1. Chapter One
Chapter One
Lucy
Iheld my spiral notebook to my chest, clutching it tighter by the second. The double suns– light sources, I reminded myself–bore down on the naked skin of the shifters, with the hot summer day. They were loading the open wagons, filling them with supplies: tents, dry food, fire starters and so on. It was more than I thought we really needed, but the queen and my father wanted to be sure that I was comfortable.
Dutton slung a bag of rice over the wagon like it was a small bean bag. Dust flew into the air, and he slapped his hands together. Dirt swirled around him and clung to the sweat on his bare chest. He turned his body to face me, and he smiled widely as droplets of water ran down his neck and between his pectoral muscles.
My eyes widened, and I looked away. He was a good-looking man. They all were in this realm; the women, the men, and even the children looked like tiny little models running around.
This place was magical. There was no doubt about that. From the multi-colored sky to the palace I’ve stayed in. I’ve been there as a guest for several weeks, hoping to understand the basics of this realm, down to the animals they are used to seeing in this part of the land.
I couldn’t get over how lucky I was to get this job.
I met every criteria they needed. Which was a scientist who understood basic botany, but mostly, with the discovery of new species of animals and insects and anything else that I may deem important.
Especially in a new area to explore where no other scientist had ever been.
It was like being a kid in a candy store.
This was better than any holiday I’d ever encountered. A whole new world for the taking. I wouldn’t be able to share it with Earth—we left that world behind—but this world, Bergarian, seemed to appreciate how I have an excitement to understand it all from fresh eyes and a scientific point of view.
This place was magnificent and seemed to contradict everything I had learned. It could be slightly infuriating but also delightfully exciting at the same time.
“That’s the last of it.” Dutton took a rag from his waistband and wiped away his forehead. He kept his eyes on me as he did, and I looked for my father to keep away from the wolf shifter.
I buried my head in books most of my life, and when I wasn’t working on a research paper or thesis, I was out with my father in a remote area doing archeological digs. I had little finesse with talking to the opposite sex. In fact, I hardly had any experience talking to men. My cheeks would flush red, and I would stumble over my words. It didn’t matter if they were young, old, single or married. Father did his best to keep me protected.
My father was the only man I talked to, and he’d been fiercely protective of me since my youth. Unfortunately, it made me socially awkward. I didn’t blame him in the slightest, though; he loved me, and I loved him back just as fiercely. He’d homeschooled me and let me travel with him since I could walk. I’d seen plants, animals, and cultures that many scientists would kill to see.
Now that he was older, he wouldn’t be able to travel on this journey. He’d been very supportive, though, and said I would be fine on my own. I had some apprehension. This trek resembled our previous treks, but it ventured into uncharted territory, encountering unseen animals and plants, unknown to humans and even to the shifters accompanying me.
The thought thrilled me. I’d be able to record everything. Not by camera, however, just by sight and with my pencils. Just like the great explorers in the past, on Earth. It was so primitive, so old-fashioned.
It was how they liked it here. They wanted to keep the land pure and free of trash. Most of its products were biodegradable. The realm's inhabitants permitted very few electronics, and technological communication with the other side was very limited.
Fascinating, simply fascinating.
My heart fluttered, and I stood up on my tippy toes while I bit my lip.
And I was doing this trek on my own. I was in charge!
“Someone is excited.” Dutton strode over. His gait was wide, and the linen pants he wore were thin. It left little to the imagination. To see people strip naked out of the blue was the norm here, especially for shifters. I still wasn’t used to it and would pivot away each time.
I received a warning that this world was a little freer with nudity due to necessity. Shifting with clothes on would just be a waste of clothing. It made sense, and it was something I just had to get used to.
The males laughed when they heard me shriek as they threw their pants off, and now I thought they did it on purpose.
But the thin linen pants that Dutton was wearing grew tighter. The pants bunched and gathered right at an area I did not need to see.
Don’t look, Lucy. Why do you have to look?
Because you are both depraved and deprived. Too worried about pleasing your father with your studies and not taking care of yourself.
I whimpered in the back of my mind.
“I… uh… yes, that’s excellent. Thank you very much, Mr. Dutton.” I turned my face, not looking at him at all, and swallowed.
I could see the smirk in my peripheral as he dusted off his hands once again. “You don’t need to call me mister. That’s so formal. Dutton is fine.” He tilted his head and came closer.
Shifters, who were predominantly in the Cerulean Moon Kingdom, were very warm-blooded. Even though I was a good three feet away from his massive body, I could still feel the heat radiating off of him. I tried to look him in his eyes. It was like he was wanting attention, perhaps demanding. I wasn’t sure, but he kept looking me up and down.
I gazed around his body, seeing my father with his cane coming in my direction, along with the king and queen. Please hurry and get here.
“Lucy. Is it alright if I call you that?” I peered up at Dutton, seeing him stand above me. His darker hair, wet from sweat, fell onto his forehead. That crooked smile was still on his face. He was handsome, I’d give him that, but he wasn’t anything that lit my world on fire.
No man ever could. I was starting to think I was broken. I’d just never had a feeling or desire for anyone in particular. I’ve tried to look it up, of course. The scientist in me wanted to make sure my body wasn’t broken. The results were… inconclusive.
My face went pink again. Kitty whiskers! I hope he didn’t think I liked him or anything.
“L-Lucy is fine. We will travel for six weeks, right? Miss won’t be required.” I nervously chuckled and stood up straight to step away.
Six weeks. It would be the longest I had ever been away from my father. Before this, I’d only been away from him for four days, when I came down with dengue fever. Even that didn’t really count because I was asleep and he was at my side, but that was beside the point.
Dutton rubbed the back of his neck. “Yeah, we will be. The other warriors are excited. The females especially. They want to know all about your travels on Earth. One wants to explore there once this expedition is over.”
I nodded, and my ears perked up. “Yeah, do they like science and discovering new species, too?”
Dutton threw out a boisterous laugh. “No, she is looking for her mate. She is nearly thirty. They get antsy, you know? She thinks she will find them on Earth.”
Right, the mate thing. The soul mates idea that I found absolutely intriguing. This realm seemed to revolve their whole lives around the notion that a soul was not complete unless they found their other half.
Some humans talked about soul mates on Earth. Finding the perfect person who complimented you in every way. In Bergarian, there was a common belief that was centered upon a Moon Goddess who gifted each person a soul mate. I was still trying to understand this religion, but it was hard for my mind to grasp. Father taught me to be more scientific. He raised me to see how things were and how things worked.
The study of religious cultures never tickled my fancy. I was very hands-on, I loved to touch and feel what I was studying. The thought of a higher form was hard for me to grasp, but I knew they were important.
Here, this Moon Goddess was prevalent. More than that I even realized, and I would need to study it further while I was on the trek to the Monktona Woods.
“There you are!” I heard my father call around the wall, I mean Dutton, who was still standing in front of me.
My father, a shorter man of just five foot five, a head full of white hair and an equally white mustache, approached. “You are too close to her. Back away.” Father took his cane to separate Dutton and me.
Dutton put his hands up in surrender and smiled. “Professor Watts, I meant no disrespect.”
My father huffed in annoyance and held his arm out for me. I was taller than him by at least four inches. I let him lead me away, relieved to be away from the source of my anxiety. “Perhaps I should go, too. I don’t know if I trust some of these men that are going to be around you.”
“Father, it’s going to be alright. They won’t lay a hand on me. Besides, I took those self-defense courses you wanted, and the king and queen trust these warriors the most.”
The queen, a short, petite woman who looked much younger than me, pranced over with her tall, imposing husband—mate. “Trust me, none of them will harm you. They know what consent is.” She raised a brow over at Dutton, who bowed with one arm over his chest.
My father bristled and shook his head. “I don’t…”
“Father, I don’t plan on consenting, but even if I did, it would be my decision.” I stood up straight and held my notebook closer to my chest.
The people here do date, but it was never for the long term, and I wasn’t one for a one-night stand. I had never even been on a date, never had the desire nor interest, and that made my father all the more happy.
“No one is good enough for my daughter,” he would say.
“There, you see. She has a backbone.” Dutton chuckled and stalked off back toward the wagon. My father bristled. He took a step to try and catch up with Dutton, all the while, having to use his cane for support. I grabbed him by the wrist and pulled him back toward me.
“Father, I will be fine. It was a joke.”
The light that was filtering through the branches of the trees was suddenly blocked, and when I turned my head, a large male stood beside us. The king was large. His forearms, covered in tattoos, were crossed over his bulging chest, making his tunic stretch so much it was in danger of ripping to pieces.
“I will speak with him,” the king, known as Kane, said. “He, nor anyone else, will cause you problems.” He walked past us, and I wanted to stop him, but Queen Clara put her hand on my forearm.
“Let him boss someone around.” She sighed as she stared off, looking at his backside. “He is practicing his daddy skills now that he has a daughter. He will make sure that Dutton and the other warriors leave you alone. This is strictly business.”
I bit my lip. “I don’t want to cause trouble or have people hate me. I don’t want…”
The queen shook her head. “Lucy, it is not your problem to deal with. People don’t need to be pushing themselves on you when you haven’t shown interest. You are not Dutton’s mate or anyone else’s mate on this trek. They would have made it known by now. Not trying to hurt your feelings in any way.” She sighed. “You are a gorgeous woman, and yes, we have mates here, but some decide to date and do… other things before they meet who belongs to them. I highly discourage it because it gets messy, but I cannot control people’s lives. I do emphasize consent, though, and that’s what Kane is reminding them of.”
I nodded in understanding. She hooked her arm around mine and led me closer to the bustling marketplace. The trees stood tall. They were thick with branches that overhung the area, with beautiful vines that cascaded downward. It kept the area cool, and the breeze was ever constant. It wasn’t humid, and the thick mosses and damp soil filtered all the dust, allowing my lungs to expand to their fullest extent.
Goodbye, asthma!
“We are so excited that you are able to do this. It was fate. I truly believe it was. You are meant to be here.” She gave me a side-eye and a wink.
I looked everywhere but her after that statement. I hoped she didn’t think that someone was going to think I was their soul mate, because soul mates was a strange concept for me. How can you just fall for someone so fast? Was it like lightning? How could you truly know?
None of it made sense. Was it a biological chemical in the brain? Was it a scent the body released? Did it have to do with reproduction? There were too many questions, and for now, as a human, I did not find it logical that it could happen to someone like me. Interspecies relationships did not seem that common. The humans I had seen here were single.
I swallowed again as we stopped at a food cart. They were selling something similar to a hot dog, but instead of those buns with infected chemicals, it was on freshly baked bread with spices that didn’t even need ketchup and mustard. The meat was a large sausage that I knew I wouldn’t be able to eat all on my own, but every portion of food was shifter-sized.
Big. Everything was big.
Clara handed it to me and motioned for me to start eating.
“I want her safe,” my father chimed in as he grabbed his Bergarian hotdog and took a bite. “Oh, that’s good stuff,” he mumbled around the food. “And I know this Dutton character is the head of security, but I swear if he puts one hand on my daughter...”
Clara put a calming hand on my father’s shoulder. “She is in excellent paws. Five males and five females; all top warriors. Then, two orcs will accompany her when they arrive. Sugha is extra excited for you to be there. His brothers have all found mates, and he’s hoping you might be his.”
The food I just shoved in my mouth went down the wrong pipe, and I choked. Immediately, my hands went to my throat. My father came up behind me and immediately did the Heimlich maneuver. It wasn’t necessary. It only took one good jerk of his fist into my stomach, and it flew out and hit the bottom of the cart.
The people around us looked in horror, and my face turned so red, I was sure I could make a car stop. If there were cars around here.
Father kept doing the Heimlich, and I pushed away from his hold. “I’m fine!” I squeaked and wiped away the spit-dribble on my chin. “And what do you mean, an orc as a mate?”
Clara giggled. “I’m sorry, I shouldn’t have said that. Sugha mentioned he was hoping you were his mate. He may not be, you never know. Those orcs are very eager. They won’t touch you, though, just like the rest of the wolves traveling with you. If you aren’t theirs, they won’t bother. Trust me.”
My mouth opened and closed while my father studied Clara. He said nothing but picked up his cane. “These mates, they can just steal my daughter if they think that she belongs to them? If they think she is their soul mate?”
Clara nodded cheerfully. “Yes, and they will take care of her, love her, and make sure she is satisfied in all ways. It’s truly romantic.” Clara swooned and looked toward the king in longing. The large king was currently yelling at his warriors, his shaking fist coming close to their faces. They all looked like they might pee their pants.
I swallowed and rubbed my throat. I grabbed a paper napkin from the cart and patted the corner of my lips.
“That’s it; I’m going with you.” Father shook his head and hobbled with his cane back toward the wagons. From there, he would find the road back to the palace.
Clara watched me as I took several steps to catch up to him, and I tugged on his arm. “Father, no. I am fine. I can do this. Please, let me do this.”
He stopped and pursed his lips.
I didn’t believe in divine intervention, but I did believe I was here for a reason. Who knew, maybe by the end, I might believe in something.
“Father, as noble as you are trying to be. I am an adult.” I tried to reason with him. His brows furrowed, and the already deep lines in his face further deepened. “You are here to learn about shifter anatomy. You won’t be able to handle the terrain in the Monktona Woods. I will draw as many pictures as I can and tell you everything when I get back.”
My father swallowed. “You will come back. And be safe.” He said, more to himself. “You will.”
My smile trembled. “Of course I will. You taught me everything I know for the last twenty-nine years of my life.”
He let out a shaky breath and ran his fingers through his hair. “Right.”
Father wasn’t one for emotion. He was logical and practical and always looking at things from a realistic point of view. But standing in this mystical land of shifters, fae, elves, and who knew what else, anything seemed possible. With the mysteries of the unknown all around us, I thought it must all be hitting him right now.
Clara, with her gentle smile and wise eyes, stood beside us. “Your father will be safe here, too, Lucy. He will learn much from our healers and scholars, while you embark on your journey through the Monktona Woods, and you will bring us just as much knowledge as we have been wanting to know about that place. Orcs aren’t great at explaining things. They are a little”—she bobbed her head back and forth—“basic. They just aren’t great with words.”
I stared up into the sky, which was a canvas of pastel shades, a watercolor masterpiece blending pinks, purples, and blues in a harmonious symphony, each shade swirling and dancing with the others in a cosmic tie-dye.
It was beautiful.
This place was absolutely stunning, and I was here ready to explore it all.