Ann Mayburn - Sodom and the Phoenix

He stood and gave her a one-armed hug and swatted her butt lightly, earning a scowl.

“On second thought, I’ll tell her to invest in a good vibrator because there isn’t enough Viagra in the real world to keep you hard.”

Before he could stop laughing, she had sauntered over to a cage where Saul, wearing an avatar of a rather vicious-looking hybrid of a black bear and a man, had appeared. Easily seven feet tall, his body rippled with muscle where it wasn’t covered in a pelt of black fur. Long claws curved out of his hands, and his canines looked sharp enough to rend flesh from bone. His human face had been subtly altered to give a somewhat animalistic appearance. A silver chain mail kilt covered his groin and gleamed in the sunlight as he turned and stared at himself in the mirror at the back of the cage.

Julia approached the door to his enclosure and snapped her whip, causing Saul to jump. At the sight of Julia, he smiled and practically ran to the door. He towered over her as she stood on the other side of the bars. Something she said made him laugh in a low growl. When their fingers met through the bars of the cage, Saul moved very carefully so that she could curve her hand around his without harming herself on his claws.

The trust they showed with the simple touch compounded the hollow feeling in Bryan’s heart. He wanted Tanwen to trust him like that, to let him guide her and take care of her. As strong of a woman as she was, he needed her to know she could let go of the reins, that as her dominant he would take care of all her needs. The only thing she was responsible for was embracing the experience and pleasure he offered her. He stared at the cage where she would appear, trying to will her into existence. When the air began to shimmer, he let out a small whoop of joy and tried to ignore the chuckles of the other doms that still waited for their subs. He would be her perfect master and give her every experience she wanted.

As the wavering light began to take shape into a deliciously rounded figure covered in white fur, all thoughts except taking Tanwen in his arms as quickly as possible vanished.

A brief moment of darkness signaled Tanwen’s transition from the real world to the VR world, and the first breath she sucked in of the simulated air felt as genuine as real air. She opened her eyes and found herself in an elaborate cage complete with a bed of silk pillows and a mirror over a small basin of water. When she saw herself in the mirror, she squeaked in shock and watched her reflection do the same.

She was a fox!

Actually she was a hybrid of a human and a snow-white fox. She raised her hand—no, her paw—to her face and ran her long black claws over her cheek. White fur covered most of her body but faded to a superfine down over her face and the front of her torso. To her delight, she had a gorgeous fluffy white tail that curled around her feet. With a little bit of concentration, she learned how to use that tail. It was akin to moving an arm or a leg but more like a twitch of the hips. A sparkly petal pink bikini top covered her breasts and a pink miniskirt of the same material rode low on her hips under her tail. A gold chain secured the skirt around her waist and gleamed against her snowy fur.

Instead of her usual hazel eyes, dark brown eyes rimmed with black fur stared back at her. It looked as if she wore eyeliner. Her hair was now a mass of white curls that fell to her shoulders, and two delicate fox ears sat on top of her head. Her canines were considerably sharper behind her pale pink lips. As she twirled and examined herself, she couldn’t resist stroking her hands over her body. When she smoothed her hand down the soft fur covering her arm, she marveled at how different it felt than the sensation of skin on skin.

Metal clanged behind her, and she whirled to see Bryan opening the door to her cage. Desire drew her nipples to hard points as she examined his costume. He was still human, but he wore black leather pants tucked into black motorcycle boots. The magnificent expanse of his chest was bare, and his blue eyes practically glowed as he returned her stare.

The warmth in his gaze made her knees tremble as he beckoned her forward. “You look amazing.”

“Thank you, Sir.” Her voice came out deeper than usual, with the edge of an almost purring growl.

Her cage was surrounded by wooden walls on three sides, so when she stepped out and into Bryan’s arms, she caught her first glimpse of the zoo. She froze, overwhelmed by the beauty around them. The warm air, which she could only describe as springlike, caressed her body as Bryan slowly turned her in his arms so she could get a full view.

A zoo in truth stretched down as far as she could see, but instead of traditional animals in the habitats, men and women in exotic hybrids of human and beast graced each enclosure. Some merely preened, displaying themselves for the pleasure of their owners, while others performed tricks for the crowd. Not all were sexual in nature. The water habitat closest to them held what appeared to be a half man/half seal who jumped through a series of rings while his mistress snapped her whip and directed him in an intricate display of grace and beauty.

The cage next to hers had been empty, but before her astonished eyes, a woman who had emerald scales like a snake materialized. As the reptilian woman blinked to orient herself, she held out her hands and laughed in delight. From Tanwen’s left, she watched one of the doms approach the snake woman with a brilliant smile on his dark face. A smile much like the one Bryan wore.

“Little flame, do you realize your tail is getting frisky with me?”

She startled in his arms and glanced down to find her tail had wound around him. He smiled as she brought her tail back under control. “In a world full of amazing creatures, you are the most spectacular.” She flushed, and he grinned, stroking his hands over her body. “I’ve never been a big fan of hairy women, but you’ve made me change my mind.” He leaned closer and nuzzled the side of her neck. “Wonder how far that fur extends below that tiny skirt?”

Her breath came out in a heated burst as his clever fingers delved beneath her skirt, giving her pussy a brief stroke, gathering some of the moisture that coated her labia. “Sir, people can see us!”

“Smooth enough to eat without getting fur in my mouth,” he responded and ignored her attempts to push him away. “Though I may have to put mittens on you before those lovely claws of yours tear my back up. Or maybe I’ll just restrain you to have my pleasure.”

Not waiting for her answer, he held her hand and pulled her back over to the entrance of her cage. There was a small table next to the door that she’d missed in her initial examination. Bryan opened it and pulled out a glittering length of gold chain that matched the chains holding up her skirt. Next he pulled out what looked like a pink leather dog collar.

“Little flame, come here.”

She took a hesitant step forward, closing the brief distance between them.

“Kneel.”

His ice blue eyes held no hint of humor or compassion as she considered his request—no, his demand. The idea of wearing his collar, being led about like a pampered pet, excited and scared her. She’d been on another man’s leash for twenty years and had no desire to return to that state anytime soon. But this situation, this man, was so very different, and a little flame of happiness burned in her heart at the thought of everyone looking at them together and knowing she was his.

“Tanwen, do not make me tell you again.”

To her surprise, she found herself kneeling before him even as her mind fought with the idea. She lifted the mass of white curls so he could secure the collar. When he tightened the leather strap around her neck, her breath came out in a hiss. The leash snapped on, and with that snick came a wave of heat rushing through her body. Her nipples bunched into hard points against the thin cloth of her top.