“Freaking ick is right. I think I would choke on my own vomit if I had to get naked with those two.”
She was so human sometimes it made me laugh. “We don’t exactly have a choice, you know that right?” I was worried that she would puke right there in the dorm stairs.
“Yeah, that whole thing has got me questioning whether or not I made the right decision. Honestly, this has been a trip. From you, to this morning in the shower at orientation. It’s opened my eyes to how I’ve been living my life. But, I’m not sure if I’m ready to surrender myself to something like this. The lack of control really bothers me, you know?”
I knew exactly what she meant. When we’re talking about fucking hot people in the shower, I’m down. But did I believe in their cause enough to let someone like Dart or Blink do whatever they wanted with me? That seemed like quite the leap in logic and I just wasn’t sure that I was ready for it. Was anyone ever really ready for it? We skipped up the stairs and found our room with minimum fumbling. We’d only just arrived here after all. Our room was neat and had obviously been cleaned by some invisible staff. Our stuff had been splayed all over the place before we went to breakfast this morning. It was now neatly folded, arranged, or put away somewhere. They must have spent hours cleaning. A fresh light scent emanated from every linen. Vivica flopped onto the bed.
“I’m exhausted.” She kicked off her shoes and spread her arms and legs wide like she was making a snow angel.
“Me too.” I sat down on the edge of the bed and removed my shoes. My head was swimming with questions. But I could also not stop reliving that mind-blowing orgasm. Did I truly belong here? Or was I just blinded by the sex and danger of it all? “What are you going to do?” I asked Vivica while staring at the ceiling. Total silence. I looked over towards Vivica. Her hair was splayed in all directions across the comforter. Her eyes were closed, and her face was peaceful. She could have been a teenager instead of a twenty-five-year-old. “That’s a good idea.” I closed my eyes and followed her into a dreamless sleep.
-12-
Three thunderous knocks brought me back to consciousness.
“I told you all I would meet you downstairs in an hour. It’s been an hour and a half. Get your asses out of bed.” Arkan’s voice boomed through the flimsy plywood door.
Vivica sat up with a start. She turned towards me and yelped. “Cat. Get up. We’re late.”
“I’m up, I’m up.” It felt like I closed my eyes for two seconds. My thoughts were thick and like sludge. How was there more to the day? I got up and stamped into my shoes. Looking in the mirror that hung over the dresser in front of us, I attempted to comb my hair into submission. It was wild and stuck out in odd angles. From my appearance, it was abundantly clear that I’d just woken up. There were slight bags under my eyes and my skin was dry and colorless. I looked like shit. I turned towards Vivica, who was still flat on her back. I walked over to the other bed and grabbed her. “Get up.” She’d dozed back off. How in the world was she going to handle the rigorous tryouts I believed were in store for us?
“Okay, okay.” She muttered with her eyes still closed.
“Go wash your face. It will help you wake up.” Vivica stumbled to the bathroom while I went to go open the door for Arkan. Even though I remembered what he looked like, it was still startling to see his body in the frame of the doorway. His salt and pepper hair nearly crashed into the ceiling. I expected him to look stern and angry, but he had a gigantic smile on his face.
“A bit worn out, eh?” He continued to grin cheesily. Arkan was mighty proud of himself, huh? Shapeshifter, human, vampire, they were all the same. A man was a man, I guess. He thought with one orgasm, he ruled the world and, in a way, he kinda did have bragging rights. That man knew what he was doing and I certainly wasn’t done exploring my time with him. I gave him my sexiest look, followed by a big grin.
“Well, you gave me quite the orientation. I wasn’t expecting it. But, it was a welcome addition to my life. I hope that I can repeat it.’
His face grew stony. He crossed the gap between us, coming so close that our noses were almost touching. I could feel his hot breath on my face. My skin tingled. He put his hands on my hips. “That can never happen again.”
I leaned my body into him, closing the gap further so that only a hair’s gap stood in between our lips. For a second, he looked as if he would kiss me, but he pulled his head back. “Are you going to be trouble?”
I placed a soft kiss on his lips. My soul burned with desire. His strong arms pulled me into him. For a moment, we were lost in a passionate embrace. My lips and tongue explored his, gently and forcefully, and then gently again. I craned my neck to keep our bodies aligned, his height was certainly easier spanned horizontally. When was the last time I’d ever felt like I needed a man this desperately? Had I ever? Men had mostly been props for me, simply toys to play with, while women and I had our fun. They were living sex toys, used to gel the gaps of boredom and pass the time. A means to an end. Could I possibly be developing feelings for him? He seemed so familiar. Known.
“Uh. I don’t mean to interrupt, but aren’t we supposed to be headed to dinner.” Vivica’s voice cut through our make out session. Arkan took a giant step back away from me and cleared his throat.
“Um. Yeah. Let’s go.” He turned and walked out the apartment door. What a drama queen. This was fun. What harm could it be to have a little romance with a retired breeder? I mean obviously he wouldn’t be able to be jealous and hold any of the breeder activities against me, right? He’s been through it all before, plus he was apparently a rule breaker. Jealousy had never played a large role in my life and I refused to let it now.
We shuffled out and I closed the door behind me. Going down the stairs, I noticed my inner thighs twinging. I guess we’d done a bit more workout than I thought.
When we made it to the cafeteria, it was stuffed with women and warriors alike. I spotted Eva laughing heartily at something an attractive redhead whispered in her ear. A blonde woman sat in the lap of a short-tanned man with a square jaw. The food was placed on four different tables, I’m guessing, due to the crowd. I surveyed the room. Were there any empty seats?
“Over here.” Arkan pointed to a long table with a few empty spots at the end. Someone’s trash was sitting on the tabletop. Arkan swept up the garbage in one swift motion and tossed it in the garbage behind him. “Lazy bastards. The trash is right here.”
My heart swelled a bit. He really seemed so pure. Not innocent, just good through and through. It was a pleasure to see. I’d met so few people who were good. Most of them operated with a consistent selfish agenda. Which is probably why I always do. My pleasure has always been a steady constant on my mind. Prioritized above all else. That’s probably why I never had a relationship, except for Maya. If you could call it that, considering I’d fucked three practical strangers after breakfast. How had my life become this way? I couldn’t for a second think that my mother would be proud of me. Although I know she had her proclivities. There were plenty of men that made their way in and out of her tent at night. Most of them were never seen again.
“Sit down and h
old the space or these animals will take it. I’ll grab you some food.”
His inflection was clear. No protests. This was happening. I decided to lean into it. Probably the opposite of what he would expect. “Whatever you say.” His eyes bulged out and he swallowed hard. Arkan cleared his throat again. I sat down at the table and stared up at him with doe like eyes, but he avoided my gaze. I was going to get good at this submissive thing. If this is what gets shapeshifters’ rocks off, this was the new me. I might be a witch, but I could be a shapeshifter too. Instead of being a stubborn selfish witch only after her own pleasure, I was going to be the most compliant submissive little dove that this tribe had ever seen. Arkan started towards the food.
Vivica rolled her eyes. “I know what you’re doing. Don’t underestimate their rules. He can’t have you. That’s why it is so tempting. You keep playing with fire though…” she trailed off.
I knew she was right. Getting burned was a possibility. Hell, changing my ways was a risk. In my entire life, I’d never understood how women could submit themselves to anyone, let alone men. There was nothing exciting or interesting about it. It seemed like a weak thing to do. A loss. But, Arkan was different. There was nothing menacing or scary about him. He wasn’t trying to force me into doing anything. He wasn’t even asking. His preferences were stated. It was up to me to make the choice. It wasn’t a jump or a leap of faith. It was a sexual experiment in which I was willingly enrolling. My whole adult life had been chasing pleasure, but yet I’d never even come close to what I’d experienced inside that bathhouse. Was it the submission? Or was it Arkan? Or, perhaps, was it the newness of fucking more than two other people at once? I needed to know. And there was only one way to find out. I had to try it again.
“Where’d you go?” Vivica snapped her fingers in front of my face.