Page 95 of Kingdom of Aramis

My breath becomes shallow, and my nipples prickle beneath my sports bra, becoming hard points. Micah’s smooth torso brushes against my exposed skin, and all I want to do is rub myself against him like a cat. Instead, I sigh, knowing I need to prioritize having full control of my shifts before any pursuit of pleasure.

“Rain check?” I ask hopefully, and although I see the disappointment in his eyes, he gives me a nod.

“Anytime. Let’s go put your other mates out of their misery and work on getting you to shift seamlessly between forms.If you can do that, even if there is some idiot who wants to challenge your hydra, then showing you have access to nine different forms will leave no one questioning your ability to lead.”

He slowly sinks below the surface, dragging me with him, and I hold my breath, my body tense with the unnatural idea of breathing underwater. Soon, the need to inhale overrides my compulsion, and water flows through my gills, expanding my lungs once more. That’s going to take time to get used to.

Micah leads me under the churning waterfall, and light returns to the depths as the sun shines through from above. When we surface not far from where Liam threw me in, the remaining five are arguing with one another, but that quickly comes to a stop when they spot us.

“Oh thank God.” Brodie sinks to his knees and gazes at me with relief. “I thought he killed you.”

Liam scoffs, and I notice he has a split lip that dribbles blood. “She’s a hydra shifter. Even if she didn’t have a mer form, they are just as much at home in the water as on land, you fucking asshole.”

He swipes the back of his hand across his chin and smears the blood across his face, yet it makes him look even hotter. I flip him off, and he smirks at me, looking pretty pleased with himself, and my gaze drops to his mostly naked body. He catches where I’m looking, and his eyes narrow in challenge. His hands go to the waistband of his shorts before he shoves them down.

“How’s the water? I wouldn’t mind a swim myself.” He steps forward, and I can’t stop my gaze from going to the weapon that swings between his legs. Holy shit, is that even legal? There is no way that’s going to fit inside me.

He chuckles darkly, noticing that I’m looking exactly where he wanted me to. He fists his cock, and something glints in thesunlight—a piercing. Well, that might be fun. He strokes up and down, and my creature rolls around inside me in delight.

“See something you like?” he growls, his bear in his tone. I drag my eyes away from the mesmerizing sight of him handling his dick and arch an eyebrow.

“Meh, I’ve seen better.” It’s a lie, but he doesn’t like it. He throws his head back and roars. It’s a sound I’ve never heard come out of a human’s mouth before. His body starts to contort, and within moments, a huge polar bear is standing on the side of the pool.

“Oh fuck, you’re in trouble now,” Gem mutters, grinning like an idiot.

The bear stalks toward the pool, his black eyes locked on me. I swim backwards, but he just keeps coming, launching himself into the water. A squeak leaves my mouth as a large figure brushes past my tail. He swims a circle around me, and I spin to keep him in sight.

“Stay still, Colbie. If you swim away, he’s going to take it as a challenge and treat you like prey,” Gryffin warns, crouching down and watching Liam’s path. “Liam’s bear has been on edge for months now. One wrong move, and it will take the mating choice out of your hands.”

I don’t take my eyes off the swimming bear who paddles circles around my body, brushing against my tail with every pass.

“There isn’t really a choice though, is there?” I ask. “The goddess took that out of our hands when she marked us for each other.”

“Yes, but we can work with your timeline. We know this is all very new for you and won’t rush you,” Brodie promises, and I think back to what the goddess said. I need to seal the mating bonds as soon as possible for everyone’s sake. Without them,I can’t be crowned, and the shifters are vulnerable to someone else usurping the crown and the powers it holds.

Coming to terms with being mated to eight men may take me a little time, but I want to be queen now. I want to protect the shifters, and if I have to be mated to eight men to do it, I can think of worse things to have to endure.

I concentrate on the shifting power inside me, reaching down and trying to get a feel for it. When I shifted before, it was kind of subconsciously, but this time, I want to choose which form to take. Imagining the figure of a polar bear, I nudge the power. I feel it swell inside me, and my body shudders. With a blinding flash of light, I change, shredding my sports bra that was still covering my breasts.

My body reforms, and my consciousness recedes slightly, taking a back seat to an overwhelming animalistic nature. I growl and paddle my front paws, then I hear a commotion from the side of the pool and turn my large head to look.

“Holy shit. She turned into a polar bear! Now she’s fucked. Liam’s bear is going to go nuts.” I’m pretty sure that’s Hunter, but my instincts zero in on the large white figure still swimming around me. I throw my head back and roar before diving. My body brushes against Liam’s, and he stops, his black eyes widening in surprise. He shoots to the surface, and it’s my turn to swim around him. My huge paws cut easily through the water as I paddle around him. Just as I’m passing him, my jaw opens, and I latch onto his rear, biting down. The taste of his salty blood hits my tongue, and a thrill of accomplishment flows through me. I release him and push to the surface, gulping for air and roaring loudly.

“Is that blood in the water? Did she bite him?” The four men on the side of the pool look at Micah, and I watch him pop below the surface before returning.

“Yup, she took a chunk out of his ass,” he confirms, and Gem chuckles.

“Oh, she’s fucked now.” Gem looks at me. “Pretty lady, you better start swimming. You just baited the bear, and he won’t stop until you wear a matching set of teeth marks.”

A thrill of excitement goes through me, and my bear preens with pride. I turn my gaze to Liam’s bear. He’s gasping for air and looking slightly befuddled. I swim closer and lick a stripe across his muzzle before nudging him. His black eyes narrow, and he grabs for me with his huge paws. I manage to evade them and slip from his reach, paddling away from him, the thrill of being pursued flooding my body with endorphins.

Liam roars behind me, and I hear furious splashing as he takes chase. I take a breath and dive, the sound of the waterfall becoming silent as I plunge deep into the pool. I can feel Liam on my tail, but despite him being bigger, he doesn’t catch up to me. My smaller body becomes more streamlined as I glide through the water and under the falls. I’m almost certain I know where this is going, and I don’t really want to end up naked on my back, being fucked in front of everyone just yet. I know I have eight mates, but all of them deserve for their first time with me to be special. I don’t doubt that group sex will eventually become a thing, and I’m looking forward to it, but I’ve had enough changes in such a short period of time. I can ease into orgies.

I surface inside the pool behind the waterfall. The noise becomes deafening, but I don’t stop. I paddle for the edge and try to haul my large body out of the water, but I slip and scramble for purchase, and that’s when he strikes. I roar out in pain as his teeth dig into my hip, and his paws wrap around me, pinning me to the rocky edge of the pool. I roar my displeasure, but it turns into a whimper when a sudden wave of rolling desire turns my limbs into putty.

He removes his teeth and licks over his mark before he releases me and surfaces. I can’t hold onto my shift any longer as pulses of need flood my system, and I shift back, finding myself naked, my chest heaving and core throbbing. I moan and press my thighs together to stem some of the pulsing want.

Liam surfaces, also in his human form. He looks at me with wide-eyed wonder. “You bit me?” It’s like he can’t believe I had the audacity to make the first move.