13. Skylar

Chapter thirteen

Skylar

W e packed up our picnic and brought the blanket down to the shore, warming up in the sand before venturing into the water. We swam nude in the crystalline waters of the Summerlin Sea, mindful to be on the lookout for any selkie mischief, for it is said that when they come ashore looking to seduce a lover, they will often end up drowning them as well.

Thankfully, I had my strong bull of a man to protect me. My Daddy , who’d promised to take care of me for as long as I intended to stay– how long did I intend to stay? I didn’t know the answer to that question or what it truly meant to be his boy outside of mind-melting sex, but I was looking forward to finding out.

Actions speak louder than words, came the voice of reason, aka Monica Merriweather. Only time would tell if my minotaur could be trusted with my heart but perhaps foolishly, I had hope .

I splashed Hiero with water, and he chased me through the shallows, his big, barrel chest parting the waves easily. At one point he plucked me up like I weighed nothing and told me I was the prettiest fish he’d ever caught. Then he tossed me into the waves, and I came up sputtering, quite gracelessly.

Late in the afternoon we packed up our stuff and headed back over the mountains towards home. I wasn’t necessarily looking forward to the long night ahead, alone in my motel room with just me and my thoughts. It was a silly daydream of mine, but I’d always wanted a lover who would tuck me into bed at night. My parents never had, and whenever I fantasized about my ultimate dream man, he’d be someone who’d use me roughly and then treat me gently.

Once back at the Purple Pegasus, I was gearing up to bid him farewell when Hiero said, “Hey, you want to go to a family barbecue with me?”

I smirked. “What does a vegetarian eat at a barbecue?”

“Salad mostly. Although Frito makes a pretty good bean dip.”

“I’d love to,” I said, glad that we’d not have to say goodbye just yet, for I wanted to hold onto the magic of the day for as long as I could. “Just let me grab a quick shower.”

Hiero waited outside by the pool while I made myself ready. My pants would take several nights to repair (if the spiders blessed me) but I regretted nothing. I came downstairs wearing his t-shirt knotted high in the front so that my wings were unencumbered in the back and a pair of stone-washed jean shorts I’d bought (not stolen) at a thrift store in town. Hiero’s eyes lit up when he saw me. “You’re wearing my shirt.”

“I thought it was fitting, yes. I haven’t decided yet if I’m going to give it back.”

“Keep it. Looks better on you anyway. You seem to have a thing for midriffs and bodysuits.”

I’d caught him looking at my legs and ass as well, but I didn’t mention it. “I like showing off my wings.”

“Well, you look dead sexy whatever you wear.”

I smiled, playing coy. “I’m glad you think so, Daddy. Should I wear something more modest to your family barbecue?”

“Absolutely not. You wear whatever you want, or nothing at all if the mood suits you.” He shot me a rakish grin and patted the back of his bike. I climbed onto his saddle, a seasoned passenger by now, and we took a few winding turns to where his sister Enid lived, tucked into the woods with her two husbands and their children. Pups, the shifters called them, which I supposed made sense. Hiero wanted to put a pup in me, or so he’d said, but it was probably just something that slipped out in the heat of the moment. Silly of me to even imagine it.

There were several shifters I recognized from the bar and around town, as well as a dozen more I did not. To those who didn’t already know me, Hiero introduced me as his boy, and there were enough winks and nods to know they’d received the message. It seemed that I was officially the property of Hierophant Wolfsbane. Pride bloomed within me whenever I thought of it. To belong to someone as honorable and caring as Hiero was a true gift from the Goddess.

You’d better not screw it up.

I ignored that negative voice in my head as we hit up the spread of food, hungry from the ride. Then Hiero showed me how to play horseshoes. We competed against Frito and his younger brother Frankie who sometimes acted as a bouncer at the bar. I had a bit of beginners’ luck to help us win the game. One of Hiero’s younger cousins challenged him to a wrestling match. I soon learned shifters were fond of wrestling, and Hiero was a formidable opponent. Bare chested and slick with sweat, Hiero slowly maneuvered his opponent into a winning pin. My attention was far more focused on the way his leather pants pulled taut across his muscular ass and the occasional crack of his whip-like tail. What might it feel like to be the recipient of that lashing?

“You’ll have to teach me some of your moves,” I said after he’d cleaned off and rejoined me as a spectator.

“I’d be delighted, though with you, I’d insist we be naked.”

My grin was positively giddy when Enid came around with a baby in her arms. Hiero told her he owed her some babysitting, winking as he did, and I wondered if he might invite me along too. I offered to hold the wee child while Enid made herself a plate of food. I’d only held a baby a handful of times in Emrallt Valley, but the sense of contentment I got from their pure, innocent souls was immense. Baby Caris was happy to observe the various games and matches taking place while sucking on her fist. Hiero watched us with a soft smile on his face.

“What?” I asked, suddenly worried. “Am I doing it wrong?”

“No, you’re doing it exactly right. Can I help that I like seeing you with a pup in your arms?”

“Any old pup will do, huh?” I teased.

He only shrugged, smiling sheepishly, and I could hardly look at him after that.

After a half hour or so, Enid returned to collect the baby and invited me inside for a cup of tea. I marveled at the inside of their cabin, which reminded me of a rabbit’s warren with endless hallways and nooks, the rooms littered with children’s toys and knick knacks in every corner. The wooden plank walls and massive stone fireplace gave the interior a warm, homey feeling. I could imagine mealtimes and games of chase and children running around barefoot and carefree.

“You come from a big family?” Enid asked me.

“No, it was just my parents and me. I always wanted a sibling, but fae children are difficult to conceive. A family this size is a rarity in Emrallt Valley, a true blessing.” It was probably why there were so many rumors about the fae stealing human children. It happened on occasion, but more often we were blamed for human negligence or misconduct.

“We’ve got big families all around,” Enid said with pride, bringing me back to the conversation at hand. “We shifters need our space too though. The general rule of thumb around here is one clan per mountain. ”

“I’m sure the children keep you busy. Hiero wants a big family.”

“He told you that?” Enid asked.

“Is it a secret?”

“Not to us. Just didn’t think he’d lead with it. It can be intimidating, you know, coming here, seeing all this.”

It was controlled chaos, much like the bar and town itself, but I loved the excitement and energy and sense of community the shifter clans provided, like one big extended family.

“I think it’s wonderful. Hiero will be a great father. And whoever he decides to start a family with should consider it a blessing every day that they were chosen.”

Enid nodded, eyebrows dipping briefly, before going back to rocking Caris. After she’d laid the sleeping baby carefully in her crib, I followed Enid to the kitchen where she went about preparing our tea. I inhaled the scents of lavender and lemon, watching her work while taking in the children’s artwork on the refrigerator and the many framed pictures hanging on the walls. Their entire house spoke of happy memories, family, and connection. What must that be like?

“Are you happy?” I asked Enid, a strangely intimate question.

Enid turned and gave me a contemplative look. “I’m busy and sometimes stressed, but yes, I’m happy.”

“That’s wonderful,” I said with more than a little longing and some envy too .

“It is wonderful. I’m lucky to have the right mates. Choosing the right person, or people, makes all the difference.” She handed me a steaming cup of tea. “You know, Skylar, my brother fancies you a great deal.”

I let the fragrant steam waft over me and chose my next words with care, “I fancy him too.”

“But?” she asked, perhaps sensing there was one without me having to say it.

“I’m just getting out of a bad breakup, and I’m a bit of a mess. We’re… figuring things out.” She didn’t need to know my biggest fear, one that I didn’t even like to face myself, that maybe I just wasn’t worthy of love.

“The important thing is that you communicate, something I tell my mates all the time,” Enid said.

“How do you keep up with two men?” I asked. One man was more than enough for me.

She smiled and said haughtily, “More like, how do they keep up with me?”

I blushed at her insinuation. No wonder they had six pups already. “I’m surprised he doesn’t have a partner,” I said, shifting the conversation back to Hiero. “Is there something I should know? Any secrets you’d like to share?”

She laughed heartily. “If you’re not of shifter blood, the Dragonback Mountains can be a hard adjustment for an outsider. We’re a tight-knit community but we are pretty isolated out here. We don’t have a lot of the diversions of the other realms, but if you like being outdoors and you can make your own fun, then this could be the right place for you.”

“You all certainly seem to be good at that.”

“We try. You don’t know how many times I’ve had to stitch up Hiero or one of my other kin on account of their shenanigans. Falling off a dirtbike or out of a tree or starting trouble with a rival pack.”

I recalled the scars on Hiero’s stomach.

“Hiero said he’d been a bit of a brawler in his younger years.”

“He was, but he’s settled down some. Now you’ll only see it on occasion when he’s provoked. He’s a protector, which comes in handy around here.”

I nodded. It was something I’d admired about him as well. While we sipped our tea, I asked a few questions about their clan customs. Enid said they shifted pretty regularly but a full moon was when the urge was strongest, a time when the packs ran together.

“Many a pup has been conceived under the light of a full moon,” she said with a wink.

After finishing, we went back outside, and I caught sight of Hiero across the yard throwing axes with a few of the younger shifters. Something about a man with a tool in his hand really turned me on, and when he smiled at me, my heart surely skipped a beat. Was it strange to see a future path laid out so plainly before me? A simple life with the sexy minotaur, raising pups if the Goddess blessed us, having outdoor adventures and great sex. Being the boy of a strong, caring Daddy. Was there really anything more to life than that?

After the sun had set and the moon had risen, one of Enid’s mates whistled to get everyone’s attention. As the Wolfsbane alpha, Enid started baying and the rest of the pack soon joined in until it was a crescendo of howling voices. Their non-shifter wolf brethren joined the call from the mountains so that it became a cannon echoing all the way down to the valley below. I wondered if Monica was listening. I couldn’t wait to tell her what I’d witnessed, especially when the shifters started stripping off their clothing.

“Looks like we’re on clean-up duty,” Hiero said to me good-naturedly.

All around us, bodies started transforming: limbs bent, skin sprouted hair, noses became muzzles, ears grew pointed and long, spines bowed, and muscles quivered from the shift. A few minutes later, we were surrounded by three dozen wolves, sniffing the ground or each other in preparation for their run. Enid, now with a brassy red coat and pointed ears, lifted her head and howled at the moon. The others soon followed. Then their sleek bodies bounded off into the night, joining the chorus in the distance until it was just Hiero and me and a few other non-shifter relations, some of whom went inside to tend to the little ones like Caris who were too young to shift. We drank a little more and snacked on the trays of food before storing it away for when they returned in the morning, hungry and exhausted .

“So, this was your life growing up?” I asked, fascinated by it all.

“Pretty much. One minute we’d be having a conversation. The next minute they’d be off chasing a rabbit through the forest.”

“Frito told me about the time you tried to join them,” I said. It had been a few nights ago during closing when Frito had regaled me with that story. “How you got lost in the woods.”

“I was terrified, wolves all around me, and I couldn’t tell which were my kin and which were wild animals. Thankfully, I spotted Enid in the mix, and she led me home. They made so much fun of me for months after.” Hiero shook his head and beneath his humor, I could see why he felt slightly separate from the pack–excluded, even if it wasn’t intentional. Perhaps that was something we recognized in each other, that loneliness and longing.

“How do the shifters get along with the wild wolves?” I asked.

“Wolves by nature are territorial, but the Wolfsbane Clan respects the wild ones as their ancestors and offers them the leavings of their hunts. The wolves, in turn, offer their protection. Once you’ve lived here for a while, they’ll pick up your scent and recognize you as one of their own, which also helps when defending our territory against intruders.”

“Helps when you get lost in the woods too,” I teased.

“Yes, it does. Enid told me later that I’d never been in any real danger, but at the time, all I could see were their teeth. ”

Eventually we said goodbye to the rest of the partygoers and headed home. Hiero took the long way so we could enjoy the ride. Most fae could fly, but it was more like a slow-moving hover that had evolved to enable us to collect the fruits and flower nectar from high up in the trees. It took a lot of energy to travel any significant distance. But being on the back of a motorcycle was like soaring through the sky. Plus, there was the added bonus of clinging to my Daddy while doing it.

Once at my motel, Hiero walked me up to my room again, and I considered inviting him inside, but then I recalled my conversation with Enid and all the things Hiero wanted. I needed time to process, to consider what I might be able to offer him in return.

“Thank you. I had a really lovely time today,” I said.

“Me too. I hate to say goodbye.” He leaned forward and gave me a friendly peck on the cheek. “Get some rest. I’ll see you tomorrow at work and afterwards, we can talk more about our arrangement.”

“Yes, boss,” I said, and he gave me a stern look. “Yes, Daddy,” I corrected.

“Good boy.”

I shivered from head to toe. No one could have prepared me for the power of those two words when my minotaur Daddy said them.