Birthday Shift Read online

  Just a moment…

  ~ * * * ~

  He came to her again that night. She dreamt that she'd awakened on the couch to find that same, coal-black haired man kneeling before her, eagerness to please shining in his dark green eyes.

  “I have waited to see your face for so long. You're so beautiful,” he whispered as he inched nearer, his long-fingered hands warm on her thighs. “If only I could find a way to show you just how much.”

  Molly reached out and speared her fingers through his mass of dark hair, reveling in the silky texture. She gently guided his head forward so his lips pressed against her stomach through the sheer, satiny material of her new dress. The warmth of his breath fluttered the fabric and sent anticipatory heat trembling across her skin.

  Her dream lover scattered kisses over her stomach through her dress, occasionally twirling his tongue in a small circle, creating tiny damp patches in the fabric. The wetness only served to increase her sensitivity and suddenly Molly felt the slickness of her need for him dampening her inner thighs.

  Maybe this time….

  “Come up and join me on the couch,” she whispered, sliding her hands down from his hair and on to his bare shoulders, gently squeezing. The light furring of hair on his skin teased her palms, lightly tickling them.

  He said nothing in response, but did as she commanded him, standing. Her hungry gaze traversed his gorgeous, naked figure, over his broad shoulders, down his sparsely furred chest, lingering on flat male nipples. As he stepped closer, about to sit, her attention fixed on his tight stomach, lean hips, and the large, long erection that grew from a nest of dark hair between his legs.

  Just as she reached out to touch him, to wrap her hand around that huge erect length and stroke him-

  She awakened. Alone again, on the couch, all but screaming with need for her dream lover. Her strangled sound of desire woke Cade, who had been curled up next to her. He looked at her, green eyes askance. Molly sighed and stroked him. “I bet you never have these problems, huh, baby. Oh, well. Come on. Let’s go to bed.”

  ~ * * * ~

  As the next day dawned, Molly discovered she had given herself a neck ache from her brief stint of sleeping on the couch. Oh well. Almost worth it to see Dream Lover again. She both hoped and dreaded seeing him that night. He filled her dreams with intrigue and bucket loads of sex appeal, but no actual sex. And after the dry spell she’d had, Molly suddenly found herself wanting to connect with him, even on a dream level. If I could ever really touch him…

  She thought she might orgasm from it on the spot.

  Shaking off the thought, she swung her legs out of bed. Cade, having now cottoned on to the fact that morning meant feeding time, sprang off the edge of the bed and circled her feet on the floor, mewling. Molly bent to stroke him. “Hungry, are you?”

  As he stalked to the kitchen, his purrs audible, Molly marveled at how insightful her friend Lil seemed to be. Before, she’d lived alone and the thought of a pet – besides maybe low maintenance fish – hadn’t entered her mind. Now she had Cade, and she couldn’t dream of giving him up.

  As she spooned cat food into his dish, she made a mental note to go out to get him some more later, and to ask Lil about several things. Like when would he need his first check up at the vet? And what about neutering? She winced at the thought of having him castrated, but she also didn’t want to be responsible for too many little kittens running around.

  For now, though, she made coffee as he wolfed down his food, and stared out of her small kitchen window blankly, waking up, waiting for the inevitable early morning sleepiness to depart.

  Just as she’d started to feel human again, and was considering a second cup to really wake up her senses, her cell phone jangled. She picked up on the fourth ring.

  “How are you, honey?”

  “Hi, Mom.” Empty cup in hand, Molly flopped down on the couch. Cade followed, and she patted her lap. He jumped up and curled into a warm, furry ball on her legs. “I’m good, I just woke up.”

  “But it’s nearly eight in the morning,” Kathy, ever an early riser, protested. “I worry about you. You live the life of a hermit and that job probably doesn’t help. You should be out socializing with people. Like finding a man. He won’t just turn up gift wrapped for you, you know.”

  Molly shrugged, having heard it all before. “I like my own company, Mom. And I have plenty of friends that I see from time to time.”

  “Yes, I know, but I do worry when you’ll settle down.” Descended from a long line of Irish women, her mother was ever family-orientated and, especially of late, had often questioned when Molly would find a man and make babies. Molly had been centering her efforts on her career. Besides, as her mother well knew, her luck with men had proved to be pretty hit and miss.

  Molly’s brother, Patrick, a web designer who was already married to his work, didn’t see kids or a wife on the horizon any time soon. Poor Kathy would have a long wait.

  “When a good man falls into my lap,” Molly laughed, in answer to her mother’s half-question.

  “Whenever that is,” Kathy sighed. “I’ve always thought that a man would have to choose you, rather than you choosing him. You’re just like your father, very picky.”

  “And didn’t that stand him in good stead, as he married you?” Molly teased, having been through this conversation many times.

  After that her mother let the subject of men drop, and they talked about normal things and how the people in their lives were.

  By the time she hung up, Molly’s senses were on full alert, and she didn’t need the second cup of coffee. Reluctantly, she set Cade down on to the floor and moved to her computer for a morning of writing.

  Two hours later, back aching, hands in need of a rest, she left her apartment to run errands and to make sure Cade had enough cat food to last the next week or so. The sights and smells of New York always fascinated her, and before long she’d made a few pages of notes in the little pad she made a habit of carrying around with her. Lil always joked that Molly should have a pen surgically attached to her hand, as Molly preferred pen and paper to technology, and planned to avoid buying a blackberry or smart phone for as long as possible. She simply remembered things better from the physical act of writing them down.

  Shopping done and head spinning with ideas for a travel or fashion article, Molly climbed the stairs to her apartment, her hands full of bags. Anticipating a delicious afternoon coffee with a sandwich, she opened the door to her home.

  And dropped her bags on the floor.

  Dream Lover sat on her couch, stark naked, his glorious body exposed to her eyes.

  The panicked yell died in her throat when he stood up. “Molly.”

  His smooth, chocolately voice came straight out of her dreams. She swallowed, her throat suddenly sandpaper dry.

  “Who… are you?”

  “Isn’t it obvious?” he spread his hands

  Unbidden her gaze kept drawing itself to his manhood, remembering how it had looked fully erect, how wet he'd made her, almost without touching her…

  No! He was a stranger in her apartment. God only knew what intentions he had!

  “Put something on!” she snapped, gathering her bags. “Then you can explain who you are and how the holy hell you got into my apartment.”

  She didn't think the door had been tampered with. She supposed with her apartment only two stories up he could have gotten in through a window…

  But why didn’t he have any clothes?

  The man had the good grace to look sheepish, at least. “I, ah, I don’t have any… coverings.”

  “For Pete’s sake.” Part annoyed, part scared, and, truthfully, part aroused, Molly set her grocery bags on the kitchen counter, grabbed a tea towel and threw it at him. The stranger held it in front of him for privacy; although, in Molly’s opinion it only served to emphasize what it hid. “Start talking, before I do something we’ll both regret.” She stood in front of the block of knives on her counter, hoping their presence hammered home her point.

  “You mean you really don’t know who I am?” He took a step closer.

  Molly held up a hand in warning. “I’m not afraid to use these knives!” she told him sternly, her voice wobbling more than it should have. Why am I afraid? It’s not like he has a weapon.

  Something in his gorgeous, green-eyed face softened. “You really don’t know. Alianore didn’t tell you?”

  “No! Quite obviously she forgot.” Molly fought to keep her voice on an even keel. “And who is Alianore?”

  The stranger’s brows drew together, genuine confusion parading across his countenance. “You really don’t know.” His gentle voice flowed over her, the musical cadence soothing her stressed nerves.

  “No, I don’t.” Arms folded, Molly tried to look menacing, but knew that only one expression paraded over her face. Probably fear. “Explain, please, or I am going to call the police.” She dug in the back pocket of her jeans for her cell phone. Please, please don’t let the battery be dead...

  “It’s me.” He inched closer. “Cade.”

  My pet cat? What the….?

  It was the last thing her overloaded brain digested before darkness descended.

  Chapter Three

  “Molly…? Molly….?”

  Molly woke with a start to the sensation of being held by strong arms. A woodsy scent filled the air around her, and her cheek against a firm, sparsely haired stomach.

  Cade.

  But wait-

  She sprang up immediately, her muscles responding as one to the huge surge of panic that rose within her.

  “Get away from me! You’re insane. You need help.” She forced the words out even as her head span with dizziness from getting up too fast.

 
And yet he simply sat there, dark green eyes fixed on her, expression calm, exuding gentleness and…sex appeal.

  Molly took a deep breath, her body still in flight stance, and stared back at him.

  For a few long moments, nothing happened.

  And then, like the sun slowly rising over a mountain, she realized something.

  I’ve been out cold for goodness knows how long, and he’s still here. He hasn’t taken anything. He hasn’t fled. He hasn’t hurt me.

  And he could have.

  At that exact moment, something else dawned on her.

  I’m not afraid of him.

  “Okay.” She did fold her arms, though, because, oddly, her fingers itched with the desire to touch him, to see just how real her dream lover had become… if indeed he had been. She kept her distance, because she didn’t yet understand why she didn’t feel afraid. “Explain.”

  “Again, I am surprised that Alianore didn’t tell you.”

  Molly huffed. “Who is that?”

  “Your friend.” He raised an eyebrow, and she found the gesture unwittingly charming. “I believe you call her by another, human world name… Lil.”

  “Oh.” Molly digested this. It was true that she’d never asked Lil her full name. But… “So…” She pressed her hands to her head, which felt like it span in wide circles. “I don’t get it. How do you know her? Who are you?”

  “I’m Cade.” He reached out to touch her, but, unafraid yet still very wary, and very much feeling that she had entered the twilight zone, she moved away. “I’m a shape-shifter.”

  Molly felt rather than knew that her mouth fell open. “Okay. Now I know I’m still out cold. I’m going to wake up any minute now.” She pinched her arm, waited to find herself in her bed, shaking off the dream…

  She felt the pinch.

  What…?

  “I’m as real as you are, and so are my abilities,” Cade assured her. Again, his voice, smooth as Italian coffee, washed over her, filling all the little cracks his confession had opened up in her mind. “I can show you.” He started to stand.

  “No! God no!” Molly covered her eyes. “I mean, not yet. I’m… I’m not used to the idea, let alone…” She sighed, hugging herself, desperately wanting to wake up and find it had all been a very, very strange dream. “Tell me about Lil instead. I still don’t… I don’t understand. Why are you here, with me?”

  “Let me explain.” He moved to sit on the couch and patted the spot beside him, the tea towel still inadequately covering his modesty. “Won’t you sit beside me?”

  Molly’s battered mind tried to reconcile the image of her pet cat with the glorious male specimen sitting on her couch. Her brain failed, and simply struggled to think in a straight line. “I can’t. Sorry. Not yet.”

  “All right.” He tried to move the tea towel to cover more of his groin, but eventually gave up. “Alianore runs a sort of otherworldly portal… if you will. A way for beings from the Faewild, such as shape shifters, spirits and succubae to enter your world, if and when they want to. It’s easier for shape shifters, because they can change themselves into the likenesses of creatures you humans don’t fear, such as cats. Like the cat you found on your doorstep. Me.”

  Molly tried to swallow it all, but the story was a big mouthful. “But… why would you come here?”

  “It is… what is your human word? Complicated. The Fae are a large number of people, a whole world’s worth. We are a wide and varied people, but the majority of us do not, as I do, shape shift. Our varied abilities caused…. Division between our peoples and so the government felt it best to separate us. They gave us our own realm in the Faewild, but as you can imagine, this is restricting. We are not permitted to cross the border into the other Fae lands such as Caroann.”

  Molly struggled to keep up as he continued, wishing she had a recorder so she could play it back and piece together his words.

  “Of course, there are only so many Fae in the Faewild, and inbreeding can taint and twist our abilities. So, the government permitted us to cross over into the human world to find mates.”

  Here Holly held up a hand. “Wait. Wait, wait.” She needed a strong drink. “Why the human world?”

  Cade smiled that quick deadly charming smile again. “Of all the known worlds, it is the most accepting of different races. Humans are also the race we Fae find most attractive in otherworldly mates. This is perfectly showcased in your beautiful face and body.”

  Pleasure flushed in Molly that he thought that, but she forced herself to stay on track. “All right, say I’m buying this. So how do you get into the human world and what does my friend have to do with it all?”

  “As I mentioned before, Alianore runs an otherworldly portal, a way to get into our world.” He paused to rake a hand through his thick dark hair, a very human gesture. “As a realmbinder, she’s very powerful, and also-”

  “Stop stop stop.” Molly didn’t know if she could take in any more. “Let’s leave the mumbo jumbo for now, shall we? Let’s skip to something I might have a chance of understanding.” Her gaze drifted to his beautifully formed chest, down over the taut, golden skin…

  She closed her eyes. Don’t look. “Just tell me what Lil said about me.”

  “She told me she cared for you a great deal,” Cade explained, at length. “She wanted you to be happy, and said you did not have a lot of… what’s the word you humans use… luck with human men.”

  “Oh. Well.” Lost for words now, Molly had to admit that Lil hadn’t been lying, at least not then. “So is she… how does it work? I mean, the real world… this world..” she pressed her hands to her head again, feeling that her brain might leak through her ears if he continued to spout such fantastical tales.

  How could it be real?

  Cade knew what she wanted to ask, even if she didn’t. “You might know about her pet rescue centre?”

  “Yeah.” A little more relaxed now things looked as if they might be explained clearer, Molly inched closer to the couch. “In her house. What’s it called…Realmbound.” An odd name, Molly had thought, but it sort of suited the creaky old nature of the house Lil lived in, and she’d assumed Lil hadn’t named the house originally.

  “The big old building, yes. Alianore wanted the business to have such a name that otherworldly creatures would know what it did. For example shapeshifters are bound to their animal form until they can enter the dreams of the person with whom they're trying to connect. With you, it was easy, because you were so affectionate with me from the start. I am hoping,” he added, in a low undertone, “that you might one day treat me so affectionately again.”

  The memory of his touch in her dreams sent a sudden gush of need through Molly’s body and she inched a tiny bit closer. “But… How did you choose me?” The question came out of her mouth before she’d even formed the words in her head.

  “We have talked a lot, and your mind is weary,” Cade said, instead of answering her question. “I think a demonstration will help. Are you ready for me to show you my ability to shift?” he asked.

  She swallowed. Am I? She supposed if she wanted to know that he was being truthful with her, she’d have to see him shift eventually. Even if it made her brain explode, which seemed entirely possible. She didn’t trust him yet, but how could she, unless she saw his claims proved with her own eyes? “Okay. But, ah…. I might freak out. A lot.”

  He smiled – a smile that likened her knees to soft putty. “I’m sure we can handle that, if it happens. I do not think you will.”

  Molly steeled herself, or at least she tried to brace herself, for the impossible. A man shape-shifting into a cat. This sort of thing just doesn’t happen in real life. And yet here she stood, about to see it. Every nerve in her body tensed, awaiting something incredible.

  It didn’t start straight away. And there was no spark, or gushes of glitter as in a cartoon prince or princess transformation. He simply shifted. One moment she saw a man, and for a second—literally a blink and you’ll miss it second—he seemed surrounded by a misty grey cloud.

  Then, a soft meow.