Artifice - Man x Man - Book Six

Chapter 45

I huddle into the oversized coat, grateful I could borrow more clothes. I make the mental note that it's time I go shopping for some of my own, yet we haven't had time. The waves roll, angry, as they crash onto the short beach that nestles closely to the rock face. 

The sound, while loud, is quite soothing. I'd always had an appreciation for the ocean, it was my companion that'd never get on a boat again if society deemed it possible. 

"I don't like this." He comments, standing close to me as I scoot closer to him for warmth. Tyler does the same, his arms wrapped around Helen, who looks almost as excited as I am. Marisol pulls off her coat, setting it on a rather pointy rock. 

"You don't like a lot of things, Doe."

Convincing him that this was a good idea was more difficult than I'd thought. Surely, after so thoroughly satisfying him, he would be more amiable to my cause, yet it would seem as if he was now even more reluctant to partake in the 'run' that served as my right of passage. His reluctance wasn't doing much for Tyler's confidence. 

"Someone could see us, and then what? I'd like to remind everyone that Lycans are illegal." 

"Then don't let them see." She teases, pulling her hair out of its bun and shaking it out. "I want to run, baby. I'm a wolf, not a house pet." Helen seems to agree, though she doesn't voice it; her eyes are locked on the expanse of wet packed sand as if her soul was already long gone. 

With the supercharge of energy between the two females, the warmth was a nice break from the chilling wind and the salty spray that came off the waves that pounced onto the shore. 

Verando shifts his weight uncomfortably as I turn in his arms and adjust the light sweater. "It's going to be fine. Malka needs to run, and Tyler needs to develop a bond with her. If we don't do this soon, she will be much too strong. If you remember, I hardly convinced Alpha, and I don't know if I would have if it weren't for that ambush." 

Wrapping my arms around his waist, I kiss his chest. "Do you know how long it's been since we've gone on a run together?" It's enough to soften his expression just slightly. 

"It's been a while."

"You'll get too rusty to run if you don't get out more. If something happens to us, Tyler and Helen are our only hope. She carried me just fine." 

"Tyler is much bigger than you." But as he watches Helen, I can see he understands my point of view. When I glance over, Marisol is naked, and I'm unprepared to see large breasts swinging free in the wind. He smirks at her, shaking his head with a more casual eye roll. "You shouldn't be so excited. Can you keep up?"

She holds up her middle finger and gestures to it as if presenting a gift. He smirked, dimpling his cheek as he pulled off his sweater and folded it precisely. "Do we have to be naked?" 

Tyler hesitates, and I quickly stop him. 

"No. Just them. They will shred their clothes if they shift while wearing them." As I speak, Helen is pulling out of her sweater and fighting to get out of her jeans. Every time she pauses, her hand returns to her heart as if she can't manage to be in this form for one more second. 

I try and focus on easing Tyler's nerves. "So you don't have to steer much. Have you ever ridden a horse?" 

His expression makes me think the answer to that is no. 

"Just don't fall off and don't kick; it's mostly your body weight that controls them. The scruff is the easiest place to hold onto. Randy?" His hands pause at his boxer briefs, and I know he's calculating the probability of success. With a quick approach, I gather his face in my hands and pull him to me to kiss him. "You're not going to go rogue. It's going to be alright."