Page 6 of Her Wolves

“Not always,” I argued.“Remember, not one of the kids who lived in this mansion before Daddy was elected, ended up married to a Canis Guard.They all either stayed single or married someone from their own kind of background.”

“Right.While they lived here, they went slumming.”

I made a sour face at her.“I’ve never liked that word—slumming.I never liked the way it implied that one person was better than others, or stooping down to be with someone else.That’s the reason why we’re not really royalty and I’m not really a Princess.”I turned back to the mirror to check my jumpsuit one more time.“We’ve been over that kind of thinking for hundreds of years.Only the British still hold on to it because it’s so much of their identity.‘Princess’ is nothing but a word.I’m a girl—a woman—who’s attracted to a certain kind of man who is also a wolf and wears a uniform, and that’s all.”

“Mm-hmm,” said Melanie.“While you stand in your elegant, royal-looking bedroom trying on your jumpsuit made of the finest carbon-Lycra silk weave imported from the high-end fashion houses of New Manhattan.”

“Don’t you have some spin doctoring to do on some legislative press release?” I asked, sounding more annoyed with my friend than I actually was.“Go find some way to make it sound like some Noble didn’t mean what he said in an interview, will you?I have to meet Nick and Lon for their practice session.”

Melanie laughed, knowing that she had my number, and walked me out.

*****

The basement of the Regency Manor had a large gym facility where the Canis Guard had privileges.It had two big rooms, one with the exercise machines; and another, more open room that the Guard mainly used, which was for weapons and target practice.Sub-Commander Nick and Lieutenant Lon, knowing that I wasn’t allowed to leave the estate, had thoughtfully booked themselves a session in the weapons and target practice room where I was allowed to go.I walked down to the basement and went to the door for that second room, andhit the entrance panel on the wall beside its door.The panel lit up and trilled a tone, and the door slid open.I stepped inside and onto a broad, open, padded floor—in the middle of an area of sunshine, a field of green grass with trees, and twittering birds.

That was only what it seemed to be.This room had holographic walls that could be set to “vanish” and become any of hundreds of different settings.People who came here could make it seem to be all sorts of environments—even under the sea—on practically any planet that humans had ever visited.Right now, Nick and Lon had programmed it to become a pastoral setting, such as you might find in any number of suburban or rural areas on Earth.It was as charming as the two Guards occupying it were heart-stopping.

I’d been in the company of members of the Guard before, and been intimate with them, but these were the two most stunning specimens I had yet encountered.They were both dressed in almost nothing, which showed how truly stunning they were.All that they wore were thongs with large, hard protective cups for their masculine assets; and belts to which the holsters of their two-guns were attached.They were otherwise in full, awesome display.Tall, sandy-haired Nick, with his very short-cut beard, was a tower of lean, smooth muscle, as hairless (except for his face) in this body as his other form was furry.The artificial sunlight caressed those muscles in a way as to make you want to run your own fingers over them.Standing near him, Lon was darker, a little shorter, and a little scruffier in the handsomeness of his face, but every bit as delectable.He had a slightly leaner build, and his chest bristled with hair that went down his abs to the protective cup of his thong.Hair dusted his lean, strong legs as well.The two of them acknowledged me with a smile and a nod when I walked in.

“Good afternoon, Princess…Tara,” Nick greeted me, correcting himself.

“Tara,” said Lon, welcomingly.

“Hi, guys,” I said, deliberately not sounding like someone “royal.”I looked to one side of the room, where benches stood by the edge of the floor where the illusion of grass began.“Thanks for letting me sit in.I’ll be quiet while you practice; you won’t even know I’m here.”

Nick turned up one corner of his mouth in the sexiest grin.“We’re glad to know you’re here.Please, have a seat.”

“We’re practicing with energy blades,” said Lon.

“Wonderful,” I said, making my way over to one of the benches.“Start whenever you’re ready.”

By the time I reached the bench, they were already halfway through their transformation.I’d seen lycanthropes do this any number of times before, but it was still fascinating to watch.Their already muscular bodies grew even more so as the fur erupted on them—tones of grey on Nick and grey and brown on Lon.Their hands became padded and grew claws; their human feet turned to something between the feet of a man and a canine.The shape of their heads and the position and shape of their ears transformed; their faces turned to snouts with black noses.In a moment, I was looking at two tall wolves in human shape.

Each of them pulled the two-gun from his holster.They brushed their padded thumbs against a surface on the handle, and the energy blade function produced a glowing force-field rapier that on its highest setting could slice open the hull of a spaceship.Just for practice they had it set low.They held up their blades and Nick, his voice turned deeper and more throaty in this shape, called, “En garde!”Grinning, I settled down on the bench and watched the two of them leap into action.

They showed the same agility in practice that they’d shown out in the courtyard when the trees attacked.I almost couldn’t follow the way they leapt, spun, twisted, and ducked—and struck the shimmering blades of their weapons together.When the blades hit, they made a loud noise that was a combination of a sizzle and a scream, force field against force field, energy screaming at energy.Even if you knew what was happening and were prepared for it, the sound could make you jump, as I did at first.But far more mesmerizing than how their blades hit against each other was how their wolf-human bodies looked as they moved.They were a mix of grace, speed, and power.Nick sliced through the air at Lon’s chest, and Lon swayed back, went into a crouch, and then with blinding speed leapt up, swinging at his comrade.Nick hefted his blade up to parry Lon’s down-thrust, their blades singing together, before Nick spun away and then spun back at Lon.Meeting this advance, Lon swung his blade under and up against Nick’s weapon, deflecting it.

With rapt attention and speeding heartbeat, I watched the two of them go at it relentlessly.I could just imagine how either of them would be in actual combat, and I wondered how any foe might think he was a match for them.Why would the Soorns even consider attacking Lycia again, knowing that defenders like these would be here waiting for them?Nick thrust at Lon, who feinted to one side and brought his blade down screaming against Nick’s.Then the two of them broke out into a flurry of swings, lunges, thrusts, and parries, their flashing blades making streaks in the air.I grinned with excitement, watching this display of canine power and human determination.Which of them would finally best the other one?

Soon I had my answer.They swung at each other and their blades met in an “X” that gave off what almost sounded like a howl.They held that standoff for a hot, lingering moment,before Nick pulled back and went into a spin.Lon moved in, thinking to catch Nick at a vulnerable instant, but faster than I could follow, Nick spun all the way around.He made one swing to deflect the thrust of Lon’s blade, then moved in and struck the flat of his weapon against Lon’s side.There was a noise like a snap of electricity, and with a yelp, Lon leapt back, then fell back onto his haunches.Nick, one hand on his hip, stood over Lon, aiming the point of his weapon at Lon’s chest.Lon made a sound like a growl mixed with a whine—and hit the control on the hilt of his weapon to retract the blade.

Victorious, Nick raised his weapon and retracted his own blade into the hilt.Then he held a hand forward and down to help Lon up.

From my vantage point on the bench, I began to applaud.I stood up, clapping my hands at them.“Bravo!Well done!”

They both morphed back to human, and I saw that Lon had a purplish red mark on the side where he’d been hit.But he expressed no pain.He only held out his arms to say he was all right.“Thank you, Princ…Tara.No harm done.”

Now back in human form, nearly naked except for those tantalizing thongs and cups, they sheathed their weapons back in their holsters, a gesture I found wonderfully symbolic.

“You guys are really formidable,” I said.“I pity the Soorn who has to face the two of you.”

“So do I,” said Nick with undisguised pride.The myth of the “Alpha Male” was disproven centuries ago, but the way he embodied it was so arousing.

“I understand you’re going out on maneuvers with some of the other Guards to keep your skills sharp,” I mentioned.

“Necessary, especially now,” Lon said.“We need to make sure we’re ready for anything.”

Looking them up and down and trying to seem discreet about it, I couldn’t imagine either of these guys not being “ready for anything.”And I could well guess the kind of thing for which they might be prepared—if they were in the mood for it.Though, knowing lycanthrope and Guard men as I did, they could be in the mood for certain things at a moment’s notice.

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