Sharkbait Down Under Ch. 01-10

"They are all family, so yes," he said.

"Fine. Join me in my room for a nightcap, and we'll make this call tonight. Maybe we can figure a few things out before they emerge in the morning."

Ch. 7

Sydney, Australia
1811

I watched the ship disappear over the horizon, taking the last of the family I'd worked for and protected for almost a decade out to sea. Neil Baillieu was a shrewd businessman, and he'd made a killing providing sheep for the burgeoning city. His political contacts with the Governor and the Military helped cement his fortune; his eldest daughter, Laura, married a Commander in the Royal Navy, an assistant to the Governor of Sydney. She and her husband returned to England two years ago.

Emma had grown into a beautiful young lady, and Neil had political aspirations in England. Selling his land and herds, he'd booked passage on a ship bound for London.

The family had given me a job and a place to lay my head, but my background made me wholly unsuitable as a suitor for Laura. When she was near marriage age, I approached Neil to request his permission to court his eldest. "You are a good man, Philip, but you will never have my blessing," he said as he put his hand on my shoulder. "My daughters are going to marry men of wealth and station. You have neither, and you never will."

"Your daughter cares for me," I said.

"She will get over that," he said. A year later, she was engaged.

After that conversation, I found my job assignments changed. No longer was I working out of their home in Sydney; instead, I was spending months at a time in the farther-out pasture holdings with the sheep. I built a small cottage on one of the plots, turning it into a cozy little home.

In gratitude for saving his daughters, Neil left me the small farm I'd lived on while tending his flocks. I held the title to forty acres of pasture land at the edge of the Sydney settlement in my hand as I walked back up from the docks.

I needed to get back home.

I needed my family.

1806, Sydney

Katherine Logan was a stubborn and proud woman, and that wasn't a good combination in prison. It didn't help that men outnumbered women seven to one in the Colony. She had arrived in 1804 as a political prisoner; her father had been a leader in the United Irishmen under Robert Emmett. He and her brothers had died in the 1803 rebellion or the reprisals following it.

Kate and her younger sister Margaret spent months in prison before starting their long voyage to Australia. Margaret didn't make it; a typhoid outbreak claimed her, and her body was tossed overboard near the Falkland Islands. Kate didn't take a lover among the crew, as some of the other women did; she'd rather die than lie with an Englishman. Upon arrival in the colony, Kate was one of the first prisoners at the 'female factory' at Parramatta Gaol, a newly constructed two-story facility for women. Instead of marrying up or being selected to serve in a wealthy colonist's household, she spun wool as punishment for the next two years.

She was a 'difficult' prisoner, and her back had half as many lash marks as did mine. When I first saw her in the streets, she was nearly feral. The government provided no housing or means of support for them, so the women were selling their only asset- their bodies- to survive. Kate was catching rats and looking for food behind a pub when I walked by.

Two men had her cornered in an alley near the docks, her tattered clothes torn. One was trying to rip the rest of her shirt off as she struggled against him.

Her panicked green eyes met mine, and I fell in love at that moment. I turned and entered the alley as she bit his hand, right before he slapped her face. "On your KNEES, whore!"

"The lady is not interested in your offer," I told the two men as I came up behind them.

"She's no lady," the first man said. "Twopence, and she'll do anything I want."

"Twopence, huh?" I walked up to the two men; they each weighed twice as much as the emaciated woman, her red hair barely visible after the last punishment shaving. I handed her the coins. "Do anything YOU want to HIM," I whispered.

She held the money in her palm, a grin spreading across her face as she caught my meaning. Standing up, she walked towards the john with her hips swaying, licking her lips.

Then she kicked her tormentor in the twig and berries so hard he threw up.

"HEY," his companion yelled, but my knife was already at his throat. "Take him home," I said with a low growl. He picked up his companion, helping him out of the alleyway. "What's your name," I asked her when her green eyes turned back to mine.

"Kate," she said.

"Kate, do you have a place to stay?" She shook her head, no. "You do now. I have a small cottage; you can bed down there if you like."

"I won't sleep in your bed," she replied.

"There isn't room for you anyway," I said. "You can help with cooking, cleaning, and other things. I'll make sure you have a roof over your head and a meal in your belly." She didn't look sure. "I'm not going to hurt you, lass. Give it a try; if you don't like it, I'll bring you back tomorrow."

I didn't bring her back the next day.

A year later, her hair had grown back, Katherine gained back her weight, and blossomed into a beautiful Irish bride. A year later, our son Emmett arrived. He was now coming up on his third birthday. Kate lost our next baby a few months in, and since then, we hadn't gotten pregnant. It didn't matter to me; Emmett was a happy baby, and I loved my family.

It hadn't been easy. During the first two years of our marriage, Sydney suffered from a terrible drought. We had done better than most; I'd dug a well that kept our crops going, and our sheep watered. Still, we barely raised enough food to survive. The dry grass couldn't support the flock, which was now a quarter of the size it had been when Neil left for England. I was supplementing our stocks by hunting in wolf form, but this was becoming more dangerous by the month. More and more colonists had the same idea, and none would hesitate to shoot a wolf.

I hadn't told Katherine about my dual nature when we lived together; I'd shift and run far from home and any other humans. Even after we married, I kept quiet, afraid she would reject me if she knew the truth.

I probably should have said something after Emmett was born. I didn't remember from Ireland what would happen if a werewolf laid with a human, so I didn't know if my son would be able to shift or not. I could feel the bond in my head, which, as a baby, only let me sense his emotions and some basic thoughts. I didn't say anything until he was about ten months old.

I heard Kate's scream from inside the cottage as I was drawing water for the sheep in the early morning. Rushing back inside, I saw Katherine in a corner, waving her apron at a small black wolf pup. Instead of scaring the animal away, the puppy thought it was a fun game. He chased it, yipping as he tried to catch it with his little teeth. "KATE! Stop."

She stopped waving the apron but stayed in the corner. "How did that THING get in here? And where is Emmett?" She looked on, her bright green eyes wide as the pup ran over to me.

"Stay calm, my love. Emmett is right here," I said as I scratched the pup's chin. Pulling off my clothes and boots, I shifted into my big black wolf.

And Kate screamed again.

It didn't last long. Kate watched me on the wooden floor of our cottage, play-fighting with my son until she gathered the courage to approach. She started by touching my fur, then sat down and giggled as Emmett ran over and plopped himself down in her lap. He turned over, short legs sticking up, and promptly fell asleep as she scratched his chest and stomach. I shifted back, sitting up as my wife looked down at our son. "He's beautiful," she finally said. "How?"

That took a whole puppy nap to explain.

"What does this mean to me?"

"You haven't changed, my love," I said. "We will need to be careful. Babies are unpredictable; now that he can shift, he can do it at will. I don't have to tell you what would happen if anyone saw Emmett or me shift into a wolf."

"They would kill us," she concluded.

"Yes. That is why my Pack lived in the mountains, hidden from the others around us. Adults would trade and interact with those around them, but the children remained hidden."

"How does that work for us?"

I shook my head. "Eventually, we will have to move from here."

That time didn't come until Emmett was near of age. The Governor was giving land grants to areas away from Sydney to attract settlers. I applied for and received a large land grant on the Shoalhaven River, about a hundred miles south of Sydney.

We sold our land and most of our flock before leaving for the new settlement near Nowra. Our new lands were well-suited to farming and raising livestock, and our family prospered. I lived long enough to bury my wife and see my son fall in love and marry at the age of twenty-eight.

I didn't live long enough to see them join the settlement that would become Melbourne.

Ch. 8

Sheraton Grand Mirage Resort
Gold Coast, Australia

I was nervous as I held Nicholas's hand, walking quickly away from the wedding reception to the hotel elevator. "I'm happy for Hammer and Susan," I said as we waited for the elevator.

"He's a good bloke," my mate agreed. As soon as the door to the elevator closed, he pulled me up against his hard body. "And you have been teasing me all night, my beautiful mate." The thin clothes did nothing to hide the heat of our bodies for each other, nor did they hide the scent of our arousal. I could feel his rapidly-hardening shaft growing between us, pressing against my stomach.

"It's not teasing if you back it up," I said as I slipped my hand inside his trunks, gripping his length. Our bodies hid it from the security camera, and I took

"Yes, Ma'am." He leaned down and grabbed me around the legs, lifting me onto his broad shoulder as he walked down the hallway. I squirmed, which led to a loud smack on my butt and a squeal. "Your wolf may be dominant, but not now," he said.

My wolf was silent; the shameless hussy was so happy to be mating, she would put up with anything. My hands were free, so I used one to smack his ass back. He didn't take time to react, stopping at our door and opening it with the card. A few steps later, and his strong arms were tossing me into the middle of the bed. I bounced once, then rolled onto my hands and knees as he turned to lock the door. "Strip," he told me. I got on my knees and started to pull my dress off, and he stopped me. "Slowly."

He sat in the chair opposite the bed as I kicked my sandals off and stood next to his chair. I pulled my phone out, starting some music I could dance to, and placing it on the table behind him. I started moving with the music, using moves Amy and I had learned on sleepovers while watching videos. His eyes were wide, and he loved it.

I moved around him, moving my hips and body until I was between his legs. Crossing my arms, I pulled the dress up slowly, an inch or two at a time, while I rolled my hips underneath it. When it cleared my head, I was facing away from him. I tossed the dress onto the other chair, then reached for the ties that held up my top. I channeled burlesque moves, loosening the strings and letting it fall to the floor while I danced.

"You're so beautiful," he said. I backed up until my legs hit the chair, then leaned back until my ass was grinding into his shorts. I felt hands come forward, and I smacked them before standing up. "No touching the lap dancer," I teased. "Behave, or I'll have the bouncer throw you out."

"He can try," Nicholas said, but his hands moved back to the arms of the chair. I started dancing again, moving to the beat, and covering my breasts with my hands as I turned around. His breath caught in his throat, and I could see his wolf coming forward.

I let my hands slide down my stomach, then slowly pulled the bikini strings loose on my bottoms. As it fell to the floor, he leaned forward. "Stop," he said. "Don't move." I didn't know what was wrong, but I stopped dancing. Nicholas stood up, moving around me, his eyes examining everything. "Stand with your feet shoulder-width apart, then lift your hair off your neck, and link your fingers together."

I was standing naked in the center of the hotel room, taking up the vulnerable position, and I'd never been dripping like this before. "Is something wrong?"

He moved off to the bathroom, coming back with a terry-cloth tie from one of the hotel robes. "Nothing is wrong. I want our first time to be amazing." He held the belt in his hands. "Do you trust me?"

Could I? I'd barely known him half a day, but my wolf was shivering in anticipation. His dominant behavior was turning me on, and I wanted to see what he would do. "Yes."

"Good." He covered my eyes with the soft cloth and tied it behind my head. With my vision gone, everything else got magnified. Every scent stronger, every noise louder, and every touch set me on fire. He ran his fingers lightly from my arm to my side, and I yelped and moved away.

I heard a whose before feeling a hard smack on my left butt cheek. I yelped again and twisted, bringing my hands down, and earned a smack on my OTHER butt cheek for my effort. "I told you not to move," he said. "Do I need to tie you up?"

"No," I said as I returned to my pose. This time, I focused on not reacting to the touch. It was difficult, as each contact sent tingles through my body, and a signal to my sex to prepare. Nicholas started with my hair, brushing it gently before massaging my scalp. Magic fingers moved to my face, lightly brushing my cheeks and lips before moving to my neck.

It was all too much. "I'm going to cum," I said.

"Not without permission, my love, or you'll earn a punishment."

I bit my lip, I changed my breathing, I did multiplication tables, I even thought about budget numbers for Sharkbait Productions as his fingers moved down my shoulders while he stood behind me. His hands moved around, cupping my breasts, his fingers twisting my erect nipples. "Please," I begged.

"No."

Oh LUNA, I prayed as his hands moved down my stomach towards my sex. I was on such a hair-trigger that I'd explode if he touched me. "PLEASE!"

"Cum for me, my mate," he said as his right index finger tapped on my engorged clit.

I went off like a bomb. Screaming in pleasure, Nicholas held me up as his fingers pushed me from one explosion into the next. When it finally ebbed, I found myself on the bed with the sheets pulled down. "Wow," was all I could say. I moved my hands up to the blindfold, only for him to grab them.

"No," he said. "Reach over your head and hold on to the headboard. If you let go, I stop."

I reached up and found the rails, grabbing on as I heard the sounds of his clothes coming off.

I never knew how frustrating but HOT it could be, not being able to see or touch, while being seen and touched. His fingers, lips, and tongue plundered every erogenous zone I knew of, and a few I didn't. I asked for and received permission three more times, the last two with his face buried between my legs.

I felt him lift himself and crawl up my body, kissing my navel, then laving my breasts again before settling between my legs. I heard a wrapper open, just before his hard cock started sliding against my sodden sex. I begged him to put it in me.

He pulled the blindfold off. "I want to see your eyes as I do this," he said.

"Make me yours," I moaned. I felt the swollen head moving between my labia, lubricating the condom, and then he started pushing in. My mouth opened as he stretched me, stopping when he reached the barrier. He was a big guy, and it took a moment for me to adjust.

"Are you all right?" I nodded. He leaned down, kissed me, and pushed his way through.

The pain flared but was soon gone, replaced by a sense of fullness. He stopped moving, letting me adjust until I started moving against him. He started stroking gently, the feeling indescribable. He allowed me to move my hands, and I put them to use immediately. We built to a peak, my legs wrapped around his hips and my hands pulling his ass forward as he pounded me into a quivering mass of jello.

Our wolves came forward, teeth lengthening in readiness for the claim. I moved my face right, picking out the spot where his neck met his left shoulder. With one hard thrust, he set me over the edge again, and I bit down hard.

The bite triggered his orgasm, and his wolf took my neck, biting deeply. The bond popped into place between us, linking us together forever. I took my teeth out, licking the wound as my teeth receded.

He rolled off to the side, pulling me until I was facing him. We didn't say anything as we recovered; we didn't need to. "I love you, Nicholas," I sent to him over the new link in my mind.

"I love you, Vicki." We rested a few more minutes, then showered and cleaned the blood off. Mating scars healed quickly, but the claiming scars would be a visible sign to all of our mating. Our scents would change, further warning other wolves of our status.

"How do you feel," I said as we walked back into our room.

"Powerful," he said. "It's like my wolf drank a bunch of energy drinks."

"That's the Alpha mantle strengthening him. Your wolf becomes as strong as mine."

I looked at the clock after another round of lovemaking; it was three in the morning. We had breakfast at seven, followed by a meeting about the Australian Wolves. I snuggled into my mate's side, my nose filled with his scent as we dropped off to sleep together.

Ch. 9

Leo's POV

I asked Ian, Dorothy, and Amy to join me for the phone call. They gathered the opened bottles of wine and spirits and some of the food to bring along. The twins and Sharkbait's security detail headed off to bed, and Linda went back to her room to start editing the video she'd shot today.

It was disconcerting having a mermaid around in such proximity, but Sharkbait trusted her, and I would learn to. They weren't exactly an issue in the middle of the United States, preferring small coastal towns on the oceans. Only Vicki could have bridged the gap, just like she did with the vampire nation.

It was early morning back home, and even earlier in Oregon, which was two hours behind Miesville time. I sent a meeting invite over text message to Alpha Steven, Olivia, and Adrienne while we rode up in the elevator. Almost immediately, I got a call back from my mate. "What's going on, Leo? Is everyone all right?"

"Everyone is great, but you know how good Vicki is at creating headaches. This one is a whopper, and I'll need your help."

"What happened?"

"She got her second chance. I'll tell everyone at the same time, all right? We're heading back to my room now. Love you."

"I love you, Leo. Talk to you soon." By the time I had everyone settling in my room, which was on a different floor so Vicki wouldn't smell me, I'd gotten confirmation texts from the others. I set up my laptop for the videoconference; it used encryption so we could talk freely. We sat back far enough that all four of us could be seen on the camera, and waited for the others to get on.

Brent and Olivia were on first, quickly followed by Adrienne. It took a few minutes for Alpha Steven and Luna Carolyn to get on, and then I started. "Good morning, everyone. Did you get a chance to see the wedding?"

"It was beautiful," Adrienne said.

"I'm so jealous of the weather," Olivia agreed. "Amy, you looked beautiful too."

I turned to Ian and Dorothy. "You might recognize these two from the video. This man is Ian Corcoran, formerly of the Australian SAS and recipient of the Victoria's Cross. Hammer invited him because Ian saved his life in Africa years ago. His wife Dorothy and son Nicholas came as well."