Chapter 6
Chip
Sitting down to rest for a minute at our mating celebration, I’m so content that I start reminiscing on things, tracing the path I chose to end up here, tonight.
For years, as I sat on that shelf in Lenore’s shop, watching the customers coming in day-to-day, yearning for one single human being to belong to. I never put much thought into what type of human being, as long as they were kind.
As I watch my new wife dance amidst all the townspeople, spinning her mother out and throwing her head back laughing, I can't help but to think that the human I got is pretty damn special.
To be able to stand in front of this entire town and announce her as my mate, was hands down the best moment of my life so far; this list is utterly separate from my list of best private moments.
Everything Devon has learned about me and my culture, she's taken in stride. She's had very few breakdowns, because once she understood what belonging to each other actually meant, she seemed to be fully on board.
It might have been all the foreplay leading up to her actually taking me into her body, but whatever is responsible, I am grateful.
The whole night so far has been a huge success. I've fed her well, we've met new friends, received many dinner invitations, and now the night is winding down, and we’re almost to the culmination of the whole evening.
Really, the whole point of this event.
I'm very nervous. I'd like to say that's normal, but I don't think that anything is considered normal when you're a hot cocoa shifter. Standing in my human form this long is becoming excruciating, the buzz in the back of my head urging me to return to my mug near impossible to ignore.
The song currently playing comes to its natural conclusion, and I know that's my cue. Another one will not start until my wife and I have done our thing.
I'm kind of off to the side and have hidden behind a small coffee stand, but when Devon looks around for me, she finds me almost immediately. The smile that lights up her face has bubbles rising within me.
I extend a hand to her as I walk back towards the stage, the one fully decked out for this very moment.
She has no idea what's happening, she probably thinks us announcing our relationship earlier was all I meant to do here tonight.
I kind of feel bad about not warning her, but it's going to make her reactions so much purer.
As she walks toward the stage, the townspeople start cat calling us. They know what comes next.
Time to make the initial announcement. “Thank you all for such a lovely evening so far. It means the world to us that you'd take time out of your schedule to come and celebrate our union.
“At this part of the evening, I would invite anyone underage or anyone who does not wish to partake, including Devon's mother Brenda, to return home for the evening. I wish you all good sleep, and I look forward to seeing all of you another time.”
I turn off the mic and take Devon's hand in mine, kissing the top of it.
“What's happening? Why are you sending them all home?”
“Forgive me, my powdered sugar puff. I did not think you'd want your mother around for the next portion of our evening. I thought it might be uncomfortable for the both of you.”
“Do I get to know what it entails?”
I smile at her but I'm sure it speaks to the deviousness I feel rising within me, and not to the immense affection I hold for her.
“You will find out soon enough. I'm about to lose my form though, so I will not be able to guide you.
The only thing I can tell you is to listen to your instincts.
If you do what feels right, you won't be able to mess this part up. Once you feel that the only people remaining are consenting adults, go ahead and begin.”
“Wait! What does that mean? We're not going to like, get naked and have sex on this stage, are we? ‘Cause I'm so not okay with everybody seeing those parts of me.”
“Nudity is optional,” I assure her. “Take it as far as you want, so long as the task gets completed.”
I kiss her once, dipping her low, and as soon as she's back on her feet nice and stable, I release my hold on my physical form. It starts with my toes, melting and liquefying and heating up to the perfect drinking temperature. Then my legs join, my torso, my arms, and finally my head.
I left my mug hidden so that I wouldn't be tempted to fall into it, because if my wife is about to put herself out there, then I should too.
It's very difficult to not give in to the dire urge to touch my wife in this form, but I stay maddeningly removed like a good boy.
It takes a little longer than I expected for the crowds to clear out, but I expect it's mainly because my wife is holding an overabundance of caution and giving them extra time.
The moment Devon’s ready, she turns to me and I feel her attention like a flame caressing a beautiful, professional, stainless-steel pot. One with an even, nice heating element that’s perfectly settled in the middle of it.
She doesn't scald me though, she takes care of me, stepping toward me to get the process started.
She still has no idea what to do, but when she closes her eyes and tips her head back gently, I know she's trying to reach into whatever instincts she has within her body, urging them on.
The delicate arch of her neck is so beautiful, so I decide to start there. I creep toward her, climbing on the air itself until I've surrounded the entire column of her gorgeous neck like a warm chocolate scarf.
She gives out a little cry of surprise at the contact, and I know it'll leave a beautiful mark later; not hot enough to burn her, just enough to make her a little pink, short term. Something to remind her I was here.
Something very special happens in Trash Haven when a shifter takes a mate.
They're able to share the joy of that mating, the energy of it, on the night that they announce it to the world.
This is a special ceremony that this town has been observing for years, and every time a shifter takes a mate here, the adults look forward to it.
We never, ever talk about it afterward, but it's definitely a rite of passage.
I push her shirt and bra strap off of one perfect shoulder, baring it to the cool air of the night. Her coat has already fallen to rest on her elbow, giving me plenty of space to work.
Just that little bit of skin exposed has all of me nearly ready to froth in excitement.
But I cannot do it too early; I must give my mate a perfect experience tonight, because this is the most important time we'll ever join.
This here sets the tone for our mating and is believed to predict how happy our mated life will be.
The harder I get her to come, the more happiness we will find in each other.
So what, we’re all a bunch of voyeurs. A little voyeurism is good for the soul.
I creep over her skin, just close enough to touch while leaving a pocket of air.
I want to drive her crazy, get her desperate for me before I actually touch her.
I do some laps around what skin I can most easily access without getting her clothes wet, dancing up and down her neck, touching every erogenous zone that I can.
It doesn't take long for the first whimper to tumble off her lips, or for her to reach a shaky hand up to undo another button on her shirt.
She's a good girl and keeps her coat on, because she knows I want her warm for this.
Her eyes remain closed, and I wonder what pictures she's seeing behind them.
I roam over that fresh exposed skin with a deeper touch, a single drop of me falling between her luscious, perky breasts.
That one drop sinks down into her bra, to that wonderfully warm and dark space between each breast. It's like my own little personal cave, and I'm ready to set up camp and become a neanderthal for her.
I tease the edge of that bra, again, not wanting to touch any more fabric because once I do, it will take far more energy to pull myself out of it.
Cotton wicks moisture too well. It’s too absorbent.
I could graze it briefly as I did with her strap and shirt, but I'd rather spend my energy on other things.
When Devon realizes what my game is, that I'm only touching skin that I can reach easily, she gives me more.
At this point, I have a feeling she's already starting to forget about the crowd of people in front of her.
To be fair though, it is quite dark out at this point of the night.
Sure, there are strings of lights strewn about the town like always, but there are also lots of trees here, blocking out the bit of moon and starlight that tries to reach for her and steal her from me.
Keeping her modesty intact, she pulls one of her cups away from her breast, giving me a nice bubble of air to slide into.
I take advantage of that quickly, going all the way in as I completely encapsulate her nipple, saturating it with my warmth.
She cries out and falls to her knees, becoming even more affected when I begin a mating dance upon the taut bud.
She might not recognize it as such, but I make myself bubble, aerating myself and dancing upon the very tip of her nipple and around the edges of it, squeezing myself inward and caressing her.
I know this is something only I can give her, something nobody else can replicate.
By the end of the night she'll be craving me again, demanding I do this for her often.
At that point, my life will be complete.
I continue on this way, switching to her other breast at one point, doing everything I can think of to make her feel good.
As her hands begin to shake and knead at her side, her body convulses a little.
I can feel the desperation rising within her as if it were my own, a neediness far greater than we've yet experienced as a couple.