Sororate Chapter 4 *Updated*

 
31st August 2231

“B…!”  My husband bellowed from downstairs. “It’s10.45 AM, this thing starts in fifteen minutes!”

As usual, Declan was dressed and ready and waiting downstairs; whereas I rushed about our bedroom half dressed and undecided on what shoes or even a coat to wear, with my formal outfit.

“At this rate, the Bride will get there before us!”  I heard him complain.

I tossed aside my black high-heeled boots then my black, strappy, high-heeled sandals and even my black, high-heeled ‘Mary-Jane’ style shoes.  None of these were right!  Nothing would go with my red silk, cocktail dress I was wearing.  Oh why oh why, do I only have black shoes in my wardrobe? 

“Don’t make me come up there and get you.”  He threatened.

Knowing my domineering, European Werewolf for a mate, he would.  I started to panic as I went through my shoe collection.  From past experience, Declan would grab me whether I was ready or not.  Next, I heard his heavy jog up the stairs… oh oh.

He walked into the bedroom to catch me bent over in my short dress and black stockings, as I was rifling through my wardrobe.  His eyes widened as he looked me over, appreciative of the way my legs were on display.  I thought he looked good in his black suit and light blue, pressed shirt, which brought out his bright blue eyes.  However when his mouth opened to berate, I beat him to the punch.

“I can’t find the right shoes to wear with this dress!”  I snapped.  “So don’t start!”

Coolly, Declan walked over and picked up my black, strappy high-heels from the floor which I had discarded earlier.  Then he pulled me over to the side of our bed and sat me down, before sitting beside.  When he proceeded to put the shoes on my feet, I objected.

“Not THESE ones!”

“Yep these ones.”

“But they’re sandals so they don’t go with stockings!”

“They’re strappy so they’ll go with the cocktail dress.”  He put down my left foot and picked up my right to put the second on.

“I don’t think so…” I started to argue, “…I want to change out of this dress.”

“Don’t even think about it!”

“But a dress isn’t practical, especially not a cocktail dress.  Maybe I should wear my black, pin-striped pants suit?”

Declan ignored my fretting and as soon as he finished, he grabbed my black, woolen coat which was lying beside my others.  He raised me to my feet as he simultaneously placed the warm garment about my shoulders.  The next thing I knew, I found myself being traipsed down the stairs by my bossy husband.

“But – but – but what about my purse?”  I halted half way down.

“I’ve got it.”  He held it up in the air.

“But – but – but I didn’t put on any perfume!”  I tried to pull back.

“You don’t need any!”  Declan snapped back.  “Besides, with your pheromones I don’t need anymore trouble.”

“I HAVE to wear perfume if I’m all dressed and made up!”

When I attempted to turn around and go back, Declan bent over picked me up over his left shoulder!

“NOT AGAIN!”  I complained.  “Put me down!  Put me down right now!”

He ignored my shouting as he carried me out the front door. 

Casually, he closed and locked it behind, before he carried me down the porch steps to his pick up truck.  He pointed his remote key at the vehicle to release the central locking and didn’t put me down again until he lowered me onto the passenger’s seat.  Angrily, I shot him a glare which he also ignored, whilst he walked around the vehicle and opened the door for the driver’s side.

He saw I was still seething as he sat down and did up his seatbelt.  So as he pressed in the ignition code to start the engine, he barked out; “you’re one of the prettiest girls in the tribe thanks to your youthfulness and pheromones.  So stop acting so insecure every frickin’ time you have to dress up to go out!”

“Bite me!”

“I wish.”  He muttered as he reversed out of the driveway.

We drove down the hill and turned left at the first intersection.  Instead of driving into the community centre, he turned towards the Holy Grounds which were situated in the quiet, glassy glade beside the river which flowed through our tribal lands.  He pulled up into the first available car space he saw, before he turned off the engine. 

My husband was quick to jump out, walk around the truck and open my door to pull me out, since I was reluctant from how self-conscious I was feeling.  Walking hand-in-hand whilst he turned on his remote central locking, we joined the crowd.  Everyone had come today to witness Maia and Forrest’s Joining Ceremony.

We were a little late because the bridal couple was already at the front of the gathering, along with their families.  Declan half pushed and half excused our way through the throng of people, until we were standing with the Sabres’ and the Riverclaws’.  They stood before the Tribal Elders, whom were behind a campfire which was burning in front of the Sacred Totems.

I halted as soon as I saw the bridal couple in the traditional ‘skins’ of our ancestral costume.  Made from either caribou or moose hide, Forrest wore suede pants, shirt and a jacket, which was decorated with tassels and beads.  Maia wore something similar, but instead of suede pants it was a long, suede skirt with moccasins on her feet.

I was hit by the strongest sense of déjà vu… I swear I was looking on Grant and I, standing before the Tribal Elders when it was our Joining Ceremony. 

Both Forrest and Maia had their long, black hair either tied back or plaited in the traditional way.  Their faces were painted with the ‘claw mark’ of the Lokoti Wolf, as were our Tribal Elders whom were also wearing the Lokoti clothes of old.  In the background, we could hear the traditional drum beat which was played at many of our tribe’s ceremonies.

The 24 year old groom led the 21 year old bride by the hand, to stand before the Tribal Elders.  The council moved to sit in a half circle around the fire, which prompted the couple to lower themselves to the ground and then so did the rest of the tribe.  Declan sat down first before he helped me because I felt awkward in my high-heels and cocktail dress.  Once I was seated, I repositioned my woolen coat over my legs so not to give anything away.

“You have the council of Tribal Elders convened here for you today.  What do you ask of us?”  Chiron as one of the Elders, asked the couple.

Forrest spoke clearly for all to hear, “I have come to ask for the blessing of the Tribal Elders as the Guides of the way of the Lokoti Wolf, to take this woman as my mate.”

Declan squeezed my hand as we watched and listened to what took place.

“And do you have the permission of your family for this union?”  Meadow as another one of the Elders, enquired.

“He does.” Stone Riverclaw answered.

“And do you have the permission of the woman’s family for this union?”  Hazel Elm asked, another Elder.

Suddenly my mate spoke up, “he does.”

Oh that’s right, sometimes I forgot that Declan was the head of the Sabre family.  He had been the older brother of Derik whose progeny lived on, which meant that my mate was the longest living member of the Sabre clan. 

“He does.” Julius Sabre said after him, whom was Maia’s father.

As the ceremony proceeded, I noticed in the corner of my eye Declan’s solemn expression as he watched the ritual.  I sensed inside of him, a touch of envy when he observed Forrest and Maia drink from the sacred Lokoti Tribal Cup, which looked like a small, wooden, painted bowl.  As we observed the ceremony play out with reverence by our people, I felt his fingers fidget with my wedding ring.  I sensed that in a way, he was wishing this could have been us.

I recalled long ago, something he said on the day he moved in; “but don’t you think that I would have liked a Joining Ceremony?  Wouldn’t it be nice if the whole tribe threw us a Housewarming too?  But instead, we have our one-person celebration squad, of only my Mom supporting our relationship.”

In a small way, Declan and I did get a Housewarming but he never got his Joining Ceremony. 

This made me wonder, does he still wish that we had one?  It was such an antiquated notion to me, these days many Lokoti preferred to have just the Housewarming.  I was surprised when Forrest and Maia declared that they wanted a Joining Ceremony as well. 

As I snuck many a glance towards my mate, I began to see that he saw differently. Declan was such an old fashioned romantic, more so than anyone ever suspected; including myself.  The more I thought about this, I could see many similarities between his romanticism when compared to his faith. 

Before World War Three, his parents had followed Catholicism.  Afterwards, Declan was brought here to be raised on tribal lands in much the Lokoti way.  However, his family did celebrate Christmases and Easters with mine, who also followed Christianity.  Maybe there was a Catholic part of him that desired ritual and ceremony and pomp?  There were many aspects about his life which were Catholic, aside from the gold crucifix he wore around his neck which used to be his human mother’s.

For one, he’s only ever had one partner in the bedroom – me – now that was traditionally Catholic.  When I was married to Grant, he did wait.  Sometimes I still wondered what he would have done if my first husband hadn’t of died early?  Would he have given up waiting and left in search of another female Werewolf?  When I thought about his bloodlust empowered lust, it was hard to imagine him waiting five years let alone a hundred.

The bloodlust demanded we partook in fresh flesh with regularity.  The full moon heightened our cravings as its lunar cycle affected our brain chemistry. The taking of life kept up our supernatural strength and longevity.  The same bloodlust which controlled our need to hunt, also goaded our sexual desires. 

We had a daily routine of addressing our lust however I had the distinct impression that his needs were greater than my own.  Sometimes he would act like he was powerless to his hunger, as the act could either strengthen or weaken him.  He could still wear this helpless look on his face, before and during sex especially if it came after a fight.  I would lie on my side of the bed sulking, when the European Werewolf would either roll me onto my back or sidle up behind before removing my garments.  No matter how angry he was, he still made the first move.

It’s hard to imagine what it’d be like to still be married to my first husband.  My second mate permeated through almost every aspect of my life.  We hunted together, we fought each other, we fought together… Declan had managed to ingratiate himself into every facet of my being.  It was like, not only was I the center of his universe, but he also demanded the same.  Even if I sat at the dining table, doing my academic work whilst he was in the kitchen cooking dinner; he would be firing off constant questions about what I was working on.

“So Heracles was Hercules?”  He would ask.

“Yep.”

“Then why is the name different?”

“It’s a culture thing.  Heracles was Greek whereas Hercules was more Roman.”  I shrugged.

He would cook and then growl at me if I didn’t eat all of my dinner.  I would do his laundry and growl at him if he left things in his pockets.  We fought over the remote for the Internet TV whilst we argued about which program to watch.  Yet our long years of marriage made us so alike, we ended up liking what the other put on. 

Gratefully, I rested my head on his shoulder and he planted an appreciative kiss on my forehead.

Just then all of the Tribal Elders stood up, which prompted the bridal couple to stand too, as did everyone else.

“You have the blessing of the Lokoti Wolf over your union. You may leave us to start your new lives together. Go with the blessing of your Tribal Elders.” Chiron announced.

Declan held me close, as we stood back and waited for everyone to finish congratulating the ‘newlyweds’ before we could.  I caught an expression of longing on his face, as we watched from afar the dressed-up couple greet the tribe together.  I started to wonder if it wasn’t just that he missed out on having a Joining Ceremony, but maybe it’s because he still felt like an outsider sometimes? 

My mate stuck out with his blonde hair and blue eyes against the majority of the Lokoti, with their black hair and brown eyes. There were a couple of members of the tribe who had black hair but whose eyes weren’t brown because they weren’t full Lokoti; like I wasn’t either.   

I inherited my dark blue eyes from my maternal grandparents.  My English grandmother had wavy, chestnut brown hair and bright blue eyes.  My grandfather was three-quarter Lokoti, as his grandmother had also been Caucasian; so he had the strong Lokoti Werewolf build and black hair, but he too had blue eyes.  Although there was a multi-cultural element to our tribe, Declan’s blonde hair still stood out.

Smilingly, I turned to my tall, strong, blonde-haired mate; “you look very handsome by the way, in your suit.”

“Really?”  He looked on, pleasantly surprised.

“Yup.”  I grinned. “A fancy black suit, suits you.”

“Yeah well, too bad my wife won’t let me wear a tie with it.”  He jested.

He was referring to the fact that every time he tried to put on this fashion accessory, I was quick to remove it.  With his thick neck thanks to his muscle bulk, it didn’t look right.  I also told him to keep his top button undone because if he didn’t, he could look like he had no neck in a collared shirt.

“You didn’t need a tie baby,” I leaned in to say in a sultry voice, “you’re all man, so much so that the tie is jealous of you.”

A snicker escaped before he growled playfully, “keep talking like that and you may find you won’t need clothes anymore, either.”

“Ah here we are, Uncle Declan and Aunt Bianca.”  A male voice interrupted.

The middle-aged but strong appearance of Wade Elm, came to stand before us.  He was a Lokoti Werewolf like his late grandfather, Stuart Elm had been.  I was close to the Elm family, not just because I was once married to one; but also because Grant’s older brother Ian, had been best friends with my father. 

He complained, “look at you two; your relatives are born, marry and die of old age whereas the two of you continue to look like you belong in a fitness commercial.”

“Wade.”  My mate greeted curtly, as he didn’t appreciate the Elm family humor.  “Why aren’t you dead yet?”

Hastily, I moved along; “how’s it going, Wade?”

“Oh you know…” he sighed tiredly, “…my wife is elderly and my kids are having kids of their own and turning me into a grandparent.  Just as I think I’ve got one set of childrearing done, my kids hit me up with looking after their own.”

“It’s a hard life.”  I joked along.

“Tell me about it!”  He rolled his eyes. “Meanwhile, look at the two of you. You’re both still strong as the youthful couple everybody envies, as Mr. European Werewolf and Mrs. Circulator.”

“I’m aging.”  Declan said simply. “My wife isn’t.”

“Yes and isn’t it convenient that she just happens to be YOUR wife, Uncle Declan?”  He ribbed. “When we’re on the hunt you don’t like to share your kill; and it just so happens you have also claimed the forever young female of the tribe.”

“Who said he picked me?”  I joked back.  “Maybe I picked him?”

“Hmm, let’s see...”  Wade pretended to think about it, “…Aunt B has her pick of anything natural or supernatural in the world, let alone the tribe, and who does she choose?  The meanest Werewolf both has to offer.  Admit it Aunt B, he clubbed you over the head and dragged you back to his cave.”

“I’ll frickin’ club you, in a minute.”  My mate snarled, bad-temperedly.

Wade laughed in good humor as he came to stand beside as he too, watched Maia and Forrest thank their well-wishers.

He spoke again, “tell me, what’s it like seeing that 21 year old girl whom you helped raise with your endless babysitting duties; now embark on one of adulthood’s greatest trials such as marriage?  Do you look on and think that in nine months, she could be enlisting your services to help her raise her kids?”

I watched the 19 year old Brandon, shake Forrest’s hand before he kissed his older sister on the cheek.  He behaved so maturely, it felt surreal to see.  Mind you, with his girlfriend standing nearby, I wondered if it would be his turn next?

“They grow up so fast.”  I sighed sadly.

Declan agreed; “it seems like only yesterday we cooked for them, cleaned up after them and broke up their fights.”

“Maybe that’s where you went wrong?”  The aging Werewolf mocked.  “If you had just stepped back and let them kill each other; you wouldn’t have to worry about them reaching the age of procreation.”

Right at that moment, Wade’s grandkids Stioux and Maxine, ran in front of us and ceremoniously pushed the other onto the grassy ground as they fought.

“You see?”  He shrugged.  “I could break them up or I could save myself the grief.  By letting ‘em kill each other before it’s too late; they’ll never grow up and produce litters of their own.”

Next, we saw a tired Julie walk over and pull up her kids by the scruff of their necks.

“Dad, a little bit of help, please?”  She glared, before she chastised her children; “look at the two of you!  You’re getting dirt all over your good clothes!”

Wade let out a sigh as if this was asking a lot, before he looked our way; “thank fate that you don’t have any kids…really.”

With that, the grandfather tiredly walked after.  He took hold of his grandson, as Julie dragged his granddaughter and all four of them rejoined the Elm clan. 

Declan and I exchanged raised eyebrows as we both thought the same thing.

“…OK…,” we shifted uncomfortably.

*****

An hour later, everybody left the Holy Grounds to reconvene at Maia and Forrest’s new home for the Housewarming.

The majority of the festivities took place outside, whilst many of the women helped themselves to exploring inside to see how their presents were put to use. 

Customarily of Lokoti shindigs, people sat around in fold-up chairs they had brought, since there was no way our tribe could fit into one house.  We were seated out the front of the couple’s abode and the crowd spilled out onto the small street, with several fold-up tables which were covered in food people had brought, as well as bottles of soda.  Hardly anybody drank alcohol as a sign of respect to the tribe’s Werewolves, who always had to remain sober.

The air hummed with happy chatter as the adults were engrossed in different conversations.  This went along with the laughter of children, who were chasing each other around.  The blue sky had turned grey and an icy wind had picked up, but luckily the rain was staying away.

I sat beside Declan with my half-eaten plate of food in my lap, whilst nursing a bio-degradable cup filled with soda, in one hand.  We were sitting in a small circle of people whom appeared older than us, when in fact we were a century older than them.

The bride’s parents Therese and Julius Sabre sat on Declan’s left, with the groom’s parents Sharon and Stone Riverclaw, next to them.  On my right, were Claire and Peter Wisetail, whom were Jake’s parents.  Since my mate and I were revered as ‘Great Grand Uncle Declan’ or ‘Great Grand Aunt B’ by the middle-aged parents or grandparents in our company, we felt quite at home with the, “do you remember when?” anecdotes.  However my participation in the feasting and conversation was half-hearted, as I was too engrossed in my own thoughts as I stared at Forrest and Maia.

The newlyweds had changed out of the ‘skins,’ and washed the paint from their faces.  Now, Maia was wearing a flowery yellow dress, similar to the plain yellow one I wore for my Housewarming.  Spookily, Forrest was wearing a black shirt although his was patterned, whereas Grant wore a plain black one. 

The couple were milling around the seated families, as they thanked everyone for their presents.  I kept giving myself a scare, because every time I saw Maia and Forrest in the corner of my eye?  My mind played tricks and I saw Grant and I together, on the day of our Housewarming.

“… hey, B?”

Huh, what was that?  I turned to Declan whom had spoken, “hmm?”

Stone had a chuckle at my expense, “you’re a million miles away, Aunt B.”

“Just smile and nod.”  Peter joked.

I acquiesced, before I looked back over to where Forrest was standing with his arm about Maia.

“Are you reminiscing about your Housewarming?”  Therese guessed.

“Huh?”  I looked back, startled.

Why she would bring up my first husband in front of my second?

“B and I didn’t have a Housewarming like this.”  My mate scowled.

“Oh.”  She appeared surprised. 

Phew!  Therese wasn’t talking about Grant, but Declan instead. 

“Our Housewarming wasn’t a tribal affair.”  He said somberly. “It was just our families in the Sabre’s, Riverclaw’s, Wisetail’s and Elm’s.”

“A family-only occasion?”  Julius asked, intrigued. “I like that idea.”

“You do?”  His wife gave him a funny look.

“Well, yeah.  Instead of hardly spending any time with your family, you have to schmooze with the whole tribe and make sure you thank EVERYBODY for giving something.  Heaven forbid, should you forget anyone and accidentally insult someone!”  He rolled his eyes.

We cracked up laughing as we could guess what he was talking about.  When Julius and Therese had their Housewarming, a dispute eventuated because old Mrs. Huntington had been offended that she hadn’t been thanked by the couple on the day. 

“Don’t worry, Julius.”  Stone guffawed along. “I heard that before old Mrs. Huntington passed away, she said to the Medicine Man; ‘tell that ungrateful Julius Sabre that I forgive him and I hope his kids and his grandkids, get good use out of those crochet blankets, I spent months making’.”

We laughed harder as we could very well imagine the old and grumpy Mrs. Huntington saying that. 

I looked at my European Werewolf mate; “it’s weird calling her ‘Old Mrs. Huntington’ considering she was born years after and yet died before us.”

“Tell me about it.”  He frowned.  “I think it’s weirder that no matter what era we live in, there’s always an Old Mrs. Huntington.  We had one growing up and now our great x4 grand nieces and nephews had one.”

“Just how old exactly are you two, anyways?”  Claire wondered.

My husband shot a glance her way as he chewed on some chicken and potato salad, before he looked at the rest of the group. 

“I’m three years older than B and I’m 168 years old.”

“And you don’t look a day over 39.”  Sharon eyed him, enviously.

“I wish we could all be European Werewolves.”  Claire joked and she started to laugh, but then she noticed that Declan, Stone or Peter weren’t.

“No you don’t.”  My mate said curtly, as he looked away.

Peter, Stone and I sensed Declan’s constant battle with his bloodlust.  Right now, the humans sitting around him would have been appealing as that juicy, cooked chicken on his plate.  It took his whole childhood, to train his hunting pattern to prey on animal instead.

“How about becoming Circulators instead?”  I moved the conversation on.  “Not only will you become youthful for much longer because you can travel through time; but you get a Headquarters on another planet too.”

“Sign me up!”  Clare cried out excitedly, making us all laugh when her hand shot up into the air. 

Therese looked from her husband and then to me, “I’ve always wanted to meet Napoleon, and see if he really was as short as the history books made him out to be.”

“Short dead dude.”  My husband and I said at the same time, as we remembered the movie, ‘Bill & Ted’s Excellent Adventure’.

“Say Uncle Dec...”  Julius began, “…do you ever go back in time with Aunt B, when she visits Ancient Greece or wherever else?”

“Nope.”  He said simply. 

This made our group of relatives do a double-take in disbelief, so he thought he should explain.

“From what she’s told me, she does a lot of preparation before her trips.  She researches what time period she wants to go to, as well as the culture.  She learns the language and she dresses up into clothes of the era.  B even has money to take with her, which is provided at this Circulate Headquarters on Taurus Six, wherever that is...” he rolled his eyes, “…it sounds like too much of a hassle, to me.”

“But it also sounds like an adventure.” Claire smiled upon the idea.

“It is fun.”  I grinned back. “But I tell you what, my skills in self-defense has come in handy.  That, as well as my ability to instantaneously phase is my safety net, when one needs a fast getaway.”

“Why?”  Stone’s smile faded.

“Are you gonna eat that?”  Declan hungrily looked on my leftovers, as he put down his empty plate.

I handed him my half-eaten meal, much to our families’ amusement to see his perpetual hunger, before I answered; 

“I’ve nearly been sold into slavery twice.”

I snickered as I said it, but it was soon made clear that my overprotective Lokoti Werewolf relations didn’t find it funny.  Even their wives’ mouths hung open in surprise.

Hastily, I moved on with my story, “the first time I visited Ancient Greece with my mother and grandmother, some slave traders tried to abduct us in the market place.  The third time I visited Ancient Rome by myself, something similar happened when I was followed down a dark alleyway.  In Greece, I fought them off and in Rome, I gave them the slip when I instantaneously phased home.”

Both Stone and Peter emitted low, dangerous growls upon hearing this, as their wives looked just as angry.

“You’re kidding!”  Therese cried out in a shrill voice.  “They tried to just kidnap you off the street like that?!”

Even Julius eyed my husband demandingly, for allowing his wife get into these kind of situations.  Declan paused in his eating when he picked up their glares. 

“Hey, don’t look at me!  When I found out, I demanded that she take me back in time and let me loose on those guys…but she wouldn’t.”

I said moodily, “there’s no point in exacting revenge on humans who have died thousands of years ago.”

My mate said with his mouthful, “that’s exactly what she said when I told her to take me to the kidnappers.” 

“Declan broke the front door after I told him what happened.”  I crankily crossed my arms.  “He stormed out of the house in one of his temper tantrums, because I wouldn’t take him to find the males who tried to abduct his wife.”

It was here Peter exchanged a wry look with Stone, “that would be the time you called me to deliver the new door I had just built?”

To which Stone smilingly replied, “yep and why I got you to help me to install it. It explains how the old door had the wood split directly in the middle; from a furious European Werewolf and his supernatural temper.”

Now my mate smirked at the two, “you did a good job with the new door.  It’s even stronger than the last one.”

“Why, because you haven’t broken it yet?”  Peter chuckled.

“Yup.”  He finished off my plate and put it aside, on top of his.

“Aunt B.”  Stone cleared his throat. “I don’t think it’s a good idea that you visit these sorts of places where things like that happen.”

“That’s what I said.”  My husband rolled his eyes.

“Well in that case Stone, I would never get any time traveling done.”  I said coolly.  “No matter where you go in human history, humans will always be doing the wrong thing.”

“That’s what she said to me too.”  Declan said in annoyance.

Peter tried to reason, “maybe you shouldn’t travel to these sorts of places alone.”

“But I am alone, I’m the last Circulator.  Once upon a time there used to be more.  For my first circulation, my mother and grandmother took me to Ancient Greece.  Gran even bought me this bracelet to commemorate the event.”  I held up my arm with the gold jewelry to illustrate.  “But now that they’re gone, I travel by myself.”

When I caught Julius start to look Declan’s way again, I was angered over what I perceived as sexism.

I snapped at my great x3 grand nephew; “and don’t look at my husband as if he should be keeping me on a leash!  He’s not a Circulator, so he isn’t interested in traveling through time.  I’m fortunate to be able to visit the places I write about in my academic work.  The ancient times aren’t Declan’s scene and I respect that.  He’s offered to come with me as my bodyguard after the last kidnapping attempt, but I said no.  You have to enjoy time travel so you can embrace learning another language and a new culture.  I don’t want somebody to accompany me who sees it as a chore.  What’s the point in that?”

Then I stood up, picked up our disposable plates and I walked off to dump them in the bin.  But I didn’t return to my seat, instead I kept walking.

I went inside the house to make it appear that I too wanted to see the new home, instead of walking off in a tantrum.  However as soon as I walked into the newly-furnished abode, I wondered if this was a good idea?  Although the house was in a different lay out; I had another flashback of seeing my house on the day of my Housewarming.

As I walked through the living room, it reminded me of seeing my newly-furnished lounge and dining areas when I came back from my Joining Ceremony.  I even helped myself by going upstairs but when I walked into the main bedroom, I halted in the doorway… the furnishings were almost identical to what I had with my first husband.

Long ago, our bedroom suite was changed after Declan moved in.  It was done at the behest of my second mate, as he had difficulty with the idea of sleeping in the bed that Grant used to share.  Over the years, we also replaced our lounge room furnishings by buying new couches, but our pine coffee table and dining table set, were still the originals.

I walked over to take a closer look at the home-made curtains, which hung over the windows which somebody in the tribe had made for the couple. 

Following Lokoti tradition, Forrest had purchased the house as a wedding gift for Maia.  However, Declan was one of the family members whom helped move the gifts of furniture and household goods into their first home.  Yesterday, he as well as several older males of the Riverclaw, Sabre, Elm and Wisetail families; helped the groom assemble any furniture which came in boxes.  It was a male-bonding moment, as the husbands could trade jokes and ‘war stories’ about matrimony. 

This was my first time seeing the house even if it wasn’t Declan’s.  I looked about myself, as I sighed with nostalgia.  I swear it only felt like yesterday, I moved into my first home with Grant.

Just then my second mate walked through the bedroom doorway and paused when he saw me standing by the window. 

“I know what you’re thinking, B.”

I arched my eyebrows, “you do?”

He came further inside of the room to stand on the other side of the bed.  “Yeah, I do.” 

“Then what am I thinking?”

“Aw, c’mon!”  He rolled his eyes. “It’s pretty obvious.”

“What’s obvious?”

“I could tell from the first moment we arrived at the Holy Grounds, and by how you’ve been watching Forrest and Maia all day.”  He folded his arms as he shot off a glare.  I folded my arms too as I waited for my husband to come to his point.  He declared, “you’re thinking of your wedding day with Grant.”

Oh… I didn’t know my thoughts were that transparent.

Guiltily, I sat down on the bed so my back was to him, as I stared out the window.

“I must admit,” he walked around to lean on the windowsill, “that the similarities are uncanny.”

“Hmm?”  I stared blankly.

“Maia looked identical to you, dressed in Lokoti costume with her hair like that and her face painted so.  Now with her wearing a yellow dress, it’s like what you wore for your Housewarming.  It’s freaked you out, hasn’t it?”  He asked knowingly.

Hang on a minute here, I thought as my head turned sharply.  “How would YOU know what I looked like at my Joining Ceremony?  How would YOU know what I wore at the Housewarming?  You and your family boycotted the events, as I recall.”

He shrugged as he looked out the window, “I was watching from a distance.”

“You were?”

“Yup,” he spoke casually, which belied his pain. “I watched your Joining Ceremony as I imagined killing Grant and taking his place beside you.  I imagined drinking from the Tribal Cup with you.  I imagined putting your finger in my mouth and sucking on it, with the Tribal Elders saying that we would always have each other’s scent…” 

My eyes widened in shock, as Declan recalled in detail my Joining Ceremony. 

He went on, “…I watched from the woods, yours and Grant’s Housewarming. I imagined it was me sitting beside you, holding your hand, regaling our families with stories of how I fell in love with you, when we were growing up.  You looked so young and beautiful in that yellow dress.  When Grant was the one who got to fetch your coat when you felt cold; I had to watch from afar and control my bloodlust, not to rip his throat out.” 

I managed to utter out my shock, “how long did you watch us?”

“I wasn’t watching him,” he said icily, “I was watching you.”

“Then how long were you watching me?”

His voice sounded faraway, “I saw you leave the house all dressed and painted up and get into your father’s truck with your parents. I ran through the woods beside the road, as I followed you guys to the Holy Grounds.  I watched Grant who was also painted up, greet you and then your parents handed you over to him.  I was imagining it was me whom your parents trusted enough to give their daughter and only child to.” 

I looked on closely, at how he was casually leaning against the window frame.  But when he looked back, I saw his eyes were more watery than usual. 

He carried on coolly, “you see B, I can act like I don’t care.  I can play Mr. Bad-Ass, because I know that I’m still an outsider from the creature I can turn into. I was an ‘honorary’ member of the Lokoti Werewolf pack, being a European Werewolf.  My breed is hated the whole world over and it’s the reason why Grant was picked to be your mate, over me.  It’s also the reason why I never got to have a Joining Ceremony, or a proper Housewarming.”

Declan’s pain became my pain.  My eyes stung as my chest hurt so I stood up and walked over to my husband to cup his face.  He gratefully caught my hands and held them against his hot skin. 

I said strongly, “you’re MY Mr. Bad-Ass. You’re MY mate who cooks for me and takes care of me.  You’re MY Declan Sabre, whom I had my first time with. You’re MY Declan Sabre who I loved before and then after Grant Elm.”

He buried his nose in my right palm whilst closing his eyes and inhaling deeply.  Then he emitted a small smile, “you still smell like a vase of wild flowers sitting in a kitchen while a cake is baking in the oven.”

I tittered back, “and you still smell like maple syrup.”

“Oh yeah?”  He let out a laugh. “Well, you’re the only person in this world that’s allowed to say so.” 

I stood on tippy-toes to kiss him, as I felt his arms encircle my waist and hold me closer. 

He growled out, “c’mon, let’s get out of here and go home to OUR bedroom.”

Just as Declan took hold of my hand to walk me out, we found Forrest and Maia watching in amusement from the bedroom doorway.

“Leaving so soon?”  Forrest teased.

“We were just testing out your bedroom window.”  My mate joked back. “And it’s a good window to kiss in front of.”

“We’ll take it under advisement.” Maia giggled.

The two stood back to let us pass, before following us downstairs to see us out.

“Thanks for your wedding presents by the way, of the microwave and the food processor.”  Forrest said politely.

“No problem,” Declan shrugged it off and then he added on, “just don’t heat up left-over lasagna inside it…”

“…because it turns the pasta hard.” Maia recited. “Yeah, I remember Uncle Dec.” 

“What’s this?”  Forrest wondered.

“I’ll explain later.” His new wife smiled back.

“Well bro,” my mate spoke as we departed the house, “welcome to marriage. Your wife is going to drive you completely nuts where some days you’ll want to bang you head against the wall; and others you’ll want to kiss the life out of her.  But the consolation is of course, your life will never be boring.”

Maia and I shared a roll of eyes, whereas Forrest smirked.

“Since you and Aunt B have been married for the longest in the tribe, I’ll take your words under advisement, Uncle.”

Declan kissed her on the cheek and then so did I, before we looked on the groom once more.

“Since Maia is my little brother’s Great x4 Granddaughter, so I was the one who gave permission at your Joining Ceremony…”  Declan shook Forrest’s hand firmly with his stronger grip, “…if you screw up and hurt her, I’ll kill you.”

“Uncle!”  She blushed as she whacked him on the arm.

“I AM a Lokoti Werewolf, Uncle Dec.”  Her husband smiled wryly. “I have the same attitude about anybody who looks at Maia wrong, remember?”

“Don’t worry, Declan’s been saying that to every male who has ever married a female family member.”  I shook my head at his behaviour.  “It started the day of Stuart Elm and Blanche Sabre’s Housewarming.” 

The newlyweds walked us down the steps of the front porch when suddenly, I was nearly taken out by two screaming kids! 

Stioux crashed tackled Maxine to the ground, tearing her dress and getting mud all over his own.

“Hey hey hey!”  My mate yelled down at the two.  “Watch it!”

Stioux’s eyes bulged at being told off by the scariest Werewolf of the tribe.  He quickly picked himself up from the ground, as he released his sister.  Maxine slowly stood up and looked down at her ruined dress, before tears appeared in her eyes.

“What the hell is wrong with you?!”  Declan yelled at Stioux.  “She’s your little sister! You’re supposed to protect her from harm, not inflict it!”

“Maxine’s got my lucky quarter and she won’t give it back!”  The boy pointed at the little girl.

“Stioux keeps teasing me that I look like such a girl in this dress!”  She pointed back.

The adults exchanged looks of amusement at the 10 year old’s offence at that.

“You are a girl, that’s why you’re wearing a dress and your brother isn’t.” Declan gave her a funny look.

“I don’t want to be a girl!”  She cried. “I can outrun any boy my age!  And I catch the most tadpoles, more than Stioux can!”

“Man, are her parent’s going to have a mountain of psychiatrist bills to pay as this kid grows up.”  My mate muttered to the groom, who chuckled in agreement.

I leaned over and gently took hold of her dirty little hand, which was balled into a fist.  When I gave her a frown, it prompted her to open it and an old quarter fell into my waiting one.  I passed it to her brother, who immediately pocketed his good luck charm.

Forrest frowned on the boy, “you could turn into a Lokoti Werewolf one day and be one of the tribe’s protectors.  Now start acting like you’re ready for the responsibility, by looking after your little sister!”

Maia took hold of her hand, to lead her inside and clean her up. “Come on, Maxine.” 

“I’ll leave you to it.”  Declan patted Forrest on the back, before he took hold of my hand.

We left the Lokoti Werewolf to put the possible future Werewolf, in his place.  Stioux’s head bowed as Forrest’s hands moved to his hips as he lectured the twelve year old.  Declan smilingly looked back over his shoulder at the scene, whilst walking me to our parked vehicle.

“I remember giving Forrest the same speech when he was Stioux’s age.”  My mate chuckled.

Next, he pressed his remote key for the truck’s central locking and then he opened my door for me.  I climbed into the truck before I sighed wistfully, yet again.

“Now it’s Forrest’s wedding day and he’s practicing for the day he has kids.”

“B, don’t start.” He threw me a warning look as he climbed in behind the wheel. 

“Don’t start?” I looked on, unimpressed.

“Yeah, don’t start.”  He punched in the ignition code and the engine immediately purred to life. 

“What do you mean, don’t start?” I asked crankily.

“Seat belt.”  He prompted as he buckled his own.  Then he looked both ways down the small road, before driving off.

“Declan, what did you mean?”  I demanded.

“You know what I mean.”  He said simply as he drove.

I stared in annoyance out my window, as we departed the small suburb the community centre had grown into.  More and more houses had sprung up with the passing of the years, thanks to the growth of the tribe. 

“All I’m doing is commenting on the passing of time.” I said coolly and he let out a snort of disbelief.  I continued, “it’s funny how life follows a certain path; Stone’s eldest child who in the typical Lokoti Werewolf way, was a son.  Forrest’s Werewolf DNA was activated after Uncle Julian’s death, prompting his change when he was 18 years old.  It’s good to see him practice the ‘responsibility’ speech on Wade’s grandson for the day he’ll have a son of his own.  Thanks to the Lokoti Werewolf virility, it’s almost a sure-thing that it will happen in about nine months.  That’s all I’m saying, Declan.”

He glared ahead as he slowed the truck at the intersection at the bottom of the hill.  I watched as he turned his head both ways to check for any traffic, before he put his foot down on the accelerator and drove onwards.  The plasma-powered vehicle easily handled the steep road, which led the way home. 

I sighed sadly, “it’s not like we’re going to have kids to give the ‘responsibility speech’ to, huh?”

Abruptly the truck screeched to a stop half way up the hill, when Declan slammed on the breaks! 

“God give me patience...!”  He muttered out with his eyes closed. 

Then he started to bang his forehead on the wheel as if to compound this!

“Declan!”  I stopped him by pushing him back into his seat.

“Well, I suppose you are keeping to tradition, B.”  He laughed bitterly. “This IS coming after a tribal function, after all.”

“What?”

“THIS!”  He yelled in my face. “The ole ‘I can’t have kids’ whinge, which usually comes after a tribal function!” 

I crossed my arms as I fumed and looked away from the obnoxious male.

“Every time B, every single frickin’ time!”  He pounded the wheel with his fist. “I’ve had enough!  I’ve had to listen to it for the past 142 years!  No more B, seriously!  NO MORE!!”

I opened my door, climbed out of the passenger’s side and slammed it behind!  Then to Declan’s surprise, I began to march up the hill in my high-heels. 

Although my fury made my face and eyes burn; I had to pull my coat tightly, against the icy wind.  Then whadyaknow, I felt a large rain drop, land on my face.  Perfect!  It just would have to start raining NOW, wouldn’t it?  I looked up at the grey sky, which looked just as dark as my mood was.

“What the hell are you doing?”  He put down his window to call out. “Get back in the truck!” 

However, I ignored him as I continued to walk. 

“B!”

I stomped up the road as the rain began to fall harder.  Next, I heard the truck drive right up behind so closely, I could feel the heat come off the bonnet.  But I didn’t look back, I refused to.

“Don’t be stupid!  Get in here out of the rain!”  My husband snapped.

Screw this for a joke!  I knew the domineering male would drive right on my tail, whilst shouting all the way home.  So I curtailed off the road, by stumbling into the muddy woods which my heels instantly objected to.

“B…?  What the hell are you doing now?!”

I hurried away from both Declan and the road, by using the trees to hide me.  I paused a moment to lean against a trunk, to pull off my shoes and walk in my stocking-clad feet in the cold mud.  I didn’t mind getting dirty, it felt kind of liberating actually.

The rain started to pour down, drenching my black woolen coat as my stockings tore when I scraped past some bushes.  I felt the cold, wet ferns brush against my legs.  I wasn’t aiming for a particular direction, but I became aware that I was walking down hill towards a familiar sound.  I heard the quiet roar of the river ahead.

The river… I always seem to go there for some reason.  In my defense, there’s not many other places that I can go to on tribal lands, when I want to get away to think. It’s either that, or sitting at the lookout on top of Sunset Point.  Much further on, there’s the quiet riverside glade that’s inside the National Park; but it was Declan’s favourite spot.

I stumbled on in the mud, whilst noticing splashes of mud appear on my red, silk, cocktail dress.  It felt therapeutic seeing my good clothes get covered in mud like this, and poetic somehow.  It was like a contrast of sophisticated city apparel, in the midst of rough-n-tumble country. 

Through the trees, I spotted the flowing waters of the large river which was only thirty meters away.  However as I came closer, I started to pick up a familiar scent… I could smell maple syrup.

I stepped out of the woods and onto the riverbank, to see Declan standing casually with his hands in his pockets. 

His suit was also wet with flecks of mud on the black material.  I could tell he both heard and smelled my approach, but he stood with his back to me.  He was staring out at the flowing waters, and I guessed that he not only tracked me here by my scent, but he guessed where I was heading from the direction of my trail.  To show off, he thought he would beat me here; or try to make himself look good by surprising me.

“Do you mind?”  I flared. “I came down here to get away from you!”

Now he thought he would ignore ME by not looking my way.  So I turned around and stomped off, away from him.  I walked quickly for a good five minutes by going further up the river bank.  I left him standing on one part of the river, as I rounded the wide bend and through a dense plot of trees.  But when I came out of the thicket…

…I found Declan standing before me, with his arms folded in front and his blue eyes icy with a cold glare, which was directed my way.

He was showing off again, by quickly and quietly slipping past with his skills as a predator.

“Stop frickin’ following me!”  I seethed.  “I’m supposed to be storming off!”

“You can try to run, but you can’t hide from me, B.”

“No shit, Sherlock!”  I glared back. “Or do I have to instantaneously phase to Taurus Six, instead?”

“Sounds about right.”  He shrugged.  “It’s the only way you’ll escape from me, by visiting another planet.  But no matter where you go on this one, I’ll always track you by your scent.”

“Is that supposed to impress me or just piss me off?”

“Both.”

I rolled my eyes as I pulled my wet coat, tighter about me. 

“This is frickin’ stupid.”  He said in annoyance. “You’re cold and wet and walking barefoot in the mud.  Let’s just go home.”

“No.”  I said stubbornly. “You go home.”

“Not without my wife.”  He fixed me with a determined look.

“Go away, Declan!”  I lost the last of my patience. “Just go away so I can rant at a frickin’ rock which would give me more comfort than you!”

“Fine.” He said. “Pick a rock, pick it up, and then I’ll carry it and your wet ass home.”

“No!  I’ll stay out here with the frickin’ rock, thank you very much!”

“Yeah right.”

“I’ll move out here to live with it!”

“Very funny.”

“Well I think so!”  I crossed my arms too. 

“Go on then.”

“Go on, what?”

“Pick the frickin’ rock and take it home with us.”

“It’s not coming home with us!  There is no ‘us’!  I’m going to live with the rock and the rock only!”

Declan smirked, “now this I wanna see.  Go on then, pick the rock.”

“What?”  I gave him a funny look.

“Pick the frickin’ rock!”

“What? You want me to pick a rock, right now?!”

“Pick up the frickin’ rock, B!”

“Fine then!”  I growled out before I started to look around at the ground until I spotted one.

I bent over and picked up a nice, smooth, oval-shaped stone, and I held it out to show him.

“There!”  I shouted at him.  “There’s my rock and my next husband!”

In a lightening flash move, his hand whipped out, snatched the rock from mine and he gripped it hard, in his two…

“What are you doing?!” I cried out.

…he snapped the rock into two with his supernatural strength, before he tossed the broken pieces over his shoulder!

“There.”  He said smugly. “My rival has been destroyed.”

Out of the blue, next he bent over and slung me over his right shoulder! 

“Declan!” I cried out as I tried to slip from his grasp, but he was too strong.

“Now I get to claim my prize.”  He chuckled.

He turned away from the river and began to speedily walk though the forest, up the hill towards home.

“Declan, put me down right now!” 

“Keep dreaming princess!”  He laughed back as he picked up the pace.

“Declan Domitian Sabre, I’m warning you…!”  I growled threateningly.

“That’s what I’m hoping for baby!”

I tried to pull on his hair, but it only ended up making him break into a run!  He ran so fast that the trees flew by in a blur.  I flinched, thinking that this would be jarring but his grip was iron-clad.  It showed there was no way he would let me fall off.

The next thing I saw was my garden, as Declan sprinted out of the woods before slowing to a jog, up our porch steps.  I recognized his truck, parked out on the driveway.  Don’t tell me he drove home first and managed to reach the river first when I should have, only being halfway up the hill?  Now that was really showing off! 

“You cheat!”  I cried out in frustration. 

He laughed out loud as he unlocked the front door and carried me in.  I pulled on his hair harder, as we went inside the house.

“You think you’re so good, but you’re not!”  I yelled as I struggled so much so, he nearly lost his grip. 

Reluctantly, he slid me off his shoulder but caught me just before I hit the floor. Simultaneously as he let my back land gently on the wooden floorboards, he laid on top of me.  Our mouths instantly went for each other’s, as our hands scurried to rid the other of our wet clothes.

“Get this frickin’ monkey suit off me!”  He growled out. 

I tugged off his wet jacket before undoing the buttons on his shirt.  But I must have taken too long, as he lost his patience and tore off his shirt, over his head.  My muddy dress was the next to go, and soon joined my discarded coat and shoes.

“Is this better?”  I breathed as I unbuttoned his trousers.

“We’re getting there.” He managed back before smothering my mouth with his.

Declan didn’t stop snarling bad temperedly, until we came together naked; lying on the cold, hard, polished, wooden floor.

“Now THIS is better.”  He muttered whilst holding my waist firmly to his as he began to push.  “Oh hell yeah, this is much better!”

I didn’t feel cold anymore, thanks to his hot body over mine coupled with the friction of us rubbing together oh so pleasurably.  I readjusted my hips to the angle I preferred, which he recognized from our long years of marriage.  He moved himself up a little more, so our crotches were rubbing together whilst he pushed, which made my clit swell in ecstasy.  Gratefully, I wrapped my legs tightly around his waist which I knew he liked, as we helped each other along.

In the midst of our love-making, he momentarily raised himself so he could look over my writhing body.  But he never stopped moving, even when his eyes looked around our quiet house before they returned to mine.  Eventually, he lowered himself again into my awaiting arms. 

“Now THIS is why we don’t want kids.”  He spoke plainly. “Maia and Forrest will have their new home to themselves for nine months, before it’s turned into a circus of diapers, baby clothes and tripping over toys.”

With that, he pressed his body against mine so my breasts were rubbing against him, as our crotches were.  I knew he liked to see our flesh squashed together, as we grinded away.  I held onto him tighter, as I neared my peak and my hands were practically pawing the skin on his back.

“But what about…when their kids grow up…and leave home?”  I panted out.

“Nup.”  He moaned back.  “Then they’re stuck with grandkids.  You heard what Wade said, once you get rid of your kids then you’re stuck with theirs.”

Declan held on for as long as he could, at an angle and speed which pushed me over the precarious edge of utter delight…!  I felt his body was tense and hard as his organ was.  Then I felt him come seconds after I did, which made him loosen in total surrender.

“Mmm…” he closed his eyes, as if to hold onto his orgasm for as long as possible.  He bumped his forehead against mine, “…I swear B, I think there’s a reason why you can’t conceive and I think it’s related to why you were put on this planet just for me.” 

I looked up into his face which was so close to mine, as I waited for him to finish. 

“It’s like you and I have it so good that something bad has to come of it.”  He eventually opened his eyes to meet mine. “Sometimes I think that maybe you’re being punished for ending up with a rotten apple like me; the most hated breed out there.”

“Huh?” I gave him a peculiar look.

“I’m the last European Werewolf, maybe I’m not supposed to have young which can turn into monsters like me?  Maybe it’s nature that’s designed you not to procreate, so I won’t procreate.  When I go, there won’t be anymore of my kind to haunt humanity.”

“Don’t be stupid, Declan!”  I retorted.  “I couldn’t conceive when I was with Grant either.  So maybe you’re being punished for being with the only Lokoti Werewolf in history who’s mated a second time?”

“I had you before Grant,” he declared, “and I had you after.  You were always mine.  Besides, I could have spoken up when the pack and the Tribal Elders first announced their idea of marrying you off… but I didn’t.”

“You were being considerate of Derik’s feelings.”  I remembered.

Once upon a time, both brothers had been attracted to me, one publicly and the other in secret; and my current husband was the one in secret.

“You know what, B?”  He looked down with a remorseful expression. “Sometimes I wonder…”

“Yeah?”

“…sometimes I wonder if I did something wrong.”

“What do you mean?”

He nervously licked his lips, “after our first time, when I went down on you because I was scared that I impregnated you…maybe I screwed up?  Maybe I did something that irreparably damaged you?  Maybe I didn’t just ensure that you wouldn’t get pregnant by me that afternoon; but I accidentally made it so you wouldn’t get pregnant, ever?”

I scanned his face, “what exactly did you do to me that afternoon, Declan?”

“I don’t know…exactly.”  He appeared perplexed. “I was guided by an instinct.  The same little voice that warned me about the European Vampires or others of my kind, was the same instinct that told me what to do.”

“What did it tell you to do?”

“I’m not real sure, but it said to use my saliva down there; that it could kill the egg.”  He guiltily confessed.

“Talk about literally being eaten out.”  I smirked, before I sighed out; “no Declan, what’s wrong with me is nothing to do with you.  You didn’t harm me. It’s me and my fault alone.” 

He instantly looked relieved, as he rolled off and onto his side to perch his head on his hand, whilst watching my face.

I added on dismally, “I think what’s wrong with me is something to do with being the last Circulator.”

He conceded, “yeah, I think I smell that too.”

“Huh?”

“B,” he took a deep breath as if to say something important, “for the past 142 years of our marriage, your scent has never changed.”

“So?”  I wondered what this had to do with it…

“With humans and even some Werewolves, their smell changes with the passing of time.  I think it’s something to do with hormones or whatever.  They go from children to adolescent as their bodies prepare for breeding and then for females, their scent alters when they’re pregnant.  Their scent changes again, when they enter menopause.  It’s how I can tell how old a person is by their smell.  But with you…?  Since your body isn’t changing, your scent hasn’t either.  You smell exactly the same as you did, when you were 18 years old and you first changed into a Werewolf.”

“What…? Not even once?”  I asked disappointedly.

“Nup.”  He shook his head.  “It’s why tracking you is so easy to do.” 

I looked away dejectedly, which made Declan continue;

“Didn’t you once tell me that you can’t have kids because it’s like your body is in temporal flux?  It’s like your internal workings are frozen in time.  Even if you alter your outward appearance to look older, you still smell the same because your insides haven’t changed.”

“How can you smell THAT?!”  I asked indignantly.

“I dunno, I just can.”

“Then why did you think that it had something to do with you?”

He rested his hand over my abdomen, “I guess I was worried that I may have instigated in some way, your body never changing.  Perhaps stopping you from becoming pregnant, maybe stopped you from changing in any other way.” 

I looked away in annoyance, “that’s a stupid idea.”

“I’m glad you think so, as it means that I’m off the hook.”

Sulkily, I rolled onto my side so I was facing away from him.  I scoffed, “as if stopping somebody from becoming pregnant would stop them from aging!”

“Like I said, I’m glad you think so.”

Next, Declan began to run his hand up and down my side, following the shape of my body.

“You’re my beautiful B,” he spoke longingly, “my B whose body never changes.  You won’t grow old for a thousand years, but we’d probably evolve before then.  This means you’ll be my gorgeous girl forever.”

I felt him sensuously kiss my shoulder blade and then down my spine, as his arm wrapped about my waist.  He pushed his crotch up against mine from behind and I felt his ardor between my legs.  His physical show of love made my eyes flutter close again and a small smile escape, as I enjoyed his touch.

“Say it, B.”

“Say it?”

“Say the words to me.”

“Um, we’re gonna evolve before I grow old, so you’re stuck with me?”

Declan rolled me onto my back so he could lie on top again, as he snickered out, “close enough.”

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~