7
Dante
My mate was absolutelydelicious in bed - so much so that we took a few days off just to dedicate to that. It turned out that Gabriel’s heat kicked in after the first time we had sex, thanks to the power of yours truly and his dragon dick, so Gabe was basically unable to leave the houseanyway.
When the days passed and his heat finally wore off, Gabe was exhausted. His body needed a break from all theactivities, which I was glad to provide. I enjoyed playing butler, bringing him food and drink in bed while he lay there like a king. Anything for myomega.
One morning, he decided he’d had enough. He groaned and sprung outofbed.
“Enough laying around,” he said, stretching his back. “I have to do something else or I’m gonna go shack-wacky.”
“Can’t have that,”Isaid.
Gabriel glanced at the dresser. “First things first, I think I need some clothes that actually fit me. Clothes you’re not going to tear off my body in a fitoflust.”
I grinned. “Not making any promises, butwe’llsee.”
* * *
After getting dressedand shovelling a stack of pancakes into his mouth, I led Gabriel to the front door that exited to street level. I got the feeling he wanted to walk on his own legs and not be carried while I flew throughtheair.
“I can’t get over how amazing this place is,” Gabriel murmured in awe, looking everywhichway.
I puffed up my chest, feeling pride in my home. “Isn't itgreat?”
I was used to these streets - and the sky, and every part of Cinderhollow - but I was still as happy to be among them as if I was seeing them for the very first time, likeGabrielwas.
The smooth stone streets were wide and spacious, and inlaid with old gemstones in a snaking pattern that guided the walker. Lining the street were shops and small, cozy apartments that some of the omegas coming from outside Cinderhollow liked from their old homes. Above our heads flew dragons and ravens, as well as other flying shifters that Gabriel hadn’t evenseenyet.
“Look,” I said to him, pointing tothesky.
“What is that?” He squinted. “Oh! Is thatabat?”
“Sureis.”
He looked at me in surprise. “Wait, is it a real bat or is that someone’sshifterform?”
“The latter.” I grinned as he gasped in awe. He reminded me of a child going to the zoo for thefirsttime.
“Wow. Okay, so you’re gonna have to explain this whole thing to me again,” he said. As we walked together, he linked his arm in mine. I beamed. The thought of every passer-by knowing we were a couple thrilled me in a way I never thought possible. I tightened my grip on him posessively.Myomega.
“Which thing, my little wolf?” Iasked.
He blushed at the nickname, but never told me to stop saying it, so I didn’t. “The whole… multiple shifter thing. I think Ruby said something about it on the way here but I was kind of too afraid of flying to listenproperly.”
I smiled patiently and began to explain. “As shifters, we are all shapeshifters. We can manipulate our appearance and become something else. All shifters do this. But in the very beginning, the first shifters - the ancestors of all of us - were more powerful, more creative. To survive in those harsh times, they had to be adaptable. They had to be fluid, to change to fit their surroundings. Back then, one form might not be enough. So they had multiple.” I gestured around to the ancient mountainside surrounding us. “There’s legends that the first shifters began here, in Cinderhollow. I don’t know if there’s any truth in that, but I’d damn wellbelieveit.”
“So why can’t other shifters do that anymore?” Gabrielasked.
I shrugged. “They lost the ability. I don’t know how or why. It’s been a long time since then. My best guess is that each species found their niche and stuck to it. Wolves found the forests and snow, the big cats found the jungles and rainforests, and the birds found the sky. Why waste time and energy sustaining something youdon’tneed?”
“I guess that’s true,” Gabriel murmured. “It just seems like a waste.” He stared off into nothing, his mind lost in thought all of a sudden. I noticed itimmediately.
“What’s wrong?” I asked, squeezing hisshoulder.
“Nothing, I was just thinking…” He sighed. “If all shifters could still do that - have multiple forms - it would be so easy for my old pack to get out of theirsituation.”
I frowned in sympathy. “Stoneheartpack?”
