Shifting Changes (The First Shift) (4 page)

The
sound of fabric being torn was loud in the silence of the room. Faolan’s
chuckle followed it, sweet and alluring at the same time. “I’d tell you to suck
it,” he whispered, “But the way you go at it tells me I probably shouldn’t.”

“No,
probably not,” Shayonn confirmed with the last bit of coherency he could
muster. “Turn around.”

He
pushed at Faolan’s shoulder to make him move, but Faolan stiffened against his
touch. “Nn-nn, sweetheart. Not gonna let you jump me like a five quid whore.”

Shayonn
growled. He might have given it another try, but strong fingers were curled
around his cock and brought his attention to where it counted. The hard length
of Faolan’s erection was squashed against his shaft as Faolan lined up both
hard cocks in his crushing hold.

Shayonn
cried out as Faolan moved his hand, a first, violent yank that seemed to singe Shayonn’s
skin. It was so good to have someone else’s touch there instead of just his own
hand and Faolan set up a fast, merciless rhythm. He was clearly not going to
make this last and every tug felt like he was willing to force the orgasm from Shayonn’s
body if he had to.

Shayonn
couldn’t have resisted it if he’d tried. He’d been turned on to start with, and
this intense stimulation, rough and affectionless as it was, made him ache with
the need for release, the need for this tormenting pressure in his groin, his
balls, his cock to find its way out of him before he lost control. The tingle
in his skull had already begun, that prickling sensation that told him his body
was about to change. He didn’t want it to. Couldn’t allow for it to happen, not
now, least of all now, when all he wanted was for the pressure to ease in that
delightful moment when he shot his load over Faolan’s hand and stomach. He was
so close, so ready, but Faolan didn’t let him.

Leaning
in, Faolan whispered close to Shayonn’s ear, “Ever fucked in shifted form? If
you think this feels good, you don’t know what an orgasm is when you’re in your
true shape.”

Shayonn
screamed. Or maybe he howled, he couldn’t tell. His world disappeared, swam out
of focus and his body jerked, helpless in the grip of a powerful orgasm that
tossed him around like a
ragdoll.
He felt
Faolan twitch and shudder, felt the pulsing of the other cock against his own. Breathless,
he sank to the floor. His legs had given out and he was shaking all over, weak
as a newborn cub. He was vulnerable, and he hated it. Loved it. Strong muscles flexed
next to him and something warm pressed to his back. Back? Why back? Faolan had
been in front of him and he had been mostly naked and not—
furry
. Silky
hairs tickled Shayonn’s bare skin. He had yet to open his eyes again but he
reached out anyway, letting his fingers do a first exploration.

Faolan
was big. There was no denying that. His flanks were huge and his legs… Bugger,
was that one of his paws? It was massive, a lot bigger than Shayonn’s human
fist, and Shayonn wasn’t a small guy.

He
dragged an eyelid open.

“Oh,
fuck.”

Faolan
was beautiful, impressive and yes, almost a match for him if Shayonn had been
in shifted form. Shayonn raked his fingers through the thick, silky fur. It was
a deep grey, streaked with black and silver lines.

“I
should have guessed,” Shayonn whispered. “It’s
not
just your name that gives it away. It’s in your eyes, too. It’s in your
demeanour. Faolan. Wolf.”

Lowering
his head, Faolan nudged him with his nose. It was an unexpectedly tender
gesture and Shayonn smiled in spite of himself. He understood and while a mere
two minutes ago he’d been fighting tooth and claw not to let the beast inside
him out, a strange peace settled over him now. He concentrated on that part of
his being that he usually kept so well hidden. Not this time. Now he welcomed
it, invited it to spread out and take over until he could feel the changes
happening. He kept his eyes closed, not wanting to spoil the strange magic of
the moment by watching. The transitioning process took no more than a few seconds,
but when it was over, Shayonn felt like he’d come a long way. Rolling on his
belly, he pushed his head up and opened his eyes to look at the big wolf.

*
* * *

Faolan
could hardly believe what he saw. He’d tried hard to figure out what Shayonn
was and he’d come up with some ideas, but he never would’ve guessed
that
.

The sight was awe-inspiring. Before him lay the most magnificent
animal he had ever set eyes on. Shayonn was exquisite. His snow white, glossy
fur was streaked with a delicate pattern of jet-black stripes, but the most
fascinating asset were his eyes. Huge and bright green, they gleamed like two
emeralds in front of a candle. Faolan’s throat had gone tight.
“Oh my
goodness, you are something else.”

The huge white tiger opened his mouth a little as if he was
smiling. Maybe he was but Faolan was too busy staring at the massive fangs to
focus on the details of Shayonn’s facial expression.
“
You are
gorgeous.”

“Thank
you.”

Shayonn’s
thoughts were not easy to understand. They were inarticulate, like a person’s
voice that hadn’t been used for too long. 

“When
was the last time you shifted?”

Shayonn
hesitated. “
It’s been a while.”

“How
long?”

“A
month. I think. Maybe a little longer.”

“A
month? My goodness, that’s long. Why? Why do you do this to yourself?”

“I…
I don’t know. It’s safer.”

“For
the people around you? Or for yourself?”

Shayonn
didn’t meet Faolan’s eyes. He shifted his weight. Then he lowered his head and
licked his massive paw. He was obviously way out of his comfort zone and Faolan
didn’t know if having this conversation in shifted form was making it easier
for him or just added to the pressure.

Shayonn
gnawed at one of his claws, gingerly as if he wasn’t all that well acquainted
with his own body, and maybe he really wasn’t—not with this version of it. “
Both,
I guess,”
he replied at last.

“Why?
You are one of the most powerful kinds of shifters. There isn’t much you have
to fear.”

Shayonn
let out a snort. Well, it would have been a snort had he been in human form,
but in his tiger shape it was more of a growl.
“Is that why we’re nearly
extinct?”

“No,
that’s because you’re genetically rare and don’t reproduce well—oh, gosh, that’s
your problem, isn’t it?”
Faolan stared at Shayonn, watching his features
rearrange as the pieces in his own head fell into place.

Shayonn
didn’t meet his eyes. He licked his paw again.

“You’re
not registered, are you?”

Shayonn
froze. His huge jaws were parted to reveal his big, lethal fangs. “
What do
you think?”

“Shit.”
Faolan sighed. “
You
don’t shift because you don’t want authorities to know that you exist, right?”

“Right.”

“I
can’t believe you managed to escape for so long. How old are you? Twenty-five? Twenty-six?”

“Not
quite. I’m twenty-one.”

“Hmm.
Still, that’s a long time to stay under the radar.”

“I
know. And I intend to make it last even longer.”
Stubbornness
rang in those words and Shayonn lifted his chin defiantly.

Faolan’s
heart ached. He was well acquainted with the rules of the tiger shifter
community. Shayonn was a beautiful beast. His fur was perfect, thick, long and
glossy with those black stripes on an immaculate white sheet. And at only
twenty-one, he had just come of age. He was at his sexual prime. The females
who were due their turn would fight over him. Not that they’d have to worry. Shayonn’s
stunning emerald eyes were a promising feature. He
possessed a different gene pool and that meant fresh blood. As soon as his
ancestry was sorted out and his pedigree evaluated, he would almost certainly
get to service at least half of this year’s females. It was just a matter of
time until the tiger colony would be flooded with beautiful, green-eyed cubs.

“Why?”
Faolan asked.

Shayonn
glared at him with narrowed eyes.
“What do you mean, why?”

“Why
are you hiding? Why aren’t you registered and contribute your part?”

Shayonn
shifted so fast he seemed to have surprised himself. Lying on the floor, naked
and still in the same position, he blinked. His confusion didn’t last. He
pushed to his feet swiftly, already reaching for his clothes.

“Contribute
my part?” he spat. “You mean fuck a lot of women to get them pregnant?” He let
out an angry huff and snapped the elastic waistband of his shorts over his
hips. “What do you think?”

Faolan
shifted to his human form too, keeping an eye on Shayonn who paced the room
irritably. “Because you prefer men?”

Shayonn
spun around, lips curled in a snarl. “Well, yes. Obviously.”

“Are
you saying you never had sex with a female?”

Shayonn’s
gaze flicked across the room before he answered. “No.”

“Oh.
Not even a human one?”

“
No
,”
Shayonn repeated with narrowed eyes. “Why is that so hard for you to
understand? You like men, too.” His expression changed. “Ah, fuck,” he groaned.
“You wouldn’t understand. You’re a bloody
wolf
. Your species is all over
the place. It doesn’t matter who you prefer as you can fuck anyone you want.”

“Not
quite,” Faolan snarled and clenched his fists, struggling not to shift back and
fight. Oh, how he hated to be reminded of his poor pedigree. “I don’t qualify
for fatherhood so I’m banned from mating with another wolf shifter.”

Shayonn
raised his eyebrows. “I get it. You’re not gay, are you? You fuck guys because
you’re not allowed around the females.”

“Again,
not quite. As a matter of fact, I happen to be bisexual. I enjoy sex with both
men and women. I just don’t get to make babies, but you do. It’s your duty to
keep your kind from extinction.”

Shayonn
made a face. “For someone who’s not part of our community you’re well informed.”
He let out a humourless chuckle. “Know your enemy, right?”

“Your
enemy? Is that what you think we are? Your enemies?”

“Everyone
who thinks I ought to do something I don’t want to do is my enemy.”

“Huh.
Why is it all about what you want? Why don’t you see that in the larger scheme
of things, you have a duty to fulfil?”

A
growl vibrated low in Shayonn’s chest and Faolan was prepared to shift in an
instant, but Shayonn kept a grip on himself. “A duty? This is
my
life
and I want to live it on my own terms, not as some community’s whore!”

“Being
allowed to pass on your genes is a fucking
honour
!” Faolan snapped. “It
hardly makes you a whore!”

“Easy
for you to say that,” Shayonn retorted. “You don’t have to fuck someone you’re
not attracte
d to!”

“Arrogant
bugger. Who do you think you are? Your genetic heritage might make you special,
but there is only one purpose a stubborn, selfish jerk like you could ever
serve.”

“Oh,
and what would that be? Make babies?”

“Exactly.
Glad we agree on that.”

“We
sure as hell don’t—” Shayonn started but he broke off. His eyes widened and
what had been indignant anger so far turned into fear. Faolan could smell it,
even in his human form, and he realised that Shayonn had figured him out even
before he himself had made the decision.

“You’re
going to turn me in, aren’t you?” Shayonn whispered, turning pale. “You’re a
hunter, right?”

Faolan
took a breath. He let it out in a sigh, then he smiled. “No. Well, I’m not a
hunter and I’m not going to turn you in. I’m going to take you with me and
bring
you in because incidentally, I’m a guard of the colony. It's not my job to go
after the stray ones, but when I find one, I have to bring him home.”

A
shudder rocked Shayonn’s body. For a moment Faolan thought he might try to
shift and fight, but it seemed that Shayonn understood that resistance wouldn’t
help him.

“It’s
not that bad,” Faolan soothed. “You’re beautiful, even by wolf shifter
standards. I’m sure the women will like you, adore you, even. They will
probably fight over you. If you behave well you might be lucky and get to live
in a group.”

“Live
in a group?” Shayonn repeated tonelessly. “That's not gonna happen. Not even if
you could drag me back to Atraya, which I doubt you can.”

Taking
in the pale skin, wide eyes and tense shoulders, Faolan felt a wave of pity. Shayonn
was indeed scared. Nervous. His fear was a sharp tang in his scent now,
impossible not to notice but Faolan ignored it. He’d get used to it. They all
did, even the most fiercely independent ones. When they came to realise how
much pleasure their lives as breeders entailed, they became astonishingly
mellow and willing to settle. Shayonn would be just the same. He was young and
untamed, had probably never learned the rules of his community, but once he had
been taught, he would fit in.