human mentality.

"Did Larisa make it?" I yelped in my lion-cub-sized voice.

"She did survive long enough for my printers to make her a new body, yes. As to her psyche, I can't give you a definitive answer, Marvin."

Relief-filled tears began to dampen the fur on my face after hearing that my pride's attempt to save our seroci worked.

It took me a few minutes to get over the pleasant shock before I raised my eyes to look at the alien.

"I'm glad it worked, thank you. Is there any way you can fix what I did to myself?"

I saw the gromonix's body shift as its eye looked up and right as it put some thought into my question. The impressive anti-gravity field it held me in didn't even register in my mind as I waited for a response.

"I could, but there is a possibility that there might be damage to your mind. There is a thirty-six percent chance that you could become stuck in your human body with your lion instincts controlling you. That is the preferable choice. There is also a fifty-two percent chance of your psyche being damaged if I roll your mind back to an earlier print."

My feline mouth managed to grimace in distaste over both options the gromonix gave me. One would leave me a beastly version of myself, and the other would give me an alien version of PTSD.

I doubted I would get very far in my task if I kept chewing on random strangers or continually trying to figure out if my memories were mine. Sighing as I left the quick fix for my fuck up in the bin, I thought about how to fix it instead.

Celeste's full shift from nearly a year ago came to mind as I floated in front of the alien. I doubted my mates, even with Terrell's help, could hold me down long enough to bring me back.

My stomach began to roil as I tried to think of a way to convince my lion to let me back into the driver's seat. Coming up with nothing, I looked at the gromonix.

"I doubt it will do much, but how did you get me back in control?" I asked.

"I simply altered your DNA to remove your lion's instincts. Think of it as putting the beast to sleep, though putting it in a coma would be a more apt comparison. I could let you use that option to return, but it has side effects. Chief amongst them is that you will still be stuck in your lion form."

I nodded as the alien proved my guess to be correct. There was no easy way out of the pickle I had gotten myself into.

A chuckle rattled through my tiny body as I admitted I would do it again in a heartbeat to save my seroci. Sighing as I readied myself to try to battle the beast inside of me, I watched the alien walk away from me.

My wait for it to return lasted longer than I would have liked. I heard a few beeps and the sound of things being shifted in the room the gromonix entered.

Looking around at the much larger space than the last time I was here, I noted that the view screen still held Kerxon in all its blue and green glory. I glared at the planet that had become more of a massive ball and chain than the home I had been forced to make it.

Missing my mates and their voices while the alien completed whatever it was doing, relief coursed through me after it emerged from the room.

A tray with a futuristic-looking syringe floated in front of it, and I tried to offer it my preferred arm to move things along. Enduring the pinch of the needle, I saw its massive mouth curl up in a smile as it examined the full syringe.

"Wanna tell me why I am getting my shots? I'm sure I'm current." I asked with a smirk.

"I simply saw a chance to further my experiment, Marvin. Now, I must return you to your earlier state before I transfer your mind into a new body. I must apologize for not being able to help you, but this has been an enlightening interaction."

"Diddo, buddy. Now how do we do this? I am short on ruby slippers at the moment."

After my quip to cover my nervousness, I thought I saw the gromonix's huge mouth curl up into an amused smile before my vision went black.

Abandoned missile silo – Rocky Mountains

My roar of outrage as my injured mate's scent disappeared turned into a surprised hiss after I found chains bound to my feet. Sniffing them before looking around, I caught the scent of my mates on the bitter, freezing wind.

I looked around to find other familiar scents in the strange mountains around me.

The trees were quite different than the ones from my home. The sweet smell of sap sent a tingle of memory through my brain but did not materialize as it ran into some barrier.

I sensed fear on the wind as footsteps rushed toward me. Looking over my shoulder, I saw a squat building with nine-foot-tall horned men running out of it.

I was momentarily blinded by light emitting from their hands that destroyed my night vision. Shaking my head with a loud hiss, I grunted as my feet were pulled out from beneath me.

My frantic attempts to free myself ended after I scented my mates. I turned my head to look at where their smells originated from and roared softly after I saw my seroci.

She walked over to me, accompanied by my other mates. I pulled as hard as I could against the chains restraining me, and I roared at them before looking back at my women.

"Shh, babe, it's ok. You’re back, and we are here." Jessica said calmly with tears in her yellow eyes.

I pushed my head under her hand and purred in relief. Licking Kiki's hand after she gently scratched under my chin, I moved my head into Judith's chest after she wrapped her arms around it.

As my rage from being kept from my mates slowly dissipated, Akasha's warm body against my belly caused me to sigh in contentment. Her gentle rubs on my stomach came with a slight tingle in the back of my mind.

"He's calm now. So, what do we do?"

I turned my attention to Celeste after her question to Larisa.

"We do what we have always done. Love him and make sure he returns to us." My seroci replied before sobs began to rack her body.

I chuffed at her gently as I tried to reach my distraught mate. After she broke down entirely and slid between Kiki and Judith next to my head, I gently licked the salty tears from her face.

"Then, he should be calm enough to let go but back up after you release him."

Looking from Akasha to the horned man she spoke to, I rose to my feet after he and the other men released the attached chains. I gently extracted myself from my mates a few moments later.

I left them covered in my drool and scent from licking and rubbing my head all over their bodies. I ignored the chains rattling as they fell away from me while I walked over to Celeste.

Standing in front of her, I repeated the same process as with my other mates. After knocking her over in the process, I licked my lips as Seline landed a few feet away from us.

"I heard a roar and came running. The perimeter is still clear, and no, you don't!"

I chuffed at my flying mate as she lifted off the ground after I leapt toward her.

"I don't care if you aren't in complete control of yourself, Lord Marvin. You will not touch me without my permission, understood?"

I swiveled my ears at my frowning mate as her golden wings kept her just outside my reach. Sniffing Seline's toes dangling just above my head, she let out a pretty shriek after I tried to lick them.

As my angelic woman flew off toward the building my other mates had walked out of, I rubbed my head against Jessica's hand. I gently caressed my face against her shoulder, slightly lower than mine, after she stopped beside me.

"It's been almost a day since we got here. Thank god for Than's forethought, or we would have been stuck in the cold. You ready to go look at our little home away from home on Earth, babe?"

Licking the tears that slid down my lioness's freckled face despite her upbeat tone, I let her gently guide me toward the building in front of us. I glanced back at my other mates following us as we reached the metal doors of the building.

Judith tried to disguise a sniffle with a sigh as Larisa gave up entirely on masking her distress. Letting my seroci walk up next to me, I gave Kiki, Akasha, Celeste, and Judith a gentle lick as they passed us.

"Are you going to be ok? Is it the nightmares again?"

After Jessica asked her questions, Larisa shook her head gently while she leaned against me.

"No, I'm fine, as fine as I can be, my lioness. I just wanted to touch him for a little while longer, that's all."

I leaned into my seroci as she gently rubbed my side during her reply. Keeping myself still while she climbed onto my back with painstaking slowness, I growled softly in concern after her tears began to dampen my coat.

"She's been like that since we got back. I made a trip back to Kerxon while you were gone. Mom, dad, and Jardon are taking care of the town while we are here, and you are," Jessica trailed off for a moment before murmuring, "you."

I felt something in the back of my mind screaming to be let out as a spike of worry forced me to unsheathe my claws. Larisa's soft whimper brought me out of that internal battle, and I realized she had fallen asleep on top of me.

Being careful not to hurt her fingers entwined in my mane, I gently licked her exposed calf.

"She's been doing that a lot. Just picking the most random places to pass out like that. She keeps telling us she is fine, but…" My lioness trailed off once more as her small but strong fists clenched.

"We need you back, babe. Itorin or the council tried to take her from us along with our home. I've been trying to keep it together, and the others have been a huge help, but we need you back on two feet. Please tell me what you need, Marvin. We can't do this without you."

I saw the unshed tears of frustration and worry my mate tried to keep from falling start to well up in her golden eyes as she held my head between her hands. Unable to fully understand what she was asking of me, the small voice in the back of my mind started to scream again.

My soft roar as I pushed my forehead against my lioness's caused her to let out a quiet sob before she rubbed her face against mine. We stayed like that for several moments while a few of my mate's tears dropped onto my muzzle.

"I was going to show you around in hopes of getting you to go back to normal. I even had Judith and Terrell run and grab a few movies with your favorite himbo to jog your memory. I think I would just like to hold you, instead, if you will let me."

Jessica squeezed my head painfully after her request. I endured the pain as the voice in the back of my head surfaced for a moment.

His exhausted, "stop," kept me in place while our mate held my head.

"Ok, big guy, whew. I didn't think it would be this hard to get through to you. You need to let me back up here before we get stuck like this. Let go. I think that's what will let me back…"

Marvin's voice trailed off as I felt his exhaustion beginning to get the better of him. I became less aware of his presence as he began to slip back into the recesses of my mind.

Our lioness's tear-scented kisses on the top of our head ended as the voice slowly returned to where it had come from.

I gently licked my mate's chin after she let go of my head. Making sure not to jostle my sleeping seroci too much, I followed Jessica down the cold, darkened hallway.

As we reached a room that smelled of all my mates except Seline, I slowly climbed onto the massive pile of blankets and pillows. Finding a spot that smelled of all my mates in the middle of the bed, Larisa woke up just long enough to lie down in that spot.

I curled up around her and licked the fire-red hair between my seroci's pale horns. Jessica joined us a moment later after grabbing a large blanket and turning out the light.

She covered the three of us before tucking herself in between my front paws, and I heard her soft snores once she finally relaxed. I listened to the muffled sounds of the metal box I had followed my mates into as I stood watch while they slept.

My ears swiveled toward the door awhile later as it opened.

The warm smiles Kiki and Judith gave me after they saw my other mates sleeping against me caused me to purr happily. Letting them find their spots against me, I gently licked them after they fell asleep against my bulk.

Akasha's similarly warm smile was a bit shorter as my princess yawned midway through it. I took care not to hurt myself on her horns, but something kept niggling in my mind after she fell asleep with her face buried in the back of my mane.

Licking Akasha's arm thrown over my side, I chuffed quietly at Celeste after my panthkin mate walked into our room.

"What the fuck am I doing? I promised myself that when you got back that I was going to talk to you about what we were going to do next. But look at you!"

I squinted at Celeste as she grimaced at me. As she walked over and sat by my head, I laid it gently on her lap and she began scratching between my ears.

"I was going to tell you that I loved you once you returned to us. I still do, even though you are a little furrier now. I remember when I did something stupid like you and how you brought me back. I don't think even all seven of us could hold you down, though, to return the favor."

Leaning into my panthkin mate's stomach as she scratched behind one of my ears, I felt that tiny voice in the back of my head again. As Celeste nodded off while running her hand through my fur, I tried to ignore the voice.

I sensed something growing inside me as it climbed out of the darkness. As I became aware of what it truly was for a second time, Marvin’s ascent was slower than the last time.

"She's on the right track, big guy. It will take all eight of us to put you back where you belong, but I think I have a compromise that might let us both have what we want."

As Marvin waited for me to respond, I felt his tenuous grip on consciousness slipping. The human had always done what he could to allow me to express myself, and I was genuinely curious about what he was proposing.

I was a little surprised by his ability to help me as I placed a ledge underneath his "feet". Celeste's hand on my head stilled as she fell asleep.

"Thanks for listening, big guy. Now, my plan for whenever our mates decide to try and put me back in the driver's seat is for you to let that happen. I don't want us to have to fight for our seat as top cat. I think we can both get what we want if we come to an agreement."

I was again surprised as Marvin's offer made sense to me.

"It should. We thought it up. I've had some time to think while you have been loving up our mates. Kerxon's shifters have always been afraid of their inner animals taking over. I think their teachings about the Prophet's experiments were off. We were meant to live alongside our beasts instead of taming them, as Larisa said. I want us to be a team, big guy. If we can manage that, then we can both become more powerful to protect our pride."

As Marvin and my protective instincts found that common goal enticing, we both looked up at our sleeping panthkin.

Celeste's shift back into her human form had been she and her panther both agreeing to come back to be with us. As Marvin's mind turned to how to apply that to the other shifters stuck in their animal forms, I gave our panthkin mate a loving lick.

"She did it for us, so I think we should at least return the favor. What do you think, big guy?"

A soft roar of agreement rumbled out of my chest as Marvin shared his memories of our most powerful form. With our bodies combined with his mind and my ferocity controlling it, I knew no foe could come close to matching us.

"Illusions of grandeur aside, big guy, we still have the thulu to worry about. Let's try this thing one last time. Sound good?"

I closed my eyes and submitted to my partner as he again began scaling the cliffs of our mind. As our body began to shift back into our smaller form, I felt him pull me up alongside him.

"No man left behind. Right?" Marvin asked with a laugh.

My chuff of agreement felt a little wet, and we both chuckled as our lioness grumbled after she got sprinkled with spit.

"You giant furball! I didn't need a ba-" Jessica yelled out before stopping, once she saw my very human face.

"Hey, babe. Enjoy your nap?" I asked with a massive grin on my face.

"You’re back." Jessica replied.

My laugh at her open mouthed surprise turned into a muffled groan as she leapt from between my legs and smothered me with a kiss. I returned it and ignored my ribs that screamed at us as our lioness tried to crush them.

I shook my head as my lion enjoyed his new front-row seat and confused us both for a moment. Breaking the seal between my lioness and my lips in the process, I woke the rest of my mates from their slumber as I took a gasping breath.

Their shrieks of joy as they each realized what happened was a little disorienting in our dark room. As lips, tongues, breasts, hips, and asses vied for my attention while they tried to smother me, I shared a content sigh with my lion.

We had done what few others had managed to do and had returned from a full shift into our animal. It had taken a bit of help from the alien that created us in the first place, but I hoped to put our new ability to use to keep our pride and home safe.

A few days after my miraculous return to the world of the unfurred, I followed Than in his human form through the small base attached to the missile silo. Giving the dead lights on one of the junction boxes in the hallway we were walking down a glance, I stopped as we reached a room with a lit-up number pad.

"We have tried to limit our power use to a minimum to avoid detection, my prince. So far, we have only limited power to the rooms in the living quarters and this room."

I nodded as I memorized the code that Than punched into the number pad. Waiting as the minja opened the heavy, reinforced door for me, I whistled in amazement after I saw what they had done with the place.

The lab slash secret R&D room was filled with my minja's amid our preparations to take over Kerxon Mining. As a man with a ring on his finger slid a hundred-dollar bill between a stripper's ass cheeks on one screen, I saw another labeled with random names and home addresses.

After seeing the minja watching the man type out a description of Theodore Lansing's little tryst onto the second screen, I followed Than out of the room.

We walked into another room formed out of similar concrete walls and ceilings that held a few cells with several shifters inside them.

"These are a few of the low-level enforcers we have brought in to gather information about their security. With our current resources, we should be able to keep them alive for a year or so even if we double their numbers."

I nodded as Than led me down the rows of cells made of hardened steel. Glaring at a bearkin shifter that stared at me as we passed him, my inner lion took offense.

"Get 'em," I said before he came out to play.

Our roar at the wide-eyed bearkin made the concrete around us sing for several moments. As the lights hanging from electrical cords strung along the ceiling swayed, I smirked at the speechless bearkin after I returned to my human form.

"Give us what we ask for, and I will make sure every person on Kerxon can rest easy knowing that their inner beasts will never take them over again."

I returned the bearkin's swift nod before following Than out of the room. Seeing several other shifters giving me the same astonished look along the way, I couldn't help the smile on my face.

My lion also preened under our accomplishment. Removing the threat of being stuck in their animal forms would do wonders for our recruitment efforts.

I hoped not only to bring back those that were stuck but also to tempt those that wanted that experience into my efforts to save us all. Giving my lion the reins for a full day yesterday had proven I could return whenever I wanted.

It also proved that my mates were very opposed to our affections in that form. After he tried to mount Jessica while she lay on our bed of pillows and blankets, his other attempts had gotten us turned away with just kisses.

I followed Than back out of the cell room and frowned as the minja walked toward a set of heavy metal doors.

"Finding the code for this door took some time, but we were able to get it without exposing ourselves. I hope its contents are to your liking, my prince."

Walking over to the door as Than punched a code on the pad next to it, I waited with a smirk as the sound of bolts retracting filled the room. I had a promising idea of what the room contained but was still pleasantly surprised.

I laughed in disbelief after a room full of weapons was illuminated by fluorescent light. Walking in, I saw what I assumed was an anti-tank missile launcher. Running my hands over the weapon, I moved on to the other goodies my minjas had stockpiled.

"Have your men been trained with the lighter weapons?"

I checked the action on an AK-47 I picked up as I waited for Than to respond. He pulled a clipboard off the wall, and I smiled.

"They have, my prince, though I can't say the same for some of the larger weapons in the armory. There is only so much we can get away with in secret."

After I set down the beautifully maintained rifle, I took the clipboard from Than and skimmed over it. I noted that most of my minjas had achieved sharpshooter marks for both the small arms and rifle categories.

What hadn't been scored was our large caliber weapons, though I hoped to fix that issue in time.

"Keep up the training and acquisitions. I will get this place purchased, and then getting a permit to have the bigger guns will be next."

Than's nod after I handed him back the clipboard ended our tour of my secret base on Earth. I hoped to bring in Peter or Jeff, preferably both, to complete my minjas training.

I chuckled as I imagined them as lion shifters toting around missile launchers in both hands. Tempering my expectations a bit with both of them having obligations, I took a deep breath.

My seroci had been very reserved over the past two days, and I couldn't blame her. Her nearly dying, which was all I could admit to myself, had to have been a traumatic experience.

The only reason I hadn't spoken to her about it was due to Jessica and Kiki's request to give Larisa some space. Their time limit was up now, and I made my way to our room where my seroci had been recovering.

I smiled as I opened the door to our room and saw my mate buried under a mound of pillows and blankets, reading a book. I basked in the sight of my gorgeous seroci for several moments past what I should have.

The tightness in my chest that formed whenever she was out of my sight loosened a little as I continued to lean against the doorframe.

Some of it still remained as I watched her turn a page in her book. I shared my lion's simmering rage as we remembered her pale skin growing ashen as she bled out in front of us.

Someone on Kerxon had tried to take her from us, and maintaining our calm was becoming a daily chore. We both wanted to hunt down whoever it was and destroy everything they ever loved or cared for.

"Come here so I can hold you, my love."

I pushed off the concrete and returned my seroci's smile as I walked over to her. I gently climbed through the random mess of bedding we had been sleeping on and shared a kiss with my mate.

It didn't linger, though, as she pulled her face into my neck with her arms around my shoulders. After she remained there, inhaling my scent, I rolled onto my back and pulled her along with me.

"I sent a message to my father."

I nodded and waited for my seroci to elaborate. Even after her ascendancy into nobility, I hadn't heard her speak about her estranged family.

After so long without word from them, I assumed they had completely given up on Larisa. She had dragged their name through the mud.

"Do you think he will respond?"

Running my hand along my mate's bare back during my question, I slipped my other one through her long red hair. Larisa's shrug spoke volumes and I let the matter lie. I kissed the top of her head while my seroci's nose remained rigidly attached to my neck.

"You can tell me to stop whenever you like."

I smirked as a little of my old mate decided to show herself. Shaking my head and slipping my arm under her stomach, I pulled her completely on top of me.

I buried my nose in her neck as well, and I felt the last of the tightness in my chest release. As that relief caused a happy tightness to replace it, I let out a shaky breath.

Larisa's soft lips on mine were a bit of a surprise after our comfortable embrace, but I returned the kiss with as much restraint as possible. After it ended a few moments later, I held her gaze as she placed her forehead against mine.

I saw the beautiful smile that always found a way to brighten my day grow before she wiggled against the tent she had caused in my pants.

"Thinking of fucking me back into a better mood, my lion?"

I chuckled along with her as she shook her head along with me and bumped my skull with her horns. My honest comment gained me a smile and another kiss before she laid her cheek on my chest.

"I wouldn't have minded, my love. I'm always game to enjoy my husband."

I laughed as my seroci gave me a mischievous smile after her comment.

"What I want to enjoy is killing the guys that tried to take you from me."

I saw Larisa's expression change from playful to scarily angry before she nodded.

"Oh, they will pay, my love. I can't imagine a better gift for their efforts than watching us tear everything they ever loved from them. No one takes what is mine from me, not my life or the happiness of my family."

I smirked as my sexy and vengeful mate glared daggers at the wall behind us. I pulled her down for a heated kiss once she turned her furious gaze on me.

I smiled at the ceiling as Larisa gently ground her curves against me during our kiss. Sliding my hand down her naked body, I teased the sensitive bit of skin just above the base of her spiked tail.

I chuckled at the little yelp she let out.

"I agree, my love, and we will. I just need to know what I can do to help you right now."

Larisa's pink eyes stared down at me after my comment. Leaning up to kiss her forehead gently, I let out a shaky breath after she tilted her head down to kiss me.

That kiss did linger, and I almost let my impatience to love my wife to sleep get the better of me. Sliding my hand along my seroci's ass, I listened to her soft moan as my other one slipped behind her head.

As Larisa's tongue danced with mine, I felt her hand grip me through my pants. I threw my head back with a groan as she squeezed me tightly. While she languidly stroked me, her tongue and lips against my neck sent a shiver down my body.

"Can you give it to me gently, my lion?"

More than ready to make love to my mate, I returned her kiss as she pulled me out of my pants. Swallowing her soft sigh as she slipped me inside of her, I enjoyed my seroci’s slight return to her normal self.

Chapter 2

TAMIRA – BELIN KINGDOM

After stepping through the portal to Kerxon, I selected our backyard. Looking around after my body finished printing and my consciousness filled it, I smirked at the ten minjas bowing with their heads in the dirt in front of me.

"Don't even start, you guys. What I want from you all is to locate the people who attacked my family. Bring me their names, and the names of those they care about, and we are square."

I frowned as the minotaurs remained firmly in place after my dismissal. My attention was drawn from them to Jardon as he walked out of my home.

Looking back at my mates, I saw a pained expression on Akasha's face. Hoping the man wasn't going to do anything stupid, I sighed after he dropped to his knees in front of me.

"No! Shut up, Jardon! I don't give a single solitary fuck about what you are going to say to me! What I want is for you to find out who attacked us so I can personally cut off their balls and remove them from the gene pool. Can you do that?"

I glared at the minotaur while he hung his head and wasted time that could be better used bringing me the heads of those that had hurt us. I growled as my inner lion questioned Jardon's stillness before he looked up at me.

"As my prince commands."

I nodded before my Gand made himself useful getting to his feet. As the minjas followed suit, I turned to look at my princess after she walked up next to me.

"That was unorthodox, husband, but necessary. He likely would have spent the next five minutes asking for your forgiveness."

I smirked at the unpleasant face Akasha made before she kissed me. Reminded of my much taller stature, I bent down for Judith and Kiki to do the same. They left me smiling as I watched them both head into our home.

"I think I should have heard him out for a few moments so we could figure out if the assassins did any more damage than what happened here."

Akasha shrugged before following our other mates.

"I will talk to the guard and see if anything was damaged. They might have an idea of how the attack happened."

I nodded as Jessica kissed my other cheek before taking the side path around our home. A couple of minjas followed her in the shadows of the trees next to our home.

I gave them a bit of trust and hoped they would live up to it as I looked over at Larisa and Celeste. My other two mates smirked as they shared a look.

"I'm going to see if Margaret has anything she needs me to look at before I take a nap in a real bed."

I suppressed a frown as my seroci put on a brave face and took her kiss before she walked into our home. Glancing at Celeste after she remained by my side, I chuckled after she inclined her head for me to lead the way.

"Do you have anything you need to move in? We have a few hours before we even need to think about heading back to grab the guns."

My panthkin's green eyes grew slightly distant before she shook her head and leaned against me. Sliding my arm around her waist, I put some thought into what I was going to do with my time.

"You feel like helping me gather a few of our lion volunteers and getting them situated?"

Celeste's soft murmur of agreement got us moving. Following my lioness's path around the side of our home, I saw a single minja shadowing us in the trees.

I hoped my task for the day would be easy as my panthkin and I started down the long path toward our town. I had enough excitement over the past few days.

Standing beside Dobber in the field behind our main stables a few hours later, I watched Celeste and Kiki help a family of humans manage their belongings. As they helped a mother wolfkin manage her rowdy children, I gave the bearkin a curious look.

He had been as reliable as ever, helping me gather my lion recruits, but something in the back of my mind kept drawing my attention to him. My lion was also confused as to why Dobber smelled of pain.

"Hey, bud. Is there something on your mind?"

The stoic bearkin sighed after my question before flexing his crossed arms.

"No. Nothing besides getting these families set up for you, Marvin. Though, the twins have been bugging me about where you and their mate have been over the past few days."

I chuckled lightly along with Dobber as I imagined how persistent the two foxkin could be when they wanted. Sighing as another task was added to my pile, I beckoned my own foxkin over with a crooked finger.

"Yes, handsome?"

My smile at her greeting widened after Kiki pulled me down for a kiss. I saw a bit of jealousy color Celeste's brown face before I focused on keeping my people happy.

"I need you to talk with Tina and Rena about staying on Earth with Terrell for a while. Please make sure you start with verifying that they have capable replacements before you insert that bit into the conversation."

I shared a smirk with my mate before she nodded and left to do as I asked. Watching her hips sway as she exited the field, I licked my lips unconsciously.

Hoping for a repeat of last night in my foxkin's tight ass later, I looked over at Dobber.

"Well, that is handled, but there is more going on with you, I think. Tina and Rena might be a little pushy, when need be, but they wouldn't go as far as to make you feel pain, Dobber."

I leveled my gaze at the bearkin after my comment.

While one of the children screeched happily, screaming, "new home, new home!" as he ran around the field, I waited for Dobber to open up. I placed my hand in front of him after he tried to go and help my panthkin.

"It's nothing, Marvin! Just family mess that you don't need to clean up!"

I raised an eyebrow as Dobber growled out his reply and glared at the ground next to him. Stepping in front of him and letting out a deep sigh, I placed my hands on his shoulders and forced him to look at me.

"You and everyone else in Tamira are part of my pride, my family. I like to think your messes are mine to help fix too. I just need for you to talk to me about them, Dobber."

As I saw indecision war in the bearkin's brown eyes, I sighed as he pulled away from me and walked into the stables. Left standing in the field, I looked down at Celeste after she walked over next to me.

"Everything ok?"

I growled softly in confusion after my mate asked her question.

Dobber wasn't the most talkative person at the best of times. It seemed when push came to shove, the stubborn man was going to make me force myself into his business.

"Not sure, but I'm going to make it ok. Is everyone ready to make the trip to the backyard?"

I smiled as Celeste nodded and kissed my shoulder. Turning around to look at the assembled group of humans, I smirked as a tired mother held tightly onto her son's hand.

"Let's see if we can set up a nanny to go with the next group."

My sly smile broadened as Celeste giggled at my comment before nodding. It had been months since I had heard the panthkin do more than laugh dejectedly at anything.

I was glad she had found her happiness, even more so that she had found it with me. Sliding my arm around her waist, I let out a shrill whistle.

With the twenty-strong group's attention, I began the slow walk toward our home.

I was talking with one of the men in the group about what jobs would be available to him once we reached Earth a short while later. Assuring the man that there would be plenty of opportunities to find work if he wanted, I smiled as I caught the scent of my foxkin.

I sent the man off to join his family as two more sets of ears joined Kiki's as she walked around the side of our home. Chucking as I saw the massive bags Tina and Rena carried, I was glad the four races were as strong as they were.

I wasn't going to be carrying their huge bags.

Kiki kissed me in passing as she directed her excited charges. As my mate instructed them on what we were about to do, I looked at Jessica and Larisa standing next to me.

"Are you ladies sure you don't want to get killed with me three times? It's the best ride around." I said with a smile.

"The best ride around is the one I'm going to give you in about three hours, babe. Get them there and settled, and we will keep an eye on the home front."

After her reply, I smiled at my lioness as she pulled me down for a kiss. Taking one from my seroci after she jumped into my arms, I slid my hands under her dress.

Grasping the soft cheeks of her ass, my smile broadened after I felt nothing under my fingers but smooth, supple skin.

"Come back to us, and I will make it worth your while, my lion."

I kissed my mate gently after I saw real fear in her pink eyes despite her playful request.

"I'm here, and you're here, and nothing is going to make that change, ok?"

After my question, Larisa's forehead bumped against mine as she nodded.

"And once we take care of whoever decided it would be a good idea to fuck with us, we can enjoy a little relaxing alien extermination."

I chuckled as our lioness added her two cents before kissing our seroci's cheek. I lowered my mate's curvy body to the ground regretfully as my duty to keep our home safe called.

"You coming with?" I asked Celeste after she walked over to me.

My panthkin's firm nod answered my question, and I smiled at her before looking over at my wolfkin and foxkin. They had organized the groups into five sets, with Tina and Rena making the first group one of seven.

Wishing I had the ability to move more people at once, I pulled out the emblem and cleared my throat.

"Ok first group, it's time to go. The others will stay in my home until everyone is gone. Sound good?"

The shout of "yes" from the assembled humans warmed my heart as I watched each of them looking forward to the life that I offered them. Each knew of the thulu threat that we would be fighting, and I appreciated them for putting their lives on the line for our world.

Taking that responsibility to heart, I was going to ensure the survivors never had to work another day in their lives. Sighing as I watched the little boy from the field look up at his mother's excited face, I clenched my teeth as the weight on my shoulders grew.

I lifted the emblem to my face as the other groups walked off and smiled as Celeste's hand filled mine. Looking again at the people who would be our chance at surviving what was coming, I spoke the name of the other world we would be saving.

Abandoned missile silo – Rocky Mountains

I smirked as I walked over to my best friend while he collected kisses from his mates once we reached Earth. I chuckled along with my panthkin as Tina slipped her tongue into Terrell's mouth before Rena made their kiss a three-way after she joined her sister.

Waiting for my friend to finish up with his twins, I watched them steady him after their greeting left his legs a little shaky.

"Before you three rush off to make up for lost time, Tina, Rena, your mate needs to be conscious to do his job, ok?"

The foxkins gave me a simultaneous nod before smiling and looking up at their mate. Snapping my fingers as Terrell's hands began to slide against their asses, I chuckled again after he provided me with his attention.

"I was going to have you take care of this on Kerxon, but Dobber told me they kept asking about you. I'm going to hope you can focus enough after the next few days to train our new lions. Can you do that, buddy?"

Terrell's broad smile grew a few more inches as he gave me a nod. Pulling him in for a hug, I smirked at his smiling mates.

"He's all yours, ladies. I'll be back in a few hours to drop off our next group of lions."

I chuckled along with Celeste as Tina and Rena almost lifted Terrell off his feet to get him inside the base.

"Do they know where they are going?" I whispered into Celeste's ear.

A shiver ran down her back as my voice tickled her ear, and I saw a blush color her brown cheeks.

"I'm not sure, but I think Terrell will be more than motivated to get them to his room quickly. What do we have to do while we wait for the hour the emblem needs to recharge?"

My reply that I was going to meet with Than to have him start collecting weapons to bring back to Kerxon died on my lips after I saw Celeste's expectant gaze. Looking down into her green eyes, I smiled before kissing her gently.

"I think you would be a good start."

Holding her gaze after I ended our kiss, I saw my reply was correct as a smirk curled her lips.

Her hand filled mine as she led me into the base a great deal more gently than Terrell's mates. Leering at her swaying hips as we headed to our room, I tempered my lion's desire to handle our mate.

As the door closed and locked behind us once we made it there, I was reminded of my panthkin's comment from months ago as she attacked me with her lips and tongue.

She had mentioned not liking being dominated. After the door behind me groaned as she shoved me against it, I realized it went both ways.

I let her pull me down into a rough kiss while my hands slipped under her shirt. Lifting it over her head, I palmed one of her soft breasts as she attacked my lips again.

I turned my moaning mate around and pushed her against the door roughly and devoured her lips while my hands worked on her pants. I smiled toothily as a bit of fear grew in her green eyes while I held her in place.

My lips attacking her neck drove that emotion away, and I listened to her soft moans as I made my way down her body. Tasting the brown skin of her breasts before attacking one of her dark nipples, I felt her nails slide through my hair.

I kissed and licked my way down her stomach as she gently pushed my head lower. Biting gently on the skin of her inner thigh, I groaned as the scent of my mate's arousal filled my nose.

I cupped the underside of Celeste's breasts before sliding my hands down her sides while I licked her panty-covered pussy. Her sharp moan as my tongue stimulated her clit through the lacy garments hardened me almost painfully.

I took my time, though, stripping my misused mate of her last bit of clothing. Sliding her leg over my shoulder after she stepped out of her panties, I trailed my tongue along her inner thigh.

My panthkin's shaky Yes, Marvin" matched the quiver of her thighs under my tongue.

As I reached my mate's soaked pussy, I groaned as her flavor coated my tongue while I slipped it inside her. Slowly teasing her entrance, then her clit with long strokes of my tongue, I listened to her shaky moans.

"That's right, eat that fucking pussy, my mate! Fuck, fuck, fuck!"

As Celeste ground her pussy into my mouth with languid gyrations of her hips, I groaned as her flavor on my tongue intensified.

I followed the direction of her hands in my hair and her leg over my shoulder as she shakily ground her pussy against my lips and tongue.

"Yes, baby, I’m coming. I'm fucking coming!"

As her moaned comment ended with a long scream of pleasure, I gripped my mate's soft ass as she came for me.

I teased her sensitive clit with my upper lip as my panthkin squirted her release into my mouth. Drinking down the sweet fluid that came with each jerk of her hips, I gave her one last long lick.

As my mate's shaking legs threatened to give out, I smiled while she pulled me to my feet with her grip on my hair. I was a little surprised by the heated kiss she pulled me into.

I was less surprised as she shoved me onto the mess of blankets and pillows with a needy growl. Letting her strip me while she attacked my lips, I groaned as she pulled my hair while gently stroking me.

"You are going to lie there and let me fuck you as a reward for what you just did, understood?"

I nodded shakily after her demand as she teased the head of my dick with her thumb.

"I said, do you understand?"

I groaned again after she gripped me tightly and bit my neck after I didn’t answer her.

"Yes!"

My reply came out a little growly as my demanding mate straddled me and slid the head of my dick through her soaked lips.

"Yes, what?" Celeste demanded as she slipped me slightly into her.

"Yes, baby!" I yelled as she slowly took me into her.

"Good. Now I'm going to fuck you until you cum for me, my lion. There won't be any breaks or pulling out until I'm done, ok?"

Holding Celeste's gaze from inches away as she laid out the rest of her plan to blow my mind, I almost came as she took me to the base with one sudden thrust.

I moaned along with her as her pussy clenched around me. Hearing and feeling her squirt coat me with her scent, I gripped her slim waist as she began to bounce on me.

Watching her soft brown breast bounce as she moaned loudly while her slick pussy slid up and down my dick, I thrust up into my moaning panthkin.

"You're not supposed to move, baby. You're not supposed to move! You're going to make me cum again!"

My mate's hips shook under my hands as her moan became a near-silent scream as she came for me. Driving myself into my open-mouthed mate, I felt her nails bite into my chest as I forced multiple orgasms from her curvy body.

I was unable to stop my hips as my panthkin's pussy became indescribably slicker and tighter. My roar of release overcame the sounds of my dick driving into her soaked pussy as I came only a few moments later.

Grunting out each surge of my cum into my panthkin's shaking body, I held her in place as I thrust into her roughly with every kick of my dick. I pushed up into my mate as I filled her with one last thrust that lifted her entirely off our makeshift bed.

As we both came down from our peaks, I loosened my punishing grip on my panthkin's hips. Pulling her into a passionate kiss while I languidly thrust into her cum soaked pussy, I hissed as Celeste gripped my hair.

"You were supposed to let me fuck you, baby. Now you have to try again and listen this time."

After her demand, I smirked as my panthkin shakily lifted herself off me with a long, quavering moan. I leaned up to see what my mate had in store for me next and smiled.

Gazing at Celeste on her hands and knees with her ass in the air waiting for my attention, I growled along with my lion as our mate offered herself to be bred.

"Give it to me, and don't stop." Celeste demanded while she wiggled her ass.

"Didn't plan on it."

My panthkin's reply to my smug remark was cut off as she moaned for me. Filling her cum soaked pussy with one rough thrust, I gripped her slim waist and resumed my punishing pace.

Taking my mate with hard, insistent thrusts, I hoped she was up to matching my stamina. We had only been at it for a few minutes, and we had plenty of time to ensure she knew who was in charge.

Tamira – Belin Kingdom

I steadied my well-loved panthkin as we made it back to Kerxon a few hours later. The smile I had been wearing when we left Earth broadened as she groaned a little after she tried to stand on her feet.

"I'm going to go take a nap in a real bed. I thought the Prophet fixed these things when he gave us new bodies. I love you, my lion."

I replied, "love you too," before kissing her and letting Celeste make her swaying way into our home. Remembering my first visit with the gromonix, I figured my mate's fatigue came from mental exhaustion more than physical.

Having her confess her love to me as I tasted her neck while on top of her made me wish that we had more time together for the day. I shivered with the desire to do it again.

As I held the back door of our home open for our weary mate, I chuckled after seeing Judith and Jessica greeting Celeste through the kitchen window. I followed her in to take a shower while I waited for the emblem to reset and enjoy some time with my mates.

Washed, fed, and loved an hour later, I stood while waiting on my princess and our next group.

As Akasha walked out of our home with an amused backward glance at our panthkin after her nap, I saw the next group of our shifter recruits following behind her.

"Seems like you are enjoying yourself, husband."

I kissed my princess's smiling lips after her comment.

"I am. Despite the attack, it's nice to get something done without having to argue with idiots. I also get to enjoy some alone time with my beautiful wife, so there is that also."

Akasha's short bout of laughter after my comment made things happen below my belt that I hoped to take care of in addition to my work on Earth this time.

"I am certainly game for some of what Celeste got, my insatiable lion, but a shower after, please. You two smelled like hours of sex when you got home."

I smiled as Akasha's nose in my neck sent a shiver down my spine. Nodding as I hoped the communal showers in the base would be empty during our visit, I slid my arm around my mate's waist.

"Ok, is everyone ready?"

I was glad my lengthy absence after the first round of transportation hadn't dimmed the spirits of my soon-to-be lion shifters. As they let out a resounding "yes," I pulled my emblem out of my pocket as I walked over to them.

After saying "Earth" six times, I smiled as we all dropped into the nothingness between worlds.

Abandoned missile silo – Rocky Mountains

I glanced at the inventory sheet Than handed me while my princess slept.

I was enjoying the cool weather outside our base, tallying off the ammunition my mate and I would take back to Kerxon. Checking off a pallet full of automatic rifles, I cringed as I heard a high-pitched groan from a few dozen feet away.

I looked over at Terrell going through the process of changing our volunteers and grimaced. I groaned in sympathy as he rolled around on the ground holding his crotch.

The woman he had been beating the beast out of had evidently kicked him in the balls once her lion decided to come out and play. Letting his mates pull the roaring woman away, I walked over to help my best friend off the ground.

"Fucking shit! That's the third time today!"

I couldn't help but chuckle as Terrell managed to rise to his knees after I reached him.

"At least we heal faster than regular humans. I would hate for Tina and Rena to come after me for giving you a job that would keep them from having your babies."

Terrell's coughing chuckle was followed by a playful "asshole" before he took my hand. Pulling him to his feet, I took an unconscious breath along with him.

"It has to be done, buddy. I can see if Than managed to acquire some cups if you want, and I'm sure your mates will kiss your boo-boos later."

I ducked under my friend's swing and danced out of his range as he tried for another. His hobble toward me ended as the woman his mates held back tried to bite them.

We both flinched as Tina socked the woman in her jaw, dropping her to the ground. I chuckled at Terrell's hungry gaze at his mate before clearing my throat to get his attention.

"Wish I could have done that." Terrell said while the new lion jerked on the ground.

Trial and error had brought us to the conclusion that we couldn’t just knock our volunteers out. That route simply gained the first few that had gotten chin checked a concussion and the day off.

"Any others require more than a talking to from your lion?"

I frowned as Terrell nodded before walking over and picking up the slowly recovering woman. Waiting while she showed dominance over her lion, I sighed after she ended her growling.

He turned to look at me after his mates walked the woman into the base. Left alone while they collected the next volunteer, I saw Terrell's expression become pinched.

"The last few didn't require much more than a fight after shifting. I can keep up just fine, if need be, but what do you want me to do if they won't submit?"

I rolled my shoulders as I was forced to voice the orders I had hoped not to have to give.

"If they won't submit and I'm not around, try and get them into the cells. If you can't do that, kill them. We can't let them escape, and if I can't make them submit, then they can't be allowed to go free, not yet."

A shiver of disgust ran down my spine as I signed more than a few people's death warrants and made my best friend their executioner.

"I hope we can let some of them start prides of their own one day, but we need to save Kerxon and Earth first. Once we get that done, I hope it won't take too long for both planets to accept them."

Terrell raised an eyebrow after my comment, and I nodded in understanding.

I seriously doubted my plan would go as well as I hoped, but I couldn't stomach the thought of creating a force of sacrificial pawns. They would have nowhere to go if I didn't find a home for them, and that wasn't something I could let happen while I still breathed.

"I understand, Marvin. It just feels a little naive to think that Earth will just accept us without more than a few people calling us monsters."

I nodded again before shrugging.

"The government gave us a line of bullshit last time to justify their fear. I'm not going to give them that chance this time. We are here, and if I have to twist a few arms off to make that permanent, then that's what will happen."

We both looked over at the entrance to the base as Tina and Rena brought out a smiling man, and I shared a small smile of my own with my best friend. Leaving him to his task, I returned to mine with a bit more hope.

Even if we had to fight for our place once our worlds were safe from the thulu threat, I realized I’d meant every word I’d said.

I would kill for my family, and now that I had the resources to do it on a global scale, I hoped no one in power would test the bounds of my resolve.

Tamira – Belin Kingdom

I frowned as Kiki ran out of the back door to our home after Akasha and I returned from Earth. Stepping back into the eternal summer of Kerxon from the blisteringly cold winds of the Rockies was always a pleasant experience, but the worry on my foxkin’s face wiped that away.

Seeing her frantic expression, I thought another attack was coming and shifted into my humanoid lion form. As my golden mane removed the last bit of the mountain chill, I grew a little warm under the heat of Kerxon’s sun.

Kiki’s short trip across the cobblestone patio that led out from our backdoor gave me just enough time to appreciate my mate’s lithe form.

"Not that kind of fight, handsome. I need you to talk with Seline. She's having issues with our guests."

I frowned after I returned to my usual Kerxon self as my foxkin peacemaker asked me for help with our angelic. Taking a look back at the supplies and weapons we had brought with us, I saw Akasha smirk at me and Kiki.

"I will take care of getting this stuff packed away, husband. Go adjust our angelic's attitude, and I will leave a report on the desk."

I nodded and kissed my princess as she signaled a few of our minja guards to help her get the weapons next to us taken care of. Noting there were several more than the last time I saw them, I heard Kiki's soft chuckle.

"Gant sent a few extra after Jardon messaged him and Holden while we were gone. Jessica and Larisa tried to get them to rest before going on duty, but they wouldn't listen."

I nodded after I saw dust caked on the pants the minotaurs were wearing. Making a mental note to talk to them later, I bobbed my head at my foxkin to lead me to our troubled angelic.

After we walked into our living room holding the last two groups of humans, I smirked once I saw Seline's frustrated expression. I followed her blue eyes to a small group of women standing while their children played on the floor.

"She's doing better now after Jessica talked to her, but the last blow-up was very entertaining."

I smirked at Kiki's less-than-amused tone before I walked over to stand next to Seline. Maintaining my silence as she leaned forward while two of the children tussled, a smile curled the edges of my lips as she took a step forward.

I watched her clench her fists in front of her chest after she returned to her position. Admiring my angelic's concern for the kids, I gently swept a few strands of her silver hair behind her ear before leaning down.

"They aren't going to hurt themselves, you know." I whispered into my angelic's ear.

I suppressed a chuckle at her soft yelp of surprise that did amazing things to her breasts. My angelic turned tempting schoolmarm moved her frown to me, and I inclined my head toward the hallway that led to our office.

"Come on, the littles have plenty of eyes on them, and we need to talk."

I chuckled as Seline hesitated for a moment before holding back a sigh and walking toward the office. I followed behind her, and barely managed to keep myself from massaging her stiff shoulders on the way.

Watching her golden wings flutter as one of the children let out a scream, I smirked as their mother took care of them with a few soothing words.

After I took my seat behind the desk I asked Seline, "do I need to ask why Jessica needed to intervene on you watching the kids like a hawk?"

My angelic kept her silence next to the door for several moments before she let out a long sigh.

"There are several things they can be doing right now besides rolling around on our floor. We have books they can be reading or lessons that can start to be taught before we throw them on another world to remain ignorant and lose what potential they might gain!"

I smiled as Seline walked over to me during her rant and slammed her hands on the desk in front of me. Taking note of her words and not her indignant tone, I smiled and leaned toward her.

"I'm going to let you in on a secret. Whatever the Prophet does to keep more advanced technology from reaching Kerxon doesn't go both ways. Once they are on Earth, I can't say I will let them into a school with the potential for damage that those kids will have."

I smirked at Seline's frown as I spoke the worst of the children playing in our living room. Raising my hand to silence her retort, I glared at my angelic before she nodded for me to continue.

"There are plenty of tools that are more powerful and entertaining than books that they will have access to. I can promise that they will be given a chance to educate themselves, but at the moment, their parents need the peace we are giving them before they start the new lives we are offering."

My angelic's frown didn't evaporate as I had hoped during my statement. Coming at her disagreement from a different angle, I inclined my head at the seat in front of the desk.

I put on a pleasant smile as Seline glared at me for several moments before choosing to comply. I indulged myself for a moment as her breasts bounced after she dropped onto her seat with her frown firmly in place.

Her soft tsk of irritation at my gaze was ruined by the light blush that colored her pale cheeks.

"Seline, what do you know about the internet?"

I waited for a few moments after my question as my angelic froze for a moment. As she pursed her lips in thought, I focused on getting her opinion and not how soft her lips looked.

"Your mates have mentioned it a few times, but I don't see what the amazon has to do with educating those children."

A bark of laughter left me and made Seline's eyes widen as I imagined the angleic's education on what the internet was coming from online shopping. I held up my hand as Seline's expression turned furious as though she thought I was making fun of her. I wiped the tears from my eyes before sighing.

"The Amazon isn't all the internet is. There are quite a few sites that have material we can use instead of books and such. I know Than has quite a few tablets that we can download some apps on for the kids. What I want to know is why their education is so important to you."

I saw Seline's expression grow pained before she locked her intense blue gaze on mine.

"Do you plan on forcing those children to fight?"

My eyebrows rose of their own accord after my angelic's question. Giving her a firm "no" in response, I calmed my anger with her for even making that assumption.

"Good. Then if and when their parents die trying to save the world they live on, they will need skills and sharp minds to make a way for themselves."

I was a little taken aback by how Seline’s macabre comment mirrored my earlier thoughts.

“I hate war, Marvin. I hate it! I have trained so many good men and women only to watch them fight and die for patches of dirt they would have never seen again!”

I leaned forward to comfort my angelic as she shook her head in denial of whatever visions flew through her mind. The fury in her expression stopped me as her silver hair created a halo around her head.

“I won’t let those children become cast off waifs after their parents die! If I must fight everyone in this house to keep that from happening, I will hang myself with a smile as long as those babies have a bright life ahead of them!”

I did get up from my seat this time as Seline’s eyes began to fill with tears. Surrounding her in my arms as she hugged herself and fought back tears, my chest vibrated with her muffled scream of repressed anger.

I rocked my conflicted angelic gently as her hands slipped around my sides. As she balled the back of my shirt in her fists, I rubbed her back below the base of her wings.

“I don’t know what to do with myself, Marvin. I don’t want to train warriors anymore to go off to fight and die! I don’t want to watch their children starve because some king or ruler wants to own another stretch of land.”

I nodded gently into Seline’s shoulder as she let out another angry scream. Nodding at Kiki and Judith after they peeked around the corner of the doorway, I focused on calming my angelic down after they left.

“I can’t promise that those kids won’t become orphans. I know some of my people are going to die in the next few months. What I can promise is that I will do everything in my power to make sure they are taken care of.”

Seline’s slow nod against my chest was poor comfort for the reality we were faced with.

“I know you are doing your best, Marvin, but it still hurts to see their little faces knowing that some of them will be left alone once the inevitable happens to most of them.”

My angelic’s comment caused me to smile a little, and I lifted her chin with my finger forcing her to face me.

“I said some of them might die. I am not going to play by Kerxon’s rules. I have access to weapons that will make the battles you have fought in seem tame by comparison. If I have to drag a tank through an emblem portal to save a life, then I will.”

After my statement, I saw confusion replace Seline’s furious expression.

“What’s a tank?”

My smile widened as I changed my plans for the day.

“Have you ever used explosives?” I asked.

“Yes, they work for the most part, but you have to be close to your opponent to use them.”

I nodded in understanding as Seline’s worry gave way to her curiosity.

“A tank is a bulletproof, explosion-proof fortress on wheels. While I don’t have one right now, I have the weapons we use on Earth to destroy them. I have a plan, Seline. It won’t come without some deaths, but I promise you most of the children that we are giving a new life to will get to enjoy it with their families intact.”

I saw a bit of disbelief color my angelic’s beautiful face as I explained the difference between warfare on Kerxon and Earth. The primary expression that Seline’s face held as I kissed her forehead gently was trust.

Their 1920s technology had no comparison to what I would make available to us. My words held my confidence in that fact, and I was glad my angelic trusted me enough to believe them.

Lifting her from her seat with my arms around her, I smirked at my foxkin spying on us around the edge of the doorway.

“Kiki, you feel like taking the next group to Earth in my place?”

I chuckled as Seline realized we were being watched and tried to pull away from me. As my foxkin nodded hesitantly, I kept my gentle grasp on my angelic.

“No, you don’t get to run off now and miss the fun. You, Seline, are going with our mate and getting an education on Earth technology. Seeing is believing, and I want you to believe me when I say there is a way to save most of our people.”

I held Seline’s blue eyes for several moments after my statement until she turned her face away from me and blushed.

“It’s ok to like it, Seline. What do you want me to do with her, handsome?”

I smiled as my angelic’s blush grew after Kiki’s lingering kiss hardened me against Seline’s stomach. Tightening the embrace I had loosened once I noticed her discomfort, I kept my smug smirk to myself after my angelic remained in my arms.

Her soft yelp as I let myself enjoy her breasts pressed against me for the first time made me want to hold her tighter. Hoping that dream would come true one day, I focused on Seline's education in modern warfare.

"Talk to Than once you get to Earth and have him connect one of the tablets to the internet for Seline. I want her to see what we have available to us and see if we can find some offline games for the kids there to play."

After Kiki's smile and nod, I released my angelic. Holding Seline's hand for a moment as my foxkin started to pull her out of the room, I nodded at her mouthed "thank you" before taking my seat with a groan.

Left with nothing to do for the next few hours, I smiled at my wolfkin as she brought me a bowl of delicious-smelling stew. I deepened the quick kiss she tried to give me.

After she hummed happily into it while gently pushing the bowl out of the way, I slipped my tongue into her mouth with a smirk and got ready to make effective use of my free time.

Chapter 3

TAMIRA – BELIN REGION

I chuckled as Judith smacked my ass in passing while she carried a load of blankets. Licking my lips as the scent of her heat made me want to reenact our short liaison in the office, I lifted the bag I had finished packing.

"Here you go, love." I said as I handed her the pack.

My wolfkin's "thank you, my alpha" came with a quick peck on my cheek. It also came with a squeeze to my ass that I paid back with a smack to hers.

Smiling as she giggled and jumped out of the range of my next one, I glanced at the work we had managed to do throughout our game of grab-ass.

The packs next to our bedroom door were filled with spare clothes, toiletries, and other assorted odds and ends my mates had missed after our rush to Earth. Hoping never to have to use the break-out bags, I smiled as my lioness walked into our room.

"That looks like just enough stuff to last us a few days. Thanks, Judith."

After Judith smiled and nodded, I took the kiss Jessica gave me. Sliding my arms around my lioness, I chuckled after she grabbed my ass.

"What? It’s so nice and firm, babe! It kind of sucked when you got stuck not to be able to play around. I'm glad you were able to fix it."

I smiled as Jessica rubbed her face against my chest after her comment. Placing a kiss on the top of her head, I sighed as I thought about the cause of my full shift.

"I'm glad to be back too, babe. How's Larisa doing? I haven't seen her since I've been back."

After my question, I saw Jessica's smile drop a little. The frown that tried to replace it concerned me a little.

"She is helping the twin's replacements right now. She seems to be doing better, but she has been glancing over her shoulder at every little sound."

I sighed as I moved to kiss the top of my lioness's head once again. Jessica surprised me by tilting her head back and placing her lips against mine.

"Don't think you can run off and fix her, babe. It will take some time for her to get back to normal. We need to make sure we are here when she wants us. Larisa is the one who needs to work this out. We are here for her to lean on, ok."

I nodded slowly as my lioness held me with her yellow eyes for a few moments.

"Good. Now," Jessica said before trailing off as a minja dropped in front of our window. I released my mate to walk over and open it to get her report.

"My prince, we have located the culprit of the attack." The minja said after my attention turned to her.

I smiled toothily while waiting for Itorin's name to slip from the minja's mask-covered lips.

"It seems that Dobber made some suggestions to the guard rotation after lying about a monster sighting."

After the minja mentioned our stable master, my eyebrows furrowed. Raising my hand to end her report, I glanced back at my two mates.

The fury written on both of their faces matched the ember of rage growing inside of me.

The bearkin had been with us since before Tamira got its name. His betrayal stung.

"Is there any information about why he chose to do this?"

I managed to keep my tone calm as I asked my question.

Some of my anger must have made it into my expression as I saw the minja's brown eyes fill with fear.

"No, my prince. I have reported what we have gathered so far. I can rejoin the group and come back with more as we find it."

I felt the wood frame around the window whine under my hand as I gave the minotaur a definitive shake of my head.

"Go back with the others and figure out who pulled Dobber's strings. I will handle him myself."

The minja nodded and lept back up to our roof as I jumped out of the window. I caught a bit of Jessica and Judith's astounded comments before their voices were lost to the winds streaming past me.

Reaching Dobber's home attached to the stables a few minutes later, I inhaled deeply to calm myself.

My knock on the bearkin's door was much softer than I had intended as I tried to keep from knocking the barrier down to having my questions answered. I repeated the knock a little firmer this time and waited.

The surprise on Dobber's tanned face as he answered the door sent a deep rumble through my chest. Abandoning my attempt to speak calmly with the bearkin, I grabbed him by the throat.

Shifting into my hybrid lion form as I walked into his home, I slammed the door behind me.

"Why?"

My question rumbled out of my chest as the bearkin struggled to breathe in my grip. Asking it once more while my lion called for us to end the threat to our pride, I dropped the snake hanging from my fist to the floor of his home.

"You have three seconds to answer my question, Dobber, or I will paint your home's walls with your blood and guts."

After making my demand with my knee on the bearkin's chest, he answered breathlessly "They have my sister." I growled in irritation then leaned down to hold the bearkin's terrified brown eyes with mine.

"Do you think he is lying, big guy?"

I saw Dobber's fearful expression take on a decidedly confused cast as I conversed with my lion. The bearkin's declaration had been convincing enough that I didn't want to kill him out of hand.

If what Dobber had said was true and the emblem council had taken his sister, I would help the bearkin as I had told him the day before. After we took a deep inhale of Dobber's scent, the shake my lion made with our head answered my question.

"Get up and tell me everything. Your life depends on it."

I made my demand after rising from my kneeling position on the bearkin's chest and took a seat on one of the chairs in his living room. As Dobber got up slowly, watching me the whole time, I glared at him the entire time he explained his actions.

After the bearkin confirmed my suspicions that the emblem council had abducted his sister to force him to follow their demands, I growled at him.

I could understand his conflicted feelings, and I was less surprised that his betrayal didn't erase his part in the gromonix's devotion magic. The council's attack was initially a full-scale assault by "bandits" left over from Mvargas's men.

Dobber had convinced Itorin that a smaller attack would have been more successful. I glanced at the minja hiding in the shadows of the bearkin's home then nodded for the man to deliver his information to Gant.

"We are going to provide you with some information to deliver to the council until we locate your sister. You could have come to me with this, Dobber."

After my comment, I growled again in irritation with the bearkin. His slow nod while he stared at the ground between his knees infuriated me further.

"You will find time to speak with Larisa before the week is over. I would make you do it today, but it seems the minotaur's attempts to rid us of spies weren't as successful as we had hoped. If my mate wants you dead, then that is what will be, and I will still save your sister due to your loyalty up until now."

I rose from my seat while returning to my usual form and ignored Dobber's soft "thank you" as I left his home. Putting on a smile as I felt eyes all around me following my path home, I hoped my plan would work.

My seroci's pain was due to Itorin trying and succeeding to abduct a hostage as they had tried with Steve. I was going to make them pay for trying that method and hurting one of the most important people in my life.

My smile, while I waved at a few of my citizens, became more real, and I thought about what we would do to the council once we found them.

Arriving back home a short while later, I kissed my wolfkin mate after I walked through our back door. I smiled at Kiki, Celeste, and Jessica as they chatted at our kitchen table before making my way to our office.

Following the scent of my seroci and princess, I smirked as the pair looked over a report at our desk.

"Hello, husband. Did you get what you needed from Dobber?"

I nodded in response to my princess's question and lifted my seroci from her seat. Taking it and kissing her, then Akasha, I skimmed over the report.

"So, we have confirmed the council hasn't had any contact with Earth since I spoke with the grominix the first time?"

Sliding my hand along Larisa's hip as she and Akasha nodded, I set the report aside. I wanted more of my lion army created and trained before the next step in our plan - bringing the other kingdoms into the fold.

"Contact Gant and have him send out a few groups looking for the emblem council's hiding spot. They have Dobber's sister and are using her as leverage. Also, find a few harmless secrets we can give him to placate Itorin until we find his nest."

After I made my request to my princess, I smiled as she kissed me and ran her fingers through my hair.

"As my husband commands."

Gazing at Akasha's brown eyes as I could smell her arousal, I smirked after she turned around and made a show of leaving to carry out my "commands."

"Did you two have fun on Earth, love?"

I nodded and made an affirmative noise in response to Larisa's question. Leaning my head against her shoulder while I enjoyed her presence and warmth against my side, I sighed as I began to languish for a bit too long.

"I can't wait until we beat this and have nothing to do all day besides eat, sleep, and fuck."

I smiled as Larisa giggled at my complaint before kissing the side of my head.

"We manage well enough right now, my lion."

I nodded in response to my mate's statement before kissing her delicate hand.

"I forgot to tell you during your last stopover, my father messaged me back."

My eyebrows rose a little after Larisa's comment. I hadn't expected much from her letter to them, and by the mild excitement in her tone, my seroci had gotten good news.

"What did he say?"

I placed the letter my mate tried to hand me after my question face down on our desk. Waiting for her to tell me her feelings before I read it, I returned her smile before she sighed.

"He says he is proud of me for, and I quote, ‘wringing those nobles dry.’ I'm not sure how to take his praise. Daddy isn't known for praising those who gain their status on the backs of others. I have been sitting on his letter for days feeling like a fraud."

I frowned at my mate at the end of her comment. Giving her a skeptically raised eyebrow as I picked up her father's letter, I felt better about her mood after she giggled at my expression.

As I read the letter, I dismissed her worries over her father's ideas about how she became a baroness. Polic Urik's intelligence about the ongoings of Tamira seemed to be very thorough, and I was surprised that he hadn't mentioned me having an emblem in my possession.

My eyes widened a bit as he mentioned his hopes for grandchildren. After a passage in his letter that specifically noted our conversation from the first time my seroci spoke about contacting him, I chuckled.

That passage also held a message for me, and I got a very gangster vibe from it after reading the thinly veiled threat about taking care of his little girl. It did fit, I assumed.

Urik, named for the family, was a bastion of excess, and I was sure Polic might have broken some legs in his youth.

"I'm glad I have passed his test. Do you think daddy will send us some help with our purple monster problem?"

The response I got to my question was very much not the one I expected.

Larisa bursting out laughing was far from the simple nod or shake of her head unexpected. I waited out her amusement as tears sprung from her pink eyes, and she hugged her stomach.

Enjoying the show that her bouncing breasts put on as my seroci's shoulders shook, I smiled expectantly as her mirth petered off.

"Daddy wouldn't lift a finger to help the other kingdoms if they had a knife to his neck. He might send help if the other kingdoms fell just to pull their asses out of the fire, but by then, it will be too late."

I nodded in understanding and smiled as I found another use for some gangsters.

"Saving Kerxon is out then, but I think if we can get him on board with helping takeover Kerxon Mining, his particular skills might come in handy."

My smile widened as I watched my mate's eyes widen.

"That just might work, my lion. I can certainly slip that opportunity into my next letter, but are we going to be ready for him if he massages us back with a yes?"

"We are, I guess. Than has kept up his surveillance on Kerxon Mining, so we should have enough soon to at least do a hostile takeover. All of that is still in the works, though. So, while we wait, how are we twisting, uh, what's his face in Verto's arm?"

After Larisa nodded in understanding, I chuckled along with my seroci before she kissed me.

"I think my lion has let his power get to his head. King Thmir is the name you are looking for, husband. A name held by an arrogant angelic who isn't going to bend easily to our whims."

Shrugging after Larisa's response, I pulled over another report from our minjas.

"If I can't convince him to help me save the world from the thulu, then I can use," I trailed off for a moment while I skimmed over the report.

"His son Thrad is next in line and seems to have an issue keeping his liaisons with a rival kingdom's princess secret. I don't blame him, though. It's sweet that their friendship became more."

Thrad and the princess's little romance was endearing if dumb. Childhood sweethearts expressing their love despite their father's hatred of each other sounded like a Disney movie.

They might or might not get their happy ending depending on Thmir's response to my request for aid.

"If I can't convince Thmir to help us with the thulu, he might have to visit Earth, permanently, and we can persuade the love birds to help us."

I set down the report with a small smile as my minjas and Thrad's tastes in women put us in a tentative position of power.

"That might work, my love, but speaking of babies, when am I going to get my chance at having yours?"

My train of thought derailed, exploded, and burned to the ground as I turned to look at my smiling mate. Her gentle kiss on my raised eyebrows ended with her lips next to my ear.

"I haven't taken anything since we got back. Whatever shall I do if my lion decides to make use of that little fact?"

I fought my lion's desire to increase the number of our pride by one for all of two seconds before I stood up from my chair. Larisa's happy yelp of surprise as I lifted her in my arms made me smile as I captured her lips.

We made quick work of our clothes as the thought of Larisa carrying my child hardened me in seconds.

I laid her down on the desk in front of us before filling my seroci with one long thrust. As I took my time taking advantage of my mate's fertile state, I listened to Larisa's moans of pleasure while I placed my seed repeatedly deep inside of her.

Verto – Belin Region

"It shouldn't be taking this long to get an audience, especially with the thulu bits we brought with us!"

I glared at the doorway to our quarters after my scathing comment. Another day of waiting on an audience with Thmir had begun.

Despite our lavish accommodations, the slight of waiting a week now to see the king of Verto was almost more than I could bear.

The thulu we had carved up and brought with us was one of ten we had killed since leaving Tamira. Looking back at my lioness, Akasha, and Celeste, I growled playfully at their smirks directed at me.

I couldn't find it in myself to be angry with them after their second time distracting me that morning.

"This is just how it is, husband. The kingdoms don't want to admit they are facing a credible threat if a town as small as Tamira can handle the thulu independently. Kirkton had their scapegoat with Seline, which might also be the problem."

After my princess's comment, I nodded as I licked my lips.

Her shrug after she finished did amazing things to her breasts, or what I could see of them. Jessica's curves took up much of the view as she slept against our princess's massive assets.

I shivered with desire as I watched a drop of my cum leave my lioness's well fucked pussy before I looked over at my similarly exhausted panthkin.

Celeste might not have joined in on Akasha, Jessica, and my threesome, but she had thoroughly enjoyed me afterward. Wondering if Akasha was up for another round to help us pass the time, I smirked after she chuckled at my rapidly hardening dick.

"I think four times each is enough for the moment, husband. Would you accept an alternative method of passing the time?"

I shrugged before nodding at my mate's question. Walking over to her and kissing her smiling lips, I slid a finger into my lioness. Kissing her gaping mouth as I woke her up with my plunging fingers, I chuckled at the shiver that went through her body.

"Hello, sleepy head. Akasha said I used you three a little too much and that we should spar to help me burn off some energy. What do you think? More sex or a tumble on the royal training grounds?"

I smiled as Jessica's yellow eyes widened as she fought to answer my question. Watching her grab hold of the nearest part of Akasha that she could reach as she came for me, I nodded after she gasped out, "Training."

I kissed the back of my lioness's neck while she held on to our princess's soft breast as I pulled my fingers from her. As I moved to wake up Celeste in a similarly pleasant fashion, I was sorely tempted to stain Thmir's sheets further as Jessica and Akasha shared a kiss.

The King might have placed me on the back burner, but he would hear me out, nonetheless. How many sheets and blankets he would have to burn afterward was up to him.

Placing my foot in the path of Akasha's training hatchet a few hours later, I grasped Celeste's sword arm by her wrist. Driving her wooden sword into the dirt, I swayed out of the way of my lioness's strike to my back on one foot.

I grimaced as I tried and barely managed to keep my feet in the precarious position I found myself in. Pushing Akasha's hatchet away while I rolled over my hand on Celeste's sword, I grasped Jessica's sword arm as she tried to thrust it into my back.

My mates fell like dominos while I landed lightly on my feet. I gave them a toothy grin with my long, sharp teeth in my hybrid lion form before walking over to help them up.

"I should have picked the sex. At least I could take a nap directly after you were done with me."

After her comment, as she got to her feet, I kissed my lioness's frowning lips.

"Then you would have been awake longer."

After my smug comment, I dodged Jessica's playful swing at me. I chuckled as she stuck her tongue out at me while I helped my other mates to their feet.

"I almost had you, husband."

I nodded at my princess after her comment.

As usual, Akasha showed her skill during our sparring session. If the block I had made with my foot had been off even by an inch, I might have ended up as I did with Mvargas.

I was stronger and faster than I had been with the dead panthkin, though. The boost in power my angelic gave me closed the distance severely between my princess's skill and my abilities.

"And you wanted me to train you?"

Kissing the top of Celeste's head after she gained her feet, I groaned playfully after she punched me in the ribs.

"And I still do. I'm not going to say no to the male fantasy of fucking my trainer."

I got another punch to the ribs for my comment, along with a kiss on my cheek. Grabbing a handful of my sexy panthkin's ass as payback for the two punches, I groaned as a messenger called my name.

"I think they were waiting until we were done just to spoil my fun."

After my comment, I sighed and turned to greet the foxkin messenger.

"Lord Marvin, King Thmir is awaiting your presence in his chambers."

My eyebrows raised of their own accord as I was first addressed by my proper title and then offered a private meeting with Thmir. Looking over at my mates, I returned Jessica and Celeste's smiles.

Akasha's smile was less pleased, and I leaned into her caution as I turned my attention back to the messenger.

"If you will tell the king thank you for his prompt audience, my mates and I will shower, dress, and meet him in his chambers."

I acknowledged the messenger's quick bow with a nod of my head before the foxkin ran off. Pursing my lips in thought as I examined the reasons why Thmir would request a meeting in his chambers instead of his audience hall, I shrugged.

"Let's get dressed and ready for a fight if need be. I think Thmir is going to try and play our little purple gift off as a joke. Akasha, bring our leverage so we can twist some seroci arms."

I smiled as my mates filled my offered arms as we walked back toward our room.

Showered, dressed, and sadly not pleased a half hour later, I smirked at the guards outside Thmir's chambers.

The two bearkins had tried to intimidate me with their height and size while we waited for Thmir to let us in. A quick shift had ended that daydream from the two men.

"The king will see you now."

After Thmir's chamberlain poked his head out of the king's chambers, I smirked again at the two guards before following my mates in. Leering a little at their curves in their form-fitting dresses, I chuckled lightly as Celeste frowned at the hem of her dress.

"Isn't it nice to be on top?"

I smiled as my bodyguard turned mate muttered, "only in bed," in response to my whispered question. Wrangling my panthkin into a dress had been equal parts frustrating and tempting.

Her curves, along with Jessica and Akasha's, could stop traffic if there were any in the room. My lioness had plenty of her long legs on display in a silver dress with a slit running down its side.

My princess's black dress showed off a great deal of brown cleavage that warred with her plush ass for my attention. Sliding my arms around her slim waist as Thmir glared at us, I smiled at the angelic before giving him a respectful bow.

"I am glad you decided to see us, Thmir. I hope you have taken our warning to heart and are ready to send aid."

After my greeting, I gave the king a genuine smile.

Despite his glare, I still hoped we could come to an agreement without having to force him to do what I wanted.

"I have spoken to both Terr and the commander of our forces. The thulu'griff do pose a credible threat to our way of life, and Verto will be sending aid to Kirkton, Tamira, and the minotaur kingdom."

My smile as the angelic took a breath was a little strained. We had gotten what we wanted from Thmir, but I knew it would come at a cost.

"I am man enough to give you my thanks, Lord Marvin, for placing such inalienable evidence of the thulu'griff in front of my court. That proof of the monster's existence, plus the havoc they reeked in Kirkton, has swayed most of my nobles into action. They have placed a condition on that action, though."

I crossed my arms as the "but" I was waiting for revealed itself.

"They, as well as I, are calling for the return of Seline Demarch so that she may be given proper punishment for her failure."

I cut off Thmir with an uncompromising "no" before he could finish his sentence. Canting my head to the side as he tried to start speaking again, some measure of my lion trying to show itself held the angelic’s tongue.

"Seline is mine and has accepted her servitude in exchange for an unjust punishment placed on her head. I will not be handing her over to anyone. She has been through enough."

Raising my hand as Jessica readied herself to cut into the fuming angelic, I gave my furious mate a smile of thanks after she leaned against me instead. I glanced at my other mates while Jessica worked out her anger by massaging my arm.

Akasha's smug smile was mirrored on Celeste's brown features. Smirking as my mates turned back to look at Thmir, I sighed.

"It's either you tell your nobles to shove it and accept Seline's decision, or when the actual attack from the thulu comes, don't come running to Tamira looking for help."

As I waited for Thmir's response, I fingered the documents in my pocket that would turn this discussion into a demand.

"I can't just readily disregard a demand from my nobles. Is having an angelic in your bed that much more important than saving your home from ruin, baron?"

After Thmir attempted to paint me as a lecher just looking to add to my harem, I barked out a laugh.

I held the angelic's level gaze for a moment as my mates scoffed at his insinuation.

"If and when Seline chooses to join me in our bed, Thmir, I will send you pictures so you can enjoy whatever fantasy you have going on. Until then, she is still what she always has been since she placed herself in my care, someone that was cast aside by her king and framed by the emblem council."

I growled in irritation as my comment about the council caused a condescending smile to grow on Thmir's pale features. The angelic didn't believe my assertions and my minjas were still at work finding irrefutable proof of their meddling.

Proving the existence of the council was going to take some work. Until then, I had a big enough stick to get Thmir's head turned in the right direction.

"Smile all you like, Thmir. The kingdom of Kansk might love to hear how your son, Thrad, keeps tripping and falling into their princess's puss every time he happens to get near their borders."

I walked toward the frowning angelic as I spoke and placed the report and visual proof of my allegation in his lap. As I waited for the king to rifle through the document and pictures I gave him, I hoped I wasn't starting a war we couldn't afford.

I was a little surprised as Thmir handed back the pictures with a long sigh.

"My son is an idiot when it comes to that woman. They were friends long ago before my relations with Alara's father soured. I can't allow an insipid war caused by children to allow my kingdom to end up like Kirkton. You will have your aid, baron, as long as that remains a secret."

I nodded my understanding as Thmir pointed at the documents he had handed back to me. Placing them back in my pocket, I offered the king of Verto my hand to shake.

"I have a family of my own to protect along with the rest of Kerxon. I promise that I will do everything I can to keep their relationship a secret."

I released Thmir's hand after he shook it and walked back to my mates.

"There are several of my nobles that will balk at their demands not being met while they travel far away from their homes to fight monsters capable of leveling a city."

I smirked at Thmir's comment before looking back over my shoulder.

"It would be a shame for them to die in such a place, but their lives are worth saving our world from ruin."

After Thmir nodded his agreement with my statement, I forcefully kept a smile off my face. With the kings blessing and a little research on who he would be sending to help us with the thulu, I had another choice besides listening to their complaints.

"Shall we return home, husband?"

I nodded at my princess as she gave me a knowing look.

She and my minjas had just been handed a bit more work onto their already full plate. Kissing her hand while Jessica and Celeste led us back toward our quarters, I saw by her hungry smile that my princess and her minions were up to the task.

Chapter 4

BELIN REGION

Three months later

I growled to myself as I chased down the ass end of a fleeing thulu through the forest a few dozen miles from my town.

The past few months had flown by in a flash as I kept getting pulled away from my home and mates by the increased thulu sightings. This one was the worst so far with over twenty of the monsters roaming the countryside between Tamira and Kirkton wreaking havoc.

I drove my ax through one of the thulu's back legs after finally reaching it. Cleaving through the one beside it as the monster stumbled, I grimaced as I caught sight of one of its tentacles flying at me.

Jessica's shout of "got it, babe" as she carved the purple limb into a spray of purple muck made me chuckle. My lioness rushed back past me with a quick kiss on my cheek toward the rest of the fighting.

Making quick work of the thulu with my increased strength and speed, I crushed another tentacle it sent my way as I drove my ax through its sternum. I rolled quickly out of the splash zone as the alien monster shivered in its death throes.

Turning my heel as the thulu popped behind me, I sighed as I saw the mess I was running into.

Thmir and Terr had been good on their word about sending reinforcements our way. Forcing them to do it hadn't been worth it, though.

"Lord Marvin! Did you catch your stray cat while we were handling the rest of these monsters?"

I ignored Samirl's question, a seroci noble from Thmir's court, as I stepped toward a group of his men struggling with a single thulu. Pushing a bearkin aside and out of the way of a reaching tentacle, I severed the leg the man had been cutting at with a single strike of my ax.

"Pick one spot and let the others watch your back, ok?"

I offered the fuming bearkin a hand as the rest of his group followed my lead. As they struck with precision instead of speed, the wounds they inflicted on their target stopped healing fast enough to keep their prey alive.

"Thank you, Lord Marvin."

I bobbed my head at the bearkin after his thanks. I watched him join the rest of Samirl's men and, for once, had nothing to do since we rushed out to stem the tide of monstrous purple bodies.

I took a moment to enjoy the sight of Jessica, Akasha, Celeste, and Seline ganging up on their two thulus. The dance my lioness and angelic were performing across the backs of the monsters was entertainment enough.

They swapped positions every few seconds and treated me to my first look at a frustrated thulu. Runner blurred in Jessica's hand as her thulu tried to sweep her off its back with half a dozen tentacles.

The futile action only gained it as many stumps pulled back. Seline was a blur of flitting wings and silver sword as her thulu tried the same tactic with similar results.

Akasha and my panthkin were also making a show of their cooperation, taking on both monsters at once.

My princess's hatchets were a blur of chopping, slicing, and force while Celeste ducked and dodged under and around their thulu. I nodded with a great deal of pride as the two switched thulus seamlessly as one of them tried to run off.

As Akasha brought that one down, Celeste peeled off from her and kept the other thulu's attention. I turned to gaze over the torn-up road as one of their thulu popped.

I frowned a little as I imagined what the hemix's actual invasion force would do to the landscape of the place I called home. As the second thulu my mates were fighting died and added its purple goo to the rest, I hoped my plan to deal with the thulu would work.

I rolled my eyes after a few gunshots echoed from Samirl's joyous men as we finished the last of the thulu.

Those weapons were almost useless. We found out after returning from Verto. The first large group of ten thulu had taken an astronomical number of bullets to take down.

Down ten crates of ammunition after taking down the group, I had altered Than's instructions to get me something a little more explosive.

After the next alien incursion, I tested a grenade launcher with much better results. It had only taken one or two of them down the thulu's throat to kill the creatures.

The expense and difficulty in getting them on Earth put that plan on the invasion backburner. Dealing with the monsters with blades and muscle was a bit more work, but it would suffice until we had a stockpile of explosives to throw at them.

"Are we camping here tonight, baby?"

After Celeste's question, I shook my head. Glancing over at Samril's raucous men, I doubted we would get a moment of peace.

"No, we are sleeping in our bed tonight, sexy."

I smirked after my panthkin exclaimed, "sleeping?" before kissing me.

"Who's getting sleep tonight, babe?" Jessica asked as she, Akasha, and Seline joined us.

"No one, I guess. I'm not complaining, mind you."

As my mates giggled at my more than excited expression, I noted Seline's small smile at me.

My angelic had enjoyed the mix of teaching the younger lions along with joining us on the thulu raids. What she hadn't enjoyed yet was me, though my mates kept me more than satisfied.

"You going to fly back, Seline, or are you going to join us on our ride?"

I watched my angelic give Jessica's question a bit of thought before folding her golden wings on her back.

"I think I will ride, Jessica. Trying to keep up with you is tiring."

After Seline's response, I chuckled along with my mates.

Looking over at the seroci noble's still celebrating group, I shifted into my full lion form as Akasha returned to her human one. After my mates and angelic climbed onto my back, I heard Jessica whisper something in Seline's ear.

My angelic's cry of playful outrage followed her slap on my lioness's arm as I ran toward our home. Listening to my mates’ chat while my long strides ate up the few hours of travel back home, I hoped the next time the thulu raided I could trust the forces Thmir and Terr sent to take care of them.

I heard another wasted bullet sound behind me, and that hope died a little.

Tamira – Belin kingdom

"Enter!"

Answering the gentle knock on my window as I went over the latest delivery of explosives from Than, I looked up in surprise as I saw Gant climb into my window.

"I'm not sure what happened that brought the Grand Master to my office, but it's good to see you, Gant."

After Gant bowed slowly in response to my greeting, I returned the minja's bow with a smile.

"It is good to see you too, my prince. I believe the Earth term goes like this. We got them."

I gave the smiling Grand Master a curious smile of my own before realization hit me like a truck.

They had finally found the Emblem Council's location!

I barked out a laugh before rifling through the papers on my desk. Pulling out the map of the cave Celeste had mentioned hearing rumors about, I smiled as Gant confirmed them with a finger.

"She was indeed right, my prince. There is evidence of recent habitation there. We have left the documents we found in that cave where they were to allay suspicion. What we did find, and were able to learn discreetly, was that the council did try and abduct your father and frame Seline."

My smile grew with each confirmation Gant gave me. Rising from my seat, ready to wring Itorin's scrawny, wrinkled neck, I frowned after Gant's expression grew pensive.

"I would caution you against immediate action, my prince. None of the council members were present though we did locate Dobber's sister, Krissy. She is being held in acceptable accommodations, and our harmless gifts to the council have assured her safety."

After Gant's suggestion, I nodded and took my seat.

I sighed as the old panthkin lived to see another day while I jotted down a few notes on a scrap of paper.

"Thank you, Gant, for the prompt report, and if you could see this gets to Dobber?., I hope you enjoyed your trip to Earth."

I returned Gant's smile as the minja took the paper holding the details of Krissy's status for Dobber. As the Grand Master tucked it away in a swift, practiced motion I almost missed, I smirked after he hummed happily.

"Terrell is a great host, as well as his mates. The ordinance you requested should be close to the necessary levels for another shipment soon."

I nodded at the minja before he walked back to my office window and disappeared.

A few days after Gant's visit, I gave my foxkin a curious look as we passed a food stall. Her deep even breaths and slightly pale features worried me a little.

Her, Larisa, and Judith, as well as Celeste, had come down with something that was kicking their asses for the past week and a half.

"You want some water, love?"

Kiki's vigorous shake of her head was followed by her swallowing down whatever her stomach had tried to get rid of. Listening to Jessica's gag afterward, I chuckled as Seline giggled at my lioness.

"I don't think I could keep it down, handsome. Thanks, though."

After her response, I nodded as my foxkin leaned against me.

Steering us away from the smell of food, I almost asked Kiki if she wanted to head home.

Our outing wasn't more than an attempt to gauge the temperature of our town. The last town meeting had been filled with my citizens expressing their worry over the increased sightings of thulu close to our home.

Thmir and Terr's small armies did an excellent job calming some of those worries, but their numbers were slowly thinning. The first large group of hotheads that ended up as thulu chow brought the others in line, but fewer men returned than went out.

I looked around with a smile as my foxkin inhaled my scent and sighed happily. My smile widened a bit as Seline slid her arm into mine.

My relationship with my angelic had improved in the months since I told Thmir to go fuck himself and leave my angelic alone.

Seline had been much more apt to place herself on my arm or hug me when I returned home from a raid. I still hadn't tasted my angelic's soft lips, but I was beginning to crave her touch as much as my other mates.

Kissing my lioness after she leaned against my back while we waited for a cart to cross in front of us, I returned her happy smile.

"Let's head home, babe. Everyone looks like they are doing as well as they can, and I am starting to get hungry."

I chuckled as Jessica's suggestion caused Kiki to dry heave.

After we got moving again, I led my mates toward our home as Jessica gently rubbed our foxkin's back.

"Would some Motrin help you out, love?" I asked Kiki.

"No, it would be bad for me, handsome. I will be ok. I just need to lay down for a while."

After my mate's response, I nodded and smiled when she took another deep inhale of my scent.

Reaching our home after a leisurely walk back, I left my foxkin in Jessica's capable hands after I caught the unmistakable scent of a minja in my home.

"Do you want me to come with you?"

After Seline's question, I disregarded my first response and gave my angelic a smile and nod. My smile widened as she leaned against me while we walked toward Gant's scent.

Following it to the office, a thrill ran through me as Seline kissed me before leaving me with Larisa and the Grand Master.

My seroci's giggle as our angelic walked off, blushing furiously, was accompanied by Gant's chuckle.

"It took her long enough, my lion. The Grand Master and I were just finishing up a very interesting report."

After her comment, I turned my attention from my angelic's ass in her tight leather pants to my baroness. Walking into our office with a nod of greeting at Gant, I kissed my mate. Her soft exhale of nausea as I picked her up to sit in my lap worried me a little.

After she gave me a comforting smile and kiss on my cheek, I turned my attention to Gant.

"The mistress and I were just conversing about how to best take advantage of the Council meeting taking place in a few weeks. I would be happy to hear your thoughts on this, my prince."

After the Grand Master's great news, the smile it had caused widened as I put some thought into what I was going to do to Itorin and his accomplices.

The old panthkin couldn't have tried to interfere with my efforts to protect Kerxon by himself at every turn the past few months. I saw a smirk curl on the minotaur's lips as a rumble of pleasure sounded in my chest.

The Emblem Council was my last little stepping stone to ramping up my defense for what was coming. Looking at my seroci relaxing against my chest, I kissed the spot just below one of her gently curving horns.

"Do we have enough explosives stockpiled to drop a cave on their heads, my love?"

Larisa's soft groan as she leaned over to pull out a report from the pile of papers in front of us was accompanied by her other hand over her stomach. Hoping that the medicine Jessica had brought from Earth last week was helping her, Judith, Celeste, and Kiki get over whatever bug they had caught, I smiled and took the paper from my seroci.

"There is enough there to level a city block, my lion. I think we can handle a cave or five filled with suicidal idiots."

I nodded at my mate's estimation of our destructive power as I read over the report. Running my free hand along her dress-covered hip, I looked up from the document at Gant.

"Have the radios been working well enough to rely on?"

Gant's nod after my question made me want to run off and end the Council at once.

Kerxon's 1920s technology worked well enough in the larger cities and if I wanted to run telephone lines all the way out into the desert. The minja's little trick to get around the gromonix's aversion to technology offered me other options, though.

"Yes, my prince. We have set up relay stations throughout the region. We will know the second the council arrives."

After Gant's response, I nodded with a smile at the minja. Chuckling a little as my seroci began to nod off in my arms, I returned Gant's smirk.

"We will prepare the cave for our visitors, my prince. I will take my leave so the mistress can rest."

I gave the Grand Master a nod and followed his path out of the office after he rose from his seat. Kissing Larisa's forehead as my mate slept on my chest, I chuckled after she snuggled into it.

I figured a nap was in order after my exciting morning, and I hoped my foxkin had made it to our bed. As I walked to our room and her tail curled around my waist, I smiled.

I kissed her again gently before inhaling her scent.

Falling deeper in love with my mates over the past few months, I repeated that action more often. Something about it had become more intoxicating and made me want them even more.

Tempering my desire as we reached our room, I quietly chuckled after I saw Jessica, Judith, Kiki, and Celeste asleep in our bed. I added Larisa to the pile and smirked at my lioness after she peeked an eye open at me.

I whispered, "hey, babe," before leaning down to kiss her.

Her sleepy groan into our kiss curled the edges of my lips.

"I think I might have caught whatever bug the others have. Kiki and I played musical bathroom for over ten minutes after we got home."

After my lioness's comment, I ran my hand through her long blonde hair and down her back. Smiling as she leaned into my touch, I watched her return to her slumber.

I looked through our slightly cracked window and shrugged. It wasn't even noon but seeing my sleeping mates was enough to make me play hooky from my responsibilities for a while.

Laying down behind my seroci, I burrowed my nose into her mess of fire-red hair. I inhaled her scent and smiled as she pushed back against me.

Letting my mate get her sleep, I joined her and the rest of the loves of my new life in slumber.

Kurama Desert – Tza Region

I waited on a rocky outcropping overlooking the Council's cave a few weeks after my meeting with Gant. Watching the last few of them enter the large opening through a pair of binoculars, I ignored the sweltering heat around me as my excitement mounted.

It withered a little as I saw Krissy's guards shove the bearkin into the cave mouth, and I was glad I had kept Dobber at home. Keeping my cool took a bit of work as I watched a member of my extended family be mistreated.

I doubted I could have kept Dobber, who was currently confined to the stables back home, from racing to his sister's aid.

"They are speaking about what to do with her, my prince. The information that we have been providing Dobber isn't meeting their expectations."

I nodded at the minja beside me as she relayed the conversation the Emblem Council members were having inside the cave. The concealed microphones and cameras we had placed were doing their job.

I brushed away a large spider seeking relief from the desert sun in my shadow before I rose from my prone position.

Quickly hiding behind a small rocky outcrop to keep myself from being discovered, I glanced at Akasha and Seline.

"They are all inside. Let's go."

I waited for my mate's nods before slowly making my way down the outcropping. Reaching the sweltering desert sand a few minutes later, I glanced at the group of minjas and volunteer guards from Tamira behind me.

Seeing everyone was ready, I heard one of the minjas give the go-ahead to our second group. I rushed along the side of the small mountain holding the cave mouth with my group behind me.

I caught sight of a few of my lions from Earth, led by Terrell, running at us from the other side of the mountain. Veering out from the side of the mountain at the last second, I launched myself at one of the two guards stationed just inside the cave mouth.

Terrell passed behind me as the panthkin guard's eyebrows rose in shock. I almost took the man's head off as my claws cut through his neck. Listening to the light steps of our force rush past my best friend and me, I hoped we could outpace our scent on the light breeze blowing into the cave.

The constant patter of feet hitting the rocky floor and the slightly labored breathing of our group filled my ears as we ran through the rocky tunnels. We followed the twist and turns and avoided the dead ends the council had carved into the mountain to throw off and kill invaders. After reaching the main chamber, we slowed our breakneck pace.

The massive room my minjas had bugged was even larger than I had imagined from their reports. Carved out of the mountain itself by unknown means, it looked like it could hold several thousands of people in relative comfort.

Situated at the far end of the cavern from us stood the several dozen members of the Emblem Council and double the number of armed guards. I was unsurprised to find no humans among them or the council.

The most surprising member of the other races was one of Holden's generals.

The minotaur's betrayal hurt me surprisingly, and I glanced at my princess before she repelled down the side of the cave. Her lips were set in a grim line, and I hoped she would be the one to kill the traitor.

As my turn to descend to the cave floor came, I glared at my favored target for this bloodbath, Itorin.

"We don't need her any longer. The bearkin has served his purpose, and from the quality of information he has supplied us, he is compromised as well! End your battling about this subject, Itorin, and let us move on to grander events like the arrival of our masters!"

I mostly ignored the voice of whoever was putting the old panthkin in his place as I repelled down the shadowed side of a cave wall.

As far as I was concerned, Itorin was already dead, and Krissy was back in her brother's arms. All that needed to be done at this point was the bloody work of eradicating the council.

Dropping down next to Akasha, waiting behind a stalagmite, I moved out of the way of the next person coming down.

"Take your group around the back of the dais once they are all down. We will rush them from three sides just like we planned."

After my princess glanced up at Seline waiting above us, I returned my mate's eager smile. I also returned her kiss before she rushed off to await the signal to end the Council.

As I turned my attention from my princess's shapely ass before the darkness of the rock formations around us hid her from view, I noted my angelic's regard.

The pensive expression on her face, which I could barely make out due to the distance between us, made me smirk. I counted myself lucky to be a person she worried about, and I hoped one day, she would accept her feelings for me.

My musings as I waited for the rest of my force to get into position ended as I heard a familiar sound.

Looking over at the assembled council I had been ignoring, my eyes widened as I saw a black portal with dark purple borders. It was eerily like the gromonix's white and blue portals that sent me and mine between worlds.

This one didn't hold nothingness inside it, but it did have a view that caused my jaw to drop.

I caught a quick glimpse of a genuinely unbelievable mass of purple that I swiftly figured out was an ocean of thulu before blackness overtook the portal. Seeing that rippling sea of death that stretched to the horizon of whatever planet the hemix stored them on caused fear to take root in my stomach.

My anxiety over the impossible odds that glimpse had shown me lasted only so long as I focused on the being that had exited that portal.

What I could only describe as a jacked centaur that had watched too many cyberpunk movies glanced down at the prostate Emblem council with anger in its violet eyes. The being was covered in what I had assumed was a full suit of armor that, after further inspection, turned out to be its skin.

Wondering if the cyber horse person was the vaunted Hemix the Prophet had told me about, my suspicions were confirmed once a prostate angelic began speaking.

"Master Hemix, we, the Emblem Council of Kerxon, have prepared for-" one of the seroci council members started before Hemix cut him off.

The blaze of light that exited one of its human hands pointed at the unlucky seroci ruined my night vision for a second. Once the spots left my eyes half a minute later, the only thing left of the man was a smoking pile of embers.

"You have prepared nothing. The thulus I have sent through to prepare for the culling have been destroyed by the meddler's experiments. The promises your forebears made are now null and void. You have been discovered and are of no further use. If you can redeem yourselves by surviving, I will rethink my decision."

My eyes widened as the Hemix's glowing violet eyes turned my way. Holding them for a few seconds as my heart hammered in my chest, I let out a roar after a whispered "go" filled my ear.

I grimaced as the Hemix walked unworried back into its portal, and four thulu replaced it. A growl rumbled through my chest as my men clashed with the council's guards as the cyber centaur escaped.

I ignored the general melee that developed around the council and focused on killing them and their alien guards. As my lions began to make quick work of the thulu protecting the council, I smiled with pride as they worked to keep themselves alive.

Leaping over the head of a group of panthkin locked in a battle of strength with one of my minjas, I let out a roar after cleaving one of their heads from their shoulders. After I landed behind them, I performed the same action with another group of wolfkin trying to join the fight.

I cleaved through their attempt at defense as the sound of rifles being fired was joined by a different but similar rhythm. Sparing a glance above me as I rushed toward the council, I smiled as I saw my angelic taking potshots at the guards opposing us.

The minjas under her command fired down on the assembled melee with rifles filled with silver ammo. Watching a few guards rushing toward me drop with smoking holes in them, I smiled at my angelic mate in thanks.

I turned my focus back to fighting as another group tried to put themselves in my way. My ax became a blur in my hands as the group surprised me, and I fought for every step I took.

The six-man group, composed of a mixture of the races, managed to stall my advance on their masters for several moments. As my ax made a shallow cut in an angleic's armor, I kicked out at a foxkin that tried to drive his sword into my back.

I twisted over a seroci that tried the same at my side and managed to lop off the woman's arm before a war hammer connected with my thigh. Groaning as I tried to fend the other five off, my task became increasingly easier after Seline directed her fire at them.

I heard my princess's war cries as I swung my ax upward. Leaving my last opponent to die from having his body cleaved in half from the top of his head to his navel, I rushed towards the separate fight near the dais.

Half of my lions were handling the two remaining thulu. The others and Terrell, along with Akasha and her minjas, were locked in combat with the remaining council members.

I cut clean through a lavishly dressed bearkin trying to spear my friend through the back as I rushed past him. Checking on my princess fighting the minotaur traitor, I smiled as she cut off one of his hands.

With her fight won and only the crying left over, I focused on Itorin. The old panthkin was doing a pretty good job of fending off three minjas with a single sword.

"Clear out! He's mine!"

My shout surprised Itorin enough that he gave my minjas the few seconds needed to disengage. Those few moments were also enough time for me to swing my ax at the old panthkin's side.

Itorin surprised me a little by using the side of his blade to deflect my swing enough for him to leap over my strike.

I returned the old panthkin's hate-filled smirk before striking out with my claws. More than used to my own panthkin's blazing fast speed, I surprised Itorin this time and placed him on the defensive.

"You would think a cub like yourself would see the grander picture, Marvin. The council has kept us safe from the master's creatures for generations. I'm not sure what would make you think any force on Kerxon could oppose their numbers!"

My growl of irritation answered Itorin's monologue while he ducked and dodged my attacks.

Enraged by his ability to speak while he did, I left my response sitting on the tip of my tongue.

I focused on harming the old panthkin and traitor to his world any way I could. I would speak my mind when he lay bleeding at my feet.

Itorin's green eyes grew wide as I increased the speed of my attacks with a grunt of force. Swinging the claws of my free hand in counterpoint to the blade of my ax, I managed to cleave through the front of the panthkin's lavish shirt.

I followed the backhand strike with an uppercut to the bottom of his jaw with my claws. Feeling the burn of his silvered blade along my forearm while it slid down it as Itorin's feet left the ground, I basked in the scent of his spilled blood.

I dodged back as the old panthkin surprised me again by snapping out of his shock and almost cutting my hand off with a swing of his sword. Rushing him as he landed on his feet, I swept my ax low at his wobbly legs and smiled as he leapt over it as I knew he would.

I ducked under his swing at my neck and spun. Smacking his arm holding his blade with my free hand as I did, I grinned after I felt the edge of my ax bite into his side.

Gripping the haft of my ax with both hands, I wrenched it through his body with as much force as I could. As the scent of his blood and entrails filled my nose, I turned around to watch my opponent's last moments.

I focused on the intense anguish on his face and not the sight of his legs twitching on the ground a few feet from us.

The pain that I expected to see there wasn't present. Instead, I saw regret and sorrow.

"You have doomed us."

I glared at Itorin as he used his last breath to verify that he was the coward I knew him to be.

"We would almost all die regardless, old man."

I spoke the truth that the dead panthkin was too cowardly to fight back against.

There had to be several million people living just within the Belin region. The cavern we had found the council in could only hold a fraction of them.

I was reminded of the gromonix's comment about the ten thousand he had saved from the Hemix's culling as I spit on Itorin's corpse.

The panthkin and his ilk seemed happy to let millions perish to the thulu wave that was coming.

I wasn't.

"They are all dead, husband. What do we do next?"

After Akasha's question, I turned to look at my victorious forces.

The cave floor was covered with the blood of those that would have sacrificed so many lives to keep theirs. It seemed fitting that they should die in their hole in the ground while we tried to end the threat to our world.

"We prepare, love, and hope we succeed at what no one has before."

I returned my princess's smile as Seline landed beside her.

"And if we fail, master Marvin?"

After my angelic's use of her formal title for me, I frowned.

"Then we save everyone we can, and I promise it will be many more than the Council ever could."

After my response, Seline's severe frown as she asked her question turned into the confident smile I knew and loved. Walking over to her, I watched her smile turn a little confused as I stopped in front of her.

I slid my hand under her chin and smiled as she blushed for me.

"I love you, Seline Demarch."

My angelic's blue eyes widened to the size of dinner plates before I lost sight of them as I kissed her. I took my time and wondered how long it would be before I enjoyed the sensation of her lips against mine again after the impulsive decision.

After a moment of surprise, Seline's lips parted for me, and I felt my inner lion let out a low rumble of pleasure in our mind after our angelic moaned her delight for us. Ending the kiss after a few moments, I smiled at my mate's unfocused eyes.

"Come on, let's go home. The kids are waiting for their parents, and our mates are doing the same for us."

After Seline gave me a halting nod in response to my request, I felt her and Akasha's arms fill mine.

Leaving the killing field behind us, I spared a glance at Itorin's rotting corpse as we reached the entrance to the cavern after climbing the stairs running along its side.

The panthkin's last words remained in the front of my mind despite my firm belief that he was dead wrong. If we lost the war with the thulu, it wouldn't be because we did not act.

I would pull those who would listen into my army fighting to preserve life in Kerxon. If the worst did happen, I had a backup that would save more people than the council ever could.

Tamira – Belin Kingdom

I smiled at the merchants selling their wares as I walked through my town a few days after taking out the council.

The happy smiles and usual din of my people haggling for the merchant's goods made that fight and its repercussions seem a world away. Having the looming cloud of the council gone made everything appear a bit brighter and livelier.

"Good... H-hello, Lord Marvin."

My smile grew a little as I turned around to return Krissy's greeting.

The bearkin and I had a few tentative interactions over the past day since her brother had released her from his grasp. I didn't blame Dobber for not wanting his sister out of his sight once we had returned with her as I responded to Krissy's greeting.

"Good morning, Krissy. You doing ok?"

As I imagined one of my mates being held hostage for months in return for my "good behavior," I doubted I would have let them out of my sight for a long time.

I kept my slight chuckle about how that would turn out to myself as Krissy blushed and nodded once I turned to look at her. A little surprised by the dress she had chosen today, I gave the basket at Krissy's side a glance before looking up at her face.

The seemingly shy bearkin was very pretty, with a deep blush coloring her tanned cheeks. Her honey-brown eyes made short glances at me through her long black bangs as I was distracted for a moment by a passing patrol.

After exchanging greetings with them, I smirked as Krissy's nervousness got the better of her. The slight sway as she tried to overcome her nerves caused her long dress to outline the vast difference between her slim waist and wide hips.

The silence stretched between us as I waited patiently for her to gather the courage to speak. Krissy pushed a strand of her long black hair that the gentle wind had displaced back in place as her blush covered the tops of her breasts.

Enjoying the view that the daring bearkin's dress left exposed, I shifted my feet slightly as my wait lengthened.

A moment from taking over the conversation, I smiled as a basket of food was pushed into my stomach. I slowly took the latest gift from Krissy while I let my eyes drop to the bit of cleavage her sudden movement put on display.

My bearkin stalker didn't have the most impressive bust but what she did have was more than tempting.

"I-i made this for you. And your mates! Tell Judith I said thanks for her help with the recipe!"

I raised my hand to stop the bearkin as she rushed off before I could respond to her gift. Lowering my hand that wasn’t holding the delicious-smelling food, I sighed before chuckling.

I couldn't find it in myself to feel ashamed as I watched Krissy's ample behind bounce while she escaped from our talk. A smile curled my lips as I remembered my wolfkin mentioning Krissy asking about a few dishes earlier this morning.

Hoping my mates were hungry as I hefted the heavy basket, I resumed my walk through my town.

Chapter 5

TAMIRA – BELIN REGION

I grimaced as I saw another basket from my stalker on my doorstep after another long morning of eradicating the giant purple rats. Krissy's gifts were delicious and welcome enough that my frown fell away quickly.

The bearkin herself was also tempting and as sweet as her pastries. Much less busty than most of my other mates except my foxkin, her slim waist accentuated her wide hips and thighs.

During our few interactions after her rescue, I knew I had at least gotten a new admirer if the way she twisted her twin braids of long black hair was any indication. From the stories Dobber had told me about her growing up, that shyness wouldn't last awfully long once she got to know me.

My frustration came from my trying morning that culminated in another town meeting to calm my citizen's worries. The alien monsters that kept appearing weren't our only trial.

The nobles had made themselves quite at home over the past few months. Samaril was the most vocal in his disdain for his assignment, but the others continually tried my patience with their treatment of our home.

"I think it's cute. She even cooks as well as Judith, husband!"

After Akasha's comment on Krissy's tenth thank-you gift for saving her, I frowned as I took the tasty-smelling basket to our kitchen. I left the bearkin woman hiding behind a tree across from our front door as it closed behind me.

Smiling at my wolfkin's playful frown once Akasha and I reached our kitchen, I kissed her as she took the basket from me.

"She's getting better. She even used the spices I suggested on the crust."

After Judith's comment on the beef pies in the basket, I chuckled unhappily even as my mouth watered.

I watched Akasha pluck one of the delicious-smelling pastries from the basket before asking, "Want one?" after she took a bite. Returning her smirk, I did take one of the steaming pies from the basket.

Biting into it, I felt the flavor of the tender beef Krissy had cooked to perfection, war with the spices she had used to flavor the rest of the filling. I froze in my enjoyment of the bearkin's gift after I noticed my mates smiling at me.

"She's going to be the last and only if she asks," I said as my cheeks began to burn.

My other mates that I had missed entering the kitchen while Krissy took me to flavor town joined in on Judith and Akasha's fit of giggles. Destroying the rest of the small pie in a few bites, I chuckled as I felt my lion's irritation that the delicious meal had ended so quickly.

I peeked at the basket sitting on the counter and was disappointed to find all the pies gone. Looking over at my mates, my disappointment evaporated after I saw them enjoying their meal.

In the weeks since I had been back from eradicating the council, they had seemed to be doing much better. There were still times Judith, Kiki, Celeste, and Larisa looked a little green, but Jessica seemed to have made a full recovery.

"My prince, King Holden, and what I assume is all of what is left of the minotaur kingdom, is at our gates."

As I took in what the minja standing outside our window had said, I rushed out of our home with Akasha right behind me. Outpacing my mate swiftly as worry for my father-in-law sped up my steps, I waved distractedly at Krissy as the bearkin walked down the long path from my front door.

I barely noticed her turn back toward my home as the trees began to blur around me. Racing through my town as the people in it began to wake up, I spied Holden sitting next to the main gate.

The minotaurs surrounding him looked rough and unkempt. I slowed my pace as I saw the mess of blood and wrappings that was all that was left of my father-in-law's right leg from the knee down.

Hearing Akasha's gasp of surprise as she stopped next to me, I ran my hand down my princess's back before leading her toward our father.

"Marvin! I'm glad the messenger was able to contact you so soon. Oh, don't be like that, my daughter. I will be right as rain after a little trip."

As I caught on to Holden's meaning, I returned his smirk with a nod.

"Yes, you will, dad. Let's just get you to the house, and we will take care of you."

I gave my mate a comforting smile as I left her to help Holden up.

"Jardon, bring anyone who is wounded to my home in groups of ten sorted by the severity of their wounds."

I gave my Gand just enough of my waning attention to see his nod as I lifted my father from the ground. Sharing a smile with Akasha as she took his other side, I gave the minotaurs that tried to take him from us a deep growl of irritation.

After they backed away and began to follow Jardon's instructions, we began to hobble our way back home. I was relieved to see several of Holden's wives joining us on our walk.

After my leg grew warm, I grimaced as the wrap on Holden's stump began to drip blood onto the cobblestones.

Thinking about carrying him the rest of the way home made me chuckle grimly as I imagined how well that would go over with my father-in-law.

"What happened, Dad?"

After my question, I returned Holden's strained smile.

"The thulu'griff is what happened. A week ago, we were attacked by a hundred-strong group of them. They seemed to be smarter than the other ones, ignoring our frontal attacks and focusing on killing my men that attacked them from the rear."

My eyes widened as Holden told the story of the last days of the minotaur kingdom.

"Once the Western wall fell, we abandoned all semblance of defense and ran as the purple wave of bodies washed over my brave men."

I saw a tear trail down my father-in-law's cheek as he ended his rendition of the final moments of his days-long defense of his kingdom. I shared a nod with my princess as our father's head dipped to his chest.

"Catch up with us. I will get him home and stable."

Lifting the much larger minotaur into a princess carry, I shifted into my hybrid lion form. I made sure to keep Holden's stump above his heart as I ran the last mile home.

Every bit of first aid knowledge that I could think of ran through my mind as I made up for lost time getting my stubborn father help. Catching sight of my other in-laws as I reached the front of my home, I gave Steve a grateful nod as he held the door open.

"Seems like they got the worst of it. The minjas have set up a first aid station in the back for the rest of them."

I nodded again at Steve while I rushed through my home. Seeing my other mates putting together makeshift first aid kits out of our towels and sheets, I followed Judith to one of our spare bedrooms.

"I figured he would have done something silly like waiting to be the last to escape. Lay him down and go grab me a second kit from the pallet out back."

I followed my wolfkin's directions as she pulled over a tan backpack with a red cross on it. Running through our living room toward the back door, I was a little surprised that I hadn't thought of grabbing a few of them from Earth myself.

I was grateful that my mates had thought of it, and I whistled as I saw the "pallet" Judith had sent me to steal from. Where my mates had hidden a cargo container full of boxes labeled EMT trauma bags, I had no idea.

Taking a box from the actual pallet sitting next to the cargo container, I smiled as three minjas manhandled another pallet out of the giant metal box. I rushed back into our house with my cargo under my arm and saw Larisa, Celeste, and Kiki moving around our kitchen.

In the second or two I spent in our kitchen, I felt pride in my mate’s swift response. Larisa and Celeste were in the midst of boiling huge pots of water on our stove while Kiki was opening one of the first aid kits in preparation for our guests.

The long L-shaped counter that usually held nothing but the few appliances Kerxon was able to manufacture was covered with a myriad of IV bags, boxes of gauze, and cases of needles. Taking the organized mess in stride, I kissed my seroci in passing as she hefted another pot onto the stove.

Leaving them behind as I made my way through our home, I returned Judith’s smile after I rushed into the guest bedroom.

"I don't know how many are in the box, but I figured better safe than sorry," I said to Judith as I set the box next to her.

"It's fine, my love. Akasha, you can hold his hand after I get an IV in him."

I took my princess's hand as she followed our wolfkin's request. Holden's massive body seemed smaller than it should have been as Judith hesitantly ran her hand over his arm.

"When we talked about learning a bit of first aid two months ago, I didn't think I would be the first to use our online lessons."

After I heard the worry in Judith's voice during her comment, I ran my hand over my wolfkin's back. I was hesitant to do more as she slowly slid a needle into Holden's arm with steady hands.

"Thank you, my love, it helped. Now once we figure out who got the worst of it, we will bring the ones in most need of help to the center of the backyard."

After Judith checked our father-in-law's pulse before nodding, I smiled at my mate as she leaned into my hand during her statement. I took my princess's quick kiss before she joined our father in the bed.

"I'm going to help out with the rest, and I will be back for him after we are ready."

I waited for Akasha to nod her understanding of my comment before I left her to watch over our father. With Holden's arrival, my afternoon became a blur of using what first aid knowledge I had to help my mates and the volunteers from our town, stabilizing the wounded he brought with him.

After my tenth round of transports of the worst survivors of the thulu attack, I blinked at my wolfkin as she offered me a plate of food once I returned to Kerxon.

"Eat."

After her demand, I smiled as Judith forced the plate into my hands. I devoured the beef stew and a few sandwiches filled with meat and vegetables from my seroci's garden.

Handing the empty plate back to my mate, I chuckled as she gave me a satisfied smile.

"Good. Now sleep."

After hearing the next demand, my chuckle became an exhausted laugh. Noticing the sun beginning to drop behind the trees of our backyard, I nodded and let Judith lead me inside our home.

I passed around kisses as my mates worked to clean our home after our surprise visitors. After my angelic held me for a few moments longer than was necessary, I smiled down at my mate and took her lingering kiss.

"Are you headed to bed? Thirty-six hours is more than enough time awake, Marvin."

After Seline's comment, I smirked as my angelic slowly shifted us both to my bedroom. Waving at Krissy after I noticed her helping Kiki gather up soiled blankets and sheets, I chuckled as her tan cheeks grew red.

"It is, Seline. I am listening now, right?"

Seline answered my comment with a playful huff of indignation.

I had ignored my mate's request twelve hours and six trips ago to sleep after reaching the twenty-four-hour mark. Sleeping while someone else took over the task of ensuring my family was safe didn't feel right.

I figured my mates would understand, having been awake for the same amount of time, so I continued. Reaching my room with my beautiful escort, I held onto Seline's hand after she tried to head to her room.

"Stay with me? Akasha is on Earth keeping an eye on dad, so there is room."

After my request, I waited for my angelic to turn and look at me. As the seconds ticked by, I smiled tiredly after she nodded without a glance up.

"My wings make it awkward to sleep with someone," Seline murmured once she turned to finally look at me.

"We will make it work."

I gently ran my hands along the leading edge of my angelic's folded wings as I made my comment. Smiling a little as a shiver went down her spine, I chuckled lightly as even my lion couldn't muster the energy to take advantage of the scent of our mate's arousal.

Instead of taking advantage of my angelic's shy eagerness, I pulled her into my room and tried to pull off my blood-splattered shirt, pants, and boots. After nearly twenty-four hours of constant movement, I chuckled as the effort became a little more than I could handle.

"Let me help you, Marvin."

After Seline's offer, I nodded. Flopping down on my bed once she had removed my shirt, I groaned as my back complained while I lifted my hips to let my angelic pull off my pants.

I chuckled again after I noted there was a limit to my stamina. The fact that it turned out to be lifting several hundred twelve-foot-tall minotaurs didn't help the aches and pains I felt.

After I realized the room had gone silent and still once Seline tossed my pants in our dirty clothes bin, I looked up at my mate. A low laugh rumbled through my chest once I saw her blue eyes locked onto my naked chest.

"Come on, Seline. I haven't been the only person awake for almost two days."

After my comment, I offered my angelic my hand. I smirked after it took her a few moments for her eyes to drift to mine before she blushed for me again.

As the interesting mixture of her soft and calloused hand filled mine, I gently pulled her onto the bed with me. My gaze lingered on the sight of my angelic's alabaster cleavage in her dress while she moved to lay next to me.

After she lay on her side, I waited for Seline to adjust her wings. Seeing her blush furiously, I pulled the blankets over us both. Pulling her against me, I chuckled as my mate let out a soft gasp.

"You’re hard."

I shrugged while I yawned before settling my half-hard dick against my angelic's ass.

"I have a beautiful woman in bed with me. I would have to be dead not to react at all, even after a day and a half awake."

After my comment, I took a deep inhale of my mate's scent before curling myself around her. Seline's answering nod was followed by her hand covering mine on her stomach.

I fell asleep seconds after my angelic began gently running her hand along my arm. The last thing I heard before exhaustion and darkness finally won their battle with my stubbornness was my mate's soft "good night, love."

Tamira – Belin Region

"Fall back!"

Shouting at my men and women as another wave of purple bodies smashed against our line, I aimed my rocket launcher at one of the alien monsters. I pulled the trigger with a frustrated grimace and grunted as the thulu exploded once the rocket connected with its face.

The past two weeks had been a blur of rushing from thulu incursion to thulu incursion that were growing steadily and scarily closer to my town. Reloading my RPG without thought as my lions, Thmir, and Terr's forces rushed past me, I launched another rocket at the wall of purple bodies.

I pulled my rifle from my side as one of the nobles wearing Thmir's colors was caught by a thulu tentacle as he waited for the last of his men to retreat. Blowing the limb from the thulu's body, I rushed forward to help the seroci to his feet.

"Thank you, Lord Marvin."

I nodded distractedly at the noble's gratitude as I cleaved through six reaching tentacles with my ax. Picking the man up as I leapt back from another group of tentacles, I turned and headed toward the secondary line of men equipped with the same RPGs as I had been firing.

Reaching them after a few long moments with thulus rushing toward us, I ducked under their line of fire. I picked the seroci and me off the ground as the men behind us fired into the advancing wall of purple bodies.

Looking down at the seroci as a massive explosion sounded entirely too close for my comfort, I smiled at Samril and offered the man a hand up.

"You’re welcome, Lord Samril. Get the men back in line so we can do this all over again."

After my command, I returned the seroci's smile. As he barked out orders, I glanced over the RPG line as they fired another salvo at our stubborn and suicidal opponents.

The closest of the monsters exploded just like the line before, and I smiled wanly as I only saw a few more behind them. With this thulu attack almost finished, I walked toward the command tent at the back of our thousand-strong force.

I had a decision to make and a message to deliver.

"Get a hold of King Terr and King Thmir for me, please."

After my request to one of my minja guards, I glanced at the map sitting on a massive desk. Our lines were being pushed back each day as the thulu invaded.

We always moved the back forward as each wave ended in an act of futility that had become maddening.

I almost missed the first few waves where the innumerable thulus we killed seemed like a victory. I wasn't sure what the Hemix was trying to do by allowing us to retake our lines after we pushed them back, but I was going to take those little victories.

Remembering the ocean of bodies that I had glimpsed in the Council's cave, I doubted there would be a final victory for us.

My men were tired, and even with reinforcements from Kirkton and Verto, we wouldn't have enough men and women to throw against that unending force. Watching one of my lions be carried from the front line to our medical tent, I smiled grimly after my minja returned with a radio.

"We're pulling out plan b. If we don't do it now, I doubt we will have enough time to evacuate Tamira and Kirkton before the thulu reach them."

I waited for the kings to comment on my order as I held the radio to my lips.

"Samril has reported less dire circumstances, Lord Marvin. Why are we retreating now when we have held our lines for over a week?"

I nodded at Thmir's logic at the same time as a grim laugh rumbled through my chest.

"We can hold well enough right now, but logistics are biting us in the ass. My stockpile of RPGs is what's letting us keep this bit of dirt, and that is dwindling with each fight. I would much rather have our men concentrated in one spot with walls to protect us than try to hold a line that will crumble as soon as we run out of explosives."

After my explanation, I waited for Thmir or Terr to respond.

"An evacuation will take weeks. Will you be able to hold that line until then?"

I nodded after a bit of thought before smiling and replying, "yes" to Terr's question. My stockpile was dwindling, but if we could get behind walls, I hoped we could work more medieval methods into whittling down the thulu numbers.

"I will begin transporting supplies and my citizens to Verto then, Lord Marvin," Terr said.

"I will contact my mates, and we will do the same for Tamira. I hope you were being honest when you offered your city for the fallback point, Thmir."

After Thmir's gruff scoff at my lack of decorum, I keyed the radio in my hand and laughed lightly.

We were about to become the last bastion of the seven races on Kerxon if the lack of communication from the other kingdoms was any indication. The King and any other noble's ideas of propriety were about to be tested, and I couldn't give any less of a damn.

Abandoned missile silo – Rocky Mountains

I laughed as the sound of rifles being fired signaled my arrival on Earth. Nodding to the nine men and women going with me for this reload, I smiled as I saw Akasha rush out of the base to greet me in her human form.

I watched her breasts bounce in her heavy jacket against the slight chill in the air. I kissed my princess's soft lips after she leapt into my arms.

"I've missed you, husband."

My reply of "missed you too" was smothered by my mate's lips as she kissed me again. Sliding my hands down her body and cupping Akasha's jeans-covered ass, I smiled into our ongoing lip lock as she giggled.

My princess's curves against my body almost tempted me to ignore the other reason I had made this trip to enjoy my hour with my mate. Satisfying myself with another long kiss, I looked over toward the sound of gunfire after it ended.

"How are our people doing, my love?"

I smirked at Akasha's frown as I didn't give in to her temptation.

"Father has made decent strides in getting everyone ready to return and fight."

After my mate's reply, I nodded and followed her to our range. Catching sight of Holden and the other recovered minotaurs, I whistled at their smooth reloads.

"You would think he grew up with them, damn!"

I listened to my princess chuckle at my comment as we watched Holden and his minotaurs practice with the rifles under the watchful eye of my minjas. My father-in-law placed another magazine of bullets within inches of each other on his paper target while Akasha and I watched.

Sharing the same light brown skin as his daughter in his human form, I only had to lay out our new rules once before Holden had accepted them readily. With the increasing population of our little hideaway as several hundred minotaurs joined my dozens of lions, an adjustment had to be made.

Only being allowed to leave the base in their human forms had chafed my lions a bit, but the minotaurs took the limitation in stride. Being able to rejoin the fight for their home with much better armaments might have had something to do with their compliance.

"He feels indebted to you, my husband. It's not often one of our kings is forced to accept help from another kingdom."

My response that there was to be no debt owed died on my lips as her comment brought up an issue.

"Speaking of kingdoms, what happened to the Yeti Kingdom?"

I had only seen around a hundred of the giant apelike race that came along with the minotaurs. Even a month after Holden had showed up on my doorstep, there had been only a dozen more that made it out of the mountains, along with a few minotaurs.

"They thought that they could manage the thulu on their own. Father tried to talk them into following them once the wall fell. If I ever see their king, I have a few choice words for him. He let my father and people fight to hold back the thulu for a full day only to tell us that our alliance is over."

I nodded grimly and ran my hand along the back of my princess's jacket as she shook with anger. Even if the yeti had decided to sacrifice themselves to keep from leading the thulu attacking them to the minotaur kingdom, it only took half a day to reach the nearest yeti outpost.

Gant himself had taken the message with a radio in hand. Countless lives could have been saved if they hadn't argued and decided quickly.

"They were idiots and are now the best kind. Are you ready to come back home?"

I was a little hesitant to ask my question to my mate.

I vividly remembered the worry on her face while Judith worked to stabilize our father. It was selfish of me, but I missed her presence at home, when I was there, and her warmth in our bed.

"In a few days, maybe. I want to return with my people to pay back those monsters for taking our home from us."

After my princess's response, I couldn't help but smile at the fierceness in her brown eyes. Running my hand through her long silver hair, I pulled her into a kiss that was supposed to be short and sweet.

I instead got attacked in the most pleasurable way. Twining tongues with my mate, I was the one left cross-eyed after our kiss ended.

"I missed you too, my love. Has Seline been keeping my spot warm?"

After my mind caught up with Akasha's words, I chuckled in response to her question.

My angelic had very much made herself at home in our bed after my request weeks ago.

"She has found her spot in our cuddle pile, yes. No one could take your spot, though, love."

After my reply, I enjoyed the sound of my mate's giggles.

The look she gave me after her mirth ended pushed my desire to check our inventory before returning to Kerxon to the back of my mind. I could spare a little time with my princess and allow my people to do their jobs.

Pulling her into the base and into our room as our people practiced taking on our numerous enemies, I showed my mate how much I had missed her, several times.

Tamira – Belin Region

I groaned as the rocket from my RPG only managed to take out two of the thulu rushing toward our retreating line a week and a half later. As my men and women let off another salvo from atop Tamira's walls, I was glad I had sent my mates and citizens to Verto a week ago.

After I decided to evacuate the region to Verto, it seemed like the thulu, or Hemix, realized our attempt to save ourselves. Once I had returned from Earth with more weapons and explosives, the waves of alien monsters had been never-ending.

The sea of purple bodies stretched past the horizon, and our job was to divert their attention to Tamira for as long as we could while Kirkton's evacuation was completed. I glanced back at the stacks of boxes filled with RPGs and ammo and hoped it would be enough.

As the thulu mass reached a spot designated by a small red flag a few hundred yards from my home, I smiled grimly as a massive explosion went off.

I listened to the cheers of the few hundred men and women that had volunteered to stay back with me as thulu bits few in all directions. As several dozen more explosions were set off as the alien monsters reached the mined areas, I watched as the thousands that died barely put a dent in the thulus numbers.

"We aren't going to last the week I thought we would, babe."

I looked at Jessica as the tide of thulu climbed over and through the pits my explosives had made. My lioness had refused to let me try and slow the mass of alien monsters myself.

"That's fine, babe. If we can hold them off a few days, that should be enough to let Kirkton finish evacuating."

After Jessica's response to my comment, I nodded while reloading my RPG. I aimed and fired it smoothly into the mass of monsters making their way through our minefield.

"At least the others know to head straight through Kirkton. Judith didn't like being told to avoid joining the evacuation effort."

Jessica's bark of laughter at my comment about our wolfkin was followed by another round of explosions that the thulu triggered. As more purple was added to the cratered landscape beyond our home, I wished we had more time to gather more powerful gear.

A nuke or three didn't seem too much overkill as I watched thousands more thulu march to their deaths. I grimaced as one in the front of the lengthy line stopped in its tracks and explored the ground in front of it with its tentacles.

"Nope, not happening!"

As I watched the thulu dig into the ground, looking for the mine in front of it, I pulled out the largest rifle I could from the rack behind me. In the few seconds it took for me to chamber, aim, and fire at the creature's ugly face, it had managed to unearth the mine.

I took my little victory as most of the monster's face evaporated before its body exploded. Wishing I had more than the hundred cases of ammunition for the powerful rifles, I took what pleasure I could from my later kills.

As the roar of a dragon sounded behind the far edge of the thulu mass, I saw the sky grow a little brighter as another of Kerxon's residents fought for their place on it.

"I wonder how long he can keep that up."

After Jessica's comment, I shrugged as I blew another thulu's face off.

"As long as it takes for them to catch her. I wish we could catch her and keep them from making more monsters out of her."

I felt the butt of my rifle kick into my shoulder as I eradicated another of the alien monsters. Looking up at my lioness as she touched my shoulder, I let my next target go without it's facelift for the moment.

I growled at the look of concern on her face before sighing.

"It's not your fault, babe. This was coming regardless, and we are doing something to save everyone we can."

After Jessica's comforting words, I patted her hand on my shoulder gently. My nod felt disingenuous as I still felt like my decision to attack the Council had caused my family to lose their home.

"I know, Jessica, but this isn't working. We keep getting pushed back, and once we reach Verto, that's it. I can only move so many people with plan b at a time. If I go at it for a month straight, I can only save a little over a thousand people. The hundreds of thousands or millions that will be left to die will be on my shoulders."

I trailed off as the number of people I was going to let down hit me once more.

Jessica's kiss on my cheek brought me back to myself, and I watched a few tears fall from her golden eyes.

"We aren't going to let you give up now, Marvin. Your babies need their daddy and a world to grow up on, ok?"

As rifle and rocket fire sounded around us, all I could see and hear at that moment was Jessica covering her stomach with my hand and her fighting back tears. Rising from my crouched position behind our walls as another thulu exploded, taking a few of its friends with it, I shakily caressed my mate's cheek.

"You didn't think all of that sex was just for fun, did you? You're going to be a daddy lion, and we need you to fight for us and our home."

As Jessica chuckled at my dumbstruck expression as what she had just said settled into my mind, I found myself laughing with her.

"Who else?"

All my worries flew from my mind as I said those two words.

My mate's laughter increased as I started to put the clues together.

"Kiki was the first one, though I don't know how with you up her ass all the time. Judith was next, then Celeste. If our fertile myrtle panthy ends up having more of your kids than me, I might have to say something."

As another thulu died to my mines, I picked up and kissed my smiling mate. Devouring her lips as my heart soared after her good news, I kissed her gently once more as I put her down.

"Then it looks like I'm going to have to pull out plan C then. First, though, we need to get everyone to Verto!"

After my declaration, I turned back to keeping the thulu off my people's backs for as long as I could. As no plan C actually came to mind as I sent another bullet into a purple alien face, I smiled as my lioness, and one of the mothers of my children joined me.

∆∆∆∆∆

Six long grueling days after my lioness's bombshell about our growing family, I watched the mass of thulu rushing past Tamira's walls with a smile on my face.

With our goal of delaying the monsters carried out, all that was left was to join our other mates in Verto. We had sent off everyone but ten of us ahead of the monsters a few days ago.

As the advancing thulu ran into the minefield on the other side of my town, my smile became toothy as the advance slowed but didn't entirely stop. I took what delay the explosives would cause as a small victory.

Pulling the emblem from my pocket as explosions sounded nonstop, I smiled at my mate and said the magic words that would return us to our family.

Chapter 6

VERTO – BELIN REGION

"Oh, shit! He knows! Surprise, handsome!"

I chuckled as my pregnant perceptive foxkin realized my smirk at her, Judith, and Celeste wasn't necessarily one of longing, and an intense blush colored her cheeks. Walking over to my mates, I glared playfully at my sneaky ones before kissing Akasha, Larisa, and Seline.

"I like surprises as well as the next man, but this was some good news I could have used a bit earlier. Looking back, I should have realized, and I'm sorry for being so thick that I missed the signs, loves."

After my apology, I grunted as my three pregnant mates leapt into my arms. Kissing them, I caught Jessica's eye and pulled her into our embrace.

"I'm not sure if I am jealous at the moment, my lion. Is getting pregnant all one needs to do to get such preferential treatment?"

I chuckled as Kiki, Judith, and Celeste kept their arms around me as my seroci asked her question. I braced myself as her question caused my other mates to join in on our group hug.

"I certainly wouldn't mind a few extra kisses, husband. Oh, and your child in my belly as well when you have the time!"

As Akasha cut off my reply to her demand, Seline’s hands slid onto my cheeks. Turning to look at my angelic, I saw indecision stop her from asking for the same thing as my princess.

I instead got a rough kiss and a face full of golden wings as Seline ran from her desires. Watching her fly toward the small home against the massive walls surrounding Verto, I gazed at the refugee camps that our multi-city evacuation had caused to form.

I knew smashing three cities, and the population surrounding them into one place wouldn't be pretty. The ramshackle camps filling the road behind the small field I had sent Jessica and our group down were as orderly as I could have expected.

That didn't necessarily mean they were the best place for the long term. I saw a female wolfkin shrug as she emptied a bedpan in the street beside her tent.

Fighting a grimace of distaste, I hoped I could figure out a way out of our thulu problem - and soon.

"Hello, Marvin."

After her soft, hesitant greeting, I looked away from the wolfkin woman to Krissy. A smile curled my lips as the sweet bearkin blushed under my regard before I beckoned her over with a crooked finger.

Releasing my mates and ignoring their smug smirks, I hugged Krissy after she reached me. Feeling a sense of relief that surprised me a little as the woman leaned into me, I chuckled as some knot inside of me started to loosen.

"I'm glad you made it here safe. How are your brother and everyone else?"

I decided to let my arms stay around the bearkin woman as I found the source of my anxiety. Krissy was my family, along with every citizen of Tamira, and seeing her here safe calmed worries I didn't even know I had.

"Dobber is doing ok. He is helping with the pack animals and herds coming in along with the rest of the stable hands. Everyone else is helping where they can. I-I am glad you came back to us, Marvin, more than you know."

As Krissy hugged me a little tighter after her comment, I gently ran my hand up and down her back.

"Me too, Krissy. Me too. Have you found a place to stay, or are you bunking with your brother?"

I chuckled as my question caused the bearkin to blush and look for help answering my question from my mates.

"She is staying with us, baby. I think you know why and that is all we're going to say."

As Celeste placed a hand on her hip after her comment, I nodded at her and my other similarly immovable mates. Looking towards the house Seline had run into, I sighed as duty called.

"Well, I hope you enjoy your accommodations, Krissy. Ladies, if you would."

Following my mates into the small but well-built home, I smirked as Krissy remained at my side. Letting the smitten woman enjoy herself, I enjoyed a bit of leering at my mate's asses.

If we survived the next few weeks, I hoped that I would be blessed to have each of them be "in the family way," just like my lioness, foxkin, wolfkin, and panthkin mates.

∆∆∆∆∆

I groaned with exhaustion as I arrived back on Kerxon after my last hour nap on Earth. Five days of continuous transferring from planet to planet as the ocean of thulu continued to smash through the minefield around Verto was finally starting to catch up with me.

Meeting with Terr and Thmir a day after my arrival, I started transporting some of the citizens that wanted to go to Earth as a precaution and never stopped.

"My lion, daddy wants to meet you."

After her greeting and hug, I nodded at my seroci. I watched Gant walk toward me from the side of the "transport field" and nodded my thanks to the Grand Master.

I handed the emblem to Gant with a grateful smile then looked down at my mate.

After I smirked at her look of concern, I yawned as I waited for her to lead me to my father-in-law.

"I will be ok, love. Any news on the baby front?"

I added a playful rub to my seroci's toned belly under her dress during my question and got a similarly mischievous smirk for my troubles.

"No one else has gotten the privilege of having your spawn growing inside of them, my love, despite your efforts. Krissy heard us, by the way. She is a squirter if you want."

I kissed my smiling seroci silent as she tried to tempt me further with Krissy's hero complex for me. I knew very well that the bearkin woman had heard us and enjoyed herself.

My sensitive ears and nose came in handy sometimes.

"I will take care of that particular issue when the time comes, my temptress, but you said your father wanted to meet with me?"

Larisa's giggle as I blushed despite my aloof tone made me want to do things to her that I hoped Krissy wouldn't hear this time. Catching sight of Seline as she flew over the wall brimming with weapons firing at the sea of thulu just beyond the wall, I hoped the other eavesdropper might join me in our bed.

I felt my inner lion lick his chops at the idea of finally chasing down that tempting meal. Clearing my throat as the idea of taking my angelic made my pants a little tight, I looked down at Larisa after she giggled again.

"He did, and she has been worried about you like the rest of us. We want you home tonight. Let Gant and his men and women lighten your load, my stubborn husband."

I gave the minja a long querying look and smiled after Gant nodded his understanding.

"All of Blackwatch is at your command, my prince."

After his response, I sighed in relief once Gant walked toward the lengthy line of people waiting to evacuate the doomed city.

As another flash of blue and white signaled nine more people being saved from the thulu, I let my seroci lead me into the city.

"How is everyone doing, love?"

After asking my question as we passed through the cramped city streets, I looped my arms around Larisa's shoulders. I felt her lips against my arm curl into a small smile as she kissed it.

"Well enough, though we have all been missing you, my lion. Jessica's tale of your worries back in Tamira helped a little, so we understand your absence."

I nodded before kissing my mate's cheek as a silent apology. The brush of her soft lips against mine as we continued to walk caused a shaky sigh to leave mine.

The five days without the touch of my mates made me realize how keenly I missed them. Only getting to feel them next to me for a few hours each day as I caught what sleep I could had become almost unbearable three days in.

Making myself go without so the hundreds of thousands of people I hoped to save could continue their lives was something I continually reminded myself of.

"We are doing ok, I guess. Judith and Krissy are helping with food distribution. Kiki is helping with your evacuation, sorting those who are ready to leave now from those that need more time. Celeste and Seline have been working with Jessica on figuring out what a city this size would need when we get as many of them as we can to Earth."

I frowned as I looked up at the walls giving us the time to make these tough decisions. Swallowing my sense of failure as we abandoned Kerxon like rats on a sinking ship, I focused on my mate after she sighed.

"And I-I have been playing the baroness to our spoiled rulers and nobles. Keeping them from dooming us all by rushing out the main gates in an insipid plan to push back the thulu has been a full-time job. If you will believe it, Samiril has been your biggest supporter for running to Earth to recover and return to take our home back. He said something about you saving him."

As we neared a group of decidedly shady wolfkin and an exceptionally large bearkin, I chuckled at my seroci's light tone. I kissed the side of her head before we stopped in front of the gun-toting men then chuckled again as the bearkin tried to stare me down.

"Daddy asked for us. So, are you going to sit there and stare at my husband, or are you going to let us in?"

I smiled smugly at the bearkin as my seroci's "go now, shoo" sent him into the building they were guarding. My grin became a little more tender as Larisa trailed her fingers along my arm draped over her slim shoulders.

I yawned as our wait lasted longer than I expected then perked up a little as a red-haired seroci walked out of the building. I held Polic's red gaze as he examined me head to toe before smiling fondly at his daughter.

"He is a big one, Larisa. If he wasn't offering the spoils of Earth for giving up my businesses in Urik, I might not find him as appealing."

I chuckled as Polic made several assumptions about what I planned to do on Earth and how he would be involved. Hugging my mate as her tail slid nervously between my legs, I gave my father-in-law a wide smile.

"It is nice to meet you too, Polic. One thing I think I need to adjust about your expectations is that you will be working for me if you want to "enjoy the spoils of Earth."

I grinned as the seroci's frown caused his men to shoulder their guns. Slipping my mate behind me and shifting slightly, I gave Polic a friendly smile.

"I'm tired and have better things to do than show you and your men how useless those guns are. I will give you one chance to lower them and not point them at my mate again so we can discuss what you will be doing for me."

I waited a few seconds for the guns leveled at me to lower.

Polic waved a hand over his shoulder, and the guns lowered. After seeing the excitement behind his red eyes, I glanced behind me to check on Larisa after the short standoff.

The small smile she gave me was followed by her taking her spot in front of me again. Returning to my usual form as I yawned and kissed the side of my seroci's head, I turned my attention to my father-in-law.

"Once we reach Earth with as many of the people here as we can, I will take over Kerxon Mining. You will work with my mother-in-law, Margaret, to keep that business profitable during that exchange of power. If you do well enough, I will keep you on permanently as my CFO. Does more power and money than you ever experienced here on Kerxon sound like a reasonable exchange for answering to me?"

Waiting for Polic's response, I smirked as the sound of several explosions going off at once caused the seroci to flinch. I kept my gaze on the man as another few hundred thulus died.

"As long as you keep good faith with me, Marvin Spence, I guess the money and power are worth giving up this doomed rock. I will keep your funds flowing and even not skim a little off the top for myself if you two will give me a grandchild to spoil."

After his offer, I laughed as my father-in-law gave my seroci an expectant smile. As Larisa moved toward her father with a tear-filled "daddy," I shook Polic's hand as he hugged her.

"Don't make me regret my decision, son. I have killed for much less than failed expectations."

After Polic's comment, I nodded my understanding as I released his hand.

I had no plans of leading my family from one lost cause to the other. If my attempts to seize power on Earth forced me to do something unsavory, I would bear that burden gladly.

∆∆∆∆∆

"You need to sleep, Marvin!"

I grimaced as Seline's shout into my ear caused me to flinch after my return from Earth to Kerxon.

Pulling another week-long shift moving the trapped residents of Kerxon away from their doom, I glared at my angelic after her outburst.

Despite my irritation with her, I couldn't say I really minded getting yelled at by the gorgeous woman. With her golden wings picking up a little of the moonlight above us, she looked like a sexy, pissed-off Valkyrie.

I physically shook my head as visions of stripping her out of her long dress flew through my sleep-deprived mind.

"I can't drop everything I'm trying to do every time I get sleepy, Seline! There is a limit to how long we can stay behind these walls! I can't just sit by and nap while everyone else does what they can to give us more time to escape!"

As exhaustion and frustration welled within me, I saw tears threaten to fall from my angelic's blue eyes. I understood her frustration as she shivered with emotion.

During the past few weeks, I handed off the emblem to several of my minjas and took a break. My days always ended with me striving to find something to take my mind off my uselessness on Kerxon.

During my periods on Earth, I could make decisions that would prepare the growing community there for the new arrivals from Kerxon. With my lion forces growing with every human that I brought over, Terrell had created a veritable army for me.

That army was currently helping to build a new city that was eventually going to attract attention from the government. I only got to spend an hour there at a time or waste more of it that could be spent saving the people who would fill that community.

I sighed shakily as I controlled my erratic emotions and leveled my gaze at Seline.

"What should I do, Seline? I can't just fire a rifle or fire an RPG all day. There are people on Earth that need my direction, and I won't leave you all here and kill myself worrying about if you are safe. This is what I can do to save us!"

My plea to my angelic was met with a stern frown.

"You can do more! You think that everyone on Earth needs your direction, but you are afraid that if you take your eyes off them for a second, then everything will crumble around what we have built. I know you are smarter than that, Marvin! I can't have a life with the man that I love if he runs himself into an early grave trying to save everyone!"

My response to Seline's screaming died on my lips as she confessed her love for me, finally. Shaking off my exhaustion as I walked over to my shaking angelic, I surrounded her in my arms.

"You have more than yourself to rely on, Marvin. We are here. There are plenty of people on your side. Use them! If we do not meet your expectations, call on the damned Prophet!"

I nodded as Seline’s tears of frustration began to wet the front of my shirt. My soft "I love you too" gained me a punch to my side, but she then pulled my head down for a rough kiss.

"Then prove it and stop your reckless attempt to martyr yourself. There is another way, h-husband. Find it after you join us in bed."

I smiled at Seline's stutter and looked at the minja that stopped next to us. Sliding my hand from under Seline's wings surrounding us, my mouth gaped open for a moment as the minotaur's name failed to come to mind.

"Don't worry, my prince. We will work to live up to your example while you recover and find a way to save us all."

As the minja bowed and strode over to the still-growing line of people waiting to escape, I nodded and turned my attention back to my angelic.

"Come on, husband. Our bed is waiting for you."

After her request, I nodded and followed my mate toward our home. Smiling as I realized through my exhaustion that she didn't stutter this time as she addressed me, I held her soft hand as she pulled me along.

I woke up several hours later feeling more refreshed than I had in a long time. Looking around our cramped room, I noticed only Seline was in bed with me.

Laying my head back down on our pillow, I focused on my angelic's soft snores against my chest and not the muffled sound of explosives going off.

After brushing a strand of silver hair away from my beautiful mate's face, I gently kissed her forehead.

"Good morning, husband. Do you feel better?"

I answered Seline's sleepy question with a nod, slightly surprised by her sliding up my body and kissing me. I slid my hand laying behind her down my mate's back as her tongue slipped into my mouth.

Twining mine with hers while my angelic let out a soft moan as I gripped her pert ass, I gazed into her blue eyes after our kiss ended.

"The others said I could have you to myself for a few hours while they took care of some business. I love you, Marvin Spence, and I want you to let me do what I should have done months ago."

I kept my response to her comment to myself as Seline kissed me gently before rising from my side. Still naked after my quick shower the night before, I began to harden as my angelic pulled her night dress off in a rush.

I slid my hand up my mate's bare side and gently cupped one of her naked breasts and saw her eyelids flutter as I teased one of her hard pink nipples. Leaning up to taste the other one, I listened to Seline's soft moan as I flicked my tongue against the sensitive nub.

Her golden wings fluttered as I gently pinched the nipple in my hand. I smiled around the one between my lips after her long, shaky "wait." Taking her kiss of apology for stopping me, I gazed at my angelic's beautiful, flushed face.

"Celeste said you had a way of taking over, my love. Let me get you inside me, and I will let you have your way."

I suppressed my smirk as Seline gave the tent my dick had made in our blankets a look of excitement mixed with apprehension. I groaned as my mate's warm hand surrounded me after she straddled my waist. My hands grasped her slim waist as she ran the head of my dick through her soaked lips.

The shaky moan Seline let out as she slowly lowered herself onto me was followed by mine as her slick tightness pushed the bounds of my control. Shivering with the desire to fuck myself into my quaking angelic, I distracted myself by leaning up and tasting her hard nipples.

Her moan grew sharp as I slipped the hard nub between my lips. I filled the hand not holding me up with my angelic's soft ass. Her gentle rocking as she worked me inside her stopped for a moment after I felt a soft barrier brush against the head of my dick.

Looking up at my smiling mate, I removed my hand from her ass and brushed away the tear that had fallen from her blue eyes.

"Yes, you are my first, husband."

After her declaration, I pulled my smiling angelic down for a long kiss as she lowered her hips. Moaning along with her as she took the rest of me inside her, I held her against me while she shook.

"Mmm, fucking as big as they said, fuck!"

I nodded into Seline's neck as I heard the pain in her voice. As the fluttering of her wings and the shaking of her curves against me stilled, I couldn't help the long gasp I let out as she rose slightly from my lap.

My angelic's moan of pleasure overrode mine as she began to slowly bounce in my lap. Leaning up fully as my mate slowly made love to me, I captured her soft lips in a long kiss.

As the slick sounds of Seline's soaked pussy sliding up and down my dick filled our room, the muffled sounds of our moans warred with the sounds of our pleasure-filled breaths. My angelic's soft moans as she came for me a few minutes later forced me over the edge into my own orgasm.

"Inside me, husband, please. Give me your babies."

I buried my face into my mate's neck as her whispered plea, along with her slick snugness around me, pulled a growl of desire from deep inside me. Pulling her down on me as I began to swell inside my angelic, I groaned out my orgasm while I filled her with my seed.

As the first kick of my dick inside my mate forced another release from her quaking body, I held her body to mine as her golden wings spread suddenly. Seline's lips against mine brought me back to myself as our orgasms ebbed.

Moaning along with her as she lazily rocked her hips, I smiled after she let out a sharp moan as I rolled her onto her back.

"I'm going to have my way with you now, my love. Ok?"

Seline's long moan as I began to stroke inside her cum soaked pussy was her only reply to my comment. Being careful not to damage my mate's beautiful wings, I drove myself into her with every ounce of my desire for her.

As months of my need to claim my angelic drove me to try and claim her mind, body, and spirit, I felt her coat my lap and legs with her squirted release a few moments later. I gazed down at my moaning mate as I kept up my punishing pace, forcing another round of orgasms from her curvy body.

Capturing one of her hard nipples between my lips as she came for me again, I felt my orgasm beginning to crest. Moving my lips to her delicate neck as I began to swell inside of her, I listened to Seline's husky "yes" as I began to fill her.

I held my angelic tight against me as I again filled her with my seed. Cradling the back of her head as I pulled her into another passionate kiss, I groaned along with her as my mate rocked her hips.

As we came down once more from our peaks, I gently kissed my angelic's reddened lips.

"How long did our other mates say you had me for, love?"

After my question, I smiled as Seline's eyes went wide.

"H-hours, husband."

As her blue eyes locked on mine after her reply, I saw the warrior my angelic had come to me as make a reappearance.

The rough and passionate kiss she pulled me into made me chuckle, as did her attempts to push me to my back. Letting Seline have her way with a smile, I hoped the world wouldn't end until we had thoroughly used the time my mates had given us.

The Prophet's ship – Above Kerxon

I felt way more rested than I should have been as I opened my eyes. Pleasing my angelic for a few more hours after clarifying our time limit, I expected to be at least a little sore.

The reason for my refreshed mind and body was apparent after stark white metal walls and artificial light worked together to blind me for a moment. After my vision cleared, I turned around and looked behind me at my host and kidnapper with a smile.

"Hey, most high and mighty alien progenitor, I have been trying to get ahold of you for a while. If you don't mind me..."

I trailed off as the gromonix turned its single eye around and glared at me before looking back at the screens in front of it.

"I apologize for my rudeness, Marvin Spence, but diverting the Hemix's portals is occupying most of my attention at the moment."

I nodded my understanding of the alien's comment before fully understanding it.

By its own claim, the gromonix had been a simple observer of Earth and Kerxon's cleansing for the past few millennia. As I watched the screens in front of the alien fly from scene to scene of grisly thulu deaths, my estimation of the Prophet increased.

I took the time to watch a few hundred thulu burn in the middle of a volcano before walking over next to the intensely focused alien.

"That group there isn't drowning as fast as the others," I said with a smirk.

As the gromonix's single huge eye followed my pointed finger, I saw the orb on its fleshy stalk perform what I could only call a shrug.

"They are significantly higher in the water column than the last group I dropped in the sea. I can assure you they are deep enough that it will not alter the outcome."

I nodded again as another group of thulu plummeted to the ground from miles above the surface of Kerxon. Catching a blur of movement out of the corner of my eye, my mouth dropped open after I turned to inspect what I had seen.

Outside the window that was usually filled with the expanse of Kerxon were several massive black ovoid spaceships. As I walked over to look at them, the scene outside the window blurred once more.

The side of one of the massive ships filled the window once we stopped. Looking back at the gromonix as I was given an up close and personal view of a Hemix ship, I watched the Prophet's eye turn to look at me.

"Can they see us? I really hope they can't."

The eye shrug that the gromonix gave me was less than comforting before it surprised me by rolling its eye.

"I and the rest of my race have been reseeding the worlds the Hemix had cleansed for more centuries than you would believe, Marvin Spence. If I couldn't conceal my ship and printers from them, your planets would have long been sterile balls of mud and rock."

I was a little taken aback by the tone in the alien's response. Wondering where the snark was coming from, I walked over next to it.

I also was a little curious as to why the gromonix had chosen to interfere at this point in the Hemix cycle of cleansing. As more of the screens laid out the demise of several groups of thulu, I voiced my thoughts.

"If you have been sitting back and allowing the Hemix to "gather their resources" up to this point, why interfere now?"

My eyebrows rose as my question caused the gromonix to growl in frustration.

"I would much rather you had joined the council and preserved your DNA, Marvin Spence. You instead chose to terminate them and their agreement with the Hemix. The only way to preserve your DNA and its interesting reaction with the rest of the races is to give you a chance to survive."

After the alien's response, I was left more confused than when I started. As the grominix ignored me to continue killing thulu, I backed away from a screen that appeared in front of me.

I read the text on it as my host kept its silence. Skimming through the test results and musings of the alien written on it, I did a double take after reading one line of text.

"Marvin Spence's altered DNA seems to allow for complete inclusion of sample lion DNA into his genome with near perfect levels of chimerism. Further testing infers the subject's offspring might also carry DNA compatibility that allows for full cognitive function while in animal form. Results of testing and interactions with subject indicate action to preserve the residents of Kerxon will be necessary for continued analysis."

I chuckled as the gromonix chose to fight the Hemix, in its own roundabout way, just to see if my kids could shift fully as I could. As I examined that exciting prospect, I smiled at the alien.

"If you are in the giving mood, could I ask for the favor I have been calling you about?"

The sideways glance the gromonix gave me after my question made me chuckle.

"I get that you are helping, but I need a way to move as many people as possible to Earth and soon. We won't last more than a month or so before our food stores run out. Got anything... ok, I guess that will work."

I opened my hands to catch the five emblems that appeared in front of my face as I asked the Prophet my question.

"I don't have the time to move every resident of Kerxon or the patience to humor your need to save them all, Marvin Spence. I believe using these all at once will allow you to save a great deal of them, say one to two hundred thousand. That should be approximately three-quarters of the number currently hiding in Verto. Is that number sufficient for what you want?"

I took a moment to think over the gromonix's question before smiling.

"This will do very well, thank you."

As the Prophet's single eye bobbed in response to my gratitude, I smiled as my vision began to go black around the edges. I had my plan C, and I couldn't wait to return home to my mates to implement it.

Chapter 7

VERTO – BELIN REGION

I windmilled my arms as I regained consciousness a few feet off my bedroom floor. Landing mostly on my feet, thanks to my lion's reflexes, I glanced over at my bed.

Seven pairs of eyes greeted me, and I chuckled as I opened my palms for them to look at.

"Good morning, loves. I got plan C."

First, Jessica, then Larisa jumped up from the bed to hug me. I laughed as my other mates knocked me off my feet after they did the same. As they all peppered my face with kisses, I smiled at Krissy after she opened our bedroom door.

"Welcome back, Marvin. We figured the Prophet had abducted you after Seline passed out. Did it explain what you were supposed to do with the emblems?"

After Krissy's greeting, my eyebrows rose, and I gave my mates a questioning look.

"What?! You said you were going to claim her. It seemed reasonable to inform her of what she was stepping into."

I shook my head and chuckled at Kiki's response to my surprise over my bearkin's intimate knowledge about my absence. Kissing my foxkin mate's smug lips while she and my other mates smiled at my acceptance of their meddling, I leaned up from our pile on the floor.

"As long as you are ok with joining this mess of sexy ladies, Krissy. I guess it's ok."

The blush that colored my bearkin's pretty face was answer enough to my roundabout proposal. I still wasn't going to do more than enjoy Krissy's presence in our home until she asked to join us herself, but it was nice not to have to explain the Prophet all over again.

"Well, that makes this that much simpler then, I guess. It gave me all six of them, so we need to talk to everyone in charge to plan our escape. The gromonix said something about using them all at once, and I would hate to fuck up our one chance to avoid becoming thulu chow."

I smiled as each of my mates kissed me before rising from the floor. I also gave each of my pregnant mate's bellies a long look as they moved to get dressed and help carry out my plan.

Rising to join them after Krissy handed me a cup of warm coffee, I hoped getting the residents of Verto to hold hands and sing kumbaya wouldn't be too difficult.

A day and many explanations later, I gave the pounding at Verto's main gates a long look. I grimaced in pain as my lioness squeezed my shoulder all the tighter as one of the iron-bound boards split.

"I hope no one sneezes during this," I said as I watched a thulu tentacle reach through the hole it had made.

"You would think the ten meetings we held with each district would be enough to make sure no one let's go, but there are always those who think they know better, my lion."

The end of Larisa's response to my comment turned into a yelp as another thulu tentacle joined the first. With our defenders joining the rest of the population in the longest chain of thumb-wresting ever, the alien monsters had made it through the minefield unhindered half an hour ago.

"My prince, the last of the districts has reported ready."

I nodded as Gant gave his report before placing his hand over Jessica's on my shoulder. Looking back at him and then at my mates on my left and right, I chuckled after Krissy released Kiki's hand to wave at me.

As the bearkin blushed before grabbing my foxkin's hand, I smiled as I heard Kiki tell my bearkin, "it's ok," as she apologized profusely.

"Ok, let's hope this doesn't leave too many people back to die," I said as my stomach began to turn.

Giving the emblems sitting upon my hands a long look before sighing, I closed my eyes and said, "Earth, Earth, Earth, Earth, Earth, Earth."

Opening them after a blinding flash of light blinded me despite my closed eyes, I gave the crumbling circles of metal in my hands a hesitant look. I forced myself to keep my eyes forward as all but one turned to dust in my hands.

I assumed the lack of people joining me in the nothingness was an attempt by the gromonix to save my sanity. I gritted my teeth as the selections for our destination popped up in front of me.

I selected the missile silo and base that would be my home for a long while and readied myself for the meeting with Terr, Thmir, and Polic over how many we had lost. My resolve broke as the base began to fill my vision.

Looking back at the portal to Kerxon, I breathed a sigh of relief that I immediately regretted. None of my mates stood in front of the gates as they crashed inward.

As the thulu streamed into Verto, I felt my inner lion's hate for the beasts that was as strong as my own.

The aliens might have kicked us out of our home, but we would be back and enjoy every moment of taking it back.

Abandoned missile silo – Rocky Mountains

I clenched my fists as my rage at the Hemix and thulu carried over with me as the Prophet's printers over Earth did their jobs. That emotion lasted long enough for my mates to bowl me over as they had earlier this morning.

"Took you long enough, handsome."

After my foxkin's comment, I patted her auburn hair as she rubbed her face against my chest.

"Yes, we thought you somehow got left behind, my love."

Kissing Akasha's cheek while she tried to squeeze the life out of me, I smiled as my other mates nodded in agreement once I looked at them. I passed out a few kisses before looking over at Gant, Jardon, Terr, Thmir, and Polic.

The minja and my father-in-law were the only ones smiling, and I rolled my eyes as the warmth of my mates called me to lay a little longer in their embrace. As I saw Margaret, Steve, Terrell, Tina, and Rena walking over to us from the base entrance, I grumbled to myself as duty called.

"You eight need to get our suite furnished before we start doing requisitions for everyone. Our home away from home just got a little more crowded."

As each of my mates stole a kiss before letting me off the ground, I smiled as Krissy offered me her cheek. Kissing it with a chuckle, Dobber's comment about his sister's lack of shyness came to mind.

Gazing at my bearkin's ample behind as she joined my other mates, I smirked as she noticed my attention and added a switch to her stride. My other mates joined her with a round of giggles.

I wondered how long it would take before I got to snuggle up to Krissy's cute little puffball tail before Polic clearing his throat turned my attention to work.

"I'm glad you didn't get left behind, Lord Marvin, but this place seems a little... small."

After his comment, I smiled at Terr.

"The underground part of the base will hold quite a few people. I have a delivery of a few hundred cargo containers that will take the burden off the base for keeping everyone under a roof. Gant, what is the eta on them?"

After my question, I looked over at the smiling minja.

"The first hundred should be delivered by the end of the week, my prince. Also, I have had the sides of the silo carved out to allow those who choose to live in the cubbies we have created. Our food should last at least the next month or so with the Prophet's estimation of our new population."

After Gant's report, I turned to my three leaders as Terrell stopped beside me.

"We also have a few dozen vehicles that should make it in and out of the mountain passes just fine. Most of our adult lions have learned the area and know how to drive. We have been supplementing our online food purchases with trips to the towns west of us. Most are only a few hours away, so there is also a chance for us to teach our new lions."

I chuckled as Terrell's comment reminded me that the number of lions under my command had just grown by several thousand at least. Sharing a look with my friend, I laughed after he winked at me.

"I want you three to manage your people while we get everything situated for a longish stay. If you have questions, speak to my mates, Jessica or Larisa. Any issues with my lions need to go through Terrell first. I understand that everyone has just lost everything they knew, but we have a chance here to gain it back if we work together. There are no kings or barons here, just people working to take back what we have lost. Can you three accept that?"

I switched between looking at the three rulers before Polic sighed and nodded.

"It would be a terrible idea to try and rock the boat at this point. From what my daughter told me about the government kicking you off this planet, any disturbance could end with us being vaporized."

I smiled as Polic's comment caused Terr and Thmir to pale a little. Nodding as they gave me wide-eyed looks, I shrugged as Terrell chuckled at their expressions.

"I have a plan to deal with whatever agency Deputy commissioner Crenshaw belongs to, but I need as much peace as possible to gain some leverage to use against them. Again, I ask you three, can you accept my terms?"

Terrell's sigh and slight growl turned my attention to him from the other two rulers.

"There is another term that Marvin hasn't told you about that everyone must follow. Your wings, while nice and pretty, are going to get us caught by at least the police in the larger towns. We could say we are a commune of cosplayers, but it would be simpler for everyone to look as human as possible. If you three are going to be agreeing to terms, that one has been in effect since we came here."

I nodded in agreement with my friend's comment before seeing the distaste on Polic, Terr, and Thmir's faces.

"You expect us to assume the guise of the lowest race?!"

Terr's comment was a little surprising but not unexpected. My radio and telephone meetings with the two rulers not related to me had been relatively light on the specifics of plan C for apparent reasons.

"As my father-in-law has said, it's either that or become a pile of ash, though I doubt we will be lucky enough to end up in a pile. Most likely, we will be strewn over the mountains in a freak training accident."

After Terrell added a soft "boom" to the end of my response, I smiled at the two holdouts as they grudgingly nodded to my terms.

"How often will we be allowed to take on our true forms Master Marvin? My people will want to know, and I will be sending them to you for further questions."

I smirked at Thmir's petulant tone even as the angelic absorbed his wings, becoming the human he was without them.

"Everyone has free reign inside the base to let their animals out to play. My lions have excellent night vision, so if they wish to join in, there is a monthly hunt for mountain goats, elk, and deer on the new moon. Again, this situation is temporary, and I already have a plan in place to get us back our home."

As all three rulers standing in front of me shifted into their human forms and nodded in response to my statement, I watched them walk toward the base's main gate behind me.

"Are you sure they won't make waves just to be little shits, man? There are a few lions in the brig that didn't like having to remain human most of the time."

I shrugged as Terrell reminded me of some of my responsibilities that I had been putting off while I tried to save as many residents of Kerxon as I could. Waving a hand for him to follow me as I decided to deal with my willful lions, I sighed as a jumbo jet flew high overhead.

"They are going to act as if they had no choice in the matter and make me out to be the bad guy for forcing them to act below their station. I will deal with it like everything else dropped in my lap. What I am curious to see is how many of them take a liking to Earth and will want to stay once we take back Kerxon."

After my response, I shared a shrug and smile with my friend as we entered the base. As the sound of so many people packed in one place rang in my ears, I basked in the simple peace of our new way of life before duty pulled me away from it once again.

∆∆∆∆∆

I groaned into my angelic's sweaty back while I filled her for the fourth time that afternoon. A week after our semi-permanent return to Earth, Seline had asked for some compensation for her excellent behavior on a shopping trip.

Pulling my moaning mate's lips to mine with a finger under her chin, I filled the other with one of her large breasts while I coated the walls of her pussy with my cum.

"Is that enough of a reward for dealing with the Karen, my love?"

Seline's soft chuckle in response to my question caused me to gasp in pleasure as she clenched around me.

"It was two of them, husband. That means twice the seed inside of me."

After my angelic's response, I let out a chuckle. Kissing the spaces on my mate's shoulder blades where her golden wings would be in her true form, I flipped her over onto her back with a hungry growl.

Seline's surprised yelp turned into a long shaky moan as I pushed myself inside her. I slid my arms under her knees to get deeper inside my angelic then growled in irritation after I heard a knock on our door.

"Later!" I yelled before looking down at my shaking mate and adding, "much later…" as I began to thrust into her cum slick pussy.

As I began to draw out another orgasm from Seline's quaking body, I growled again after I heard Gant say, "I have important news, my prince," in an amused tone.

"Damn it, Gant! Give me a half hour, and I will meet you in the Cage!"

After hearing the minja's response of, "as you wish, my prince," I left whatever the Grand Master had to say for later.

I dried off my face with a towel as I walked toward the brig the residents of Verona Base, the name they had given their haven, had dubbed the Cage. I had missed my arranged meeting by over fifteen minutes after Seline had me take her in the shower along with Akasha once my princess had joined us after training.

Wishing I was enjoying their warmth against me instead of rushing through the still-packed corridors of the base, I returned Gant's smile once I reached the brig.

"I told you he wasn't coming out for a while once the princess went in. I believe you owe me a bag of emeralds."

My smile turned into a laugh after my father-in-law gave me a scathing glare as one of Gant’s men handed the Grand Master his winnings.

"I would have thought a son of mine would put business before pleasure, but I understand. I couldn't keep my hands off Larisa's mother for years. Still can't, if I'm in the mood, to tell the truth."

After his comment on my lateness, I gave Polic a shrug.

I wasn't about to deny my mates if Gant's news could have waited a half hour to give me. Meeting my other mother-in-law, a panthkin named Teresa, I could understand Polic's sentiment.

Larisa definitely got her looks, and curves, from her mother. As with all mothers-in-law, she wanted to know when she would be getting her grandbaby.

Shaking the vivid embarrassment from that conversation a few days ago, I took the document Gant handed me with a smile.

I skimmed the document for a few moments as Gant and Polic chatted lightly. Singling out what I assumed the Grand Master had brought me here to look at, I set the financial report next to the laptop on the table next to him.

"So, what I got out of that is our initial plan to buy out Kerxon Mining through their stocks isn't feasible with our new timeline, correct? It looks like we are a few percent below a controlling share but are waiting out a holdout or two."

After my comment, Gant's nod and Polic's massive smile made me roll my eyes.

"I believe you now, Gant. He should be able to keep Kerxon Mining together long enough to twist some arms. If you will excuse me, gentlemen, Teresa and Margaret are grilling the other ladies about their baby showers. It is always a pleasure to watch my wife work, and Steve is lucky he got to Margaret first. Good job, son. I think I will like working under you."

After shaking Polic's hand before he walked past the reinforced doors of the Cage, I took the seat he had abandoned.

"Ok, Gant, so plan A went down in flames. How long will it take us to get plan B up and running?"

Losing my office yesterday to five families that needed the space, I was glad I had taken care of most of our prisoners the day we arrived. I checked again on our ongoing census on the laptop next to me as Gant riffled through a few reports.

"A month at most, my prince. We have set up the PMC you asked for a month after Than's arrival, but it will take some time to evaluate our new volunteers before we are ready to use them. I estimate two weeks at best before they will be ready for our hostile takeover due to quite a few of them being guards on Kerxon."

I nodded as I answered a few emails about the status of our cargo housing next to the base.

The delay wasn't unexpected, and it would give me time to iron out some issues we had run up against. Taking some of Jessica and Larisa's load off them was my main concern in the interim.

Terr and Thmir's bid to make me the bad guy had blown up spectacularly in their faces with some help from Polic and his people. One thing I hadn't expected to grow out of our close quarters was the thriving rumor mill my father-in-law had put to poetic use.

"Start the training with the new tech for our volunteers and see about security for a moon flight for the angelics. They have been complaining for the past week about the close quarters in the silo. If we can mostly cover the ridges above us, any cameras that might capture them can be talked away as crazies or doctored images or videos."

Handling the email that Jessica had CC'd me in, I rose from my seat after Gant's nod. As the Grand Master left to deal with my request and the upcoming mission, I forced myself not to return to my bed and mates.

There was more than enough to do still that I couldn't allow myself to languish longer than I had. Picking up my laptop, I skimmed a few more emails as I left my new dreary office.

∆∆∆∆∆

I smiled at the family of panthkin as I handed them their morning meal two weeks after my meeting with Gant and Polic. Finishing up with another set of cargo containers earlier, my mates suggested I leave our room for a while so they could focus on their tasks for the day.

A smile curled my lips as I remembered Celeste's less-than-earnest request that I keep my hands off her ass. The fact that my pregnant panthkin mate had chosen to work on her and Jessica's paperwork on our volunteers for lion shifters while sitting in my lap wasn't lost on me.

My doing as they asked ended with me helping Kiki and Judith's volunteers hand out the morning rations.

Returning the father's nod as he followed his family toward their cubby above me, I smiled as Krissy's arms wrapped around my middle.

"I'm glad you made it, Marvin. I didn't think you would have the time after the last delivery of containers."

After she laid her head against my shoulder, I chuckled and kissed Krissy's cheek. As a blush colored her tanned cheeks, I leaned my head against hers while I handed off another bag of food to a human family.

"The others told me to go occupy myself with something else besides sticking my nose and hands in their business for a while, so here I am. What brought you over to this side of the base?"

I waited for my bearkin to respond to my question as she greeted a family of wolfkins by name. A shiver ran down my spine as Krissy's hands began to rub my stomach absently while I handed off another bag.

"Dobber has enough hands to keep track of the cattle we were able to bring with us, so I decided to ask your other mates where you ended up. I also like to help out Judith now and again with mealtimes, so it worked out well for me."

I chuckled and nodded at Krissy's response as I handed off the last bag of food in my box. Waving over one of my lions in charge of keeping us stocked with the boxes, I physically shivered as my bearkin took a sniff of me.

"Why do you want to be with me, Krissy?"

A little surprised by my bearkin's chuckle after my serious question, I growled a little as she turned to look at me with a smug smile. The action consequently pressed her breasts against my arm and gave me ample time to appreciate their softness.

"Kiki, Judith, and Larisa all told me how against growing your harem you were before they broke you down enough to claim them. Why I chose you over anyone else is simple. I like you, and not just because you saved me. I am very much a grown woman, Marvin. Even if it takes me a while to warm up to people, when I do, I tend not to change my mind."

Krissy turned her intense gaze from me after responding to another family before handing off another package from a newly opened box. The image of Krissy's eyes and the certainty in them stayed with me for several moments.

"And that is enough to want you to be my mate? It seems like an excellent way to make friends but deciding to create a life with someone you barely know just sounds a little reckless."

My bearkin's peal of laughter in response to my comment surprised me. The gentle pat she gave my stomach was also a surprise.

Sometime during my distraction, the woman had slipped her hand under my shirt. I let her leave it there as the sensation of her soft fingers running across my abs felt a little too good to let go of at that moment.

I rolled my eyes as my decision caused my bearkin to kiss my shoulder before her attention was drawn to another family.

"I think I can make my own decisions on who I choose to spend my time, and life, with, Marvin. What I want to know now that we are speaking frankly is what you are going to do about it."

As the girl next door facade dropped from Krissy's face as she waited for my answer, I chuckled as her twin braids began to look more pullable than twistable.

"I think I would like to see where this goes. I like you too, Krissy."

I kissed my bearkin's lips after my reply and chuckled as her earlier demeanor returned with a vengeance as she looked away from me with a blush. Deciding if I was going to pull her chin over for another one as she twisted one of her braids with a finger, I chose to hand off another bag to a smirking family of seroci instead.

My decision seemed to go over well as Krissy remained at my side with her other hand drawing patterns on my stomach. I endured the simultaneously ticklish and pleasurable sensation as I occupied myself.

At the same time, I waited for Gant's go-ahead to attack Kerxon Mining.

Distracting myself by caressing Krissy's ass discreetly, I hoped my bearkin knew what she was getting herself into.

Kerxon Mining Main Office – South Africa

I smiled at the guards stationed in front of the massive skyscraper in front of me as I walked toward Kerxon Mining. Assuming they were guards by the cliché black suits and dark sunglasses they wore, I also assumed they thought their blank no nonsense expressions were intimating.

With my lions and minjas behind me, I hoped they had more under their sleeves than muscles.

I wanted a bit of excitement while I took the mining company for my own.

"We're here to see Mr. Verto. Don't worry, we will see ourselves in."

After my glib greeting, I pushed past what could only be a bearkin in his human form by the man's size. A smirk grew on my face as his brown eyes went wide after I moved him with little effort.

While I listened to the bearkin's frantic report on his radio, I blew an impressed whistle as I took in the expansive and expensive lobby we walked into.

The lobby stretched through most of the skyscraper that took up most of a city block. With gold, silver, and a multitude of gems and jewels on display like billionaire wallpaper, it looked like Kerxon Mining had more money than they knew what to do with.

"The gem business must be booming! Look at the size of that rock, babe! I don't think you will be hurting for wedding ring choices for long."

After my lioness's comment, I gave her a smirk while we continued walking. As people scattered once my minjas and lions splintered off to take care of the security that tried to stop us, I chuckled along with my mates.

Knowing exactly where I was going due to Gant and his minjas months-long efforts, I stopped in front of a bank of elevators.

"Gant you know the deal, security, exits, and crowd control. It won't be long before they decide to call the cops once we don't go down with bullets."

I returned Gant's smile before he and his twenty-minotaur crew spread out to complete their part of my plan. As a great deal of them rushed up the stairwell beside the elevators, I followed the paths of the rest of them around a corner.

Looking over at Jessica, Akasha, and my group of ten lions, I held my lioness's gaze until she gave me a grudging nod.

"I know, I know, stay out of the line of fire. Damn! Get knocked up, and your mate forgets all about how you used to dance on top of alien killing machines."

I chuckled along with my princess at our lioness's petulant tone.

As our wait for the elevator lasted longer than I would have liked, I smiled as Gant's voice crackled in my ear.

"They managed to shut the elevators down, my prince, but they are back up and running. In case you were wondering, Verto locked himself inside a panic room in his penthouse after the guards informed him that we had broken in. We did manage to keep them from informing the authorities, though."

After Gant's report, I turned to look at one of the security cameras panning the room. Giving the camera a thumbs up to let the Grand Master know we were ready after it stopped on us. An excited smile curled my lips once the elevator doors smoothly opened.

I let my mates head in first before stepping in behind them. As my lions followed suit, shielding us from the gunfire we were about to walk into, I let myself shift slightly to protect my mates.

I rocked gently to an old tune that came to mind after no elevator music played to make our long journey a little more pleasant. As I began to hum it while the digits of the floor indicator began to climb into the forties, I chuckled after I heard the faint sound of yelling above us.

"Take them down quickly, gentlemen and ladies. I want everyone in that meeting room to understand what it means to fight against a pride of lions."

I joined my lions in their hungry chuckles as they chambered rounds or pulled out weapons to take on the guards above us. Taking the members of the board hostage was my lions' primary goal. Jessica, Akasha, and I were going to deal with Mr. Stephen Verto.

A grunt of irritation rumbled in my chest as I took a bullet to the shoulder after the elevator doors opened. Ignoring the pain and bruising, I was glad it at least hadn't been a silver bullet.

As my lions shifted and rushed toward the defenders with a roar, I shouldered the SMG dangling inside my jacket. Firing into the hallway packed with guards in various states of shifts, I smiled as a foxkin guard blanched.

I took a shot at the fearful foxkin as my forces clashed with the frightened guards. Only managing to hit him in his shoulder, I grinned as my mates took their shots.

I smiled wide as I managed to hit a wolfkin between the eyes before the elevator doors closed.

The sound of shots and roaring became muffled and eventually disappeared as my mates and I were left alone in the elevator. Bouncing my head in time with the beat of the music in my head, I chuckled as Jessica began to hum her own little tune.

"Ooh, I remember that one from the first time I was here!"

As Akasha added words to our lioness's song, I laughed as they both began singing. Jessica's embellishment of the rock ballad only encouraged our princess, and I couldn't help but join them in making our long trip more entertaining.

As we harmonized the last note of our song, we finally reached the penthouse.

Nearly in tears as the doors opened, I wiped my eyes as I brought my gun to my shoulder. As Jessica put away her M-4 and hefted Runner and Akasha pulled her AK47 from behind her shoulder, my amused smile evaporated.

Taking my time clearing the massive and lavish room we walked into, I followed the wall on one side of it while my princess took the other. As Jessica backed up Akasha, I smiled once I reached Stephen's bedroom.

I made my way through it, looking for the button hidden behind the headboard of the seroci's bed. Finding it after a few moments, I smiled toothily as part of the wall beside the bed moved back with a whirling of motors.

As my mates entered the room, I walked over to the heavy metal door the movable wall had exposed.

"Stephen, it's Marvin Spence! I know you know who I am! My people have been keeping a pretty close watch on you and your drones over my base. I think we might be able to come to an agreement if you would just come out and talk!"

Shouting at the door in front of me and ignoring the biometric pad that would open it, I chuckled as the defenses Gant's report had mentioned lowered from the ceiling behind me.

After she shifted, Akasha made short work of the guns by yanking them out of the ceiling. Blowing my minotaur princess a kiss and returning her smirk, I shifted and pounded on the door.

"That's not going to work, Stephen. I know about every one of your little hidden goodies. All I want is your support, and if you don't want to give it, I will let you live if you turn over your company to me!"

After my offer, I stepped back from the door as the crackle of the intercom built into the wall beside me gave me some hope.

"You think I am going to risk exposing us to the humans just because you broke into my home! From what I have seen of your little operation, Marvin Spence, you are many things, but delusional isn't one of them."

I chuckled as Verto's backhanded compliment almost made me say thank you to the coward. Instead, I lifted my hand to my ear and chuckled at Gant's amused, "yes, my prince."

I couldn't help but note someone besides my lion was enjoying a hunt that didn't involve lumbering purple monsters.

"Open it up, Gant. He's not going to come out on his own."

As my minjas used the override in the security room downstairs to open the door in front of me, I chuckled as the business end of a fifty caliber rifle greeted me. Its wielder was precisely the opposite of the fat businessman that I would have expected to be running the mining company.

Stephen was decked out in a custom-tailored business suit that fit his trim form well. Besides his slick black hair and superior demeanor, I wouldn't have been surprised to see him in a private gym for the rich and famous.

I grabbed the barrel of his rifle with a smile and yanked it from the furious seroci's hands before passing the useful weapon back to my mates.

"If I was human that might have worked, Stephen. Now I was hoping you could put on your listening ears for what I have to say. Whether you leave here alive or dead, your company will be helping save our worlds. Now, sit."

I pointed at the elaborately carved chair sitting next to a similarly luxurious bed inside the lavishly decorated and spacious panic room as I gave Verto my order. The still furious and much shorter and smaller seroci took a few moments to comply.

Taking a seat on his bed and smirking at the frown Verto gave me, I leaned forward with my knees on my elbows and stared at the man.

If I could convince Stephen to work with me, it would lighten my already heavy load. I sighed as the man continued to glare at me before firming my resolve.

"I know you have been on your own running the show for almost a year, Stephen. That amount of time with as much money and power as you have is just the kind of temptation one would need to tell the rest of the races to shove it when they come calling, right?"

After my question, it took Verto a few moments to nod.

A smile cracked my lips as Gant's information on the man proved to be spot on. Sighing once again, I glared at the seroci.

"Well, we are here, and there is another reason besides your morality that you will be helping us. Do you know about the thulu'griff, Stephen?"

As Verto shook his head in response to my question, I nodded for my mates to leave us. They knew very well the story I was about to tell the seroci.

Blowing his mind was going to be as fun as figuring out whether I was going to kill him or not.

A half-hour later, and with a few dozen questions answered by me, I shook my head as Stephen gave me a skeptical look.

"Spence, even if I were to believe a children's fairy tale about the thulu'gr... sorry thulu invading Kerxon, and I'm not saying I believe that for a moment, I am not giving up my position, sorry."

I chuckled as Stephen mistook my attempt to sway him as me giving up on taking his company by force. After Gant reported on the state of our takeover of the building ten minutes ago, I figured I had plenty of time to change the seroci's mind.

"Sign this, or I am going to pull your arm off."

I smirked as my comment caused a confused frown to cross Verto's face. Grabbing his arm and squeezing, I held his gaze with mine.

As the smirk that replaced his confusion began to grow pained, I nodded with a smile at the seroci as he signed his name on the stock purchase agreement that would give me a controlling share in Kerxon Mining.

"Fine! It's signed, but it won't hold up in court after my lawyer hears about this! What did you think was going to happen, Marvin? This isn't Kerxon, where you can just take what you want with muscle and brawn. You will be in chains within the hour, and this scrap of paper will warm my feet tonight."

After his little speech, I chuckled at the victorious smile on Verto's face.

Passing the document to my lioness after I signed it, I turned my attention back to the still smiling seroci.

"To answer your question, Stephen, I needed this signed in case you didn't make it back. Your lack of faith in me was a little hurtful. Ladies, I’m sorry, we will be back in a couple of hours."

I pulled my emblem from my pocket as my mates responded with oks and blown kisses my way. Squeezing Stephen's arm as his eyes went wide after he saw what was in my hand, I spoke the words necessary to take us on our little trip.

Belin Mountain Range – Belin Region

"Come on, Stephen! Keep up, or they are going to eat you!"

As I led the few hundred thulu I had dropped the screaming CEO and I into on a merry chase through the mountains, I laughed as Verto's screams grew a little shrill. Rounding the lip of a cave on the side of the mountain, I caught sight of a remarkably familiar road.

I ran full out onto the small plateau that the cave opened up to, outpacing my guest and our hosts. Reaching the edge of it, my throat grew a little tight.

The view of my home in Tamira would have been an amazing sight if it weren’t surrounded by a sea of purple bodies. I basked in the sight of my stolen home for a few moments before the sound of Stephen's screams and the thulu's pounding steps brought me back to reality.

"Believe me now, Stephen?"

After his frantic nod and glance back at our pursuers, I chuckled at the seroci.

"I still don't see how you taking over my company will gain you what you need to eradicate these monsters. On top of that, the contract you made me sign was completed under duress. I promise if you take me back, I will provide you with what help I can, and we can forget this assault on my person ever happened."

After Verto's request, I nodded distractedly as I gazed at my home.

Imagining it filled with my children instead of surrounded by alien monsters, I looked down at the frightened seroci.

"Voiding a contract requires the offended party to be there to make a complaint, Stephen. Your colleagues won't make much of a fuss. I have too much dirt on them for that. I had hoped to get you on board, but it seems you are too far up your own ass to accept reality. Bye, Mr. Verto, it wasn't a pleasure."

My simmering rage at the state of my home didn't make it into my voice as I grabbed the insufferable seroci by his neck. Breaking it as a mercy, I tossed his limp body into the mass of thulu plodding toward me.

As they caught Stephen's body before tearing him apart, I pulled the emblem from my pocket. I glared at two of the thulu that broke off from the massive pack for a more substantial meal.

Growling out the words that would take me back, I gave the alien monsters the finger as I returned to Earth.

Chapter 8

VERONA BASE – ROCKY MOUNTAINS

I suppressed a smirk at the laptop screen in front of me as the rest of the board reacted to my plan for Kerxon Mining. I had questioned making this video meeting in the Cage, but it felt kind of badass to be making demands of the old and stuffy billionaires from my fortress of solitude.

Ordering this meeting a week after killing Verto and taking his place on the board, I sat back in my chair and waited for the blow-up that was coming.

The only ones that weren't giving me skeptical looks were the two humans that just happened to be residents of Earth. The others were shifters that were taking my supplantation of Stephen badly.

"And how are we to make inroads with any government assistance with the thulu on your word alone, Marvin? The humans aren't known for accepting change that readily, and you would ask us to possibly expose ourselves and put ourselves in danger for an already doomed planet."

After Mr. Gain's question, I smiled at the bearkin's craggy frown. I looked over at my princess and seroci who were listening attentively to the meeting.

I suppressed a chuckle after seeing Akasha roll her eyes before pushing a button on the keyboard in front of her and Larisa.

"Mr. Gains, whether or not you think this venture is worth it or not is irrelevant. You will comply and provide me with any and all assistance you can to save our worlds, or I will find someone to replace you that will."

After my ultimatum, I held each board member's gaze for a few seconds. I sighed as I saw a few of them still frowning at me.

"You all have permission to speak. I will not let Earth fall or allow Kerxon to remain in the Hemix's hands due to your pride, but I am not above hearing your complaints. I might even take them to heart if we can reach an understanding."

After my comment, I sat back and waited.

A few moments passed as the shifters and humans collected their courage. I hadn't been stupid enough to implicate myself in Verto's disappearance, but me taking over his seat had definitely rubbed the rest of the board the wrong way.

"Do I need to raise my hand, or will you kill me too if I speak out of turn, Chairman?"

After her snide question, I turned to look at the foxkin woman who ran a jewelry empire that spanned most of the civilized world. I smiled at her as Larisa covered her mouth as she giggled at my change of mood.

"I don't know how many times I have to tell you all that I didn't kill Stephen Verto. I explained what was coming, just as I have all of you, and he was gracious enough to step out of the way so we could save Earth and Kerxon. As long as we have that discrepancy taken care of, what is your question, Miss Martin?"

After I replied to the woman's blatant setup, I barely managed to keep my composure. I caught a flash of annoyance cross the foxkin's pale, wrinkled features as I glared at her.

As Miss Martin's thin lips formed a straight line below her nose, I smiled at her instead of giving her the full brunt of my displeasure.

"Regardless of your lies, we aren't in the industry that holds sway over the government of South Africa, never mind any government with the power to fight the monsters you mentioned. What exactly do you think we should do to get them to help or even believe your story?"

I nodded graciously as Kendra Martin's question caused each board member to nod their agreement. Giving each of them a smirk, I hit a few keys on the laptop in front of me.

"I think each of you knows that what Miss Martin said is complete bullshit. Each of you has similar dirt on key politicians in several countries that will at least hear me out if you twist their arms hard enough. Mr. Gains, how is your relationship with the American ambassador in Germany? I hear you enjoyed Octoberfest together last year."

As I spoke, I brought up a few key connections that each member had formed with the military, politicians, and other influential companies on each of their screens. I smiled as my minja's arduous work caused several of the board to grow pale before locking their frightened eyes on me.

"As you see, there is much you can do to get me in contact with the people who can save us all. Make it your highest priority, and I will ensure you still have your cushy lives once this is over."

One wolfkin asked, "And if we don't?"

I shrugged and nodded at his screen.

The man had long enough to give me a confused look before a hole formed in the middle of his head.

"Then we all die."

My comment as two of my minjas filled the camera inside of Jance Goten's office to dispose of his body was greeted by stunned silence. I dipped my head slowly as one of the minjas bowed with a calm "my prince" before returning to his job.

"We have a chance to save everyone and possibly be the first to take a look at the Hemix technology if we play our cards right. I want to go home, ladies and gentlemen, and I believe you all are just as attached to yours, so let's work together to ensure that they are still there for you to return to."

I growled gently as silence still reigned after my statement. Letting out a louder growl as the rest of the board watched my minjas clean blood, bones, and brain from the wall in front of the camera, I smiled as their attention returned to me.

"I expect everyone to have a report, physical, mind you, to hand off to my people when they come asking for them. I hope this meeting has proven the severity of our predicament. We are the only thing standing between our world and eradication. Make sure you remind yourselves of that, dismissed."

I smiled slightly as each board member chose to dip their heads in my direction before their screens went blank. Letting out a long exhale after closing my screen, I ran my hands over my face.

"Was that too much, loves? I didn't think I would have to kill one of them. Should I have just had Than break his knees or something?"

After my hands fell in my lap as I finished, I looked over at Larisa and Akasha.

My seroci’s curious look at me turned into a chuckle before she elbowed our princess in the side.

"Our lion thinks that his display of power over the group that would let us all die instead of helping someone else for once was too much, Akasha. Should we tell him that there are several hits on him right now?"

The smile I gave Larisa for her snide tone fell away as my mouth dropped open after her question to my other mate.

"No, I think we have five of the groups that took the contract handled at the moment. The other three have gone to ground after hearing about those five disappearing, so we don't need to worry our husband's overlarge head."

As my mates chuckled at my princess's airy tone, I smiled and shook my head before walking over to them.

"It seems like you both have my back pretty well covered. What can I do to reward you both for keeping my overlarge head safe?"

I smirked at my mates as they whispered to each other after my question.

"A few hours of your time would be enough, husband."

I smiled at my princess after her innocuous request before Larisa's soft hands trailing up my thigh made me lick my lips hungrily. As my seroci made quick work of my pants, her warm, wet mouth surrounding me made me glad I had cleared out the Cage for our meeting.

It was going to be a long few hours, and I was going to enjoy every moment of it.

Denver Colorado

I sipped my cup of coffee and yawned after the long drive to reach my next meeting a few weeks later.

As the bell above the diner entrance rang, I looked up at it. Ignoring the man that had walked through it, I rolled my eyes playfully at Jessica's giggle and our princess's smirk.

"She's most likely already here and hiding amongst the crowd all super spy-like, babe."

I shrugged in response to my lioness's comment before sniffing the air. Catching the scent of a few guns, I nodded before taking another sip of my hot drink.

This was America. A few guns wouldn't be out of the ordinary.

What did concern me was that our guest was a half hour late.

"We have any planes overhead ready to nuke us, my love?" I asked Akasha.

"None we have detected, husband, but they have tried to hijack our comms more than once."

I shrugged once again as the agency we had been put in contact with by Mr. Gains did as I expected.

"If they manage to break through Gant's encryption, let them. We are about to expose ourselves, and it won't take much longer for them to notice the base."

"We already have, Mr. Spence. I want to commend you, though. I don't know how you manage to keep the monsters in check, but it is impressive."

I slowly turned to look at Deputy Director Crenshaw as she placed the cold barrel of a gun on the side of my head. Looking at her with a smile, I chuckled as every other person in the diner pulled out their own gun.

"Not here to fight, Crenshaw. If you know about the base, you must have more than a few questions you want answered. I think we can help each other out if you will listen."

I looked up at Crenshaw as I spoke and got my first look at the woman and chuckled.

She was a pretty woman in her forties, though with the shape she kept herself in, she could have been in her late twenties. After she noticed my gaze, I smirked as she tried and failed to turn my eye away from her with the gun in her hand.

"I think we are beyond questions from me, Spence. It's not every day a senator calls the director personally to meet with the leader of a small town that popped up in the middle of nowhere. My boss will be the one you are meeting with. I'm just here to answer questions about our first meeting."

After Crenshaw's reply, I nodded again before shrugging.

“We are at your disposal, deputy director," I said before sitting back in my seat.

As Crenshaw, along with her men, retook their seats, I gently kicked Jessica in her shin as she almost broke into a fit of giggles. I frowned at my mate as she struggled to compose herself before another older man walked into the diner.

As he walked over to us, I remembered a saying I had once heard.

Growing up watching James Bond movies, I was surprised to find out that most retired spies got a great deal of amusement from his flashy antics. Others mentioned with irritation that the movie icon was the exact opposite of what a real spy should be, forgettable.

The man that pulled up a seat in front of our booth was the epitome of that sentiment. With an average build, height, and drab brown eyes, he gave off an air of being exactly where he should be at that moment.

"Director Cook, pleased to meet you, Mr. Spence, Mrs. Jennings, and I believe you don't have a last name Mrs..."

I smiled at the excruciatingly average man as he tried to hold Akasha's amused gaze.

"Director Frank Cook, I believe Spence will suffice since he is my husband, on Kerxon anyway. How is your wife, Carol, handling your sudden need to reschedule your date for the night? I know your son, Peter, was looking forward to his payment for babysitting your younger daughter, Sara."

My smile turned into a smirk as my princess’s questions made the director's eyes widen slightly. As he schooled his expression after the slip, I chuckled after Jessica tapped loudly on the table with a shifted claw.

"You might as well adjust both our last names in whatever file you have on us. Make sure you hyphenate mine, Jennings-Spence, so it matches our marriage certificate once we make it official."

After my lioness's request to the surprised director, I laughed lightly as he nodded.

"I'm glad we all have an understanding then. I assumed you knew about our relationship when you asked us here, but I guess the CIA can only keep up with so much information at once. Now, as to the reason for our meeting, I want to ask you, Director Cook, do you believe in aliens?"

The director's frown that had remained in place after Akasha's thinly veiled threat deepened as he turned to look at me.

"The deputy director has informed me about your problem with the thulu on Kerxon, Mr. Spence. What I want to know is what you expect me to do about it. America is many things, but interplanetary savior is one feather we haven't been able to place in our hat."

I chuckled at Cook's comment before taking another sip of my coffee.

"That would be one hell of a feather, director, and one I would love to see placed in it. The reason I asked to meet you is that we need help taking back our planet. I don't think you will be as selfless as I wish, but the same monsters that pushed us off Kerxon are coming here. I think a test run taking back Kerxon would help save quite a few lives on Earth."

After I ended my explanation, Cook gave me a condescending smile. I didn't let his disbelief ruin my mood and leaned toward the director.

"If saving lives doesn't appeal to you, I think handing America alien technology, if we win, will provide you with endless opportunities to advance your career. The thulu are controlled by the Hemix, and if you can manage to beat them then you will be able to take their tech as your own."

I smiled smugly as Cook's expression turned contemplative as I finished. Kissing my princess's hand after she handed me a fresh cup of coffee from our waitress, I smirked as Cook tried to whisper something to Crenshaw.

"You might want to text any secret messages, director. I could probably hear your question about the truthfulness of my claims from across the room, no matter how quiet you think you are. If you are willing, I could show you firsthand what an alien invasion really looks like."

After my offer to Cook, I smiled at the cautious look he gave me. He glanced around the room speculatively at his men, and I pulled over a menu.

A few moments passed as I let the director decide if he was going to go on a trip with me or not. As my pregnant lioness took my actions as permission to order her meal excitedly, I chuckled after Akasha joined our mate in ordering half the menu.

"It looks like you three plan to be here for a while. I will take your offer, Spence, with the caveat that your wives will be staying as insurance of my safe return."

I chuckled at Cook's attempt to wrangle some power in our little negotiation. Nodding with a sigh, I kissed my distracted mates on their cheeks before rising from my seat.

"I can live with those terms, Director Cook. Ladies, we will probably be a few hours."

A smirk curled my lips as my mates waved absentmindedly at my comment. As they waved over the waitress to give the woman their order, I offered Cook my hand.

"Hang on tight, Cook. It's going to be a wild ride."

∆∆∆∆∆

"And you're sure there is no way to stop these Hemix from invading Earth, Spence?"

I shrugged in response to the CIA director's question.

"If there is a way to stop them from portaling to Earth, it would probably come from the gromonix. From what the one I have interacted with has told me they are very much a passive race. The Prophet helped us as much as it could. There is a possibility that they might do more if a country or world asked for help."

My response to his question caused the director to nod before leaning against the tree next to him.

I had taken care during this visit to Kerxon to avoid confrontation with the massive groups of thulu, unlike my short trip with Verto.

That meant I had plenty of time to inform Cook about what could happen to Earth if it weren't adequately prepared. I again watched the alien monsters milling around another familiar location as we used the thick forest surrounding Jokun to hide.

As the director observed the thulu with a deep frown, I smiled as I remembered the first time that I had visited the city with my princess. I shook my head in amusement after remembering how forward Akasha had been.

Missing my mates a little more than I expected after an hour and a half without them, I sighed as I heard heavy footsteps behind us.

I raised my hand as Cook pulled out his sidearm and crept toward the monster making a racket behind us. As the director followed behind me, I wondered if one of the regular monsters that made the mountains their home had managed to escape the thulu.

I ground my teeth together after I saw one of the alien creatures trying to get into a small cave opening. Catching its scent as the wind shifted, I smiled as I also smelled the pungent odor of ogre.

"Stay down and stay quiet. You don't have nearly enough bullets or caliber to take that thing out. I'm going to draw it off and kill it."

I waited for Cook's cautious nod before I shifted. Maintaining my humanity while I tried to get the director on my side during our observation, I enjoyed his shocked expression as I grew to nearly twice his height and several times his weight.

"Don't do anything stupid like trying to help, and I will tell you a secret you might like once I get back."

Smiling at Cook as my comment made him give me a confused look, I unsheathed the claws hidden in my fingertips. I shook my mane as the feeling of shifting for the first time in days made me want to run wild for a few hours.

"I will let you work out some of that energy on the thulu, Big Guy if you promise to give me back the reigns once it dies. We kind of need to get the director back home so he can hopefully get us some help to get ours back."

As my inner lion chose to agree to my terms, I tempered its desire to let out a challenging roar once he shifted our body fully. I felt our tail flick side to side as he licked his lips in preparation for our short hunt.

I followed his line of sight as he crept toward our prey with our belly inches from the ground. With the thulu fully focused on its prey hidden in the small cave, we closed within pouncing distance without being discovered.

My lion waited for a few moments as the thulu tried to tear into the cave mouth with its teeth before returning to using its tentacles to pull its prey from the cave. As it went all in, I smiled to myself as my lion leapt toward our prey.

The roar he let out as it closed the distance was surprisingly quiet. Glad that he had gotten the message about the less than secure area around us, I gagged internally as I was again subjected to the taste of thulu blood.

As my lion savaged the thulu's exposed neck and throat, I endured the taste of ear wax, spoiled meat, and garbage juice in our mouth. I felt the thulu's throat crush under our jaws a few seconds later.

After we tore it out and leapt away from the alien monster's tentacles, I enjoyed the ride as my lion leapt past its reaching limbs and landed on the thulu's back.

The flavor of thulu blood coated my tongue again as my lion tore into the thulu's spine just behind its head. My lion sunk our claws into the thulu's thick hide as it tried to shake us off its back.

As we rode out its struggles, I cringed internally every time the thulu's massive body crashed against the trees around us.

Growing worried as the monster's tentacles wrapped around our body, I let out a long exhale of relief after the bones between our jaws crumbled.

I waited patiently for my lion to finish with his day trip once he leapt back out of the splash zone as the thulu died. Flexing our claws once he returned control of our body to me, I shifted to our hybrid form.

A smile curled my lips as a green face peeked out of the cave mouth.

"All clear, little guy," I said to the juvenile ogre.

As it pulled its head back into the cave after my comment frightened it, I turned back to my charge.

"Seeing a giant lion kill a huge purple hippo with tentacles wasn't exactly what I expected when you made your offer, Spence. How many other werelions are there?"

I tilted my head to the side with a smile as I contemplated answering Cook's question.

The number of lions I commanded had risen steadily since we had run to Earth. Close to a third of the ten thousand humans that the gormonix's magic had changed had chosen to make the change.

"Several thousand and rising," I replied honestly.

After my answer, Cook's eyes widened.

"And they all can do that?"

I shook my head in reply to the director's next question.

"They can shift into a form similar to my current form, but I am still the only one that can use my full animal form. Shifting fully is... dangerous. I got stuck for a little while after the first time, and others have stayed that way permanently."

The director's frown after my explanation was unexpected.

What was expected was for Cook to aim his pistol at the ogre as it made a break for the trees further up the side of the mountain.

"You are just going to draw the attention of the other thulu creeping around here. Do I have your support in saving Earth and taking back Kerxon, Director Cook?"

I waited as Cook lowered his gun while he contemplated his answer to my question. After he nodded to himself once he came to a decision a few moments later, I smiled as the director offered me his hand.

"I can work on getting a task force set up to take back a securable area you can bring a few key politicians to. We are going to need the full support of the military to take this place back and get ready for the invasion of Earth. If you have any way to help our guys make up the difference, I would appreciate it. Also, I'm going to assume that there are quite a few of your people who will want to stay on Earth. I want to get ahead of that problem if at all possible."

After his comment, I suppressed a smile as I shook Cook's hand.

As I contemplated punching the director into the lion club, I caught onto his suggestion. Jessica and Akasha had been very interested in taking my last name. If what I assumed about Cook's offer was correct, he was offering all of my mates and people U.S. citizenship.

"I can definitely give your men that hand up, Cook. They will need to be ready to get their ass kicked, literally, though. I will also get you a list of my people that want to stay on Earth."

The director's nod and smile after my reply was short-lived as the thundering sound of thulu steps signaled the end to our conversation.

"Ready to head back and save the world, Director?" I asked Cook with a smile.

His frown at the approaching thulu horde and offered hand was all the reply I needed before I returned us to Earth.

∆∆∆∆∆

I smiled at the flurry of activity when Cook and I returned to the diner in Denver. Almost making a move toward one of the agents that smelled of a little more fear than was necessary, I chuckled as I saw the reason the man was ready to piss himself.

During our trip, Jessica decided to shift along with our princess. I took their kisses and looked down at the deputy director lying on the messy table in front of my mates.

Tapping my lioness's claws holding the front of Crenshaw's dress shirt, I replaced them after Jessica removed her hand with a smile. I shifted into my nine-foot-tall hybrid form as the deputy director tried to wriggle out of my grasp.

"Do I want to know what the deputy director did to end up lying in pancakes?"

I covered Crenshaw's mouth as she tried to answer the question that I had asked my mates. Mostly covering the woman's whole face, I loosened my grip slightly to let her breathe through her nose.

"I can take care of her, Spence, so I would appreciate it if you would let my subordinate go, please."

Ignoring Cook's request as my inner lion and I held our mate's gaze, I smiled after Jessica gave me a grateful kiss.

"Larisa called, and she said I couldn't step outside to take it. I told her to go fuck herself, and she objected. I then stood up, and she tried to stop me. I took offense, and ipso facto, she got to lay in syrup. You're a daddy times five now, by the way. Larisa found out this morning and couldn't wait to tell us until we got home."

After Jessica's good news, my smile widened until my cheeks hurt.

Leaning down to kiss her, I flinched as pain exploded on the side of my head. Maintaining the presence of mind not to crush Crenshaw's head or chest under my hands as my ears rang, I looked over at the agent that had shot me.

A growl rumbled through my chest as I heard Akasha say, "stand down" over the ringing in my ears. As the damage the gunshot had done healed, I glanced at Cook after he said, "you don't have that authority," to my princess.

I stopped Akasha's snide response with a raised hand that I took off the deputy director's head.

"She wasn't talking to your men. I will let that man live because he did no harm to my mates. Do we still have our agreement, Cook?"

I held the director's widening eyes as the realization I had taken a bullet to the head with no lasting consequences dawned on him.

As the director got over his surprise, I returned his smile.

"Our agreement stands, Spence. Verona base will remain hidden from the rest of the government until we are ready to let them know about your presence. You will be getting a visit from my men in a few weeks to get the site prepared for our politician friends."

I nodded in understanding of what Cook said and didn't say as I let Crenshaw go. I was going to enjoy seeing what a special ops force could do with the abilities I was going to beat out of them.

I followed the deputy director's gaze as I removed my hand from her chest. Her glare at Jessica amused me more than the fact she kept her eyes off me as she got up off the messy table.

After she gave her boss a nod of thanks, I helped my mates out of their seats. Smiling as I got kisses on my cheeks for my gentlemanly behavior, I snapped twice as we walked toward the door.

I suppressed a smile as my minjas dropped out of the ceiling in front of each agent. Catching sight of Than holding his target in place with a rifle between the woman's eyes, I inclined my head at Gant after he dropped next to my mates and me.

"Get with Terrell and set up a group of lions and your men to retake Tamria. You know the timeline."

I nodded at the Grand Master's bow and "as you wish, my prince." I left him and my other minjas to hold the agents in place until we were well on the way home.

As we drove back toward Verona base with our meeting a success, I hoped my pregnant seroci was ready to be smothered by my love.

Chapter 9

VERONA BASE – ROCKY MOUNTAINS

As a cloud of dust accompanied the sound of vehicles driving up the road toward Verona, I fought to keep myself calm. A month after my meeting with Cook, his assistance had finally arrived.

"How long do you think you will be gone, my lion?"

As I looked over at my pregnant seroci after her question, I hummed to myself as I put some thought into my answer. I felt the collective gaze of my other mates standing next to us, boring a hole in the side of my head as the silence stretched a little too long.

My lioness's gentle bump of her hip against mine made me smile and sigh as I decided to tell my mates the truth.

"If what they are bringing is as effective as I hope it is, it shouldn't take more than a week for me to at least be able to visit, my love."

My answer caused a frown to cross Larisa's gorgeous face before she shook her head and smiled at me. I trailed my hand down my seroci and lioness's backs as Jessica's frown made me feel bad for abandoning them once more.

Admitting to myself that I more than enjoyed the relatively peaceful weeks with my mates while waiting for this day wasn't much of a stretch.

The possibility of taking back our home with the help of a black ops group did sound like one of the coolest things I had ever heard of. The slightly melancholy mood my mate's frowns caused me also made me chuckle as I came to a bit of self-realization.

"We are going to miss you too, my lion."

After her comment on my change of mood, I hugged and kissed my seroci.

That show of affection caused my other mates to join us and started a giant group hug. I basked in the feeling of my mate's love and warmth surrounding me as the convoy rounded the last sharp bend in the road leading toward Verona.

My smile became a little goofy as Judith, Kiki, and Celeste pulled my hands toward their small baby bumps.

"I'm going to miss you, handsome, as well as our little soccer star here."

I chuckled as my foxkin squeaked after I responded to her comment by kissing her thoroughly.

As I did the same with my wolfkin and panthkin, I gazed at all my mates for a moment. Feeling my inner lion question our decision to leave our pregnant mates for even a moment in their state made me smirk before shaking my head.

Giving him his due, I had the same hang-ups as I voiced my thoughts to the women in my arms.

"I think I'm going to miss you all more than I thought. I can make a few trips during the week if you ladies don't mind me sneaking into our room at night."

My offer gained me a smug look from Larisa as she figured out why I had asked. Seline's gentle kiss on my cheek was followed by her gripping my chin playfully.

"And what will happen to that group if they are overrun while you enjoy our warmth, husband? I think you should focus on making sure we have a home to come back to instead of filling this one with your children. Either way, I know we are all going to miss you too."

After her playful kiss on my lips, once she finished, I returned my angelic's smile.

Akasha and Celeste's goodbye kisses were short, sweet, and filled with promise for my return once I took back our home. Looking at Krissy once my panthkin removed her tongue from my throat, I chuckled as my bearkin stepped in front of me.

"I will have a surprise of my own waiting for you once you get back, husband. Make sure our home is ready and waiting for us once we get back."

I nodded with a smile at Krissy's offer before the vehicles stopping in front of us turned my attention from my bearkin's suggestive grin. Laughing lightly as Krissy turned around to look at the convoy, I kissed the top of her head after she wrapped my arms around her.

"Mr. Spence! I know you said you had a few more wives here, but it seems like my assumptions were a little off the mark. Ladies, I want to thank you for lending us your husband for this trip. I will make sure to return him with all of his fingers and toes so he can enjoy fatherhood as much as I have."

After Cook's greeting, I waited for him to shake each of my mate's hands. A smug smile curled my lips as the gazes of a few of the soldiers that exited the vehicles lingered on my beautiful mates.

I was more than willing to allow the peeks and joined my inner lion in preening over gathering such desirable mates.

As Krissy released my arms to shake Cook's offered hand, I smiled as the humans stopped in their tracks as my lions and minjas joined us.

I had loosened the rules on shifting for the forty-strong group as a show of force in case Cook had a change of heart, or orders. Terrell's impressive twelve-foot height would undoubtedly turn a few heads, and my minjas, in their minotaur forms, were only a few feet shorter.

What really impressed me were my lions, though.

Twenty of them were ready for this return to Kerxon, and even if they couldn't fully shift, they had done well enough in Terrell's firearm training to join us. There were even a few of them that could go toe to toe with my princess and angelic with bladed weapons.

As my men and women stopped a few feet behind me, I was a little surprised by Cook's unbothered expression.

"As good as a force as they seem, Spence, I hope they know how to follow orders as well. I have my own little surprise after our talk on the phone."

I nodded as I remembered my talk with Cook about how the gromonix's printers affected advanced technology after the director's comment. As the sound of tracked vehicles reached my ears, my eyes widened.

I smiled after I saw a group of five small tanks roll down the road.

"After I saw what we were going up against, I thought we could use a bit more firepower."

Leaning down and placing my lips against Seline's ear, I smiled as I said, "told you I would get them."

My angelic responded to my comment with a chuckle and a kiss on my cheek.

As the tanks stopped just beyond the group that had gotten out of the smaller Humvees, I glanced at my lioness.

"Don't have too much fun, babe. We will hold down the fort while you go play with your new toys."

After her comment and chuckle, I shared a smile with Jessica.

My other mates gave me their own farewells before walking back toward our home away from home. Listening to their eager conversation about doing a little baby shopping while I was gone, I shared a smile with Terrell.

"If this works out, I might have to give Jeff a call. He loves volunteering for shit like this."

Pulling my emblem from my pocket as I gave my friend a nod, I hoped Cook had taken the effect the gromonix's orbital prints had on Earth technology into account.

"You will be working with Captain Mcall during this mission. She has quite a few of these less visible operations under her belt, so please make use of her knowledge. Now, I'm off to get your political party together for when you guys get back. Good luck to you all, and don't die, please."

I gave the officer Cook had mentioned a long look as the director dismissed himself. As he hopped into a smaller SUV that had been in the convoy of wheeled vehicles, I offered Mcall my hand to shake.

"Marvin Spence, ma’am. I hope your guys are ready for a fight."

The woman smiled while she gave my hand a firm shake, and I chuckled as she barked out a few orders to her men.

"We will always be ready, Spence. What I would like to know while my guys double-check our gear before departing is what the Director of the CIA meant when he told me there was a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity besides getting to travel to another planet on this mission."

After the captain's request, I glanced at my twelve-foot-tall friend and nodded.

Terrell's smile as he stepped next to me widened as Mcall's unimpressed expression didn't match the slight scent of fear coming off her. I elbowed my friend in his leg after he let the captain stew for a few moments too long.

After he shifted into his human form, I smiled and crossed my arms as Terrell offered Mcall his hand.

"I believe Cook was alluding to the change to lion shifters humans can make once they are transported from Kerxon to Earth or back."

After Terrell's response to her question, the captain's eyes widened a bit.

"Is the change automatic once we get to Kerxon, or is there some ritual that needs to be completed?"

I chuckled as Terrell's smile grew stilted in response to Mcall's question. Remembering a few of the more memorable recruits, I patted my friend on the back.

"Whichever of your men that choose to accept the change will have to let Terrell beat the beast out of them. We think it is a fight-or-flight reflex that triggers the lion."

The captain's face took on an amused cast after I spoke for my grimacing friend before my serious expression wiped the smirk off her face.

As one of her men walked over with a clipboard for her, I glanced at Terrell and smiled at his sigh. Following his gaze to the soldiers waiting patiently for further orders from Mcall, I patted my friend on his back.

"I guess I can help you this time, man. It would be interesting to see what a special forces lion could do."

Terrell's grateful smile made me chuckle before the captain's professional gaze turned my attention to her.

"We are ready whenever you are, Spence."

Looking behind me at my lions and minjas, I nodded and whistled loudly.

While my men and women situated themselves into groups of nine, I sighed as I readied myself for a full day of traveling back and forth to Kerxon. Sending a request to meet the gromonix through the emblem in my hand, I hoped the alien would be able to supercharge the piece of metal.

I had quite a job ahead of me, and even doubling the transport capacity of the emblem would do wonders.

Tamira – Belin Region

As I returned to Kerxon with the last group of my minjas, I glanced at the group of humans, lions, and minotaurs standing around one of the tanks. Dropping us a few miles from Tamira, which still had thulu in it, I hoped we would have enough time to get ourselves in order before some random thulu found us.

The troop carrier that I had found out was a Bradley fighting vehicle from one of the drivers started to crank as my minjas walked toward the vehicles.

After the Bradley started up without issue, my eyes widened, and I laughed in disbelief. I caught Mcall's eye as I walked over to the large tent-like structure that was supposed to house us until we took back Tamira.

"I think you owe me a drink, Spence."

I smirked at the captain as I dipped my head under the tent's opening.

"I will let you have at my private store once we take back my home, captain. I have to say, when you said they were hardened against EMP, I wasn't entirely sure that would mean much against alien tech, but I am more than alright with losing that bet."

As Mcall shook on our deal with a smug smile, my own smile widened after another tank rumbled to life. Looking over at Than as the minotaur gave the tanks a speculative look, I shook my head as he finally realized I was there.

"My prince, we have scouted the area with the captain's forces, and we have at least a mile of clearance between the closest thulu horde. The largest of them are located on the road toward Kirkton and number just below a thousand."

I gave the map Than pulled out during his report a look after he placed it on the folding table in front of us. Following his finger to the spot that held the horde of thulu, I pursed my lips in thought for a moment.

"We might have enough time to rush the gates if we can get a few men over it without being discovered. The thulu seemed to be getting smarter before we left for Verto. If your men that won't be driving the trucks and tanks don't mind being carried, captain, then we would appreciate the help holding the gates."

Mcall's nod answered my request before she repeated the new plan into her earpiece. Taking one from one of her men, I smiled as I caught the round of "copy" to the captain's orders from her men.

"Terrell, you mind being my faithful steed?" Mcall asked my friend with a smile.

Glancing at him with a similar smile, I chuckled as he nodded in response.

"Ok, let's break this thing down and get our asses out of the air. Move out!"

After Mcall's order, I joined her men in their snappy "yes, ma’am" with an amused smile. Following behind Terrell as the revving of truck and tank engines filled the air, I elbowed my friend in the side.

"How long have you and the captain been chums?"

Terrell's smirk and attempt to punch my arm playfully hit and missed in turn as I dodged away.

"We aren't chums, but we have been talking. She asked about my training with the lions while you were gone, which led to her talking about her deployment stories. She is hot as fuck, but some of the shit she does makes me realize why she is still single."

As he finished I followed Terrell's gaze to the captain while she talked to one of the tank drivers. Chuckling as a deep rumbling growl left my friend, I shook my head at his lion's eagerness.

"Tina and Rena not enough, bud?"

After my comment, I ducked away from another less playful swing.

"They are very much enough to satisfy, bud. They are very much also asking for another mate to play with. I'm just not sure if I want to ask Jenny to leave Earth behind permanently."

After Terrell's somber reply, I closed my mouth as I almost replied by reflex.

I imagined trying to keep up with Mcall's schedule would be a nightmare, even if there was a way to set up communications between Earth and Kerxon. Leaving them to explore their relationship or not, I smiled as the captain gave me an expectant look.

I let myself shift into my full lion form as Terrell grew beside me. Letting out a growl to signal to my lions that we were ready to attack, I glanced at my home a few miles away.

The humans mounted their vehicles or ran alongside my lions and minjas after my signal while I rushed ahead to the front of our group. I glanced at Terrell running alongside Mcall’s tank before taking point.

Our three-mile-long trip was pretty uneventful, and I felt a bit of hope for an easy return to my home. That hope fell a little as I saw a group of five thulu break through the tree line behind us.

"We will hold them off while you get those gates open!"

After Mcall's shout, I bobbed my head and put on a burst of speed.

My lions and minjas followed suit as the first blasts from the tanks sounded behind us. Reaching the gates, a minute later, I leapt and ran up the wall next to them.

I curled my claws over the top of the twenty-foot wall just as my paws began to slip. Letting out a groan of effort once my shifted throat could, I pulled my hybrid body over the top of the wall.

I ground my teeth together after I saw a few thulus walking toward the gates and the sound of cannon fire.

"Get a few people working on the gate and have the rest come with me."

After giving my orders to Terrell once he climbed the wall, I leapt down to the ground and charged the rapidly growing number of thulus.

Three of the monsters joined the four that I had initially seen as I passed the stables. Pulling an abandoned scythe from beside the main stable doors, I smiled as I wished it was Runner I was wielding.

"There are a few of the old guards working on getting the gates open, boss. They said to tell you that you did an outstanding job securing them."

After hearing the snark in Terrell's message, I had just enough time to let out a bark of laughter before the first thulu reached me.

My estimation of how smart they had become grew a little as the alien monster tried to rush past me instead of taking the morsel in front of it. Whatever the Hemix had done to them had turned the alien monsters into a semi-intelligent foe instead of the mindless monsters they had been.

Dodging a thulu tentacle that came from the monster beside the first one, I cleaved through the front one's back leg as it tried to rush past me. The monsters' headlong rush toward the gates slowed to a halt as my lions and minjas joined Terrell and me.

Slicing through the other back leg of the lead thulu as rapid bullet shots joined the sound of cannon fire beyond the gates, I ignored the familiar sensation of thulu blood covering me.

The haft of my improvised weapon began to crack under my fingers as I cut through the rapidly healing thulu's middle legs. Diving through its front legs as the thulu's rear half dropped to the ground, I drove the blade of my scythe into its skull.

I shrugged off the tentacles the monster tried to pick me up with as they went limp. Jumping over its massive body before it exploded, the wooden haft of my scythe cracked a little more as I yanked it from the thulu's hippo-like head.

I cast my gaze left and right as my bottom half was covered in thulu blood and guts. Choosing my next target as my lions and minjas killed two of the six thulu left, I smiled as I heard a cheer ring out behind me.

I sliced through a few tentacles my next thulu victim tried to wrap around me as the sound of cannon and gunfire grew suddenly louder. Driving the blade of my scythe into the spine of the thulu I landed on, I grimaced as my weapon gave up the ghost and broke.

I batted away a few of the monster's remaining tentacles with the remaining haft in my hand as the thulu roared in pain. Slamming it down on the end of the scythe blade with a roar, I felt the monster under me shiver before dropping to the ground.

Riding the monster down, I jumped away from the dead thulu with a smile.

I rushed toward the open gates as a Humvee drove through them. Casting a look back at my lions and minjas, I felt pride well within me as they made quick work of the remaining thulu.

"Where is the captain?" I shouted to the men inside the vehicles.

"She is in the last Bradley covering our retreat."

After one of them looked up at me through an open window to respond, I nodded and pointed to the weapon sitting next to him. A smile curled my lips as he handed me the automatic grenade launcher and ammo belt.

I rushed toward the tank at the rear of the vehicle column after shouldering the belt. I loaded up the first round as I walked toward the rapidly growing group of thulu that had been drawn to us by the cannon fire.

Awkwardly firing the grenade launcher in single shots as I passed the Bradley with Macall firing its 240 from the hatch, I grinned as thulu bodies exploded with each shot.

After I cleared a decent-sized area behind our group, I held down the trigger of my weapon. I smirked as my random shots ended more than a few of the lives of the alien monsters.

As my ammo ran out quicker than I hoped, I also hoped one of the Hemix was watching. The aliens had made me watch as my home was taken from me, and it suited me fine to have them watch me take it back.

∆∆∆∆∆

Trying and failing to sit up as the lack of sensation in my body woke me, I let out a mental "hello" into the darkness around me.

"You have been trying to contact me, Marvin Spence?"

After I tried to ineffectually nod at the gromonix's question, I chuckled before saying, "yes."

"I have a moment, so speak."

Wondering if this was how the Prophet came to be with the alien speaking to people in their sleep, I shrugged my nonexistent shoulders.

"I need a way to transport more than ten people at a time to Kerxon and back. I know the rest of the emblems were destroyed when we escaped Verto, but I would appreciate something, even if it's only twenty or so at a time."

The silence that answered my request dragged on long enough that I almost rescinded my appeal to the alien.

"You didn't destroy the other emblems, Marvin Spence. I believe I spoke of getting rid of them, and your request seemed like a way to accomplish both of our desires. I believe that the hour-long time limit should have been shortened also. I would suggest limiting the number of travelers to a few thousand if you wish to use the emblem concurrently, though."

After the gromonix decided to blow my mind, I picked up my nonexistent jaw and smiled with my similarly ghostly lips.

"Thank you, I guess, Prophet. I'm going to go back to sleep now then."

As sleep began to reclaim me, thoughts about what we could do with even a little of it's technology meandered through my mind.

“I will think on it, Marvin Spence.” The Prophet said as my vision began to dim.

It's offer was more than I had expected from my wild thoughts and in my half delirious state I extended my figurative arm to hug the tight lipped alien before my vision blacked out.

Tamira – Belin Region

As another few dozen men in uniforms walked away from me once we returned to Kerxon, I smiled at the base of operations my town had become. Taking it back with only a few fights from the remaining five thulu inside of it the day of our battle at the gates, I had woken up with an eager pep in my step.

A few weeks after my meeting with the gromonix, I had made effective use of its alterations to my emblem. With more than enough "space" to start building up Tamira with reinforcements, I also enjoyed the lack of restrictions on my time.

Licking my lips and savoring the taste of Jessica and Larisa that still lingered on them, I walked toward the command center of my town.

The old inn that had housed travelers and merchants from Kirkton and beyond now held the travelers from Earth that were taking back Kerxon one thulu at a time. Walking in after waving at a group of soldiers heading out on a mission, I smiled at the captain and Terrell.

"How are your mates doing, Spence?"

Nodding with a "good, thank you" to Mcall as she looked up from the table, I gave my friend a wink.

He and the de facto commander of the informally dubbed Kerxon Reclamation Force, or Keerf as the men called it, could usually be found together. Rolling my eyes at Terrell's discreetly raised middle finger, I chuckled as Mcall slapped his thigh to get his attention.

"I need your lions to hold the road while I move our armor up to reinforce the recon group there. Take the second division with you. If you get a chance to push toward Kirkton, do it and report back to me."

Terrell nodded before trying to rush off. I joined in with the rest of the men and women inside the inn as they catcalled the two after Mcall pulled my friend into a kiss.

After they separated, Terrell gave me a shit-eating grin and a shrug as he left.

"I think I should ask you how your mates are doing, Jenny." I said as I pulled up a chair to the table holding a massive tablet.

I waited for the captain's response as she moved a digital lion and tank to the road between Tamira and Kirkton. Mcall's long sigh as she looked up at me made me chuckle as I noticed the slight blush she tried to hide behind her professional demeanor.

"Tina and Rena said they didn't mind, and I could join them in bed whenever."

After her answer to my question, I smirked at the captain as her blush covered her face.

"I also got a chance to talk to Jessica for a little while the last time I went back. She said your first time in that hotel room was an eye-opening experience. I don't think I'll let you beat me into the group, but I don't necessarily mind Terrell's effect on me."

My smile widened while Mcall gave her men a scathing glare to get them back to work. Letting out a growl as a few of my lions lingered, I nodded as they followed their human counterparts' actions.

"It certainly was, and I think you should look into some birth control when you decide to take that step. Coming from my end of it, the pull-out game weakens significantly once you start going at it."

Chuckling along with the captain after my comment, I watched her expression grow severe.

"We will see how that turns out once we handle this, Marvin. I think we are at the end of our time running under the radar back home. The group before last that you brought over has started some questions running around DC. It won't be long before Cook has to speak to someone that was elected to their position about what we are doing over here."

After Mcall's statement, I frowned and nodded slowly. My communications with the director had gradually become filled with questions about what I was going to do with my people back home.

There had been a few mishaps where one of the races got caught on camera with ears and tails. Thankfully, playing them off as adventurous cosplayers had worked so far, but that would only work so many times.

I knew with camera phones everywhere, along with actual cameras in the cities around our small town that my luck would only stretch so much.

"I have been speaking with the kings I brought over, and we should be ready soon to have a few of us expose ourselves officially. I can't tell you how scary this is. I can't get thoughts of torches and pitchforks out of my mind. I don't know if Terrell has told you, but the last time someone besides the thulu attacked us, they almost killed Larisa and I got stuck as a lion for a day."

Mcall's eyes widening further after the latter part of my comment made me smile. My friend must like the woman quite a bit to have to tell her about how bad getting stuck in our animal form was.

"I could say there wouldn't be an outcry, but you know how some people are about our borders and immigrants. I can say everyone here appreciates you and your men pulling their weight, literally in some cases, so we will stand with you regardless."

I nodded my thanks as Mcall smiled at me as she finished. Glancing through one of the windows of the inn, I sighed after I heard cannon fire.

"Miss being in the thick of things?" Mcall asked me with a knowing smile.

"Not really. Since we cleared the area around Tamira, officially, last week, I have been enjoying my time at home and with my mates. I hate to think you all are fighting over here while I enjoy my bed, so I make the trip."

The captain chuckled at my comment and smirked before rolling her eyes.

"We are doing well enough that I think you can enjoy your time at home. You have that business to run, and let's not forget the babies coming in a few months. While I appreciate your concern, Marvin, you aren't in the position to be fighting physical battles right now."

I nodded my understanding of Mcall's comment as she smiled at me.

Splitting my time between Kerxon Mining, Kerxon itself, and setting up the residents of Verona for our debut was taxing. I usually relaxed by spending time with my mates but killing thulu brought on its own kind of catharsis.

"Don't remind me, please, Jenny. I have a shareholder meeting in a few hours that I'm going to have to sit through. The one thing that gets me through them is seeing how well Polic handles them. If I’m being kicked out of your AO, I think I will spend some time with my mates. Judith and Krissy told me they had a new recipe they wanted to try out on me."

After Mcall's firm nod of dismissal, once I finished, I returned her smile as I rose from my chair.

"Tell the ladies I said hi, and I will have some leave to burn once we get this figured out."

I laughed lightly at Mcall's incredulous remark.

A few months ago, talking about killing thousands of thulu daily would have seemed like an unobtainable dream. As distant cannon, gun, and grenade fire filled my ears once I walked out of the inn, taking back my home felt much more obtainable.

Chapter 10

VERONA BASE – ROCKY MOUNTAINS

I smiled at the group of various shifters that lined up to watch our first group of volunteers from Earth get beat into the lion club.

The group of military members had spent the last month or so fighting the thulu horde on Kerxon. They had been handpicked by Mcall and the politicians standing just on the other side of our training grounds.

As the cooling October wind rushed past me, I garnered what warmth I could get from the sun shining above us. A smile curled my lips as I remembered my brief time in Urik and the arena.

Stepping down into the bowl-like depression the half dozen humans and soon-to-be lions stood in, I glanced back at my observers and sighed. I shook off some of the excess energy that streamed from my lion into me.

Mostly prepared for the six fights I was going to have to suffer through, I nodded at my first opponent.

As he walked forward with a challenge for me in his blue eyes, I hoped this display of my control over my lions would be worth the effort.

One of the situations from the politicians behind me was that if my people wanted to stay on Earth, then there needed to be controls in place. I had been half tempted to tell them about our susceptibility to silver, but I decided that would be my last choice.

Terr, Thmir, Polic, and Holden agreed with my decision after seeing what the humans had done to a sizable part of the thulu with conventional weapons. We all decided that silver would come up, but only if our traditional methods did not convince the humans.

Silence reigned as I stopped in front of my next lion.

"You ready for this?" I asked with a smile.

"As ready as I'm going to be, Marvin. Take it easy on me if you can. I've seen what you guys are capable of, and I would rather not have my insides on my outsides if possible."

I shared a smile with the man before a shrill whistle from Mcall began our fight.

Ducking under the man's first swing at me, I answered it with a punch to his side. Sweeping my leg against his, I kicked out and sent him tumbling toward the group waiting behind him.

Rushing toward him to help trigger his fight or flight reflexes, I let out a deep growl. I caught his eyes with mine as I closed with him and smiled as he got back up on his feet.

I was a little impressed by his next combination of strikes and kicks that slowed my attempt to put him back on his heels. Nodding as my faster speed and strength more than made up for his superior technique, I fell along with him into the rhythm of our fight.

As I punched the man's exposed side, I heard and felt the crunching of bones under my fist before he let out a groan of pain. Ducking under his wild counter-swing as he tried to push me back, I drove my other fist into his side.

I saw the moment his will nearly broke as his stamina began to run out, and I smiled.

This was the moment that we needed to reach where our volunteers either gave up or found their lion and put it to use. Landing blow after blow to the man's chest, stomach, and legs, I ducked under his sudden swing at my head.

I caught a glimpse of the claws that had led the attack and slid under and around his arm. Sliding one of my arms around his neck as he tried to turn and follow me, I pulled back and let us both fall to our backs.

As I held my new lion still with my arm locked around his neck, I grimaced as his claws began to tear into my arm. Shifting along with him as his lion tried to take over, I chuckled at his strangled "no," as he fought his inner beast's influence.

"Stop, now!" I commanded as I ducked away from his claws as they searched for my eyes.

Repeating the command once more as my new lion tried to roar at me past my choke hold on his throat, I sighed and let him go once he stilled in my arms.

After I felt him try to rise, I pushed the shifted man off me.

"Insides still where they should be."

I held the man's gaze while giving him a friendly smile. Once he gave me a curt nod and walked over to join my other lions, I let my smile reach my eyes.

I relaxed a little as he followed the directions that I had given him and his group before we began. Turning my gaze from him and Terrell as my friend gave our new lion a few tips, I nodded to the next woman in line with a firm "next!"

∆∆∆∆∆

A half hour and with some swiftly healing bruises later, I watched my last new lion join the rest.

"And I am going to assume that we are just supposed to accept that they will follow your commands, Mr. Spence?"

I took a clean and unripped shirt from Judith as the congressman asked his question. Returning to my human form so I could fit the garment, I kissed my mate on her cheek as thanks then turned my attention to the skeptical politician.

"When it counts, yes, I expect you to let my lions handle themselves. They all answer to me, and I am willing to place those who wish to stay on Earth under government foresight."

I nodded to Thmir, Terr, and Holden as they joined us after watching the beat-ins.

"As long as the governments that agree to host our people maintain our agreement, we will ensure those who try to escape to Kerxon will be returned to face justice."

As Holden's comment was followed by the rest of the rulers nodding their agreement, I saw the congressman nod grudgingly.

My father-in-law and the other kings began chatting lightly with the congressmen and women that had come to see our base in person. Stepping back to wait on the next step in our visitor's itinerary, I smiled as my wolfkin slid under my arm.

"Are you doing ok, my love?"

Judith's soft chuckle and gentle kiss on my arm answered my question. Sliding my hand over the growing bulge in her belly, I smirked as my son kicked at my hand.

"Kenny has been pretty active today, so as well as can be expected. I'm the lucky one. Sara and Audrey have been practicing their gymnastics. Kiki couldn't stomach it for more than an hour, so she's lying down at the moment. Celeste is soldiering through, as usual, so you might be able to catch her awake."

I chuckled as my daughters made my mate's day a little rougher than usual. Sara, my daughter with my foxkin, was usually a sleepy baby so Kiki's reaction was to be expected. Audrey was my wild one, and I hoped her stubborn mother would let me spoil her a bit later.

I was more than ready to dole out the foot rubs and belly rubs my panthkin loved despite her words to the contrary. Rolling my eyes as the conversation between the men and women I was waiting on dragged on, I walked over to Mcall with Judith at my side.

"I'm going to go check in on my family. Can you send a runner when they finally blow out?"

The captain's amused nod answered my question.

After her answer, she got pulled into a conversation with one of Thmir's nobles. I smiled at the flash of annoyance that flew across her face before her military bearing reasserted itself.

Walking away from the training grounds and avoiding the questions Thmir, Terr, and Holden were still answering, I smiled down at my mate after she bumped my hip with hers.

"Do you mind stopping by the cafeteria with me? I didn't get a chance to grab breakfast before we left this morning."

Nodding with a smile for my wolfkin, I led us toward the smell of food once we entered the base.

The influx of refugees from Kerxon had changed the caliber of cooking since Than and my other minjas had made Verona our base of operations on Earth. Changing from dried rations and the infrequent trips for fast food from the distant towns around us to home cooked meals had been one of the best parts about our escape.

Taking a deep inhale of the smell of beef being seared for the entrée of pot roast for the night, I felt a little nostalgic. Mrs. Jensen, when she wasn't working her behind off, used to treat Terrell, Peter, James, and I to just the same meal.

“Something on your mind, my love?” Judith asked as I grew a little teary eyed.

“Just enjoying some good memories, love. You two ready to enjoy being fat and full?”

My wolfkin's blush and nod as she laid her hand over her softly rounded middle after my question made me sigh in contentment.

I doubted I would ever get over the joy and pride of her and my other pregnant mates touching their bellies whenever I mentioned our growing children. Stepping into the swiftly growing line as the rest of Verona caught wind of the delicious smells coming from the kitchen, I enjoyed a bit of belly rubbing myself.

After picking up food for Judith and me, along with some for the rest of our mates, I smiled at Krissy as she fell in step with us.

"Hello, Krissy. How is Dobber doing?"

My bearkin's smile and response of "good" answered my question. Reaching our suite after a short walk, I chuckled hungrily as Krissy shifted slightly to get to my cheek.

She shared a long look and smile with Judith as they walked into our little corner of Verona.

With Tamira taken back and the road toward Kirkton over halfway cleared of thulu for several miles north and south, a great deal of Verona's population had moved back to Kerxon.

My mates and I had decided to remain on Earth for a few more weeks until Kirkton was taken back. The suggestion mostly came from me as mine and my lion's protective instincts aligned to keep our pregnant mates out of the active warzone.

"He comes with FOOD!"

My excited foxkin rushed into my arms after her outburst and kissed me soundly before less than gently taking a plate from me. Jessica smirked along with me as Kiki waited just long enough to sit at our table before devouring her food.

"I don't think it's all that great, but it is appreciated. I can't wait for you to get over your food aversion, Judith. A home-cooked meal is just what this little girl needs to calm herself down at night."

After her comment, my hand joined my lionesses over her slightly round middle.

Smiling as Jessica purred quietly as I rubbed her stomach, I felt my seroci slide under my other arm.

"Room for two, my lion?"

I chuckled and nodded at Larisa's smug request.

My other hand magically found its way to my seroci's slightly smaller baby bump via the hand of the mother of my twins, Jake and Janet.

Larisa's ultrasound at her last appointment had been one hell of a surprise, though I figured my twins would have more than enough siblings to go around.

"More than enough, my love, though I'm not sure how I'm going to close the door behind me if I keep getting attacked as soon as I get inside."

I chuckled as my mates responded to my comment by pulling me into the room without letting go of my hands on their bellies. As Judith joined Kiki at our table while chatting lightly with Krissy, I flinched as a victorious shout sounded from our room.

Turning toward the sound of my princess's voice, I saw a smug smile curl the edges of Larisa's lips.

"Took her long enough," my seroci said while holding my hand against her belly.

Jessica's firm nod was followed by the sound of swift and heavy footfalls coming from our room. I gave my two mates a curious look that only became more confused as Akasha rounded the corner to our living room.

"Two fucking lines, bitches!"

I had just enough time to laugh at my princess's outburst before she saw me and squealed with delight. Shifting sometime during her rush, I caught my seven-foot-tall half-minotaur mate in my arms after she leapt toward me.

After I shifted lightly to avoid falling on my other mates, I returned Akasha's long tongue-filled kiss. After my princess finished with me, I was left a little cross-eyed.

The flavor of my mate's lips and tongue still on mine, I saw a pink bit of plastic fill my vision. Trying and succeeding in focusing on it, I smiled wide as I saw the twin lines filling Akasha's pregnancy test.

"Do twins run in your family, love? I wouldn't mind knocking another set out."

My princess laughed before responding to my question by drowning me in kisses.

"No twins here, my love. Ooh, I need to tell father!"

I chuckled as Akasha nearly ripped herself out of my arms in her rush to let Holden know he was going to be a grandfather.

"You know, with as many wives as Holden has, you would think he would be drowning in kids."

My smile after my comment fell as I saw my mate's wither a little.

"Don't bring it up with anyone else, but Holden thought he was sterile until Akasha came along. That's one of the reasons why he dotes on her so much. Well, that is one reason, and the other you will see soon enough, daddy. You have quite a few little girls coming."

After Jessica's comment, my slight frown at Holden's fertility problems became an amused smirk. Kissing the top of my lioness's pretty head, I joined my other mates at the table.

"Any idea how many people we will have stay back, Larisa?"

After Judith's question, I glanced up at my seroci.

Her thoughtful expression with a mouthful of food was strangely endearing. As I swallowed my own average meal, I waited for Larisa's answer instead of eating another spoonful.

"From what I was able to get from the list Akasha got from Gant, there are only ten thousand who want to stay on Earth. Most of those should be able to after they pass the sensitivity test."

After my seroci mentioned the test that had weeded out the less openminded of the races, I shared a chuckle with my mates.

The superiority complex that most of the various races held wouldn't have flown on Earth for a few reasons.

There were already enough assholes who disliked or hated others for assorted reasons without adding super strength, speed, and stamina to the mix. I took pride that more than a few of the citizens of Tamira had passed that test with flying colors.

"Well, I can't wait to get back to our home whenever they start the full repopulation. This little home we have carved out of this base is nice and all, but I miss our bed and privacy."

After Judith's comment, I shared a nod of agreement with the rest of my mates.

Verona's walls were thick enough, but there had been more than a few blushes and chuckles from its residents after a particularly heavy and loud night of lovemaking between my mates and me. Silence took over our small home a few moments later as everyone returned to their meals.

I smirked at my foxkin as she turned on her tablet to enjoy a show with her meal. As Kiki got sandwiched between Judith and Krissy while she searched for something for them to watch, I looked up from my meal as they let out a simultaneous "fuck."

My glance and furrowed eyebrows made my foxkin slide her tablet across the table toward me. Filling my hand with my chin as I saw what had surprised my mates, I sighed as I prepared for the shitstorm that was coming.

Emblazoned on the front page of a tabloid was Seline in her full stony angelic glory, protecting two kids from a very smashed truck. I tapped the picture and groaned as the high-definition picture took me to the full, and similarly high-definition, video of the near accident.

As I watched the video of the family across the street from a diner, I waited patiently for the teenager to wrangle his younger sibling. While the two recited their trip across the country for their grandma, I saw my angelic walking with a small group from the base.

I smiled despite what was coming as Seline waved to get the family's attention before her golden wings sprouted from her back. Chuckling at the grim look on my mate's face as she flew across the street, I sighed as she placed herself between the truck and the kids.

The requisite screams from the mother and father followed, and the last thing I saw before the video cut off was Seline looking down at the kids behind her.

"Well, that sucks," I said before setting the tablet down.

"She went out with a group a few hours ago to do a little shopping. At least they didn't catch anyone else shifting. How bad do you think it will be, babe?"

After Jessica's question, I shrugged.

"We knew this was going to happen eventually. Cook has feelers going around to ensure nothing too crazy makes its way onto the internet. As far as us getting exposed goes, I’ll take this over one of us killing someone."

Larisa's chuckle as she watched the video made me give her a confused look.

"That truck driver is very not ok, my lion. I will admit this isn't as bad as it looks. From what I understand, an angel saving two kids from a drunk driver is the kind of publicity that some politicians would die to have in their back pockets. My main worry is that someone will think of this as the second going."

After the last part of my seroci's comment, I snorted into my hand as Jessica broke down into a fit of giggles. I raised my hand to stop Larisa's hurt remark about mine and Jessica's amusement.

"It's the second coming, my love."

My mate's comment of "oh, yes, please" made our other mates break down into a fit of giggles. As our amusement calmed somewhat with Kiki explaining the Christian religion to Krissy, I glanced at our door as someone knocked on it.

I turned my attention from it to the sound of my panthkin's groan from our room. Warring with the desire to check on my sick mate, I smiled as Krissy rose from her seat.

"I will get the door. Check on Celeste, lover."

As my bearkin passed me with a smug smile, I smirked at the yelp she let out after I smacked her ass. I rose from my seat and held her intense gaze for a few moments.

I felt a growl rumble through my chest as I saw the challenge in Krissy's brown eyes. The heavy thump of Celeste hitting the floor broke the spell my bearkin put on me.

Licking my lips as I caught the scent of her arousal, I left Krissy's challenge unfulfilled as I walked toward our room. I stopped in our doorway as I saw my panthkin crawling toward the bathroom on her hands and knees.

Smiling while I walked toward her, I chuckled after Celeste groaned as I helped her to her feet.

"Don't laugh. You did this to me!"

My light chuckle turned into a laugh as my panthkin turned her annoyed green eyes on me.

"Are you complaining now, love? The only complaint I seem to remember while we were making that little one was how I kept stopping to cum."

Celeste's embarrassed "shut up" almost made me laugh once more before I noticed how pale she had become during our short walk to the bathroom. Keeping my comments to myself, I rubbed her back while she retched over the toilet.

I held her long black hair out of the danger zone while I made soothing circles on the smooth brown skin of her back. While I did what I could for my mate, I quietly chuckled at the several dozen pregnancy tests sitting on the counter.

Offering my mate a towel to wipe her mouth off with once she finished emptying her stomach, I smiled at her offended expression after I kissed her lips.

"Not going to apologize for that, so don't look so upset. You feel like trying to eat something?"

Celeste's hesitant nod made me kiss her once more.

Picking her up in my arms, I kissed her cheek after she laid her head against my shoulder.

"You going to check on Seline?"

I nodded in response to my panthkin's question as we reached the living room.

My angelic's actions I could more than understand. If they caused our plan to be moved forward by a few months, I would back her up in any way I could.

As I set Celeste between Judith and Larisa, I turned to look at the minja standing in front of our door.

"One moment," I told the female minotaur as I rushed back to the bedroom to grab my emblem. After taking it from my bedside table, I also grabbed a stocking cap with a smile.

Placing both in my pocket as a plan formed in my mind, I nodded to the minja.

"Lead on." I told the woman after I collected kisses from my mates.

Following her to the security room, I glanced at the feeds from various social media sites.

They were going increasingly crazy over my angelic's rescue. I took a few moments to find a place close by Seline as she warded off people asking questions on one live feed.

"I'm going to grab her, Gant. Have a dozen of your people on distraction posts. Don't lie explicitly so we can use this situation later without there being a scandal."

After noting the Grand Master's nod to my orders, I spoke the name of the planet I hoped to return to permanently, and soon.

I gave the soldiers and civilians going about their business in Tamira a smile and glance before returning to Earth a moment later. Picking an abandoned parking lot as my landing spot instead of Verona, I chuckled into the nothingness around me.

As the parking lot began to fill my view, I sent a silent thank you to the gromonix for his alterations to my emblem. I pulled the stocking cap out of my pocket and placed the garment on my head.

Shifting as much as possible without altering my human appearance, I ran my hands over the top of my head. After assuring that the cap mostly hid my pointed ears, I jogged the half mile toward my angelic.

I garnered quite a bit of attention during the short run and smiled as my plan worked. Being a little over eight feet tall with the build of a Mr. Universe champion, I hoped I would divert enough attention from my mate for her to escape with or without me.

As I rounded the corner of a busy and gridlocked street, I saw my angelic was still in the same position as a few minutes ago. I kept my pace as my heavy footsteps drew the attention of some of the onlookers pointing camera phones at my angelic.

With most of the ones closer to her preventing Seline from spreading her wings without harming them, I smirked as my thoughtful mate kept the situation from worsening.

"Excuse me. I think you all are crowding my wife."

As my calm statement managed to move a few of the gawkers out of my way, I gently moved the others, still stunned by what they had seen.

"Husband!" Seline yelped in surprise as my voice reached her.

After her declaration, I chuckled in response to the surprise and relief that grew on my angelic's gorgeous face. Suppressing a shit-eating grin as mine and Seline's comments caused a few men and two women to groan, I chuckled as one of the women mumbled, "of course she is."

I offered my mate my hand over the heads of a few rude humans that failed to move out of my way. Kissing the hand that Seline filled mine with, I glanced over at the other shoppers that had come along with her.

Crooking my finger at the group that had stood by and let my angelic take all the attention, I gave them a smile after seeing the trepidation on their faces.

I didn't blame them for avoiding worsening the situation by joining Seline. Relief grew on their faces after they saw my assuring smile.

After the last human finally moved out of her way, I hefted my smiling angelic into my arms. Seline kissed my cheek.

"I wish they would have listened to me and given me some room, husband. Thank you for coming to my rescue, though."

As I nodded and gently pushed through the crowd that was snapping pictures of us both, I looked down at the rustling of a plastic bag hanging from my mate's hand.

"I forgot that was even there," Seline said with a chuckle before removing her hand from my shoulder.

The group, still asking questions and taking pictures behind us, followed in my wake as my mate riffled through her bag.

"I had hoped to surprise you once we got back to Verona, but this works too. Tada!"

I lightly chuckled at Seline's excited tone as a pregnancy test filled my view. Seeing the same two lines that caused Akasha's excitement earlier, I grinned ear to ear before kissing my smiling mate soundly.

As I showed my angelic how happy I was to see her surprise, I heard a few of the people behind us "aww."

"I want to name him or her Idris."

After I saw the firmness in her gaze, I barked out a laugh at my mate's comment.

"I like it. Idris Spence. Has a nice ring to it."

The smile that curled the line Seline's lips had formed told me I had picked my words well. Holding her a bit tighter as I readied our escape from the limelight, I glanced at the group from Verona behind us.

"Keep up," I said before I rushed away from the humans around us.

As the streets around us blurred, I smiled after Seline leaned her head against my chest.

With the surprises my mates had given me today, I hoped Cook's plan would be up to keeping the ones I loved safe.

CIA safe house – Boise Idaho

"I am not going to let you throw my mate at the masses. You need to select from this group, and maybe I will let you add her to it."

After responding to Cook's request to have Seline be the face of our plan, I glared at the director and his minions.

Their frowns at my protective anger over their request were as bland as the room we were sitting in. The living room and couches could have stood in for any tasteful but uninspired home in any city in America.

Assuming that was the idea didn't help keep me from being annoyed with the decorators and their ideas.

Traveling to this safe house in Boise a few days after my angelic's heroic feat, I struggled to remain focused on the meeting that would dictate the course of history. I would much rather have been home in Verona, or preferably, Tamira enjoying my good news.

As Terr and Thmir glared at me for my stubbornness, I returned the look with a protective growl for my absent and pregnant angelic. Holden chuckled as the other two rulers cowed slightly under my glower.

"I don't think you are going to get much more out of him, gentlemen. I know I would probably beat you all into a pulp if you tried that with my wives."

After my father-in-law vindicated my position on the subject, I was slightly surprised when his disapproving gaze fell on me.

"Son, you know better than I that you can't uncork that bottle. As Cook has suggested, we need to control how what has gotten out is seen. Your mate needs to be a part of this, and your protectiveness over her is appreciated, but there are already calls for her to be studied. I don't know about you, but I would rather there be more eyes be on my wife to keep her safe when mine can’t be, than try to hide her and fail."

I grimaced in distaste as Holden's comment made me slightly adjust my position. Crossing my arms as I tried but did not find a reasonable reason to deny Cook’s request, I grumbled while I nodded.

“I’m glad you see sense, Marvin. Now for the rest of you, your lists need to be more comprehensive. Thmir, I have my angelic representative now. Pick another of the races to fill that slot. Terr, your list is good enough for the moment, but the descriptions and accolades are lacking. Holden...”

Cook began to dole out his corrections for each king’s list of representatives attending a press conference in a few weeks.

The director and my father-in-law looked to me as Cook mentioned Akasha joining the press conference in her role as the minotaur princess.

I gave them a nod after checking the calendar on my phone.

With a great deal of Verona’s population already returned to Kerxon, our busy days were mostly at an end.

As the men continued their planning, I felt my chest grow a little tight as I skimmed over my calendar. Each of my mates had added the due dates for the births of our babies.

Looking for something to do besides act as the representative to both them and my lions, I took the opportunity to rise from my chair as the conversation moved away from the list.

“I’m going to go grab something to eat. Does anybody want something?”

After typing a note of the orders that the men gave me, I walked out of the safehouse living room. Pulling up the closest fast-food restaurant on the list they had given me, I waved off a plain-clothed agent's offer to drive me.

I needed a moment to clear my head and calm my and my lion's worries.

Cook's plan put them front and center on the world's stage. His plan also put them squarely in the crosshairs of fans or fanatics who would react to what we were.

The video of Seline had already become a trending topic on social media.

I didn't mind seeing the several hundred requests for "Angel Mommy" to step on the commenters. I even got a few chuckles out of them, along with my mates.

What gave me pause and stomach-churning fits were the fanatics calling for my angelic to be handed over or, worse, to be eradicated as a monster.

Thinking about what they would say about my seroci caused a growl to rumble in my chest, scaring off a couple of early afternoon joggers. I closed my eyes to regain control and shed the few inches of height I had gained.

"We are just going to have to keep an eye on them, Big Guy. That means no more thulu hunting for a while."

I smirked at my lion's reaction as he contemplated giving up his daily hunts on Kerxon. Chuckling as he picked our mate's safety over his pleasure, I flinched as my phone rang.

"Hello, my lion! I just wanted you to know that Akasha has picked a name for her little girl."

I shook my head in amusement as my princess's excitement got the better of her.

"I take it our princess is either psychic or doesn't know how this gender thing works. I believe a quick google search will let her know that we won't know if we are having a girl or a boy for a month or so."

Larisa's soft chuckle at my comment ended suddenly as Akasha's voice filled my ear.

"I know well enough, husband. I was just telling them why I... we would be picking that name if we have a girl."

I absentmindedly returned the wave of a woman walking past me as I let out a “hmm” of curiosity into my phone. Akasha took a few moments to answer my unvoiced question before Jessica's amused "go on" ended the silence between us.

"Well, I wanted to name our little girl Lamara after my mother, if that is ok with you."

My gentle chuckle at my princess's unusual hesitation gained me a gruff exhale of breath.

"I love it, my princess. As long as Lamara is happy and healthy, I don't mind."

I could almost see the bright smile on Akasha's beautiful face as she responded to my comment with a "thank you, husband."

Enjoying the rest of my walk a great deal as my mate's excited voices calmed my worries, I wondered wistfully how long I would have to endure paparazzi once Cook's plan began.

Chapter 11

VERONA BASE – ROCKY MOUNTAINS

I smiled as I passed through the treeline separating Verona from our plot of farmland. Catching sight of my bearkin driving our small herd of cattle out of the stables we had built, I sighed after I saw Dobber.

The conversation I should have had with the man in the months since we had rescued his sister had been long in coming. With my other mates hours away at a checkup for Judith, Kiki, Celeste, and Jessica, I had time at the moment and no more excuses.

My smile returned after Krissy caught sight of me and waved at me before returning to her work. As my eyes lingered on her bubbled butt in her tight jeans, I licked my lips at the captivating sight.

A long rumble of desire in my chest caused the chill air in front of me to become smoky. Tempering my urge to see just how soft and supple my bearkin's ass would feel under my fingers, I nodded at Dobber once his gaze locked onto mine.

As I crossed the distance between us, I saw the bearkin let out his own sigh. I smirked as I saw him realize I had come for more than my mate.

Leaping over the fence separating the farm from the rest of our grounds, I saw Dobber give a few directions to his other stable hands. My smirk turned into a chuckle as the bearkin gave me a cautious look once his men ran off.

"I'm not going to tear your head off, Dobber. I think I probably would have done the same thing if I had been in your shoes. There is one thing though that I want to be made plain. I think of you as family, as much now that you are my brother-in-law as when we had our talk. The next time something crazy comes up, don't make me have to strangle it out of you, understand?"

I added a genuine smile to the end of my comment as Dobber hung his head and nodded.

"It seemed like they had ears everywhere, and any cry for help would have gotten Krissy killed or worse. They threatened to force themselves on her, Marvin. I couldn't leave that to chance, but I am sorry for betraying you."

I nodded gently as Dobber's comment caused the hair on mine and my lion's back to rise.

Krissy hadn't mentioned that her captors had threatened her with that punishment for her brother's sealed lips. I shrugged as I calmed myself with the reminder that I couldn't make the council any more dead than they already were.

"Well, the fuckers are dead, and Krissy hasn't mentioned that threat, so I hope it was a hollow one. I love her enough that if it wasn't, I might ask the prophet to create a few clones to kill again."

Sharing a dark chuckle with Dobber after my comment, I gazed at the subject of my confession. I still hadn't told Krissy how I felt about her, and the slip to her brother had mostly been from my protective rage.

"I think she loves you too, Marvin. She talks about you a lot when she comes to help. Mostly about her future with you and your mates."

After Dobber's comment, my long sigh as I thought over what my future with my mates would be like caused another massive cloud of steam to obscure my vision.

The battle on Kerxon was going as well as could be expected. There were a few casualties among my lions and the soldiers due to waves of thulu catching them unawares.

My own efforts to eliminate the two-story monsters were drops in a giant bucket, but ones that someone else wouldn't have to deal with.

Cook had mentioned during our meeting with Terr and Thmir, that once we came out to the world, the fight to take back Kerxon would move quite a bit faster.

The thought of most of Earth taking on what had been my fight until now had made me realize something.

As much as I had made that fight my own and used my unique position to engrain myself into it, I couldn't, nor did I want to, be the center of attention forever.

"I think we all could use that easy life we had before the gromonix dropped my world-saving task in my lap."

As both Dobber and I nodded in agreement with my comment, I smiled at Krissy after she glanced my way.

The look wasn't one of smoldering desire but lit an ember of desire in me, nonetheless. There was something achingly tempting about watching my mates excelling in tasks most people would have seen as mundane.

Krissy's hands on her wide hips as she barked orders accentuated her modest breasts and drew my eyes to the tanned skin on her neck. Dobber's chuckle at my distraction turned my attention back to him from his sister's curves.

"Yeah, she gets like that sometimes. Not the goo-goo eyes you were giving her, but the little queen of the fields. Don't tell her I called her that, please."

I smirked at the latter part of Dobber's comment.

"I doubt she would like it. She is as sweet as pie with me."

I laughed at Dobber's gag before patting the disgusted bearkin on his back.

"Oh, don't be like that, Dobber. How do you think your nieces and nephews are going to get here?"

Dobber's comment of "immaculate conception" made me laugh again before walking toward my mate.

"Whatever lets you sleep at night, brother." I said over my shoulder as I took in the queen of the fields.

Using her distraction of watching her men and women work to sneak up on her, I returned my mate's kiss after I surrounded her in my arms.

"Hello, husband. Have a nice chat with our brother?"

I chuckled and nodded gently in response to my bearkin's question.

After she gave the men and women driving our cattle into the snowy pasture another glance, I smiled as she leaned into me. Taking our silent moment to ourselves as the chill wind blew past us, I held my mate a bit tighter after she gently ran her hands along my arms.

"How are the others doing? Judith told me they were thinking about staying the night to avoid driving back up the mountain in the middle of the night."

I nodded, confirming what my wolfkin had told Krissy before sighing.

"I called them before I walked up here to check. The vote was five to two for staying the night in an AirBnB. Jessica called them all wimps for wanting to avoid the snow. I personally don't mind the peace of mind it gives me that they will be safe, though our bed is going to be lonely tonight."

Krissy grew still in my arms as I trailed off.

Reminding myself that I had left my mates in the same position more than once, I glanced down at my mate's brown eyes after she looked up at me.

"I think we will survive, husband. I have some steaks in the fridge that I think will make for an easy dinner."

I smiled at my bearkin's offer and kissed the tip of one of her brown furry ears.

The soft giggle she let out was vastly different from the barked orders she had been doling out just a few minutes ago. Finding both sides of my bearkin more than to my liking, I released her as I saw her people walking back.

"Head home, and I will get dinner started when I get back, love."

Krissy's smirk as I realized my conversion with Dobber hadn't gone unheard made me kiss her curled lips.

The short but intense kiss she pulled me into ended with the same knowing smirk before she sent me on my way with a pat on my chest. Leaving my mate to work, I waved at Dobber as I passed him.

I ignored his playful gag as I leapt the fence separating the field from our home. Passing through the tree line once again, I also ignored the tightness in my pants that my bearkin's kiss had caused.

∆∆∆∆∆

Lying in bed after eating the delicious meal Krissy had made for me, I ended the good night call with my other mates.

Most of our call consisted of each of them telling me how our babies were doing wonderfully in their bellies.

Akasha and Seline had even managed to get the sonogram tech to add them to the rotation. I flipped through the pictures my mates had sent me of our children as I listened to Krissy singing in the shower.

The little white dots in both my princess and angelic's pictures made me sigh in anticipation. My family was slowly growing, and I hoped the meeting I had with Kerxon Mining in the morning would be the last one that directly interfered with enjoying every moment.

"I'm glad they enjoyed the trip, husband. How do I look?"

My comment of "good" died on my lips as I turned to look at my bearkin.

Jaw dropping as I took in her curves fresh out of the shower, all I could manage was an awestruck "damn."

Sometime during her time on Earth, Krissy had managed to do a little shopping.

Her pert breasts were held, for the moment, in a pink lacy bra that I noted after a moment of wide-eyed inspection placed her pale brown nipples on display. Tracing my way down her smooth stomach, I licked my lips in anticipation after I saw her panties had a similar slit in them.

I saw her nipples beginning to harden as I tented the blankets covering me. My dick flexed under the blankets as my bearkin smiled and sauntered to our bed.

"I take it my mate likes what I have to offer. Let's see just how much he is enjoying my outfit, hmm?"

Managing to nod my agreement as Krissy slipped her hand under the blanket covering me, I groaned as she bent over and put her bubbled ass on display.

As the soft supple cheeks wiggled while she slid under the covers, her warm hand surrounding my dick forced another groan from me. I tossed the blankets aside as my patience to see more of my mate overcame the pleasure that she was giving me.

Leaning up on one elbow as I uncovered my mate, her brown eyes gazing needily at me sent a kick through my stomach.

"I haven't done this before, but the others gave me more than a few tips."

Clarity broke through my need for a moment as a bit of uncertainty joined the desire in Krissy's brown eyes.

I nodded my understanding and tempered my lion's desire to breed our mate.

"I think you are doing an amazing job of blowing my mind right now. If you would turn around, I would love to return the favor."

Krissy's smile came back in full force as I made my offer.

After she did as I asked and straddled my chest, I licked my lips again once my bearkin's bare pussy was in front of my face. Sliding my hands over her amazing ass, I groaned as my mate gave my dick a tentative lick.

The sensation of her warm tongue sliding up my shaft almost distracted me from the tasty meal waiting on my attention. Sliding my tongue through her dewy lips, I dove into my mate's pussy after her long groan of pleasure.

Krissy's warm cheek was replaced by her lips and tongue after I came up for air a few moments later. I groaned into my mate's slick pussy as she slowly took me into her mouth and returned to my meal after my eyes uncrossed.

Teasing her hard clit with one of my fingers as I drove my tongue inside my bearkin, I heard her gasp while her thighs began to shake.

"Fucking shit, you’re good with that tongue, husband!"

After her gasping comment, I continued to devour my bearkin. Groaning along with her as she continued to stroke me while I forced an orgasm out of her, I remembered my seroci's comment a moment too late.

Krissy's long shaky moan as she came for me heralded the largest squirt from a woman I had ever seen. Managing to swallow only the first few mouthfulls before the need to breathe removed my lips from her clenching pussy. I continued stimulating her clit while she covered my face and chest with her release.

I slid a finger into my shaking mate as she slowly came down from her peak. Flexing in her hand as mine made slick sounds in her pussy, I gently rolled her off me.

"I hope you don't mind," I said as I moved to lay between my bearkin's thick, shaking thighs and lowered my face to hers.

Krissy's bliss-filled laugh at my question turned into a long deep kiss after she wrapped her arms around my neck and pulled me down. Moaning into our kiss, I smiled as a shiver went through my bearkin's body after I slid the underside of my dick through her soaked lips.

"I don't mind the taste of pussy, husband, especially mine. If the others want to play once they get back, I'm not going to say no. Now, I have waited for this moment for a while. Give me your baby, Marvin."

Krissy's demand sent a thrill through me that wiped away the mirth from her earlier comment.

I gazed down at my mate for a moment before kissing her again as I slid the head of my dick inside her. Our huffing breaths filled the room as I pushed inside my bearkin for the first time.

Krissy's soft "fuck" after I bumped against her cervix turned into a needy groan as I captured one of her hard brown nipples between my lips. Teasing the hard bud as I slowly pulled my hips back, I groaned into the softness while I thrust back into my mate.

I slid my arms under Krissy's legs as she repeated a soft mantra filled with "fucks" and "yes" while I fucked her. Increasing my pace as I switched my oral attention to her other hard nipple, her next squirted orgasm coated my stomach and dick.

A groan rumbled through my chest as my mate became slicker around me. As the blanket between her fingers bunched while Krissy screamed another orgasm, I leaned up from my hunched position.

I smiled at the surprise that bloomed on my mate's face, which had been twisted in ecstasy as I brought her off the bed with me.

Her sharp yelp as I thrust into her turned into a long moan as I bounced her on my lap. Filling my hands with her ass to keep her from getting away from me, I shifted slightly as my desire to breed my bearkin got the better of me.

Her long keen of pleasure as I grew inside her ended with an open-mouthed scream while she came for me again. I grimaced as my mate rocked her hips in my lap while she covered me with her release.

Swelling further as the sight of her brown eyes rolling back in her head triggered my orgasm, I filled my bearkin's clenching pussy with one last rough thrust. As I filled my mate with my seed, her hands holding onto my arms flexed with each surge of my cum.

I came down from my peak a few moments later as Krissy's hands released my arms. Letting her fall to her back on our bed, I saw a trickle of my cum slip from her reddened pussy.

Flipping my shaking mate over onto her stomach, I slipped back into her cum filled pussy with a long, pleasure-filled groan.

"Fucking shit!" Krissy moaned as my hips met the soft ass that had filled my hands a few moments ago.

"We have all night, my love. I hope you are ready."

My bearkin's long, quavering moan as I added a thrust to my comment was muffled by my lips after I slipped my hand under her chin. I enjoyed her needy whimpers as I languidly filled my mate with long deep thrusts while devouring her lips.

As her body shivered under mine in another quaking orgasm, I hoped the meeting in the morning wouldn't be too taxing.

I planned on enjoying my shaking mate until she couldn't take anymore, or the sun brought our lovemaking to an end.

∆∆∆∆∆

I tried to relax a week after my first time with my bearkin as we watched the news along with our other mates. Glancing over at the spot Seline should have occupied, I sighed as I turned my gaze back to the TV.

"Me and the baby are doing very well. Thank you, Martha."

As my angelic responded to the reporter's question, a growl rumbled through my chest.

Cook had insisted that my presence at this highly scripted interview between one of the larger news networks and his selected group would be a detriment.

My response to the director's question of, "what would you do if someone threatened her" hadn't gone over well.

Seeing Seline bounce a seroci toddler on her lap as a wolfkin answered a few more questions did make me smile, though.

The dichotomy between my angelic's golden wings and motherly glance at the well-mannered but slightly demonic-looking child was precisely what Cook had been going for. Focusing on the little girl named Amara, I figured her father would be swelling with pride, like I was at that moment.

After Seline's incident with the truck, the CIA director's plan had been slightly adjusted.

The change in the plan had included swapping out one of the seroci adults for a younger member of their race and leaning into my angelic's daring rescue. As the reporter warned the viewing audience about the nature of the clip they were about to play, I smiled as Seline covered Amara's eyes.

"Seline, I'm sure you know how appreciative those little children's parents are for your actions, but when you saved them, what were you thinking about as you rushed in to protect them?"

I saw my mate take a moment to think about her answer and smiled as Judith snorted before mumbling, "she didn't," with a smile.

"I really didn't, Martha. When I saw that driver speeding toward those babies, all I could think of was my own, and I just moved."

My smile at my wolfkin's perceptiveness and Seline's simple answer turned into a smirk as Amara yawned and cuddled into my angelic's chest. I doubted Cook had schooled the little girl whose nap time it was, but the visual did help give my mate's reply more weight.

"Don't worry, babe. Samril called a few days ago saying Ami wanted to visit again."

Glancing over at my lioness after her comment, I nodded with a wide grin.

After Amara's inclusion into Cook's plan, the director asked that Seline and the girl get to know one another. She had spent most of the day for a week with us afterward.

During that time, Seline wasn't the only one Amara had twisted around her tiny fingers.

The smiles the rest of my mates were sporting spoke volumes about how much they had enjoyed having the little girl in our home.

"Speaking of your little bundle of joy, you and your husband have caused quite a stir online."

As a picture of me kissing Seline's hand flashed onto the screen, I smiled as my angelic's gaze grew a little dreamy.

"That's uncle Marvin! He's huge!"

Martha's chuckle, along with the rest of the groups, answered Amara's exclamation. As their amusement died down along with my other mates next to me, I smirked at my seroci after she playfully groped me.

"He sure is, Amara. Seline, there has been a poll going on over the last few weeks since your dive into the spotlight, and I hope you can lay it to rest. I'm not sure how much of our religion you have assimilated since you came to Earth, but inquiring minds want to know, are you and your husband angels?"

Seline's smirk at Martha's question turned into a short chuckle before she sighed.

"I have done quite a bit of research since I got here, Martha, and I can unequivocally answer that question with a resounding no. I admit I might look the part, but I am no angel. Also, my husband tends to grow teeth and claws instead of feathers."

The reporter's smile and nod to my angelic's response fell a little as her expression turned slightly serious.

"With his size, I hope no one tries to see what that looks like. It seems like you all take family pretty seriously on Kerxon. May I ask how you came to know the sweet little girl in your arms?"

Seline's smile in response to Martha's question turned into a smirk as Amara chose to answer it instead.

"Uncle Marvin saved my daddy from the monsters attacking our home. Uncle Marvin is fighting the monsters with daddy right now to take it back."

Again surprised, and not by Amara's swift mind and cuteness, I saw the reporter's lips quirk into a small smile.

"Thank you for your answer, Amara."

As Amara answered Martha with a cute "your welcome," I sat up a little as the final part of this interview started.

"As much as we have speculated about why the residents of Kerxon have come to Earth, CTTV 74 has exclusive footage of the answer. I will again remind our audience that the images and video we are about to show are for a mature audience."

I smiled once more as Seline covered Amara's eyes as a highly edited video of a thulu attack played on the screen. With the evidence of Cook and Mcall's involvement scrubbed from the recording, it looked as if the races were holding off the thulu by themselves.

Enjoying the break from reality for a few moments, I gritted my teeth together as one of my lions disappeared into the jaws of one of the alien monsters.

"I want to extend my and the whole of CTTV 74's condolences for your losses against those monsters. Am I correct in assuming that they aren't of your world?"

I relaxed a little as one of my attending lions answered Martha's question.

The interview shifted its spotlight from my mate after my lion's answer to the rest of the group. As they told their stories of how the thulu had torn their lives away from them, I hoped them reliving their pain would do what we expected.

Martha's gasp of surprise as one of them mentioned that the whole planet had been taken was masterfully done. Even knowing how much the reporter knew about what had happened to my home, I was still convinced of her shock.

The interview began to wind down while questions about the future plans of the races were asked. Returning Seline's blown kiss after she mentioned how she wished for her family to have a home to raise their babies in, I chuckled as my other mates blew theirs back at the tv.

We had shot our shot in the court of public opinion, and I hoped the public at least liked what they had seen. As a smile curled my lips as Amara's spiked tail curled around Seline's leg while she drifted off to sleep, I also hoped my own babies would be as cute when they came along.

∆∆∆∆∆

I managed not to sigh or grumble as another of our investors complained midway through my meeting a few hours after my bearkin lost consciousness underneath me. Running on those few hours hadn't been too much of a problem.

Simply thinking about enjoying my bearkin again, along with my other mates once they returned, kept me in a decent mood. Even the questions of the woman glaring at me through her computer camera couldn't remove the half smile from my face.

The meeting so far had gone as expected, with Polic outlining my new expenses for the company at the beginning. Most of the spending I approved was going toward a company Cook had set up for Mcall's expenses.

With close to ten million spent so far to keep them killing thulu, I knew there would be questions that needed answers.

"Again, Mr. Spence. I understand that your little pet project requires funding, but I have had my people investigate it, and Celestial futures didn't exist until a year ago. I would hate for our new CEO to get taken advantage of."

I nodded my patronizing thanks to Kimberly Williams's sarcastic comment before clearing my throat. Glancing over at my minja bodyguard and IT person for this call, I smirked as the minotaur rolled her eyes.

"The line is secure as we can make it, my prince. The agency has assured us they are also blocking any interference with the call."

Giving the minja a curt nod for her swift understanding of my needs, I glared at Mrs. Williams and shifted. As my vision grew sharper and my mane sprouted from my neck, I smiled toothily at the woman's wide eyes.

"As long as we are being candid, Mrs. Williams, I think I will allow some transparency in this meeting. Celestial Futures is a front for the CIA to fund the return of Kerxon. I'm not sure how you missed the email about my first meeting with your associates, but I will have it forwarded to you."

The clacking of keys from my minja followed my comment, and I smirked as Mrs. Williams opened the email.

The woman's flinch as the death of Jance Goten played out was a breath of fresh air. Several of the other lower-ranking executives nodded as Mrs. Williams got the gist of her situation.

I wasn't entirely sure how they viewed me, and I shrugged after I realized I didn't care.

The situation on Kerxon had reached a stalemate with the number of thulu's the Hemix was throwing at us starting to match up with the munitions we were using. Getting the U.S. government on board would allow us to add planes to our efforts to retake my home.

Scaring a few spoiled, rich humans was more than an acceptable trade in my mind.

"Send them all some of the footage from the drones."

After my whispered request, my minja nodded, and each of the computers of the meeting's members dinged as they received the message. I waited a few minutes as they all watched the footage with mixed results.

Each member of the races from Kerxon watched the video of hundreds of thulu dying with wide eyes. Remembering a few of my visits, I knew the video continued with footage of the sea of two-story tall monsters that replaced each batch we took out.

The humans that viewed them were more skeptical.

"If this is to be believed, then Kerxon is swarming with these monsters. From our earlier meeting where Goten got his head blown off, I feel Mr. Spence's spending is warranted. If you are taking investors, I wouldn't mind throwing money your way in the spirit of self-preservation."

I nodded with a smile as I got a little surprise help from this meeting.

"Send me an email, and I will ensure your donation to our continued existence will go to the right place. Any other takers?"

After my request, I let out a happy growl as a few others offered their help. As my minja secretary took over managing the donations I received, I returned to my human form and enjoyed the rest of my meeting more than I had expected.

Walking into this meeting, figuratively, I assumed it would consist of more balking and complaints like my first one after taking over. The swift acceptance of my terms and the surprise help were eye-opening.

I hoped that the approval was a glimpse into the future of my place in the company. As the meeting moved to more mundane issues like staffing and prospective dig sites, I hoped my next task after this one would be as easy.

After leaving The Cage, once my meeting was finished, I returned the few waves and smiles I got from the remaining residents of Verona.

The ten thousand remaining people from Kerxon that would be staying on Earth had already separated from those who wished to go back. Wavering a little on my own decision to permanently return to our home on the war-torn planet, I greeted my mates with a kiss each.

Missing Jessica and Akasha after I noted they weren't home, I assumed they had found something outside our home to occupy their time. Entering our room after enjoying a bit of teasing and grab-ass with my other mates, I pulled the drawer on our bedside table open.

My jaw dropped and shifted partially once I noticed my missing emblem. Tossing the drawer aside and peeking into the slot it had occupied, I growled in a mixture of rage and concern.

I took a deep inhale of the air around me to figure out who had snuck into our home and stolen the lynchpin of our war against the thulu. Turning to look at my wolfkin in the doorway after only the scent of me and my mates filled my nose, I frowned at her giggled response to my frantic expression.

"Jessica and Akasha said they told you they were going to take it. Our lioness said, and I quote, ‘Tell Marvin that we are taking the next group over and I will deal with whatever Mcall has for us.’”

My concern doubled for a moment as I thought about my pregnant mates running into a warzone filled with two-story monsters. Exhaling a long breath as I mentally went over the last report from the captain, I returned to my human form with a force of will.

The group Judith had mentioned was another large group of the various races that wished to return to Kerxon despite the dangers. It included Holden and most of his minotaurs, hence Akasha's involvement.

My knee-jerk reaction to the thulu danger was, I hoped, also overblown.

Mcall's men had pushed back the thulu nearly to Kirkton, and I knew the captain would put herself on the chopping block before she let my lioness put herself in danger. My princess I knew would be safe.

The party that the minotaurs had started after the word of her pregnancy got out lasted three days and took most of Verona’s residents a week to fully recover from.

“So, my love, since I have the night free, what have you six have planned for me?”

After my suggestive question, I waggled my eyebrows playfully as relief caused my mood to do a 180. I smiled as my wolfkin giggled at my antics before walking over to me.

“I can think of several things, my sexy alpha, but I think we would love just to have you relax with us for a night.”

I smirked at my mate’s request as I could pick up the scent of her slight arousal.

Kissing her quirked lips after I took a moment too long to answer her, I nodded my acceptance of her request once I released her.

“Ladies first, my love.” I said.

“You just want to stare at my ass.” Judith replied with a smirk.

“Always. I thought you knew this already.”

Gaining a playful slap on my arm for my snark, I twirled my frowning wolfkin. I gave her pert ass a gentle smack to her moving.

Figuring my comment had been taken well enough as my wolfkin added a switch to her step, I let my eyes linger on her ass while I followed her into our kitchen. I took the seat my mate indicated between Larisa and Kiki with a smile.

“I’m glad our wolfie was able to convince you to join us, handsome. Jessica and Akasha said they should be back in the morning.”

After her comment, I gave my foxkin a chuckle and a nod.

“I figured they wouldn’t stay away too long once I stopped worrying about them for a moment. I’m kind of glad they did take the emblem. It gives me a chance to see how you ladies stand on this subject. Back home to Kerxon, once we are done, stay here on Earth, or both?”

I swept my gaze over my mates as my question caused contemplative expressions to grow on their faces.

“I kind of like Earth more than Kerxon. There is much less political drama here that we have to deal with.”

Seline shrugged once she gave her opinion on the subject. I noted my seroci nodding in agreement.

“It has been nice to just deal with people without having to maneuver around titles and such. I wouldn’t mind giving up my title for, say, a few acres of land to grow our family on.”

I smiled in agreement with Larisa while my hand moved of its own accord to her rounded belly. As my other one did the same on my foxkin’s similar-sized middle, I gave my other mates a curious glance.

“I think I enjoy Earth a little more than Kerxon due to the technology and knowledge we can give our babies. Tamira might be our home, but I think we should spend at least a little time on Earth each year.”

Kiki’s comment caused most of my mate’s indecision to disappear. My offer included traveling between the worlds, which also brought up another problem.

“I see that everyone is firmly in the Earth as a vacation home group,” I said before chuckling.

As my mates joined in on my amusement, I raised my hand for their attention after I saw Krissy lean over to whisper in Celeste’s ear.

“I don’t mind traveling between the two, but I doubt the governments of Earth will just let us run off with the emblem. I have been trying to contact the Prophet for about a week to see if it can do something about that problem without any results.”

I felt a little bad as my news, or lack thereof, caused my mate’s good mood to diminish.

As they fell into contemplative silence, I saw Celeste’s black triangular ears perk up.

“Have you tried to travel to its ship like you do when you go between Earth and Kerxon?”

My automatic response to my panthkin’s comment died on my lips as I gave it some thought.

I had no idea what the gromonix called the ship it was on or if there was a name for the fleet they had escaped their planet on. Either way, the gromonix was a species, and if the one I had been dealing with wouldn't help us, I figured asking around couldn't hurt.

"Baby, I think you might just be a genius or crazily perceptive. I think I might have an idea that works to get its attention, at least."

Celeste's wide smile at my praise turned smug as my other mates looked expectantly at me. Enjoying their regard for a moment, I cleared my throat dramatically before laying out my plan.

A few minutes later, once I answered the questions I could that my mates gave me, I kissed my wolfkin in thanks after she placed a plate heaped with food in front of me. Taking a deep inhale of the delicious smell of chicken and garlic, I placed further discussion into the back of my mind.

My mates had all agreed to give my plan a chance, but until my lioness and princess returned, any attempts would have to wait. Instead of worrying about aliens, governments, or mining businesses, I simply enjoyed being around the most important people in two worlds.

Chapter 12

VERONA BASE – ROCKY MOUNTAINS

I smiled as the scent of my lioness and princess filled my nose. I pulled Jessica closer to me after I noted Judith had moved for her to fill the spot in our bed in front of me.

Inhaling my lioness's scent after I buried my nose in her blonde hair, I smiled at her soft grumble.

"Mcall, report, table." Jessica grumbled before resuming her snoring.

I quietly chuckled before kissing the side of my sleeping mate's head. Turning around gently, I saw Akasha sleeping behind Larisa at my back.

Thinking about the test that my plan from the night before called for caused me to sigh, which made my lioness and seroci stir. Extracting myself from between them once they returned to their deep sleep, I quietly pulled on some clothes.

Dressed and leaving my pregnant mates to sleep, I saw Mcall's report sitting on the kitchen table. Making some coffee and something to eat, instead of jumping right on it or grabbing my emblem, I sat at the table and picked the note up once I was done.

"Yeah, those donations aren't going to last very long," I said after reading through the report.

The captain had mentioned a few times that they were burning through munitions at a scarily rapid rate.

Her mentioning an ambush by the thulu was also a surprise. I knew the Hemix could increase their monster's intelligence, but the coordinated strike on a patrol group hadn't seemed possible until now.

"The thulu somehow got around both my men and your minjas and took out a group of five armored vehicles and two tanks. A few of the men that survived mentioned that one of the dead thulu didn't explode until the others had a chance to use it as a shield."

Skimming over the casualties from that attack, I sighed and finished my quick breakfast.

With the taste of microwave croissant-wich on my breath, I stealthily made my way back to my room. Taking my emblem from the bedside table, I smiled at Krissy after she looked over her shoulder at me.

"Tell the others I went to go talk to the gromonix."

Kissing my bearkin's smiling lips once she gave me a nod, I watched her roll over and return to sleep. I sat on our living room couch once I left my room and gazed at the emblem in my hand.

A slight grumble of concern rumbled in my chest as I hoped my plan would work. Steeling myself for the worst, I glared at the circular piece of metal in my hand and repeated "gromonix ship" six times.

After the sixth repetition, I frowned as no portal appeared. Hoping I hadn't nearly tied my tongue in knots for nothing, I stood up and yelped in surprise.

The world dropped out from underneath me as the blue and white portal I had been waiting for appeared suddenly at my feet. I wobbled on my feet once there was ground to stand on.

Looking around at the familiar sight of the gromonix's ship, I froze for a moment after I saw two more of the beings than usual.

"This is the being." The gibberish that came out of the speaking gromonix's mouth made me lean back from it for a second.

"Yes, this is the subject of my experiments." Again, the gromonix I chose to label as the Prophet spoke to the other cow-like alien in what I assumed was their native language.

"It tried to deliver itself through hyperspace into each of our vessels. Please inform it how badly that would have gone for it."

The Prophet dipped its eye stalk in its version of a nod of compliance before looking at me. As the other two gromonix moved toward an open door, I felt an opportunity slipping from my fingers.

I had never seen another gromonix during my interactions with the Prophet. From their short conversation, I believed the other two walking away might hold some authority.

I wasn't sure what words I tried to form to get the departing alien's attention. The strangled attempt to return their focus to me worked, though, as both alien’s eyestalks turned a full 180 degrees to look at me.

As they turned their large bodies around, I ignored the severe look the Prophet was giving me as my mind scrambled to form a plan.

"What do you need, sapien? The scientist you know as the Prophet has mentioned how your planet is fairing against the Hemix and their creations. If you are trying to ask for our assistance, I will have to disappoint you."

Still trying to figure out what I could ask from the gromonix after its comment, I swung for the fences instead of letting its statement discourage me.

"You said you are aware of how Kerxon is fairing against the Hemix, right? I think we are doing more than ok. If you were to help us by providing me with the blueprints, schematics, or whatever your race calls the device that holds the information on hyperspace communications, I think we could win that fight."

Freezing for a moment as all three of the gromonix's huge eyes widened in shock over my suggestion, I hoped my big mouth hadn't just sealed both of my worlds’ fates.

As the three gromonix shared a look before turning their single-eyed gazes on me, I felt a bit of relief. They hadn't laughed at my suggestion outright if the aliens could laugh.

What calmed my worries the most was the speculative look in their eyes.

"What leads you to believe that you and the other races could do what we couldn't, Marvin Spence?"

I found one point to mention after I spent a few moments scrambling for a response.

"Despite our differences, I believe Earth can take out the thulus, and if we get a chance at the Hemix, I don't doubt we can at least make them reconsider attacking Earth. I know the Prophet has seen what we have done so far to take back Kerxon. If it were more than just me sending supplies and personnel, the planet would be ours by now."

After I replied to the gromonix's question, I held my breath as it looked at the Prophet for confirmation.

"The humans and the races we altered have performed admirably in securing the town Marvin Spence called home before the Hemix invaded. There is a less than zero possibility of capturing a ship. Hemix shields are impervious to our armaments, but like Spence's skin, the bulkheads underneath should be vulnerable to blades and quite possibly claws."

My eyes widened a little as the Prophet's comment surprised me. That surprise turned to mild amusement as its huge eye blinked or winked at me, I wasn’t quite sure.

"If we were to provide Earth with the necessary information to use my printers, I believe the thulus would be eradicated within two years."

I kept my surprise to myself as the Prophet's timeline was quite a bit shorter than I expected. Our progress taking back Kerxon seemed pretty minuscule in the grand scheme.

I thought taking back the whole planet would have taken the rest of our time to prepare for the Hemix on Earth. Mcall and Cook's projections backed my assumptions up.

Giving the ability to drop whatever bombs or missiles we wanted at a moment's notice on the thulu or even the Hemix did adjust my presumptions. Smiling a little as I imagined the planetwide bombardment of the purple monsters, I focused on the gromonix after I noticed their eye stalks focusing on me.

"Marvin Spence, do you believe your planet will be able to handle the Hemix shields?"

Suppressing a grimace as I thought on the Prophet's comment about the alien's impervious shields when we first met, I smiled wide as a plan came to mind.

"If you can goad one of the Hemix into portaling to Kerxon, I can and will kill it and share the details of their shield technology."

My offer and the certainty in my tone seemed to give the gromonix pause.

Visions of what I could do with the Hemix shield and space-faring technology if the gromonix were to take my offer flew through my mind as I waited for their response.

As I waited, a question grew in my mind.

The Hemix I had seen in the council's hideaway was vastly different from anything I had seen, at least in reality.

"If you three don’t mind answering a question while you complete my offer. What are the Hemix? The one I saw looked like an enemy from a fantasy sci fi video game. I don’t doubt that I can take it if I can get close, but any information you have on it would help."

As one of the gromonix focused on the Prophet before turning its eye stalk back to its compatriot, I gave the scientist a sheepish smile while its eye narrowed at me.

"We aren’t entirely sure what the Hemix are, Marvin Spence. All we have seen of them so far is the form you mentioned. Garnering more information will require breaking through their shields."

Giving the Prophet a nod of understanding, I kept my dejected sigh to myself after it turned its attention back to the other two.

I swallowed a long exhale of relief after they nodded in sync after close to a minute of silence before looking at me.

"We can bring one of the Hemix to you, Marvin Spence, if you are certain you can get aboard its ship. It would take a month or so for one of our larger ships to travel to Kerxon. I don’t think we need to inform you of the severity of our ship being captured or destroyed by the Hemix."

After the gromonix's comment, I swallowed thickly as three giant eyes held me in place. The chance they were taking on my plan grew in scope as I remembered the alien's only advantage over the Hemix.

As much as the gromonix might want the Hemix's shield technology, the aggressive Hemix wanted their cloaking tech more.

My firm nod was repeated three times as the gromonix accepted my offer. Lowering my hand as I remembered the aliens had nothing to shake, I took the aliens at their word and hoped I would be fast enough to back up mine.

Kirkton – Belin Region

"And there will be more than enough chance for trade and tourism." I said to the politicians walking beside me before the jet flying over our heads drowned me out.

I felt slightly put out by the U.S. government pushing me aside after I gave them the plans for the gromonix's transporters on a silver platter. They made quick work of the alien technology and had portals set up from Earth to Kerxon and back within a month.

What curled my lips despite them pushing me out was the fact I had held back the blueprints for the planetary printers for just this situation.

The research and development division of Kerxon mining was knee-deep in those plans. While I couldn't keep them entirely to myself, my position as the CEO and primary shareholder kept me relevant.

Resuming my walk through Kirkton in my new position as tour guide slash bodyguard, I imagined once I had a Hemix ship, Kerxon Mining would quickly become the world's first interstellar company.

Waiting on the gromonix to inform me that they were ready to implement our plan was a little annoying, though. After I saw Gant waiting on me as we rounded a corner, I passed off my charges with a "please excuse me."

I nodded to one of my lions following the murmuring group and left the slightly confused and annoyed politicians in their capable hands.

"My prince, I have some news that you will find interesting."

After his less-than-amused comment, I fell in step with the minja.

As we walked through the newly reinforced gates of Tamria without the Grand Master speaking a word to me, I grew a little impatient.

"Calm yourself, my prince. The humans are keeping track of everything that goes on in town. I spoke with the princess and Mistress Jessica, and they found my report quite amusing. They also said the thing I need to show you that deals with The Plan should be spoken about in private."

I nodded in understanding as Gant clued me into why we were leaving Kirkton for a simple talk.

The Plan the minja was referring to was my deal with the gromonix I had also kept back from the government. Still, what Gant was so mysteriously keeping to himself was unknown to me.

"If you will pardon my glibness, my prince, I need you to remain silent and unseen while you follow me. Discretion and stealth aren't your strong suits."

I gave the Grand Master a toothy smile for his less-than-polite comment before nodding. Following his lead as he took off toward the forest leading to the mountains, I hoped I was up to Gant's challenge.

Hours later of rushing through the branches of trees and hiding in nooks to avoid roaming thulu outside of the military's perimeter, I glared at a portal as it came into existence.

The two thulu that slipped out of the green and black gateway were the same as the dozen we had been hiding from. What caused me to grit my teeth together in frustration was another springing up next to it a few seconds later.

"I think the Hemix are trying to slowly gather together a force to push back the humans, my prince."

I nodded grimly as I agreed with Gant's comment.

Watching the thulus slink off to hide, I quieted the growl their actions threatened to cause.

"Mcall would find them if they tried to send out a wave instead of positioning them here first. I'm guessing the Hemix also use this to mitigate the gromonix interference with their portals. How many of these staging areas have you found?"

As Gant nodded his agreement with the former part of my comment, I saw another portal open behind us. My eyes widened as I thought we had been found out before the thulu that exited the portal ambled off without any indication it had seen us.

"This is the fifth site we have found, my prince. Mcall has been sending the Rangers to take care of them, but they keep springing up."

I nodded once more as I remembered the sea of purple bodies from the day that we wiped out the council. Shivering as I imagined how many of these sites the Hemix was using to avoid detection from overhead, I hoped the gromonix was as good as its word.

"This works out for us regardless. Once the gromonix ship arrives, we can use one of these sites to draw out the Hemix. Inform Mcall that you found this one so we can manage the thulus numbers. Once the Prophet notifies me that they are ready, I will let you know to find one we can use."

I continued to glare at the two-story monsters that continued to amble almost quietly out of the portals around us as Gant answered my orders with a "yes, my prince."

Hoping the gromonix ship was close, I let Gant lead us out of enemy territory. As we passed an oblivious thulu searching the ground clutter with its tentacles, I also hoped I was making the right decision.

Verona – Rocky Mountains

I jerked awake as the vision of stars streaking past me faded into a half-remembered fog. Glancing around my room as the midday light tried to peek past our curtains, I smiled at my lioness and seroci sleeping peacefully beside me.

I nodded to myself as I trailed my hands over their rounded middles after the Prophet's voice saying, "we are here," echoed in my mind. Jessica's happy moan as my fingers tickling her belly began to wake her up was joined by Larisa's less-than-proper groan.

My smile widened playfully as my tempting seroci slid my hand down her belly and to her naked pussy.

"A little horny, love?" I asked my mate as she moaned while I slipped a finger inside her.

Larisa's soft moan of ascent turned into one of pleasured bliss as I gently ran the pad of my thumb over her hard clit.

"I sometimes wonder if she does that just to enjoy herself or work us up. Good morning, babe."

I smiled at my lioness and tried to return her greeting before her lips on mine removed any opportunity for speech.

I slowly brought my moaning seroci to her first orgasm of the day while my thoughts about delivering the Prophet's message were derailed by Jessica and Larisa gripping my swelling dick.

"We know, my lion. Its message was very plain and rudely awakened me."

I let out a grunt of understanding as Larisa delivered her message through panting moans.

My grunt turned into a groan of need as Jessica chose to move her lips from mine and made her way down my chest and stomach. I maintained my gentle plunging into my seroci's soaked pussy as her hand around my dick shifted to that arm.

As my baroness came for me with a long squeal of pleasure, I slid my other hand through Jessica's sleep-mussed hair after she finished her journey down my body. My lioness's head disappearing under the covers was swiftly followed by her lips encircling the head of my cock.

Groaning as her warm wet mouth slid down my shaft, I felt my seroci turn to face me.

"The Prophet's message means you are returning to Kerxon without us, my lion. We want your best before you go and throw yourself at those monsters for the last time."

I nodded shakily as Jessica's talented mouth kept me from voicing a reply to our mate's request.

Larisa's sultry gaze held mine as she ran her soft breasts against my side while she leaned up to kiss me. Sliding my arm around her back as my seroci's soft lips touched mine, she let out a needy moan after I slipped my fingers back inside her.

Surrounded by the soft warmth of my mates as I neared my peak, I groaned loudly after Jessica took my swelling dick into her throat. The twitching of Larisa's curves against me as she came for me accompanied each surge of my seed into our lioness's throat.

Falling to my back as Jessica teased the head of my dick while she swallowed my cum, I groaned into my seroci's mouth after she fell with me.

"I'm going to ride you so good, babe, that you wouldn't dare let those fuckers kill you!"

Looking up at my fierce mate as she mounted me during her declaration, my reply to her thinly veiled worry was erased by her sliding me into her. As Larisa's soft lips and teeth on my neck sent chills down my body, I watched with a bit of awe as Jessica began to blow my mind.

Her intense golden-eyed gaze as she languidly bounced in my lap fixed me in place as the light from outside illuminated my mate. We had changed quite a bit from our human selves during our time on Kerxon.

The physical changes, like Jessica's bouncing golden hair, along with her more defined curves, were just the surface-level differences. Sliding my hand up her flexing thighs as she increased her pace, I gently gripped her still slim waist.

I ran my thumb along the faint stretch marks our daughter was giving her mother and groaned softly as something hit me.

Swelling inside of my moaning mate as she came for me, I felt love for her that was only matched by my adoration for our other mates. Shivering along with my lioness as I filled her with my seed, I promised that nothing would keep me from returning to her and our family.

I pulled my quivering mate down into a gentle kiss as I continued to fill her. Sliding my slick fingers into my shaking seroci's flame-red hair, her tongue joined ours in a three-way kiss.

As I came down from my orgasm, I felt my lion's desire to please our mates cause me to swell inside our lioness. Jessica's soft moan as she felt me harden again turned into a surprised yelp as the door to our room slammed open.

"You ladies done? We all need some of our man before he goes off to do some daring deed!"

I chuckled along with Jessica and Larisa as our other mates joined Kiki in the doorway.

"I got my helping of him, but Larisa has next! Get in line, ladies! We need to make sure our husband knows what will be waiting for him once he gets back!"

I held Jessica's unapologetic gaze with my own as the freckles sprinkled across her nose scrunched up while she smiled smugly at me.

"You thought you were getting away with only me and Larisa, stud, holy fuck!"

I returned my lioness's smug smile as I shifted in response to her comment.

My lion agreed with me as we shared the tempting visual of our lioness shivering in pleasure while we grew inside her. Growling with desire as our mate's tight pussy slid off us, I tempered my lion's desire to force her back down on us.

"Keep up that same energy, my lion. I don't want to walk for a week!"

I licked my lips in anticipation as my seroci's curves filled my view while she straddled my waist during her demanding challenge. Sliding my hands along her soft thighs as Larisa slid the head of my cock through her soaked lips, I spared a glance from the tempting sight to my other mates.

My seroci yelped in surprise as the view caused me to kick in her hand.

Breasts and asses jiggled and swayed as my other mates joined us on the bed. Watching Jessica pull first Akasha and then Krissy into a tongue-filled kiss, a deep groan rumbled in my chest as my seroci's tight pussy slid down around me.

Larisa's smiling face filled my view as she turned me to face her from seeing my lioness's tits in our princess's hands while Krissy kissed down Jessica's body.

"We love you, Marvin Spence, our lion. Now fuck me!"

Following my seroci's demand with a smile, I basked in the sight of her beautiful face twisted in ecstasy.

A few hours later and many sweaty well-loved mates later, I groaned out my last orgasm into my panthkin's sweaty black hair.

Celeste had taken two of my loads back-to-back after she sat back and watched our other mates enjoy themselves with only my mouth and her fingers to please her. I kissed my mate's sweaty neck as she gripped my back while my dick kicked inside her one last time.

Once she recovered enough to do the same to me, I kissed her soft brown lips.

"Has my panthy been loved well enough, or do I need to watch that ass shake again?"

Celeste's soft moan as I pushed into her during my request shifted to a sharp yelp as I filled one of my hands with her ass.

"I think you are going to get me pregnant twice if you go again, baby. How about you, ladies? Does anyone want another go?"

Chuckling along with my panthkin as exhausted groans answered her question, I glanced around our room.

Judith and Kiki were fast asleep where I had left them, seeping with my cum. A trickle slipped from my foxkin's ass as she groaned contentedly in her sleep.

As Seline's wings fluttered, my attention shifted to her. Similarly well-loved and asleep next to Akasha, my attention shifted from their cum filled pussies to their equally coated breasts.

Next to them, Krissy was asleep on her stomach after pulling herself off the floor where I had left her. Remembering how roughly my bearkin had asked me to take her, I was glad our headboard sat against a concrete reinforced wall.

Celeste's soft groan as I swelled inside her at the memory turned a little pained and I kissed her once more before gently pulling out of my panthkin. Sparing a glance at my lioness and seroci, hoping they might be up for another round, I sighed as nothing else stood between me and my task for the day.

I stopped my walk to the bathroom as Celeste curled up next to Krissy before falling asleep.

The sight of all my mates happy, content, and well-loved tempted me to join them more than I would have thought. Buried under that desire was the fear that this would be the last time I saw them.

The memory of the Hemix bisecting one of the emblem councils was front and center in my mind as I forced myself to move. Using the shower's icy water to sharpen my mind as I examined the fear that memory caused, I glared at my reflection in the glass.

"We are faster, stronger, and have more to lose than it. We won't lose and when we get back, we are going to live long enough to scare off our granddaughter's little boyfriends!"

As the intense, toothy grin of my reflection looked back at me, I chuckled and pushed off the shower door. I finished my shower with a new purpose in mind.

I left my mates to sleep off their helping of me, hoping I would be back to repeat my performance for the rest of our lives.

Chapter 13

TAMRIA – BELIN REGION

I gave Terrell a curt nod as we landed on Kerxon's warm soil.

"Tell her we are going on patrol. If you think she can keep the truth to herself, then tell her. If not, meet me at the mountain."

After he remained by my side once I gave my orders, I kept my lion's temper in check as my best friend held my gaze.

"This might be easier if we let them help us, Marvin. Jenny says she is getting out and joining us on Kerxon after her contract ends."

I shook my head as Terrell's suggestion caused all sorts of problems to fly through my mind.

"Terr, Thmir, and Holden have all signed extradition treaties with the U.S. and NATO, Terrell. You know just as well as me that what we are about to do would get her hung as a traitor, at the very least. Go tell your mate about our patrol, and don't let her tempt you into anything else."

After my friend sighed in acceptance of my logic, I returned his smile before he ran towards Tamira's gates. Waving at the guards patrolling around the walls, I hoped they knew how much I wished I could accept their help.

The large clearing Gant had found the last portal group in was our best chance of drawing out the Hemix. Leaving it for longer would mean placing my lions and minjas in an unwinnable fight.

If I let Mcall help us, it would mean possibly handing the Hemix ship over to the government. Their treatment of us after they got the transportation tech from the gromonix told me that would be the most likely result of that plan.

Glancing at the foot of the mountain a day or two away, I almost wished things could have been different. I shook off those misgivings and the thought of the lives my selfishness was going to cost before I shifted and leaped toward my hidden men and, hopefully, victory.

Sleeping only a few hours and ignoring my body's desire for something more substantial than a snack, I reached the edge of the thulu-infested clearing.

"Good job, my prince. My scouts only noticed you once you avoided that last group of three."

I nodded distractedly as Gant tried to praise me for my lion's insight. It had mainly been him that kept us from becoming thulu chow.

I almost walked right into the monsters hiding under the cover of the trees around us.

"Terrell and the lions stationed in Tamaria should be along in a few hours or so. Do we have enough people here to begin?"

Gant's silence as he contemplated my question was appreciated. Moving small groups here and there to this meadow during the past month had been an annoyance as I dealt with the questions that came along with sneaking around the captain and her men.

"We have over a hundred lions and a little over half again of my men and women at your disposal, my prince. I'm sorry that-"

I raised my hand to stop Gant's coming apology for the size of our force.

Over four dozen thulu milled in and around the trees around us that we would need to kill or keep at bay. I didn't want to contemplate the number of monsters the Hemix would throw at us to keep itself alive.

I hoped our measly one hundred-and-fifty-strong force would hold up long enough for the gromonix to draw out the other better-defended aliens.

"We will make it work, Gant. One moment."

Closing my eyes and gripping the emblem in my pocket, I sent the ready signal to the gromonix ship flying invisibly above us.

"Ok, have everyone get ready. They should be here in a sec..."

I trailed off as my orders to Gant were drowned out by the massive sonic boom above us. Glancing up at the ship flying a few hundred feet above us, my mouth dropped open as I took in the size of it.

During my visits to the Prophet, I assumed its ship was relatively small. With maybe the space of a two-bedroom apartment, it was a speck of dust compared to what hung in the air above us.

The ship I had assumed was going to be the size of a building, and we could somewhat defend if the Hemix proved too strong to kill was the size of the mountain we were standing on.

"I guess that's a tempting enough target," I said to myself before turning my attention to Gant.

"Draw out the thulu so our guests can at least help us."

As the Grand Master nodded curtly before speaking into his radio, I swept my gaze over the trees around us. Finding a thulu waving its tentacles at the gargantuan floating gromonix ship, I pulled out my SMG to give it a little tickle.

I noted that after the sonic boom signaled its arrival the giant ship hadn't made another sound. Placing a shot right above the thulu's pitch-black eye, I grimaced as my shot went a little high before leaping out of my tree.

Selecting thulu at random as my lions and minjas followed my lead, I slung my axe behind me as the two-story monster began to rush toward us. Immense relief filled me as beams of light fired from the underside of the gromonix ship.

As my worry that the aliens would leave us for dead left me, I roared along with my men before we rushed toward the wall of thulu.

I leapt over the first alien monster in my path and drove my axe through the back of its muscular neck. Dodging out of the way of its tentacles as the thulu roared in pain, I cleaved through a few more between attacking the swiftly healing gash on its neck.

As the two thulu beside mine tried to attack me, I smiled as two of my lions leapt onto their backs. I returned to trying to find a gap between the monster's vertebrae while my lions did the same.

Keeping back my grunt of victory as my axe bit deep into my thulu's spine, I sliced off one of its limp tentacles that had slipped around my leg. My slight distraction as I tried to keep my balance while kicking away the dead weight cost me a few bumps and bruises.

In the few seconds since I had been occupied with my rubbery hanger-on, another thulu bum rushed the monster I had killed. As the beast knocked me over the dead thulu's head I caught a glimpse of one of its black eyes locking onto me.

Rolling with my tumble after my body hit the ground, one of the roaring thulu's legs clipped me as I tried to dodge out of its way. As my world became a green, blue, and silver blur, I grunted in pain after I slammed into a tree.

Swallowing down bile as my stomach roiled from my soccer ball treatment, I swayed for a few moments once I got back on my feet.

I took in the sight of flashing lasers and my roaring men as they fought against the thulu our rush had brought out of hiding. As the gromonix laser bisected one two-story monster, I glanced over my shoulder at a flash of green light.

Seeing more of the thulu past the Hemix portal that had opened a few hundred yards away, I smirked as each monster that rushed out got a similar treatment. I caught sight of my ax embedded in a tree behind me as the gromonix stemmed the purple tide the Hemix had tried to wash us away with.

Rushing over to grab it as my minjas and lions handled the thulu hiding in the clearing, I was knocked off my feet by a massive explosion. I grunted in pain as I was subjected to some involuntary tree-hugging once again.

"At least it got me closer," I grumbled as I yanked my axe out of the tree trunk.

"Marvin Spence, the Hemix has arrived as promised. We can't sustain another hit without permanent damage to our drives."

As the gromonix message sent directly into my mind made me sway in place, I felt the displacement of air their retreat caused try and pull me from my feet. My reply of "thanks" as the gromonix ship took off vertically into the atmosphere was drowned out by the sound of a joint laser barrage from it, driving the much smaller Hemix ship into the ground.

"And here we go." I grumbled as I rushed toward the very much still intact ship.

As the demonic-looking matte black ship covered with sensor spikes half buried in the grass lifted partially from the dirt, I pushed my pumping legs faster. I roared out a frustrated "no" as the Hemix ship cleared the ground with over a football field between me and it.

The black ovoid ship's gleaming iridescent shield flashed into existence once more as the gromonix ship blasted it once again into the dirt. Covering my eyes as the combined light tried to blind me, I trusted in the gromonix not to disintegrate me.

The light from the alien's lasers and shields made the hand in front of my face glow red. I felt something curl around my ankle before the ground came up to meet me. Roaring in frustration again as two thulu managed to get past my men, I sliced through the tentacle around my ankle.

I rolled out of the way of the following five as the two thulu tried to capture and kill me.

"Marvin Spence, we can't keep up this barrage much longer," the gromonix said into my mind.

My response of "ok" through gritted teeth as I tried to get my feet back under me turned into another roar of frustration after I saw the Hemix ship shift under the gromonix laser fire. Trying and mostly managing to roll to my feet, I flipped over my hand planted in the soft grass after a thulu tentacle clipped my foot.

I jumped backward away from another of the purple appendages and grunted in anger as stomping feet shook the ground behind me. Gant's shout of alarm into my earpiece as another of the monsters rushed toward me solidified my resolve to kill at least one of the thulu before it got here.

"Get the fuck out of my way, you overgrown hippos!"

Yelling at the two thulu as I ducked and dodged their tentacles, I cleaved halfway through the leading leg of one of the monsters. Trying to run under its massive body as it roared in pain, I growled in frustration as the second thulu blocked my way with half a dozen tentacles.

I was forced to resume my ducking and dodging as I leapt sideways out of the thulu's grasp. As the two monsters were joined by the third while I cut through their swiftly healing limbs, I felt my opportunity to attack the Hemix ship slipping through my fingers.

A moment from leaping over the alien monsters trying to keep me from their master's ship, I grunted excitedly as I heard a familiar voice in my head.

"I will give you a moment of space, Spence. Don't waste it."

As lasers from the Prophet's small ship announced its arrival, I braced myself for the much smaller sonic boom it caused. Only shifted slightly by the rush of air, I cut through three of the thulu tentacles that reached for me.

Ducking under the next five, I finally got past my two-story blockers.

Tasting sweet victory on my tongue as I grew closer to the Hemix ship, I gave it a curious look as yellow flames spouted from its front. As two flashes of light blinded me for a moment, I heard a small explosion behind me.

I blinked my eyes as the blackness of the Hemix ship was temporally blotted out by the light of its lasers. Glancing back at the Prophet's ship, I stopped in my tracks as I saw what the Hemix had done to it.

Smoldering on the ground behind me, the Prophet's ship looked like a boiled egg that someone had pulled two chopsticks out of. The clean twin holes the Hemix had blasted in it shot out sparks and small blue flames as it lay on its side.

Wavering between rushing over to help the alien or finishing my mission with the other, my gaze shot up as the sound of helicopter rotors reached my ears. As one of the choppers flew over the trees where my lions and minjas were still battling the mass of thulu, I smirked as a huge figure hanging from them gave me the finger.

Terrell's shout of "Jenny said you’re an ass" as he dropped from the helicopter once it came overhead was drowned out by rocket and heavy machine gun fire.

"I’ll help the Prophet. Go! Stick a few toes up some Hemix ass for me!"

Nodding as my friend rushed toward the gromonix ship being attacked by the last of the three thulu, I turned and bolted toward the Hemix ship.

"I got it!" I mentally shouted as I reached the black ship.

Leaping from the ground to attack the top of the ship, I spared a moment to feel relief as the gromonix barrage cut off. I yelped as my brace for my landing was off by a foot or so.

Driving my ax into the ship's skin, I noted that I stood within the iridescent shield. Chopping furiously at the metal beneath my feet, I hoped the Prophet's comparison to my skin was correct.

As my ax carved a shallow groove into the matte black metal, my small victory drove my muscles to work harder. Working my blade deeper into the metal, I ducked at the sudden flash of green next to me.

That flinch saved my life as a small laser beam flew inches over my head.

Jumping away from another, I growled as the Hemix inside the ship I was giving the Paul Bunyan special decided to show itself.

"Irrelevant experiment! Get off my ship!"

I gave the Hemix's glowing green cybernetic eyes a smug smile as it glared at me while it lowered its human-looking arms.

"Relevant enough to get your attention! How about it, Mr. Ed? Want to get me off your precious ship yourself?"

Glaring at the Hemix once I gave it my challenge, I swayed away from the beam of light it shot at me in response. The electronic grumble it let out as its front two legs stepped out of the portal was almost human in its frustrated execution.

Watching its glowing arms rise to send out another beam of searing light, I showed the alien my teeth with a growl.

"I'm not a prostrate traitor waiting to lick your boots, black beauty. You'll have to get your hands dirty to get me off."

I tried to think up a few more horse puns to keep my thoughts off what that laser beam might do to me if I slipped up. I covered my eyes as the gromonix sent me a warning before they tried to blast the Hemix into oblivion.

Dodging to the side on instinct, I gave my inner lion a bear hug as the Hemix tried to separate our head from our body. Following the path of its arms as the back half of the cyber centaur joined its front, I spared a glance through the portal.

As I flipped over one beam before dropping to the bulkhead to avoid another, I saw my minjas and lions fighting the remaining thulu through the view screen of the Hemix ship. Rushing toward the alien in my full lion form as the reinforcements from the Keerf whittled down the thulu numbers, I closed my jaws around one of the Hemix's glowing green arms.

I ignored my surprise at its lack of reaction as I took the limb with me when I pushed off its metal body. Leaping away as a beam came from its remaining hand, I shook my head and tossed the sparking arm aside.

I rushed the Hemix again after it glanced worriedly back at the portal behind it. Moving toward its damaged side, I dodged away from its frantic defense with its foreleg.

Staying in my lion form as I slowly separated my prey from its path to escape, I let out a deep growl while it pointed its beam weapon at my head. Our stalemate dragged on for several more moments as I felt my lion sizing up our injured and trapped prey.

Sensing him waiting for the perfect moment to strike, I smiled as our prey's glowing green eyes flicked to the side.

As the Hemix's attention shifted from me to the force destroying its monsters, I leapt to the side and toward the distracted alien. If I hadn't needed them dearly at that moment, my lips would have curled into a smile as the Hemix threw its remaining weapon to the side to save it from its twin's fate.

Taking the alien down to its side as my jaws closed around its human portion's abdomen, I placed one of my huge paws on its remaining arm. With the Hemix's weapons out of the fight, I grunted with effort as I yanked my head back.

Taking much of the human part of the cyber centaur with me, the lack of screaming concerned me. Shifting as quickly as I could into my hybrid form, I pulled the Hemix's arm off with a grunt of effort.

Glaring at my disarmed foe, I stomped down on its horse back as it tried to get back to its feet.

"Stay still and fucking die!" I growled out as the Hemix squirmed under me.

I took a moment to try and figure out how to kill the wriggling alien since biting half its side off and tearing its arms from its body hadn't worked. Wondering if the human part was some sort of suit and the Hemix were like the gromonix, I drove my claws through the stomach of its horse half.

All my attack got me was sparks and a mild shock. Frustration welled in me while my inner lion roared out his own as our prey refused to die.

Letting my Big Guy take the reins as I inspected our struggling prey, I swatted the Hemix's head aside after it tried to lift it. As the eviscerated body under us stilled after the alien's head bounced off the bulkhead of its ship, a broad smile grew on my face.

"Give me control, Big Guy. I think I might have this figured out."

The back half of the Hemix's horse body crashed to the ground below us before I was in control of our body once again as my lion finished venting his frustration on our prey. Chuckling at the anger and frustration I felt coming off him as our prey resumed its struggles, I slid my hand around the Hemix's throat and pulled.

As the stubs that was all that was left of its arms thumped against the skin of its ship, I smiled after I tore its head off its body.

"Put me down, you furry science experiment! I was conquering worlds before your ancestors crawled out of the primordial soup!"

My eyes grew wide, and my smile disappeared as the head in my hand screamed at me.

"How the fuck are you still alive!" I yelled at the Hemix head in my hands.

Growling at the head while its eyes glared at me, I sunk my claws into the metal. Tearing the head in two, I was slightly surprised to find a little green gremlin in my palm.

I blinked in disbelief as I picked the bug-eyed thing up between my thumb and forefinger. As I tried to rationalize how the little green man and his race had configured worlds and ran the gromonix off theirs, a bark of laughter blew out of me.

The Hemix dangling in front of me had the presence of mind to look more frightened than surprised as my manic bout of laughter played out.

"Your race has to have the worst case of little man syndrome in the universe. I hope you enjoyed your reign at the top. I'm going to make sure each of you little green men regret ever taking what is mine."

Returning the Hemix's glare as I made my ultimatum, I decided to let the little fucker live as one of the science experiments it hated so much instead of crushing it like a bug.

I let my tiny captive swing by my side as I glared into the portal to the ship under me. Trying to find some pattern in the lights, dials, and images behind the seat fashioned for the Hemix's suit, I smiled as someone knocked on the bulkhead.

"Permission to come aboard, Cap!"

Muttering "come aboard" in amusement after Terrell's request, I chuckled a little at the passenger in his arms.

The Prophet looked a little worse for wear, with cuts, burns, and a few bruises covering its cow like body.

"Thanks for the help, Prophet," I said to the injured gromonix.

I gave it a curious look as it failed to respond even after Terrell set it on its feet. Following its line of sight, I chuckled as its eye stalk followed the wiggle that I gave the Hemix.

"All yours if you want him. Our agreement still stands?"

Chuckling once again as the gromonix glared at me for my playful question, I sighed as it tried to speak to me. The gibberish it spouted at me was just as understandable as when I met its superiors.

"The Prophet has informed you that your agreement was made with us, not it, Marvin Spence."

I nodded as the gromonix in the ship above me answered my question.

Turning my attention back to the portal and the ship interior it displayed, I smirked as I got a first-hand view of the gromonix printers in action.

As the two gromonix I had met before formed out of tiny balls of light, I gave each a nod. Once they returned it, I noted a smile crossing their "faces."

"Our agreement still stands, Marvin Spence. We will provide you with the ships you desire once we have examined the Hemix shield technology."

Smiling at Terrell as the gromonix unlocked cheap spaceflight, and the opportunities that came with it, I followed them into the Hemix ship and both Earth and Kerxon's bright futures.

Epilogue

White House – Washington DC

Five months later

I checked my mic and much too expensive suit as I waited for the press secretary to finish her first report.

Since our victory over the Hemix, I had stepped back from anything about the fight on Kerxon. With Thmir, Terr, and my father-in-law having that well in hand, my position as the prince of the Minotaur kingdom was the only thing requiring me to be involved in their politics.

The request from the president of the United States to Kerxon Mining about our orbital activities was the only reason I was here today, though. Kiki's water breaking earlier this morning almost made me bow out of this briefing.

The main reason I had chosen to come was my other mates assuring me, and my lion, that it would take quite a while before our daughter came along.

As the press secretary dropped the news about the new cooperative agreement between South Africa and the United States, I sighed as I prepared myself for the coming questions. Walking out to the woman as she passed the podium to me, I stood behind it.

I ignored the flashes of snapping cameras as I looked over the reporters in front of me. After the murmuring of the press settled down a bit, I gave them a small smile.

"As the madam secretary has informed you, Kerxon Mining, South Africa, and The United States have come to an agreement on mining the asteroids in the asteroid belt between Mars and Jupiter. We also have plans to mine both the Kiper belt and the Ort cloud in the next few years. I will take any questions now."

A cacophony of questions and concerns answered my declaration before I pointed at a man patiently waiting with his hand partially raised.

"Mr. Spence, I would like to ask two questions. One is more of a statement than a question, and the other is slightly off-topic."

I shrugged in response to the man's statement before giving him a nod to continue.

"Thank you. I believe we all know about the interview with your wife, Seline Spence, six months ago, and I would like to ask, where did the rest of you go?"

I chuckled with the rest of the reporters at the man's joke. Shifting as I did, my voice boomed out over the room.

"It gets a little hard to walk through doors when you’re nine feet tall, so I tend to stay a bit shorter. While we are on the subject, I would like to thank the members of Congress and the American people for accepting the refugees from Kerxon into their country. Your next question."

I gave the reporter a gentle nod and smirked at his and the other reporter's lack of reaction. It spoke volumes to how well Cook's plan had gone over that I could shift here in America's seat of power and get as much of a reaction as if I had broken wind.

"Thank you for your thanks, Mr. Spence. There have been rumors about a special program in the military to go through the same procedure you underwent. Would you like to verify these claims?"

I nodded as the reporter hit on one of the programs Cook had authorized me to divulge.

"The rumors are correct. In cooperation with the aliens known as the gromonix, there is a program to make humans into shifters and not only lions like me. Next question."

As another wave of shouted questions filled my ears, I pointed at another patient reporter. As the woman stood up, I returned her grateful smile.

"Mr. Spence, back on the subject, how do you plan to answer the questions about sovereignty while we strip the resources from our asteroid belt? The video of your fight with the aliens known as the Hemix has made the rounds on the internet. It has raised concerns about allowing corporations to hold such powerful weapons."

I nodded as one of the questions I had come to answer was laid in front of me.

"I could lie and say that my ships are only mining vehicles, but I think the world is ready to accept the truth. Those weapons that you saw on that video will do more than mine for us. The governments of the world have agreed to take the Hemix threat seriously. The lasers used to mine for us now will also defend our home once they come calling. That is what I plan to do with them. What the other countries do with theirs, I can't say. Next question?"

The reporter gave me a grudging nod as the wave of questions resumed.

My eyes widened as one bold woman yelled out, "Does your dick have spines?" before my phone vibrating in my pocket took my attention away from answering. Shifting back into my human form to answer Larisa's ringtone, I glared at the press secretary after I saw her glower.

"Hello, husband. I wish you could answer that question, but we have a bit of a cascading emergency going on over here."

My eyebrows bunched as my seroci's comment was accompanied by curses from a few of my other mates. Celeste's loud "Fuck, it's everywhere" was answered by Judith's pained attempts to calm our panthkin down.

As I caught on to the terms of our emergency as Jessica yelped before I heard water splash on the floor through the phone, I smiled wide.

"I think you might want to make it a rush, my lion. The next few hours are going to be exciting! Love you!"

Returning my excited seroci's endearment before hanging up, I smiled at the silent reporters.

"I am going to end the question-and-answer period for now. I have wives to calm down and, hopefully, four babies to bring into our new world. Bye!"

The silence my declaration caused was filled by my mic rubbing against my clothing as I ripped it off in a rush. Dropping the mostly intact electronics in the press secretary’s hand, I pushed past the men guarding the exit.

I made it to the lawn in front of the White House less than a minute later and smiled at my newish ride.

The trip from DC to Idaho was going to be a hectic ten minutes of flying in my gromonix-made spaceship.

Its dozens of big brothers waiting in South Africa to mine the riches of the solar system were a great deal less sleek than the gromonix's egg-shaped ships.

At that moment, though, all I was concerned with was how well my much smaller one would handle all thirteen of us once my little ones came along. Waving at the gawkers examining my ship from the gates surrounding the seat of power, I rushed into the ship and hopped in the captain's chair.

Taking off after confirming my route with the nearest airport, I smiled as the dispatcher wished me a good day and a safe flight.

Laughing to myself as my automatic response failed to encompass my joy, I simply said, "I will," as I flew off in and towards our bright future.

The End

Afterword

Thank you for reading Apex Shifter!

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Table of Contents

Title Page

Copyright

Contents

Apex Shifter

Prologue

Chapter 1

Chapter 2

Chapter 3

Chapter 4

Chapter 5

Chapter 6

Chapter 7

Chapter 8

Chapter 9

Chapter 10

Chapter 11

Chapter 12

Chapter 13

Chapter 14

Chapter 15

Chapter 16

Chapter 17

Chapter 18

Chapter 19

Chapter 20

Chapter 21

Chapter 22

Chapter 23

Chapter 24

Chapter 25

Chapter 26

Chapter 27

Chapter 28

Chapter 29

Chapter 30

Chapter 31

Chapter 32

Chapter 33

Epilogue

Apex Shifter 2

Chapter 1

Chapter 2

Chapter 3

Chapter 4

Chapter 5

Chapter 6

Chapter 7

Chapter 8

Chapter 9

Chapter 10

Chapter 11

Chapter 12

Chapter 13

Chapter 14

Chapter 15

Chapter 16

Chapter 17

Chapter 18

Chapter 19

Chapter 20

Chapter 21

Chapter 22

Chapter 23

Chapter 24

Chapter 25

Chapter 26

Chapter 27

Chapter 28

Chapter 29

Chapter 30

Chapter 31

Chapter 32

Chapter 33

Chapter 34

Chapter 35

Chapter 36

Chapter 37

Chapter 38

Chapter 39

Chapter 40

Chapter 41

Chapter 42

Chapter 43

Chapter 44

Chapter 45

Chapter 46

Chapter 47

Chapter 48

Apex Shifter 3

Chapter 1

Chapter 2

Chapter 3

Chapter 4

Chapter 5

Chapter 6

Chapter 7

Chapter 8

Chapter 9

Chapter 10

Chapter 11

Chapter 12

Chapter 13

Epilogue

Afterword

Also by Marcus Sloss