Arcana Pt. 01: A Shapeshifter's Desire

"If it's anything like a wizard's magic, and I suspect that it is, transformations are simply moving things around and changing them. Once you're what you want, the expenditure is over. But creating fire like that, especially Phoenix fire, is a constant drain." Alex said quickly, "More importantly, I need to get this added to the investigation. Where were you ambushed?"

Caroline told him.

"So close to here. He's slinking around right under our noses with his own army of specters." Alex cursed, starting towards a large pinboard they had covered with pictures and notes.

"Wait a second, I want to know more about this Phoenix Fire. Not to mention, if I'm using magic like a wizard, why can't I recover as quickly as Kate? A few days without her and the need was driving me crazy, but a few orgasms and she gets it all back before lunch." Caroline asked impatiently, following close behind Alex.

"The Phoenix is a rare and mystical creature, so if you really transformed into one, it was likely costly and very dangerous. Their feathers have a multitude of uses. They are nearly immortal. You ever read Harry Potter? Rowling wasn't far off. They're strong, they're smart, and their tears can indeed heal all but the most mortal wounds. Their fire? It's a powerful cleansing force. It can burn away all magic and it can defeat any enchantment. It purifies corruption and poison. A wizard, even one such as me, can't produce it without rituals and even then, only in little flickers. It's difficult to summon something with magic that destroys magic." He stopped and turned to Caroline, "If you were able to summon as much as you say, that you cloaked yourself in it, than in all likelihood, Capone grew scared and fled. None of his magic could've touched you behind such a defense and you would've destroyed him, should you have assaulted him with it."

"Whoa." Caroline said in surprise, "I can do that?"

"Don't go trying. Remember how exhausted you were after moments of use. If you did so and he managed to avoid it for just that short time, you would be at his mercy and likely enslaved. As far as your energy goes, perhaps your spirit creature can't regenerate it like a human or a wizard. I don't know." Alex shook his head and went back to his desk.

"Okay, take care when using it, stick to just being a dragon." Caroline nodded, adding a note to Draconis, 'Heard all that?' And she responded with a mental affirmation.

"So, back to the matter at hand. If Capone thinks Kate was me, then he doesn't know I'm a part of this then. That could explain his carelessness in attacking you. Of course, he didn't expect Phoenix Fire either. This changes how I need to plan. It allows me an element of surprise." Alex said, looking over the board once more, "Off you two go. I'll report all this to the Lieutenant when she makes it in. Don't do anything stupid and stay inside at night."

"Uhm..." Kate had recovered from the shock of Caroline's blatant statement about their sexual exploits, "How can I enchant my home to protect it?"

"I would tell you that it takes practice and you wouldn't be able to set up anything serious overnight, but I doubt you'd listen." He opened a drawer to his desk and drew out a second leather bound book, "Here is a book I have written on more intermediate magical theory. Enchantments, curses, and other lasting magic. It was your next step, though don't overdo it. A proper home with a threshold is a powerful defense as it is, a lot of magic and supernatural can't get through one."

Kate took the book eagerly and they headed out. This time they made it home without any attacks and they got some cheeseburgers on the way. It was a nice afternoon together, just some quiet sunshine, a couple of books and a couple of chairs on the balcony. It was a mild day and the sun began to sink to the horizon. Just as the sun began to dip below the horizon, the phone rang.

"Yah?" Caroline answered it, still sitting out admiring the sunset.

"Broad fucking daylight! I told you to keep a low profile and five minutes after you talk with Alex, you go off on this vigilante strike! I want you back there in the next ten minutes or I'm going to come for you." Hail roared angrily in her ear.

"What in the hell are you on about?" Caroline exclaimed.

"Oh don't fucking give me that. One of the patrolmen reported a commotion down at the Pier, a woman came out of the water with fish fins. She roared at the people and scared them off. Then I get a dozen more reports all up and down the waterfront of a half-woman, half-animal creature. Now there's been a conflict right in front of the aquarium and there's a body!" Hail yelled at her, "Alex informs me that the Pier was one of the places he had marked on a map of where a leyline crossed strong enough for Capone to do his rituals! Guess who the body is? Doesn't take a fucking detective to tell me that you went rogue and took him down in front of thousands! Tourists from all over the world visit that Pier! Get your scaly fucking ass moving!"

And she hung up with a snap.

"Okay... I heard most of that from here. You've been sitting here all day with me. What?" Kate said flatly.

"I don't..." Caroline stopped mid-sentence, "My mother. It could've been my mother, she's also a Shapeshifter."

"She caught wind he tried to kill you, snaps him off to protect you?" Kate suggested.

"Could be. But if I don't get down there in five minutes, Hail's gonna be knocking here with a tank or something." Caroline cringed.

"I've got work, so I can't come along." Kate shrugged.

"I wonder if you're still going to get signed on down at the precinct after this." Caroline mused.

"I wonder if she's going to believe you and not string you up." Kate chuckled.

"We both know Hail won't do that. I didn't do this." Caroline shook her head as she headed for the front door.

*******

The Pier was usually bustling with activity, but the portion in front of the aquarium had been thoroughly blocked off by the SPD. Caroline parked near the tape, showed her little tag to one of the officers and headed past.

Hail came stomping towards her the moment she got close, "Caroline, what in the hell were you thinking."

"I didn't do it." Caroline said flatly, meeting Hail's gaze directly.

"I... Okay. I didn't expect that." Hail said abruptly.

"You believe me?" Caroline was honestly shocked. The Lieutenant had stopped so quickly and she looked so confused now.

"I know when people lie. You didn't. Come here." She gestured her over towards the entrance to the aquarium. The doors had been broken in, and there were great gouges in the walls and all over the concrete in front of it. Behind them, entire planks were missing from the wooden portions of the Pier. It had been a helluva fight.

"Who's the one getting beaten?" Caroline asked.

"In here." Hail said, pointing inside the aquarium.

Just a few steps inside the doors, an older man's body lay strewn across ten feet. He had been torn in half at the waist and his guts had been ripped apart. His arms had both been broken and his body was covered in slashes and deep cuts.

"Capone." Hail said simply.

"Fuck. He really got done in." Caroline said with wide eyes. She looked around and was surprised at just how much blood there was The smell hit her and her breath caught in her chest. Her stomach heaved and she turned around, trying not to throw up, "Damn it. I need to go outside."

"So, you didn't do it and now we have a dead evil wizard. He was the source of all the problems we had been having and someone knocked him off." Hail said, her cold eyes fixed on me.

"The only other Shapeshifter I know is my mother. I don't know if she did this or not, I've only met her the one time a while back." Caroline said, looking out at the lapping waves. Her breathing grew easier and the salty sea air cleared her head.

"Your mother? Well, that would explain it. Could she have known you got attacked last night and went to kill him to protect you?" She scratched her head.

"I don't know. I don't know the first thing about her. Once, years ago when I first got abandoned by my father, she left me a box with hundreds of thousands of dollars in it on my porch. Then a just a few weeks ago, she showed up in my apartment and we talked for the first time ever. I've not heard or seen her since." Caroline shrugged.

"Wow. Great family. Leave you on your own with all the money you could want and budding superpowers." Hail laughed, "What's her name? What can you tell me?"

"She said I'm descended from the Shikanal Tribe of native Indians here in the Puget. Her name is Yukeewuiala. She said it means something like one watching the heavens or something." Caroline said, "She didn't talk a lot about herself, just listened to me talk."

"Alright. Well, this has solved the problem of the angry black wizard in our neighborhood, but now I've got to figure out how to clean up this mess." Hail sighed.

"Wait, what if that isn't him?" Caroline asked, "The way Alex talked, he's escaped things before and he had the help of a demon or something this time. Say he escaped somehow?"

"I'm not new to this job. Trust me. I'll be keeping an eye open." Hail smirked.

*******

Caroline returned home to find the door locked. She pulled out her key and had just put it in the lock when Kate yelled from the other side, "No! Caroline, stop! Don't do that!"

"What? Why not?" She cocked her head at the peephole.

"I... Well, I sort of cast a spell on the door and I don't know how to deactivate it. I'm still reading." Kate said squeakily, "If... If you open the door... It'll blow up."

"What have you been up to woman?!" Caroline exclaimed, stepping back quickly from the door.

"I was just going through the book Alex gave me. I reached the portion on runic traps and thought I'd try one. But after I cast it, I realized I have no idea how to remove it." Kate groaned and there was a quiet rustle of pages.

"Oh forget this." Caroline growled and kicked off her shoes. She pulled off her socks and scales grew from her skin all over. Her toes became talons and she dug them into the wood flooring of the balcony. She put an arm in front of her face and grabbed the door knob.

"I got it!" Kate exclaimed.

"What?" Caroline pushed the door open at the exact same time.

A fiery eruption filled the air around her and she felt like she got hit in the chest with a speeding truck. Her feet tore free of the floor and she went sailing through the railing, ripping the metal apart like paper. Her head bounced as she struck the pavement and her claws and horns gouged lines in it.

"Caroline!" Kate squealed, rushing through the door and to the mangled railing.

Caroline shifted back into human form before any of their other neighbors could come rushing out. Her clothing was singed and ripped in many places. She got to her feet with a groan and brushed her self off half-heartedly.

"Oh my goodness, are you okay?" Kate called down to her.

"Fine. What the hell? You couldn't come up with anything less destructive?" Caroline complained as she walked back up the stairs. A few neighbors were standing out their doors looking at her.

"I was still experimenting. Come inside, I'll show you." Kate said with a blush in her cheeks.

Caroline closed the surprisingly unharmed door behind herself and stared at Kate flatly.

"I'm sorry!" Kate squeaked, "I was just trying out enchantments and one of them was some sort of landmine on the door. I didn't think you'd be home so soon."

"Try for something that won't kill the mailman if he comes up here with a package." Caroline sighed with a smile and a slap on Kate's round bum.

"Oh! I... I hadn't thought of that." Kate stammered, realizing how dangerous it could've been.

"Or at least, we could get our own place before you go doing stuff like this. I'm going to be willing to bet that management isn't going to like that you destroyed the railing. What do you think about getting a house?" Caroline smiled widely.

"A house? How? I'm still working at the gas station and even with all the money you're getting from SI..." Kate trailed off as she followed Caroline's glance at the bedroom.

"We'll just buy it." Caroline smiled widely. Kate howled and threw her arms around her, laughing wildly as they embraced.

"I can't believe it! We're going to have our own house! I won't have to sound-proof the bedroom like I planned." Kate giggled, still hugged close by her lover.

"You might still want to." Caroline smirked and kissed Kate.

*******

CHAPTER 16 - NEW COMINGS

"It's ours! It's our house! Ohmygosh! Ohmygosh! Ohmygosh!" Kate practically bounced up the steps of the little townhouse they had purchased right in the heart of downtown Seattle. It cost them just under two-hundred thousand and was three floors tall, situated right between a bookstore and a knick-knack store. The second floor of their little home was a bathroom, a kitchen and a comfortable living space while the third was just a large open bedroom.

They went through the old wood and glass door and found themselves in a dark and musty store. The front windows were boarded, but at one time it had been a store of sorts. The only things left were the heavy oak counter in the back corner and the tall shelving lining the side walls.

"Goodness, I could open a store." Kate smiled as they walked though towards the back room. Caroline had already been through it, but Kate had stayed behind to pack their apartment.

"If you want. Come on up and see the rest. The pictures didn't lie, it's very well kept. Everything is in perfect condition. The old maid that lived here before was nuts about it staying pristine." Caroline said, bounding up the carpeted steps to the second floor.

It was all very open except for the pillar in the middle and the bathroom taking up the rear corner. The kitchen counters were a perfect white marble and the floors were all waxed maple that looked shiny enough to bowl on.

"The kitchen is amazing! Oh, and we have natural gas! I've always liked cooking on it so much more!" Kate giggled, dancing across the bare room. She looked out the two front windows and down at the street.

"One more to see. Most important room up here." Caroline smiled and rounded up the next steps.

The third floor was just a large bedroom. It had soft, fluffy blue carpet and the windows were open, letting in a soft breeze that ruffled the white curtains.

"I love it! Look at those windows! Because we're on the upside of the hill, you can see right over that building. It gives such a beautiful view of the Space Needle!" Kate cooed as she looked out the windows.

"Good. Now we're still going to need to soundproof these walls. I don't know if our neighbors will be as understanding of your... Boisterous voice." Caroline said with a cheeky smile.

"Yea, I know." Kate blushed, "Oh! The moving guys are here!"

*******

It took them most of the day, but they got all their stuff moved. Most of it was still in boxes, but they had a bed and they had some pillows. They slept utterly dead through the night, both of them exhausted from the move. The next morning, Caroline awoke to the soft summer breeze fluttering through the windows and the streaks of orange in the sky.

She held Kate close and kissed her warmly on the cheek, "Morning, my love."

"Hey. So we've got a new bedroom..." Kate cooed, squirming a bit in Caroline's arms.

"I know exactly what you mean." Caroline said with a wolfish smile. She turned over and straddled Kate's waist, wearing only panties. Kate had fallen asleep after just stripping off her pants and hitting the pillow. Caroline attacked her clothes rabidly, pulling off her blouse and the soft bra she had on underneath.

"Oh no, what're you gonna do to me?" Kate whined in a mocking, fearful tone.

"Try to remember that you've not sound proofed the room yet." Caroline said, pulling her own panties aside. Her flesh bubbled and stretched, a cock blossoming from her crotch and sliding up Kate's belly with a long stream of hot pre.

"With how big you make it..." Kate blushed, "I don't know if I can."

"Then bite pillow." Caroline said as she moved back and pulled Kate's panties down. She forced her legs up and held them together over one shoulder, exposing Kate's moist slit to the cool morning air. She whimpered a bit and hugged a pillow close.

With cock in hand, Caroline wasted little time teasing Kate. She slowly parted the folds of her pussy with the thick head of her throbbing member. She was using a plain human one and it's foreskin bunched up as Kate's insides tensed around her. Pleasure grew within them as she slipped deeper. Kate's teeth dug into the pillow and her eyes went cross from the pleasure.

"Yeeetthhhh! Ohhhh!" Kate moaned through her mouthful, clenching tight to the pillow as her pussy was filled completely with hard cock.

"Aw yea, that's it. Right there, huh?" Caroline groaned, slowly grinding her dick inside her.

"Oh God yes!" Kate gasped loudly, losing the pillow completely for a moment. Caroline pushed her legs to the side and bent over her, locking lips with her moaning mouth.

Her cock sank into her again with throbbing eagerness. Their warm breasts pressed together and they lost themselves in the kiss. Caroline's tongue slowly inched down her throat and her dick slowly grew thicker, stretching her pussy to the point of orgasm.

Kate's eyes rolled back in her head and she felt her lovers tongue licking her tonsils. Her insides were twisting up and the orgasm was drowning her nerves in sensation.

It was then she realized she was getting light headed and couldn't breathe. She shoved weakly against Caroline, but that just made her dick twitch inside her and send off another wild rush of pleasure into her oxygen deprived brain. She fought against the seemingly endless tide of pleasure and pushed against Caroline's face.

That got her attention and she pulled back, her tongue reeling in. Kate gasped deeply and her vision pulsed almost painfully. Caroline held to her warm thigh, monster cock still inside her, "Are you okay? I kind of lost myself.

"Yea... Oh goodness... That felt so amazing... I just couldn't breathe and I panicked." Kate panted, wiping some sweat from here forehead.

"Whoops. Sorry." Caroline apologized and grabbed Kate's panties. She pulled them off and spread her legs wide, letting her lay flat on her back, "How about this then?"

She drew back her thick meat and drove it back inside, making Kate moan loudly. Her eyes glittered with delight and she wrapped her legs around Caroline's waist, all pretense of silence forgotten. The cock plunged deep into her and drew ecstatic sounds from her again and again.

"Oh that is fantastic!" Kate moaned out, "It's so big! It feels so good!"

A chorus of sexual noises accompanied Caroline's near rabid fucking, their genitals meeting with moist slapping sounds. Kate was practically pinned to the bed under Caroline's enormous, thrusting dick.

"Here it comes. Kate, I'm going to fill you up!" Caroline moaned as the orgasm tingled up her spine. She sank up to the hilt and basted Kate's womb in thick splooge. This drew a new shrill cry from her and she went limp, warm cream slowly filling her up.

"You are just so fantastic." Caroline sighed, pulling free and splattering her thighs with cum.

"Guhh... Yea..." Kate swooned weakly, staring at the blank ceiling. Caroline flopped down next to her with a sigh.

"We've got so much work to do today." She said, relaxing in the soft bed as her dick shrank out of existence.

Kate just gave a noncommittal grunt and Caroline smiled again.

*******

"So now they're soundproof? Alright, good. The neighbors from the bookstore gave me a funny look when I went to look around. So how does it work?" Caroline asked as they sat in their kitchen eating some salads. She had spent all morning unpacking the living room while Kate was upstairs doing magic.