1
Maya's long curls covered my chin. The tickle of her wild hair had become familiar during the waxing of Goddess Luna. I brushed her hair from my face and pulled my arm out from underneath her naked body as slowly as I could. An elephant barging into the tent wouldn't wake her, but Ramses needed six drops of tincture and two orgasms to fall asleep. That was four more drops than last time. He was getting closer. I finally freed my hand and rolled over. Ramses' broad back lay between the end of the bed and me. How was I going to get out of bed without waking him? I paused for a moment, feeling the cool softness of the silk sheets underneath me. Maya snored softly to my right. I licked my upper lip. Her musky sweetness filled my mouth. She really was my favorite ritual partner. Petite and slender, she was a natural counterpoint to my overall voluptuousness. I loved the way our bodies fit together, sinewy muscle intertwined with soft curves and her gifted tongue didn't hurt. Running my fingers over my milk colored skin, I remembered the heat of her mouth between my legs. I turned over gently onto my left side and followed the rise and fall of Ramses' back. It didn't take long to break him. Too bad he had to learn his lesson this way. Don't fuck with witches.
ShamenShaman always think they are invincible. All it takes is a sensual dance under a bright moon. They witness a little lesbian action and they can't help themselves. That tincture wasn't going to last on someone of his size. Too bad. I could have gone a couple more rounds with these two.
"Time to move." I whispered. The energy began to build in my pelvis and chest. The tent's cloth door flapped in the breeze. The moon was nearly full, and its light pooled on the lake's surface. I wiggled down to the bottom of the bed and sat up lightly. I glanced back at the two forms sleeping behind me. One small and fragile, the other strong and steel. With the ferocity of last night gone, I felt restless. For me, sex had lost its ability to satiate long ago. Why did I never feel full? Threesomes had been a delightful novelty for a while. Now, I hungered for something more. I just didn't know what yet and I hoped that if I asked Goddess Luna, she would guide me.
I tiptoed across the plush carpet to the seat where I'd disrobed. I shimmied into my full-length dress. The belt hung loose, I'd tie it later. My sandals were near the door. I crossed the tent in a few wide strides. I turned back, feeling eyes on me. It was Maya. Her tanned torso poked out from beneath the sheets. Her nipples were still erect. She was propped up on her elbow and had a smirk on her face. I blew her a kiss and stepped into my sandals. Her long slender arm pointed directly at me. Her finger wiggled up and down from ceiling to floor. Wrinkling her nose, she stopped wiggling her finger and opened palm up to the ceiling in a half shrug. Ten years together had removed the need for speech.
“Why are you dressed?”
Her voice echoed in my head. I shrugged and flashed a smile. She rolled her eyes and flopped back gently, waggling her fingers in a lazy goodbye. Even though she asked me at least twice a week, she always brushed off my answers. Why would she understand? For her nakedness was a natural state. Although sex was my favorite hobby, nakedness was not. The tight subtle curves of her fit body were perfect in even florescent lighting, her tiny boobs perky even without a bra. Although my DD’s had never received a complaint, I didn’t feel comfortable walking around without a shirt on. She'd take care of Ramses if he woke up. Nothing could distract a man like a well-timed blow job.
The cool breeze hit my exposed arms as soon as I exited, in a welcome contrast to the swampy air. I loved this weather. The world was beginning to cool, but the summer's touch was still all around. The blaze of daylight had softened, so the nights had a slight bite to them, carried mostly by breeze. It was always windier by the lake anyway. I thought back to the last time I was away from the lake longer than a few weeks. I couldn't remember. Perhaps, when my mother was still alive? A stronger breeze wrapped around my shoulders as I made my way down to the water. My mom and the full moon. Guidance from above. I swallowed the ache that welled in my throat.
"No time for sentiment, Catalina. Only action."
Her words felt heavy on my tongue. Even though it was only my own voice that echoed in the night, I could still hear her husky whisper cutting through my thoughts. If I could only be as strong of a witch as her one day. When I reached the water's edge, I hesitated. Reaching my arm out into the darkness, I grasped at the moon. It looked close enough to touch.
"It's everything to us, Cat. The power to reflect the sun and shape the tides. It's all you'll ever need."
I loved the way her eyes shone when she spoke in riddles. What does a fourteen-year-old know about the tides? What did this twenty-seven-year-old know about anything? I shook my head. Doubts. Did all of us have them? I sat down in the dewy grass. The breeze caressed my bare skin. Crossing my legs, I leaned back to straighten out. My nipples hardened in the chill. My dress was apparently useless. The pauses in between breezes felt like bathwater. What strange weather. I placed my hands on my knees and curled my fingers into okay signs. In my teenage years, I scoffed at mindfulness and meditation as a rip off of magical wisdom. Little did I know that exercising your mind strengthened your powers. It allowed you to tap in to a deeper connection at least. I breathed in and out, my exhale audible in the night air. What am I feeling? I scanned each part of my body. The wind whipped strands of hair from my braid, tickling my neck. My face was flushed and warm. My heart’s light radiated from my chest. Orgasms always cleared my emotions. My lower belly relaxed. The warm stickiness of my pelvis felt in great contrast to my cool limbs. Against the night air, my big toe itched. In and out. What’s here now? What am I looking for? In and out. Deep breaths.
“Take a dip, my dear.” The voice was smooth and rich. Female. Familiar, but unknown.
“Of course, my Goddess. As you wish.” Nodding into a half-folded bow, I thanked her for showing me the way. I opened my eyes and stared into the blackness. The only light shone off the lake, moonlight bounding every which way off the ripples of the usually still water. I pulled off my dress and placed it on the slightly damp grass. Maya's only signal in the blackness to where I was.
The first step into the warm water soothed me. I continued further in until I was waist deep. I unbraided my hair and finger combed it
loose. Falling back into the lake, I plunged underneath the warm water. Tadpoles swarmed around my belly. Long spindly fronds of lake grass wrapped slightly around my legs. I was welcome. Known. Fish, large and small, began to hum in unison. The vibrations of their song pulsed in my temples. Frogs on the sides of the shore added their throaty bass. I floated on my back and surrendered to the music of life. The pulse and throb grew louder and louder. I focused my eyes on the moon and my ears on the dull cacophony underneath the placid lake surface. The hearts of mammals, reptiles, amphibians, and fish pounded like drums, each to it own unique rhythm. At the very center, my own heartbeat. The noise grew louder and louder as I drew the energy of all the surrounding beings. A white heat spread from my belly button upwards into my gut and towards my chest. With another beat of my heart the heat spread downwards, reaching my toes and spilling out into the lake. The lake began to bubble and froth. A thread of light appeared in the darkness as the moon began to grow closer. My breaths grew ragged. I drew as much air into my lungs as possible and exhaled slowly. Keep your focus. Bring guidance to you. Bring light to you. Bring answers. The heat grew, through my hips and into my core. The moon grew larger and larger until it eclipsed everything in my view. The bright yellowish orb blocked my vision. It was time to ask. My lips were frozen. I tried to move, but my muscles would not respond. In my heart, I begged the moon to share her secrets. What's next for me? Where do I belong? Tell me! The bright yellow began to glow brighter and flicker. Why do you never answer me? Am I not good enough? Show me your power Goddess. I beg you. With another flicker, the sky snapped back into place. The lake stilled and cooled. She was gone. The energy drained from my limbs. My arms felt heavy and legs like concrete pillars. This was always the worst part, getting back to shore. I paddled along lightly. Why couldn't I channel the Goddess as my mother had and her mother before her? Wasn't I meant for something bigger? Seduction and entertainment were a human's trade. I'm a waste of a witch. I should have taken up healing or something useful. When I climbed onto the bank, I was too tired to put on my dress. I grabbed it and my sandals and walked along the damp grass. When I arrived at the tent, Maya was waiting outside, biting her nails. Had Ramses woken before she could finish the ritual? Why was she so nervous? She only bit her nails when she was contemplating something.
"What's wrong?"
"There was a man here." Her bright blue eyes shone.
"What man? What happened?"
"Nothing happened. It creeped me out a bit actually." She wrapped her arms around me.
"Well, what did he say?" My heart began to thud in my chest. We were miles away from anything. Where had a man come from?
"He was looking for you." Me? What could he want?
“For me? Maya, honey, I'm tired. Could you just get to it? What did the man want?”
She bit her bottom lip. Her lips were the only full thing about her. "He said that the Crescents were looking for surrogates and that you were supposed to join the next round."
"What?" The Crescents? When was the last time I had encountered a shapeshifter? Shapeshifters and witches were rarely ever in the same location. Relationships between the two were outlawed long ago. How did the legend go?
"Yeah weird, right?" She giggled, but I could tell the man's presence had shook her. We didn't often get visitors or strangers, especially men. Not to mention a shapeshifter.
I put my hands on her shoulders and looked her straight in the eyes. "Listen I don't want to scare you, but I need to know exactly what the man said." A pinprick of apprehension gnawed at my gut. Goosebumps spread through my entire body.
“Um, he came in. Ramses snored right through the whole thing. I was a little startled, but I had been woken up by the noise. I thought it was you in the room. All the strange man said was, ‘Tell Catalina that the Crescents are awaiting their next surrogate. Be one with the tide.’ And then he nodded and backed out of the tent.” She was almost in tears.
"Is Ramses still asleep?"
Her face screwed up in confusion. "Yeah?"
"Let's go wake him. We've got to leave tomorrow, and I want our last fuckfest to be one for the history books."
"Where are we going? Cat, what's going on?"
"I'll explain everything in the morning, I promise." I kissed her lightly on the lips Tomorrow, I was going to present myself as a surrogate. Tonight, I was going to have some fun. I took her hand in mine and stepped into the tent. My response had finally arrived.
-2-
“I don’t understand why you’ve got to do this.” Maya’s pink lips trembled. Her pout was both supremely sexy and annoying. Sometimes it felt like manipulation rather than genuine emotion. She always tried to get her way.
“I told you a thousand times. The Goddess answered my call. There is no other choice.”
She stuck out her lower lip further and looked up at me with puddle like eyes. “How can you be so sure this is the answer?”
I couldn’t expect Maya to understand. Having threesomes to steal and plunder mindless men was enough for her. Her ambitions stopped at smoking Eastern clay and fucking the day away. She’d never even tried to make money from her seduction techniques and spells until I came around. Our heartstrings were intertwined, but I wanted more from this life cycle. I wanted to influence history. To do something that mattered. To shape the world around us. As she looked at me with doe like wonder, I realized that I could never explain this to her. She wouldn’t get it now, or ever. It was time to move on. But, I wouldn’t hurt her. We’d been through too much. “I won’t be gone for long.” It was the best I could offer. Maya flinched. The words rang insincere and dull. I was sure she could see right through them.
“Stop acting like I’m an idiot. You’re agreeing to breed with them. They’ll never let you go. It will be too dangerous. What are they trying to pull? It’s been a thousand years since the last witch shapeshifter walked the earth. You’ll be lucky if you make it out alive.”
Maybe she was right. It was probably unlikely that the shapeshifters would want word to get out that they were breaking an international council law. The Great War had claimed so many lives. What school would a half breed attend, shapeshifter or witch? My head hurt just to think of it. But, the Goddess had spoken, hadn’t she? Could it be coincidence that I ask her for guidance and a mysterious man arrives with a message? It’s not like he’d been asking for directions or a good fuck, he’d delivered an invitation to start a new age. The last half breed had perished in the Final Battle of the Great War. Right after, the International Committee was formed, and the interbreeding ban was one of its first decrees. The Great War ripped apart too many families. When a family is part witch and part shapeshifter, how can they choose a side? I couldn’t imagine such an archaic law having relevance in my life. Whose business was it with whom I fucked and bred? It was time to change history. “The law needs to change. You know that. Someone’s got to change it.”
“But, why you? It’s dangerous. And do you really want to have babies? You’re so young. Our lives are going be different.”
“Our lives?” It came out harsher than I wanted. Her face flushed red.
“Well, yeah. I mean aren’t you going to bring the baby back?”
I didn’t even think about it. If I was a breeder, didn’t that mean I left it with them? Who knows if I would even get pregnant right away. I’d never tried. My throat went dry. A baby. There would be a baby. Maybe more. My legs weakened.
“Oh my God. You didn’t think this through, did you? What the hell are you going to do?” Maya hissed.
She was wearing her angry face. Ugh. I was hoping that our goodbye was not going to be dramatic. We’ve hardly got a conventional relationship. Why was she acting like I was leaving her behind? “Why are you so upset? It might be dangerous, I’ll give you that. But, I’m taking the risk, not you.”
Maya’s face contorted as if I had slapped her. “Are you fucking kidding me, Cat?”
Why did she
have to make everything about her? “Listen, I’m doing this. I understand that you don’t agree, but it’s really none of your business.”
“You want to play it all strong and brave, but I know you. You can pretend to everyone else, but not me. You’re running away.”