Chapter 23

James said as he watched Josh walk away, “You may need to be careful teasing him, my love. He is already half in love with you.”

“Yes, I know. James if we did get a third would you prefer they were dominantly male or female?” she asked him with some trepidation.

James flicked his eyes at her and then looked at Josh’s retreating figure thoughtfully before he chuckled. “You are so bad. How about I chuck the ball back in your court. If and when you decide to have someone join us, then I will happily accept them too.”

“But, what if you don’t like them?’ she pursued the topic doggedly.

James wrapped his arms around her and kissed her on the forehead. “If you want them, then I will too. I trust you and love you. You wouldn’t bring someone into the relationship unless we could both love them. I know Fahra was a temptation because of your desire to save her but you did hesitate. You did listen to me and you knew in your heart she wasn’t for us and you didn’t do it.”

He hugged her for a few moments. “So which one gets you hot, Demetri or Josh?” he asked with a sly look and then chuckled at her blush, “Oh you bad girl, they both tickle your fancy. I think your magical side is affecting you. Sean did warn me about that.”

“What else did he tell?” she asked in consternation.

“Oh, lots of things, he, the boys and I had a fascinating conversation about female Wizards when you were talking to Lee and the committee. Darling, we are Shifters now and very powerful Wizards. Apparently, Wizards like us have very active libidos. You’re even stronger than I am and you have never experienced anyone but me. I would more upset if you weren’t curious.”

Dusty relaxed against him. “Thank you, I was wondering where the weird feelings were coming from when I had never even thought of anyone but you. It has been very disconcerting,” she admitted.

“Just talk to me. I’m not a square or a domineering husband. I’m aware we are not the same humans we were when we met. The human norms as far as sex that we were brought up with don’t apply to us anymore since we are not fully human anymore.”

“I won’t say that I won’t get jealous if you prefer them over me but I do know that if you can’t draw magic in fast enough and need recharging, you will feel compelled to find someone to assist you. There will be times that this may not be me and I’m fine with that. As to bringing in a third or even if you just want to experiment then we can do that too if you wish.”

Dusty chuckled, “You think he has a cute arse too.”

“That and the fact I got hard when I touched him,” James admitted.

Dusty turned at looked at him with wide eyes, “Did you get this really tingly and warm feeling first?”

“Yes, it was perplexing because I’ve never thought of being with a male before. Then I realised that I have a stronger feminine side now and it was that side of me reacting. I have enjoyed the couple of times we swapped even though I prefer making you come on my cock, I love the way you squeeze me and your expressions when you come.”

“Yes, I love you being in me too. Mind you, watching you being all girly and coming while I stuck a cock into you was an interesting experience. We may need to explore that more often now that we have changed so much.”

James sighed dramatically, “I always knew I was just your bitch. If I must, I must.”

Dusty giggled at his silliness knowing full well, James was no one’s bitch. He was far more dominating in the bedroom than out of it. He was compliant with her wishes but he was always in charge and that was just how she liked him to behave.

“We will see,” she said leaving the conversation open for another time as the others were coming back.

Rupert graciously accepted his fifteen new arrivals when they dropped them off.

They put them in the other cube for now with the other men from Haven. James moved it to beside the first cube for them. He and the crew volunteered to help Rupert with his building and land clearing project while Que and Dusty wiped up a batch of her new Shifter-shot for Rupert.

She did warn the five males who were the worst of the bunch that they would be getting the shot. The other ten got to decide, as did the women. The crew also offloaded a cube that had preservation spells on it to make sure Rupert had enough food for the new people.

They added a second cube that was for storage and included more tools and general items like toiletries, household goods and rolls of cloth to make clothing. They lined up nicely at the back of the pavilion. They then cleared a larger flat area. They ran a street across in front of the cubes heading primarily north-south and one that crossed that road, going west to east on the north side of the pavilion.

On the sea side of the intersection, they built ten homes that were more like, twin, three bedroom townhouses, with small yards. The two corners had a central house with two homes on each side of it along the two roads. Beside the cubes and the pavilion, they cleared an area to be used as a general meeting area.

The streets were long enough to leave spaces for future homes and even businesses. They finished Rupert’s house that was just down the road that led to the sea. The garden was also near his house and the others considered it his since he worked in it every day and directed what was planted in it. The chook pen was on the other side of the street from the cubes, so they left it there.

About a click to the north, they then cleared ten acres for wheat and corn and even ploughed it over for them. By then Dusty and Que had finished making the booster. She went and planted the fields and even helped the seedlings along a bit, so the crops would be ready in a month or so rather than the three months they normally took.

They cleared some of the more significant trees from several more acres to the south and used them to make fences around the land. They even flattened it a bit and encouraged the grasses to grow in the open places. They then let the new herds out of the cube they had been in and into the paddocks.

Rupert and his people were delighted and loved having the lanky’s included for transport. Dusty gave in when Rupert implied a stable for the stallions and a barn for hay, milking and checking the animals would be required.

“Thank you, Teha Dusty, you are a benevolent Overlord,” Rupert told her and gave her a small bow once the barn had been erected.

Dusty chuckled. “Been talking to the new people, huh?” she asked.

“Indeed, I have. They have no idea how lucky they are being put here. This is what I wanted when I first found this planet but things went wrong, most especially me,” he replied with some remorse.

Dusty looked at him. “Five Sheldon years, Rupert. Show me what you can achieve and I’ll open the borders. I’ll leave you with communication so you can keep in touch with the outside worlds. You can’t have visitors but you can have contact with the MP bases and me if you have problems. You will keep the cuff for life unless it decides you have changed enough for it to leave you. That goes for everyone here.”

“Ten,” he said. “Give me that long. Either we will have made it by then or we won’t have. There are plenty of resources here we can use and we do have many skilled people even if they were not always good people.”

“Am I allowed to drop off more people if I need to?” she asked him.

“Please do,” Rupert said. An odd expression then came over his face. “Dusty, one thing, can I really give Joey a baby?” he asked with apprehension.

Dusty grinned, “You already have, so look after her.”

Rupert’s grin was as bright as the sun, “Thank you, my Teha, you truly are a benevolent Overlord.”

Dusty packed up her crew and blinked them back into the other system.

She let Chris and the crew fly the Striker back to Haven while they took turns recharging. They were pretty excited about James and her change of status and the fun they had building Rupert’s homes for him.

“Que, did they seem really different to you?” Mitch asked her when they were on the bridge, having taken over so Chris and his girls could recharge.

“Rupert and his people or Dusty and James?” she asked.

“Both really. I didn’t actually know Rupert but he seemed nice enough. That Joey certainly loves him. The people who were with him seemed happy enough to follow his lead.”

“They are now, that’s for sure. The cuffs don’t change their nature; it’s more a control of impulses. Often gentle reminders that something they thought of doing wouldn’t be appreciated by others. I think the real alteration is from the Shifter Gene. It seems to temper the male hormones. I also know those damn mushrooms affected them, as I tested them.”

“Rupert has also been making them more responsible for the needs of the group rather than the individual and that has altered their thinking too. They need to work together to survive. They are learning that if they do, then life is a lot nicer. I think our little display of working together got to them, too.”

“So, Dusty and James, did you feel the vibes coming off them. Wow, they remind me of Sean and Lee. They even seem devoted to each other like them,” Michel said.

“They are. Possibly even more so. They share a unique bond. Bindy told me that the day James got shot was embedded in her memory. She could feel the power Dusty drew even though she didn’t understand it then. She said Dusty changed after that too.”

“She had noticed her glow before but after that, it was plain for any magical person to see. And when she is near James, it was if her glow stretched out to envelope him to always keep him safe. Even the women annoying James backed off when Dusty was near. She didn’t do or say anything to them.”

“I didn’t notice until that woman was flirting with James at the party. Dusty walked near him. She didn’t even glance at the woman but the woman suddenly backed off real fast. She told me later she felt this really cold feeling come over her and felt it was pushing her away from James when Dusty walked past.”

Mitchel chuckled, “Yeah, I’ve noticed her protectiveness. I don’t think James even realises how much she protects him, she is very subtle and effective. He is a very lucky man,” Mitchel replied.

“And you’re not?” Que asked with a raised brow.

Mitch knew a trap when he had fallen into one. He got up and went over to Que. He lifted her chin and dropped a butterfly kiss on her lips. “I’m not stupid, I know when I’ve found a good thing and for me, you are the best thing to happen to me,” he told her softly before kissing her again.

This time he licked her lips before sucking gently on them. He felt her shudder and she deepened the kiss by sucking gently and flicking her tongue with his. Her soft moan into his mouth had him lifting his head. “Better now?” he asked.

Que chuckled, “You are a rascal but at least for now you’re my rascal.”

“Play your cards right, and I’ll be your rascal for a very long time to come,” he said before kissing her again and this time not letting her up until she was squirming for him to do more. He winked at his breathless girlfriend and went back to his chair to check the screens as if nothing had happened.

Que chuckled and knew he had been affected just as much as she had been. She watched him and knew that he was a hard as a post and wanting her, even if he exhibited nonchalance, she did love his impressive control.

Que was sure she would want him to be around for a lot longer too.

The crew landed the ship back in the compound as the sun was just peeking through the trees to tell them a new day was starting.

Dusty told them to get another hour or two of shut-eye. They could then help the people here sort out what was going into the ship to go to Terra. If they were bored, they could see what needed fixing to get it space worthy so she didn’t have to do it.