Pulling on his last reserves, Chris kicked his legs and they shot to the surface. He sucked in a deep lungful of air. Shaking his head, he forced his eyes open. Chris searched for shore, but before he could start moving toward it, a gray, snake-like object appeared in his peripheral vision. He shrieked and tried to flinch away.
Manon held him steady. "Relax, cher. You're safe. Let us help you."
"Us?" Chris choked out. Then a warm, pliable appendage wrapped around his torso, easing him from Manon's grip. He screamed and wriggled. To his surprise, whatever it was lifted Chris clear of the water and tucked against a hot body. Chris froze. When they started moving, Chris hazarded a look over his shoulder.
His eyes widened on shock. Chris stared into the large gray eye of an elephant. "Manon?" he whispered uncertainly.
"I'm here, cher. Gordon won't hurt you," he assured.
Manon knew the elephant? It was named Gordon? What the hell? To Chris's utter disbelief, the elephant laid him gently down on the firm ground … next to a tiger. "M-mm … " He couldn't even get the word out as he tried to scramble backwards, but his exhausted, soaked arms and legs wouldn't work.
"Hey, hey, easy, Chris. I'm here." Manon knelt and wrapped Chris in his arms. Chris tried to climb his lover like a tree in an effort to get away from the massive tiger sitting ten feet in front of him. "You're safe," Manon crooned. "I promise, you're safe. Settle down."
"T-ttiger," he whispered hoarsely, unable to believe what he was seeing. How the hell was a tiger living in the Rocky Mountains of Colorado not national news?
"Shhh-shhh," Manon crooned. "We need to get you out of these wet clothes, Chris."
Chris's head snapped around at that. It reminded him that his lover was naked in the middle of the wood, and he didn't look cold at all. This just reinforced the fact that Manon wasn't exactly human.
A deep voice sounding from the direction of the tiger made Chris snap his headback around. "Are you sure you should be undressing him out here, Manon?"
The tiger was gone and in its place sat a broad-shouldered, crew-cut sporting blond.And he's naked, too! "Humans are pretty fragile. And is thata cast on his arm? What the hell happened?"
"Long story, Grady," Manon said. "And that's exactly why I'm undressing him. I'm not letting my mate freeze to death. You have any clothes or towels out here?"
Chris, too confused by everything happening to fight Manon, urged his arms over his head and pulled the wet jacket off followed by the shirt from over his head. "W-what's going on?" His head spun. He felt disoriented.
Firm hands stroked up and down his arms, encouraging warm circulation into them. "Don't freak out, cher," Manon said. While sitting behind Chris, Manon nuzzled his neck and pressed warm, openmouthed kisses up his shoulder and neck. "Grady and Gordon are shifters, Chris. They're my friends. They won't hurt you."
Chris figured Manon kept repeating that he was safe because of how he and his friends had fled Declan's home. If it had been up to Chris, he would have just stayed to hear their explanation. Running through the woods in the middle of the night when they were sure of their safety was nothis idea of a smart move. But Baxter hadn't believed the werewolves and convinced Daren, and it wasn't like his friend would allow Chris to stay behind.
Looking between the tiger-turned-man and the patiently waiting elephant, Chris felt like he'd fallen down the rabbit hole. In a matter of one afternoon, his life had turned upside down. So, he clung to the one constant, his lover.
"You said you'd explain things," Chris whispered, accepting the towel from Manon that Grady had handed him. He wrapped it around his shoulders and hugged it close.
"I will," Manon assured. He cupped Chris's face in both hands and stared into his eyes. "But first, we need to get you dry and warm. I'll take you to Lark. He's a doctor. After a tumble down a waterfall, you need to bechecked over."
Before Chris could respond, Manon pressed a soft kiss to his lips. When Manon tried to pull away too soon, Chris whimpered, grabbed hold of Manon's shirt, and pulled to keep him close. Manon growled and deepened the kiss. Chris sighed, opening happily, sinking into the kiss and sucking on Manon's tongue as it invaded his mouth and stroked the sensitive tissues.
By the time they came up for air, both panting, gasping for breath, Chris felt warm all over. When Manon pulled him into his arms and picked him up, Chris cuddled into the man, more than willing to trust him. After everything that had happened this evening, Chris knew without a doubt that Manon cared for him. He sure wouldn't have jumped off a cliff and into a cold river to save him ifhe didn't.
Chris clung to his lover when, to his silent delight, Manon climbed onto the back of the elephant. He'd seen them ridden in the circus and on TV and always wondered what it'd be like. Was it different to ride a shifter elephant than a normal one? He felt his mind drift until Manon jostled him back awake. He harrumphed irritably. He was tired.
"Oh, no you don't, Chris," Manon growled. "No sleeping until Lark says it's okay. You could have a concussion or hypothermia. You have to stay awake."
A jaw-cracking yawn told Chris how difficult that would be. "Then you'll have to talk to me about something interesting to keep me awake," he said sleepily.
"My name is Manon Lemelle. I can shift into a wolf. You are my mate, and you mean everything to me," Manon stated quickly.
Well that was one way to get a guy's attention! But Manon wasn't done.
"I want to please you, keep you safe, and claim you properly."
"Claim me?" What the hell did that mean?
"You remember when I bit you and I marked you on the outside, cher?" Manon asked.
Chris couldn't help but blush while he nodded quickly. Just how aware were these shifters when in animal form. The chuffing of the tiger wandering down the trail next to them gave him his answer.
"I plan to bite you again, this time while fucking you without a condom," Manon crooned into his ear. "Shifters can't get human diseases, so now that you know what I am, there's no need to wear them anymore. I can't wait to feel your hot ass grip my hard cock."
"You're, uh, you're good at keeping my attention," Chris muttered. His dick tried to thicken in his wet jeans, but the material had no give. He whimpered in frustration.
Manon must have understood his distress, for he quickly undid Chris's button, lowered his zipper, reached inside, and adjusted his shaft. Chris let out a moan of relief. But Manon didn't keep his hand on him, and he looked up at his lover with a question in his eyes.
The man's black eyes gleamed. "I'm sorry, cher," he whispered, leaning close. "I don't want you damaging one of my favorite parts of your anatomy, but this place isn't real conducive to taking care of it."
Chris grunted in frustration, glancing down at the elephant they rode and the tiger next to them. The tiger seemed to be staring at everything except them.
"Can you guys, um, understand when you're … you know … an animal?" he asked hesitantly.
Manon chuckled. "Oui, cher. We can. Even in animal form, we can think and rationalize like a human. We just have a few extra senses and are more prone to act on our instincts."
"Instincts?"
"Oui.Eat, sleep, fuck, follow our pack alpha's orders, keep our mate safe." Manon winked.
"Oh." His cheeks flamed. Damn, what they must think of him! His erection wilted, whether from his embarrassment or the cold, it didn't matter. Chris felt grateful that he wasn't hard anymore. He swallowed, trying to get moisture to his dry throat, and forced his brain to function. "So, what else about you all is different?"
Manon leaned over him, forcing Chris forward, and ducking them under a lowhanging branch before answering. "Well, shifters live for nearly half a millennium. By mating with me, your life will extend to match mine-that way I don't outlive you by hundreds of years," Manon admitted.
"Wow, that's … interesting," Chris finished lamely. That was a bit tough to wrap his mind around. The rabbit hole just seemed to keep getting deeper.
"Shifters are secretive, for obvious reasons. Most of us live in packs of similar species shifters. Safety in numbers, and all that," he added absently. "Declan is our pack alpha. I'm what's called an enforcer, which means I enforce pack law, Declan's commands, and bring in shifters who disobey, for punishment."