Running from the Shifter (Shifter World - Book Eight) (Series of 13 Short Stories)

It didn’t take long to get to the park. Amirah let everyone play in the playground for an hour; before she called attention.

“There’s another reason I wanted to come out here,” she said as she walked toward her family. “It’s time they were trained.”

“But they’re only two,” Shar said as she watched her mother-in-law.

Amirah nodded. “They are. Daryl and Dustin were sixteen months old when they first shifted.”

Everyone looked at the two oldest of the Kraftman Brothers.

“What can I say?” Dustin grinned. “I’m special.”

“Yeah, special in the head,” Dominic grumbled.

Everyone laughed, and Dustin growled playfully.

“I think you’re special, Daddy,” Joy said as she wrapped her arms around her father’s legs.

Dustin grinned down at his daughter, then lifted her into his arms and kissed her soundly on the cheek.

“Okay, so how are we going to do this?” Shar asked with a smile as she turned from her husband and daughter to the only two in their family who had ever done this before.

“Well, Dustin changed while he and Daryl were fighting. I don’t recommend that,” Pike said.

Daryl snorted. “The little shit had stolen my fire truck.”

“Ooooo,” the cubs said as they looked at their uncle.

“Curse jar,” Shar said, holding her hand out to her brother.

Daryl grumbled, but they could see the smile on his face as he pulled a ten from his wallet.

She looked at the ten. “It’s only a dollar,” she said, holding it out to him.

He grinned at her. “For the future.”

She chuckled as she pocketed the money.

“If he’s giving money for his future mistakes, he better fork over a hundred bucks,” Dustin said, looking at his brother.

Everyone laughed.

“Okay, now that that’s settled,” Amirah said, impatience laced in her voice.

But they could all see in her eyes that she was enjoying the banter of her children.

“No fighting,” Dominic said as he pulled his twins apart.

“What is up with the two sets of twins?” Lyvia asked. “Our four cubs haven’t been fighting.”

“It’s coming into hibernation season for bears,” Rolando said.

“That explains the girls, but what about the boys? They’re not bears,” Dominic said, looking at Rolando.

“It’s the blood bond,” Pearl said. Everyone looked at her, and she smiled. “Though they are different shifters, they are still bonded by their blood, and being sets of twins, and who their mothers are, makes it that more powerful.”

“Right.” Shar looked at Pearl. “The twin bond.”

Pearl nodded.

“Explains a lot,” Josie said as she placed her hand on one of her son’s shoulders.

“Okay. Let’s get started. We’re running low on time. The bar will open soon,” Amirah said as she moved into the center of their group.

“Did you forget we own the bar?” Dustin asked with a grin. “We can open whenever we feel like it, or not open at all.”

Amira snorted as she moved over to her oldest grandcub. “Joy dear, would you like to try first?”

Joy nodded excitingly.

Amira smiled as she took her granddaughter’s hand and walked her into the middle of the area.

“What if someone sees?” Shar asked as she watched her mate’s mother with her daughter.

“I can help with that.”

Everyone turned to find Tate standing off to the side, watching them.

“When did you get here?” Dustin asked.

Tate smirked. “A bit ago. No one was at the bar, so I followed your scents. You know—all of you as a whole—smells like a rainy day on the beach.”

Shar chuckled. “Only you would think that.”

He grinned at her. “You know it, little mama.”

Shar rolled her eyes, then turned back to watch her daughter.

“All right, Joy. I want you to feel deep inside you, find your cougar.” Amirah took a step back.

Joy closed her eyes, and they could see how hard she was searching.

Five minutes later, Joy’s eyes opened wide. “She’s purring!” she said excitedly.

Dustin and Shar grinned at their daughter.

“Good.” Amirah smiled. “Now see if she will listen to you.”

Joy nodded and closed her eyes again. Before they knew it, Joy was on all fours, shifting.

Shar squealed with delight when the cutest little cougar stood before them.

The cougar looked over at her mother when she squealed and mewed.

“Come here, baby girl,” Shar said as she got to her knees.

Joy walked over to her mother and purred as she rubbed her head against her leg.

“That’s my girl.” Dustin grinned.

Shar lifted the cougar into her arms and stood. Dustin continued to grin as he scratched behind his daughter’s ear.

“Who’s next?” Amirah asked.

Tamara walked over to Shar and rubbed the adorable little cougar’s head.

“Me,” Seth, one of the Cunningham litter, said as he stepped forward.

“That’s it, Son, you can do it,” Raj said with a grin.

Seth smiled as he moved to the middle of the area.

Joy turned in her mother’s arms so she could see Seth.

Amirah had the boy do the same as Joy, and they all watched as he went to all four, and an adorable little tiger stood before them.

Joy wiggled in her mother’s arms to be set down, and the moment her paws touched the grass, she ran to the tiger.

“I knew there was something between them,” Lyvia whispered as she moved over to Shar’s side.

Shar nodded.

“Even in their shifter form, they have a connection,” Dustin whispered.

They watched as the cougar and tiger rubbed their little heads against each other.

“They’re going to make a great team,” Raj said as he moved closer. “That kind of bond is going to make them an unbeatable team.”

“Who’s next?” Amirah asked.

Joy and Seth ran to their parents. Everyone watched as, one by one, the Fated Mate offsprings shifted.

Jackson and Joseph argued over who would shift first and shifted in the middle of fighting. Dominic and Dustin had to pull them apart.

Kayden and Kaliya shifted together, making their parents proud.

The Cunningham litter shifted easily and ran around the adults, almost tripping everyone.

When Geralyn shifted, Josiah hooted with happiness.

“I knew it!” Josiah shouted as he and his mate rushed to their pup. “Black and grey wolf.” He lifted his daughter into his arms.

“Beautiful,” Gerald said as he scratched behind his daughter’s ear.

“Ruby dear. You’re next.” Amirah looked at her granddaughter.

Ruby shook her head and hid behind her father.

“Ruby, what’s wrong?” Dylan asked as he knelt in the grass.

“She’s afraid she won’t be able to shift,” Destiny said as she wrapped her arms around her best friend.

“Oh, sweetie.” Pearl got to her knees. “Why would you think that?”

Ruby shrugged her shoulders, then hid her face in Destiny’s shoulder.

“Destiny, Hun. Why don’t you shift so she can see how easy it is,” Amirah suggested.

“Okay.” Destiny kissed Ruby on the cheek and ran over to the middle of the area.

Everyone held their breaths as they watched Destiny shift. When she shifted into a cheetah, Mara and Alec squealed with delight as they ran to their daughter, thrilled that she was a cheetah shifter like her daddy.

Ruby watched her best friend and frowned.

“What is it?” Pearl asked as she watched her daughter.

“I have green eyes,” Ruby whispered.

Dylan and Pearl looked at each other, then at their daughter.

“That doesn’t mean you can’t shift. But even if you can’t shift, you’re still a part of this family.” Dylan pulled her into his arms and hugged her.

“But what if they won’t want me around anymore?” Ruby cried.

A nose pushed between Dylan and Ruby, and they both looked down to find Joy nudging herself between them. She purred as she rubbed her head against her cousin, and Ruby smiled as she petted Joy’s fur.

“Give it a try,” Pearl said with a smile.

Ruby nodded, then patted Joy’s head and ran to the middle of the area. She followed Amirah’s instructions but couldn’t find her cougar. Thirty minutes later, Ruby fell to her knees and broke into tears, sobbing so loud everyone felt a pang in their chest.

“Ruby,” Pearl cried as she started toward her daughter.

Dylan took hold of her arm to stop her. She turned to him and gave him the evil eye. He grinned and pointed at their daughter.

Pearl turned and sucked in a breath.

Joy had rounded up the other shifters, and they were all circling Ruby. Ruby stopped crying and watched the shifters circling her.

“What are they doing?” Pearl whispered.

“Watch.” Shar smiled. She’s so proud of her daughter.

The ten cubs and one pup jumped on top of Ruby, knocking her to the grass with a loud yelp.

Pearl moved toward them again, but Dylan stopped her.

The adults watched as the little shifters accepted Ruby as one of theirs, whether she could shift or not. Ruby’s laughter filled the evening’s quiet. The adults smiled among themselves.

“Okay.” Amirah clapped her hands. “Now comes the tricky part.”

The little shifters moved off Ruby and turned to Amirah.

“Convincing your animal that you need to shift back.”

It took fifteen minutes for the little ones to return to their human forms.

“And that’s that,” Amirah said with a smile. “We’ll come out here every other day or so and practice.” She turned to her mate. “Let’s get back to the bar; it’s time for naps.”

Pike nodded, then took hold of his mate and vanished.

The others picked up their sleepy children and headed for the bar.

Tamara looked up at her mate with a smile. It was hard to believe it had already been a week since she found him. And life couldn’t get any better than this, except maybe…

“Maybe we should try for one, huh?”

He stared down at her, stunned. “Are you sure?” he asked, his voice husky.

She grinned. “Yeah, I think I am.”

He groaned as he stopped and pulled her against his chest. “Let’s start trying now.”

She giggled. “We’re outside.”

He snorted. “So.”

She shook her head. “No, not here.” She touched the frown lines on his face and sighed. “Take me home.”

Drezden growled. He looked over at his family, who were a good distance ahead of them. “I won’t be working tonight!” he called out as he took his mate’s hand and led her to his truck.

Shar chuckled. “I guess we can be expecting the thirteenth cub soon.”

“Sounds like it.” Dustin smiled and kissed her forehead.

“I love this,” Lyvia said as she cuddled her daughter against her.

“She’s fitting in nicely,” Dominic said as he walked beside his family, carrying one of his sons.

“Let’s take her shopping tomorrow.” Shar looked at her sisters.

They all nodded.

“Let’s get her a red teddy,” Josie said with a grin.

Dominic laughed. “It worked for us.”

~🐾~

Tamara gasped when Drezden slammed her against the wall as soon as they walked in the front door of their house in the Shifter Community.

“Yes,” she breathed when his lips locked on her neck and he sucked on her skin.

“I’m going to fuck you,” he whispered as he lifted his head.

She chuckled. “Won’t get any arguments from me.” She squealed when he lifted her up the wall until she was over his head, her crotch in his face. “Drez.” She giggled as she held onto his head.

“I wish you’d worn a skirt,” he growled as he bit into the material of her jeans and tore them open.

“Holy shit,” she said as she stared down at him. She watched him stare at her undies and sucked in a breath.

“Nice panties,” he said with an evil grin. “I’ll have to buy you another pair.”

She sucked in a shocked breath when he sunk his teeth into her pretty pink panties and tore them.

When his lips touched her pussy, she sucked in a breath. Sex has never been as exciting as it has been with this shifter. And foreplay, well, she never knew foreplay could be so exhilarating. She lifted her shirt over her head, then tossed it toward the couch.

“Oh fuck,” she moaned when his tongue slipped past her outer lips and lapped at her clit. “Right there,” she breathed as she held onto his head again.

Drezden grunted as he lapped at his mate’s wet pussy. He pushed his head further into her torn pants and panties and pressed his mouth to her clit. She cried out when his mouth clamped down on the throbbing nub. Within seconds, she came all over his face, and he grinned as he held her against the wall and continued to torment her pretty pink pussy.

“Fuck me,” she whispered as her head tilted back and her hips thrust forward.

“What was that?” he asked, then used his tongue to open her pussy to him again.

“Fuck me,” she repeated.

He grinned as he pulled his tongue out of her pussy. “What was that again? I can’t hear you; your pussy is purring too loud.”

She growled and surprised him with her strength. One minute, he had her pinned to the wall, and the next, her legs were wrapped around his neck, and she did a spin he’d never seen her do before, and they were both on the floor, her on top of him, straddling his neck, her pussy still in his face.

“I said,” she grunted, her voice husky. “Fuck. Me.”

“Ah.” He grabbed her waist, lifted her off his neck, and tossed her to the floor beside him.

She moved to get up, but he rolled over and pinned her to the floor.

“Why didn’t you say so?” He grinned as he pulled his cock from his pants.

“I did….” She started to say, then screamed when he penetrated her from behind.

“Is this what you wanted?” he asked as he took hold of her hair and pulled her head back so he could see her face.

“Yes,” she growled, looking up at him.

He grinned as he let go of her hair, took hold of her hips, and slammed into her tight pussy.

“Fuck, you feel good,” he said with gritted teeth as he pumped fast, hard, and deep inside her.

“Fuck yes.” She moaned.

“Cum for me, Tamara,” he said as he leaned over her and kissed her shoulder blade.

“Fuck!” she cried out when his cock reached the very center of her core.

“I’m going to cum very soon,” he said against her back. “Cum with me.”

“Yes!” she cried out.

He slammed into her so hard she moved forward, dragging him with her.

“Fuck!” he cried out as they slipped forward, pressing his hips even harder into her.

“I’m going to cum!” she cried out.

He grunted when her pussy clamped down on his cock.

“Oh, God,” she moaned as she tried to catch her breath. “Again.”

He chuckled. “Let’s see if we can get one more in before I cum.” He placed his hand on her back and pressed her down until her stomach was flush with the floor.

“Drez?” she whispered.

Drezden grinned as he started pumping hard into her. His cock slammed into her hard and deep. She cried out as another orgasm had her eyes rolling to the back of her head. He grunted when her pussy tightened around him and felt his own release from the base of his spine to the tip of his cock.

“Fuck yeah,” he panted as he released his seed deep inside her.

Tamara smiled when she felt the knot. “I think we may have started our family,” she said out of breath.

He grinned as he kissed her back. “I hope so, Mafilia.”

She smiled and looked at their slightly glowing wrists as she felt the strength flow through her body.

“I hope so, too,” she whispered.