The Guardian (10 page)

Michael pointed his hand towards Cassie. “What would
you like to eat?”

“Oh, I would love a helping of that lasagna. That
looks delicious.” Everything looked delicious. She was starving lately.

Michael smiled at her.
“Perfect choice.
I will have the same.”

Cassie glanced over and started to look away, but her
focus shot back over to the area holding dirty dishes. There was what looked
like a small two
year
old that was the most adorable
looking child she had ever seen. This child had little horns growing out of its
head and had wings that were silently fluttering near the ceiling. “What is
that?” Cassie asked hoping Michael would see it as well.

Michael turned around and looked in the area Cassie
was pointing. He chuckled and shook his head. “That is an imp. This one’s name
is
Czareal
. Mostly she just pulls pranks. Myra must
be close since she really loves to follow her around. Myra gives her treats.”

Cassie watched the imp as she fluttered around the
room. She ducked when she thought anyone would see her. She performed mostly
fun pranks such as flicking napkins off the tables, and poking people in the
back of the head, then laughing a tinkling laugh and flittering off to hide.
“She looks like she is nothing but trouble.”

Michael nodded. “They delight in causing mischief.
Mostly they are harmless. There are a few bad apples, but what you see there is
the worst of their behavior.”

Amber came back with their food looking like a jilted
lover. The look she gave Michael had jealousy rising in Cassie.
Did they date and she got dumped when I came
along? Does he have feelings for her?
Cassie waited until she left before
looking at Michael, “Did you two date?”

Michael looked shocked for a second. “No. Shifters do
not date like humans.”

“Oh.” Cassie bit her lower lip and plunged on. “Have
you two had sex?” She felt her face flushing. She was not used to asking such
intimate questions.

Michael looked uncomfortable. “Yes, we have had sex.”

Cassie felt her heart break. They had feelings for
each other. She was not about to get caught up in some strange shifter
triangle. “So you are involved with her?”

Michael shook his head. “No, shifters do not have
relationships like humans. Unmated shifters often have sexual encounters, and
it is common for a shifter to have young before being mated. Unmated pregnant
shifters are taken care of by the clan, and we all care for the cubs.”

Cassie was going to ask him more about how they had
relationships and whether he still had feelings for the women he had slept
with, but their food arrived. Cassie didn’t want to talk anymore.

Michael chuckled at her apologetic look. “Don’t
worry,
what you are experiencing is normal. Your body has
gone through a tremendous change. You will be very hungry and wear out quickly
for a while. It will take a while for your body to recover.”

Cassie nodded, but had enough manners that she didn’t
try to reply with her mouth full of food. The garlic bread was rich and
buttery, and the lasagna was perfect.

Chapter
Nine

Cassie stood in the rocky clearing, looking around
self-consciously. She had never stood outside bare naked before. Michael had
also stripped off his clothes and stood next to her.
 
He opened a door in a tree that made Cassie
wince. The poor tree would probably die.

Michael grinned at her. “It’s not real. The tree looks
real and blends in perfectly to anyone walking past. It is a place for us to
store clothes. Soon enough you will be able to tell which ones are real and
which are fake. That way if you are ever out and you need to shift out here,
you can hide your clothes, and find something to wear when you shift back.

Cassie blushed as she smiled. “I could not tell the
difference at all. If you had not told me I would think this was a real pine
tree.”

Michael walked over to her and gripped her shoulders
gently. “Okay, we are going to shift again, then go on a run.”

Cassie tensed a little. It hurt terribly last time.

Michael looked into her eyes. “It shouldn’t hurt
anymore. You may feel disoriented as you shift for a day or two, but not the
pain like you felt before.” He rubbed her shoulders to help her relax. “Now
close your eyes and think about your animal. When it appears in your mind,
embrace it.”

“That’s it?”
 
That seemed awfully simple for such a massive transformation.

“Yes, it is the magic that does all the work. You just
tell it what you want to do. You want to shift to your animal form. We will
practice a lot, so you can shift without even having to think about it. Just
remember to remove your clothing. If you forget you will ruin them when your
wolf shreds them to get out.”

Cassie’s eyes widened, and she nodded. “I will try to
remember that.”

She closed her eyes and saw her wolf. She was sitting
patiently as if she had been waiting all this time to be noticed.
Is that what I really look like?
 
The brown hair and light brown eyes of the
wolf were stunning. She wanted to pet the wolf and see if the hair was as soft
as it looked. She remembered Michael’s instructions though and leaned over to
embrace the wolf.

She let out a squeal of surprise. She felt like she
was falling while her entire body tingled uncomfortably. It was not quite pain,
but not pleasant either.

Michael nuzzled her and purred. They could not speak
to one another, but Cassie could see the affection in his eyes.
 
She had never fallen this hard or fast for a
guy before. She’d had plenty of boyfriends in her life, and any other time it
took weeks and months before she felt any kind of real affection for them. With
Michael it was so much stronger, and she realized it must be the bond he was
telling her about.

Michael loped off a few steps then looked at her. She
could tell he wanted her to follow him. She leaped in in his direction, and
they both bounded off. She ran faster than she had ever run in her life, and
yet she was not growing tired. She was breathing harder, but her muscles were
not tired, and her focus was sharp. They went up farther into the mountains,
well off of any path.

Michael stopped in an area that was full of trees and
soft undergrowth. He shifted and stood there staring at her.

Cassie closed her eyes and thought of her human form.
There she was just waiting for her. She embraced her, felt the falling feeling
before she landed on her feet. She blushed to be standing nude again. It was
something she would just have to grow used to, since being a wolf was amazing.
She vowed to spend some time as a wolf every day. It felt wonderful to run
through the mountains with limitless energy.

“I wanted to show you this place. I found it years
ago, and I have kept it secret.”

Cassie looked around at the area and nodded her head.
“I can see why, Michael. This is beautiful.”

“Its beauty cannot compare with you.” He took the few
steps to stand in front of her and pulled her into his arms. “You are so very
beautiful.”

Cassie felt mesmerized as he stared down into her
eyes. His head slowly lowered to hers, as his lips caressed hers. His hands
roamed over her body slowly, as if he was trying to memorize every part of her.
His hands grabbed her ass as he ground his hard cock into her. She felt her
body tingle with arousal while he teased her with his lips and hands. She
moaned as the head of his cock teased her clit. He kneaded her ass,
then
growled. The vibrations sent tendrils of pleasure
throughout her body. He had her body heated like no man had ever managed to do
before.

“I am a dominant man, Cassie. I have tried not to
frighten you with how I like to be in charge, but I am at the limit of my
control. I am worried I will scare you with how rough I can be when I take
you.”

That should have frightened her, but instead she felt
her arousal growing at the thought of Michael having complete control over her.
It was crazy when she thought about how they had just met, and yet she
completely trusted him, like she had known him for years. Something deep within
her heart and soul assured her that not only would Michael never hurt her, but
he would die protecting her. “You could never scare me. I am curious now about
this side of you that you are scared will frighten me.”

A wicked grin split Michael’s face. “Let me show you
then.” His face looked serious for a moment. “If it ever becomes too intense,
if you are frightened, or even if you just need to talk, say red. You say that
one word and no matter what I am doing, I will stop.”

“Does that mean you will walk away and we will be
done?” She liked the idea of being able to stop him at any time, but she also
worried about him stopping for good. What if she just needed to catch her
breath?
 
She was getting the feeling he
could be very intense if he was giving her a special word.

“If you need me to stop, I will. If you just need to
talk, or calm down, then we will do just that, and when whatever caused you to
use the safe word is resolved, we can resume, if you wish.”

Cassie smiled. “So, in a way I am in control, even
though you want to be in charge.”

“Yes, this is more than just me getting what I want.
This is about meeting both of our needs. You are submissive...”

Cassie held her hand up.
“No way.”
She shook her head to emphasize the point. She was in no way submissive. With
her job, she was in charge with many of her friends looking up to her to be in
control.

“Yes, you are. I can see it in your eyes when I tell
you what I want, but your society has tried to make it a bad thing to let a man
control you. It isn’t, you know. It can be a wonderfully erotic thing full of
pleasure.”

She had to admit she had found the idea exciting. What
would he do to her? She knew if she didn’t like it, he would stop. “Yes,” she
agreed with a whisper.

Michael picked her up and carried her over to a
thickly overgrown area. Only when they got closer did she see a doorway. He
walked through, and she found herself in a cave like room made up of tree
branches and leaves. There were thick blankets sprawled on the ground along
with a cooler that she presumed housed food and drink. He smiled at her. “I
like to come up here and spend a few days. I have made this my go-to hideaway
place.”

“It is nice,” she agreed.

Michael laid her down on the pallet and stretched her
arms up over her head. “I can find some rope if I need to, but I want to try to
see if you can be still simply by my verbal command. Keep your hands here. Do
not move them until I tell you.”

Cassie shivered a little at the raw hunger she saw in
his eyes.

Michael knelt between her legs and shoved them wide
apart. The look on his face as he stared at her pussy made her want to squirm.
He looked her in the eyes. “We are miles from the nearest house. Feel free to
scream as loud as you like.”

Cassie’s eyes widened at his devilish grin. His mouth
dropped to her pussy, and he swept his tongue from her entrance to her clit. He
circled the little nub several times before he went back to her entrance.
Cassie gasped and felt her legs twitch as his tongue moved.

She really wanted to move her hands and touch his
head. His hair was soft, and all she could think about was how she would love
to run her fingers through his hair right now.

His tongued stroked right over her clit, making her
cry out. The pleasure coiled in her body making her cry out Michael’s name. Her
hands gripped the blankets in a tight grip to keep herself from grabbing his
hair.

Michael growled, sending vibrations through Cassie's
clit. She arched her back at the intense pleasure coursing through as his
finger circled her entrance, teasing her. She opened her legs wider, silently
pleading with him to fill her aching pussy. “Please,” she cried out.

Michael chuckled, making her gasp with the sensation.
His fingers continued to play with her pussy, and he raised his head to look
her in the eye. “What do you want?”

Cassie writhed as his finger teased her, and she whimpered
at him asking her questions. She was being driven out of her mind, and he
wanted to start a conversation. “What?” she asked in between gasps of air.

“I asked you what you wanted.” His eyes were bright as
he looked at her.

“I want you to finish.” She looked at him hoping he
would see what she meant.

“Finish what, sweetness? I have a lot of things I need
to finish.” His finger circled her clit,
then
caressed
the entrance of her hot flesh. “I need to finish sealing my basement, and I
have some cabinets I was building for my garage. I really need to finish
those.”

“Michael,” she whined. “You know what I meant.” She
wiggled, trying to force him to enter her and ease her ache.

“Tell me what you want then.” He smiled in a
mischievous way as he looked down at her.

“I want you to stop teasing me.” She let out an
exasperated huff. Her body was on the edge of ecstasy, and he was keeping her
there right on the brink. Just a little bit more and she would erupt. Just when
she thought she was going to come, he would pull back and let her body cool
just enough.

“Shifters are not shy, Cassandra. They are comfortable
around each other whether they are clothed or bare ass naked, and they are not
embarrassed to tell their mate what they want. Tell me what you want?”

Cassie knew they were not shy. No one had looked twice
as he fondled her that night, or that she had wanted him to touch her until she
screamed her release. Shifters were not shy, or modest. “I want you to fuck me.
I am so close, I just need a little bit more,” she said quickly before she
could chicken out.

“That’s my good girl,” Michael purred. His thick, hard
finger pushed into her wet pussy. Then he pulled it out and added another.

Cassie’s eyes nearly crossed at the feeling. She held
her legs wide apart for him, and loved the delicious feeling of him filling her
wet heat. She bit her lower lip as she whimpered and cried out her
pleasure.
 
She stared into his eyes as he
fucked her with his fingers. He turned his wrist just enough to hit her sweet
spot. She opened her mouth in a gasp and cried out. He moved his hand faster
hitting that same, sweet spot. Her hands grabbed onto his forearm as he
increased his speed and force of his thrusts.

Heavenly rapture stole through her body as her climax
erupted. Her cries were piercing as her muscles seized from the pleasure.
Michael covered her mouth with his and ravaged her, while her pussy clamped
down around his fingers.

Cassie sagged back down on the soft blankets, gasping
for air once her orgasm eased after a while. She blinked up at Michael with
half lidded eyes. She had never known foreplay could be so good. She rubbed her
hands over his sculpted chest. His chest hair felt sexy under her fingers.

Michael looked at her sternly. “You disobeyed me. I am
afraid I will have to punish you, little one.”

Cassie blinked in confusion. She had not. “I did
everything you said.”

“I told you to keep your hands over your head, and
look where they are right now.” His eyes dropped to his chest where her hands
were still stroking him.

Cassie quickly put her hands over her head like he had
ordered. She had completely forgotten his command. “This isn’t fair. I have
never felt like this before.”

Michael leaned over and licked her neck with the tip of
his tongue, leaving a trail of blazing heat in its wake. “I know you are sorry,
but I’m not. Now I have a good reason to spank that sweet ass of yours.”

Cassie’s eyes widened. “You are going to spank me?”

“Yes, I am going to spank that ass of yours until you
are glowing red and begging me to fuck you.”

Cassie had not thought about a spanking making her
want to have sex. Somehow she didn’t doubt Michael could make her beg for sex
with a spanking though.

Michael picked her up as if she weighed far less than
she did and placed her over his lap. “Now, can you be a good girl and keep your
hands over your head?”

“Yes,” Cassie said breathlessly. Excitement tingled
throughout her body instead of fear. If she were sane she would be frightened
and run out of Michael’s special place to hide. Instead she knew he would never
hurt her, and she was curious what a spanking from him would feel like.

“Good, if you move your hands again I will tie them
there and keep you on the edge of an orgasm with your spanking.” The authority
in his voice had her shivering. Would he really do that?
I wonder if I should disobey him just to see.
Cassie decided
against it. They could play that game another day.

A stinging slap shook her out of her thoughts of
misbehaving. It didn’t really hurt. There was a little sting, but it felt good,
too. He slapped her again. It sounded loud in their intimate space, but it
still didn’t really hurt. He slapped several more times, making her gasp for
air. Her ass was burning, but it felt good.