The Tiger's Forbidden Mate: A Paranormal Pregnancy Romance

by Angela Foxxe

  She felt the young man shudder under her and smiled to herself after she ended the kiss.

  “Umm, I need to go change my pants, I think I peed,” the young man said as he ran off. “The grate is off to the left,” he said as he rushed away.

  Winston chuckled. “Made the poor kid cum in his pants, huh?”

  “Got us free didn’t it?” Shawna quipped.

  “Not quite yet; if we’re caught here, it’ll be useless,” Winston said as he dragged her to the alley to the left.

  He looked down and found a large grate where the open sewage was flowing into. “Oh god…” he said, gagging. “It’s the waste way.”

  “Oh… shit,” Shawna said. “Well, it’s better than being a slave. Let’s go.”

  Winston nodded as he pulled the grate from it’s housing with a loud creak and the two slid down the fetid stream into the darkness below.

  Winston reached behind him and felt a solid wall. “All right, so there’s only one way to go. Let’s get moving before they discover us missing.”

  Shawna nodded and bit back the bile that rose in the back of her throat because of the stench. The two plodded through the smelly darkness in silence so as not to alert the slavers to their presence.

  After what seemed to be an eternity, Shawna saw a glimmer of moonlight ahead. She tapped Winston’s shoulder excitedly and she just saw him nodding against the light. The two hurried their pace to escape the pungent sewer as soon as possible.

  What Chumlee neglected to tell them was the sewer exit was a one hundred foot drop from the streambed below.

  Shawna looked down in terror and looked back at Winston.

  “We are so screwed,” she said softly.

  Winston cursed and looked around for any rock or purchase they could use to climb down but found none.

  “We can’t stay here, we’ll get ill,” he said, “but we can’t jump either or we’ll die upon impact. That stream doesn’t look deep enough for either of us to survive.”

  Shawna felt hot tears stinging her eyes at the realization that their escape had been for nothing.

  “Well, death is better than being a slave,” she said as she sat on the edge of the opening, contemplating the best way to fall in order to give herself the quickest, most painless death.

  “You’re not going to die, nor are you going to be a slave,” Winston said. “Not on my watch.”

  “Well, what else is there?” Shawna asked motioning downward. “This is it.”

  “There has to be another way,” Winston said as he searched his immediate surroundings. “I’m not going to let you die, not you, not the baby. I’ve sworn to protect you and I will.”

  Shawna sighed as she looked toward the rising moon.

  “Hey!” she said as she pointed to a growing black speck. “A bird.”

  Winston looked toward the moon and his eyes grew wide and the biggest smile cracked on his face. “No, not a bird. Two falcons.”

  “The anima where you got the medicine from?” Shawna asked.

  “Yes. They’re flying this way—probably out hunting,” he said as he started to wave his arms. “Stand up, wave, get their attention.”

  Shawna rose to her feet and started to wave her arms manically. She silently prayed the two giant falcons would see them and help them to safety.

  The larger of the two giant birds banked in their direction and the smaller one followed.

  “They’re coming this way!” Winston shouted as he waved. “Hey! Help!” he shouted toward the birds.

  The larger of the two approached the tunnel. “You keep getting yourself in trouble, tiger?” Shawna heard a deep female voice say.

  “Yes, Freyna, it seems like I got us into some trouble again,” Winston said with shame.

  Freyna looked at Shawna with her round yellow eyes. “This one needs to be tested soon. Frigla will take her, I shall take you.” Freyna tilted her head back. “You two… smell.”

  “My apologies, great lady…. The only way we could escape was through…” Winston said abashed.

  “The sewer. Well, I’ll make sure to drop you in a lake to wash,” she said as she grabbed Winston’s arms with her talons.

  Shawna’s mouth was gaping as the giant bird lifted Winston like he was made out of paper. “I… wha…” was all she could stammer.

  “Child, step closer so Frigla can take you,” Freyna urged.

  Shawna did as she was bidden and gasped as two giant talons wrapped themselves around her upper arms and dragged her out of the smelly tunnel. She let out a soft scream as she felt her weight being supported by nothing but two massive claws. She wet her pants a little in terror and was glad that the smell would be masked by the stench of the sewer as the two birds flew off toward the horizon.

  CHAPTER NINE

  The two falcons set their passengers down gently a goodly distance away from the slaver camp from which they escaped.

  “Our thanks,” Winston said as he dusted himself off.

  “We had a feeling you would be getting into trouble,” Freyna replied. “You were fortunate we were patrolling when we were.”

  “Indeed. You aided us in traveling further west than we would have on foot at least,” Winston said.

  “Yes,” Shawna added, “my leg might be better, but I’m still achy and weak.”

  “I understand, child,” Freyna said as she changed into her woman body. “Come here.” She beckoned to Shawna.

  Shawna stepped forward with her head low. She still had a slight limp as she walked, Freyna noticed. The old Shaman looked the young woman up and down with scrutiny.

  “You and I need to talk,” she said pointing a finger at the younger woman.

  Shawna looked at Winston who just shrugged. “She needs to test you to see if my suspicion is correct. If you are who I think you are, you need to go through the ceremony as soon as possible. Your next illness might turn you into a wastewraith.”

  “Wait, what?” Shawna snapped.

  “If an anima becomes deathly ill before he or she undergoes their first transformation process, they have a chance of changing into a wastewraith,” Freyna explained. “It is the body’s ultimate defense against death and disease. Unfortunately, it is also a curse worse than death,” the blonde woman said with sadness in her eyes. “If all treatment fails, we kill the afflicted before the ultimate change can take place. If you are anima, we intervened just in time, a few more hours and you would have started the transformation process and we would have had to kill both you and your unborn child.”

  Shawna swallowed hard at the revelation. She couldn’t think of anything else to say, so she just stood there mutely. This world was beyond her own and how she was raised.

  Winston looked at Freyna. “Are you sure? Now? The slavers will be on us soon.”

  “No, they won’t. They have no idea where you’ve been taken,” Frigla replied.

  “Good,” Winston replied as he watched Freyna and Shawna walk away. His brow furrowed in concern as they moved a good distance from him and Frigla.

  “Don’t worry. She’s in good hands,” Frigla assured the nervous Winston. “Freyna knows that the ceremony during pregnancy is extremely risky, but we can’t risk another wastewraith.”

  Winston just nodded and watched in silence as the two women spoke in the distance.

  “So, you’re saying I need to drink that gross looking green stuff and I’ll either puke my guts out, or change into a…”

  “Tiger,” Freyna said as she extended the vial of potion.

  “What’s in it?” Shawna asked as she took the glass vial.

  “Well, blood from a wastewraith, some soil from the glowing sands, and a bunch of berries and fruit to at least make it somewhat palatable for you,” Freyna replied.

  Shawna swallowed hard. She was definitely not looking forward to that. “So what will happen to the baby if I drink it?”

  “It’ll change inside you, then change back. At least your infant won’t have to go through this as a
teenager,” Freyna replied.

  Shawna nodded. “Will it…”

  “No, it won’t rip your insides apart. It’ll probably be the size of a small kitten. You’ll be fine. Drink up,” Freyna urged.

  “So the worst that will happen to me if I’m just a person is I’ll puke right?” Shawna asked as she eyed the glowing, green vial with trepidation.

  “Yes. Now drink up,” Freyna urged impatiently. “I have to get back to my home soon. This is more aid than I should have loaned you two but if you are an anima, we cannot risk you becoming a wastewraith.”

  Shawna just shook her head, unstopped the vial, and put it to her lips. The rancid smell reached her nostrils and she nearly gagged, but Freyna’s stern gaze forced her to plug her nose with her free hand and drink the slimy liquid in one go.

  The texture was horrible. It slithered down her throat like warm mucus and she nearly threw it up right there and then, but she knew that she had to at least try to keep it down for it to work on her. As soon as it hit her stomach, she felt a fire begin inside her.

  Shawna collapsed onto her hands and knees as she felt herself being burnt from the inside out. The fetus inside her started flipping and kicking urgently as its developing body was going through the pain of its first transformation.

  Shawna felt the fire extend from her stomach to her chest and through all her extremities. She let out a loud scream as her body burned from the inside out. She couldn’t help it; the agony was too much.

  Winston wanted to run to her, knowing full well how painful the first transformation was, but Frigla held him back.

  “You know better,” she chided.

  Shawna felt her bones shifting places under her muscles, which pulled and strained, causing her extreme agony. Her unborn child thrashed inside of her as it underwent the exact same process as its mother and momentarily Shawna wished she would lose the baby just so it wouldn’t have to suffer like she was.

  Shawna’s head felt like it was going to explode as her skull shifted. Her brain was sending electric shocks through her as it was compressed and molded to its new, temporary home.

  She felt her teeth growing and changing in her jaw while she silently screamed in agony while the potion’s intense radiation activated her latent anima DNA.

  So, she was Winston’s lost friend? No… she couldn’t be. Maybe I was kidnapped by slavers as a baby or something, she thought as her fur grew and her claws extended. Her clothes tore off of her tiger body as she finalized her shape.

  She stood there with her head hanging low as she breathed heavily from her first ever shape change. Shawna felt the pain dissipate from her body as she looked around from a different angle.

  She saw Freyna’s leather-clad hips in front of her face, she swung her massive, shaggy tiger head and looked at Winston, who was jogging up to her with a quizzical expression on his face.

  What has happened to me? she thought as she looked down at her orange and black paws. She turned around and looked at her hind quarters and long, striped tail. She fell down on her side as she tried to spin around to get a better look at herself.

  I’m a tiger, she thought as she struggled to her feet. She felt awkward, alien, as she tried to take one step forward, falling down again. She couldn’t figure out how to walk. Her tail swished one way as her paws went another and she struggled to coordinate the two.

  All Winston wanted to do was help her, but Frigla put a restraining hand on his chest. “She needs to do this on her own.”

  He felt helpless as he watched Shawna stumble around in her tiger form. He wanted to help support her, to teach her, to run with her. He knew deep down she needed to learn how to do this on her own, but he just wanted to be there for her during her first transformation.

  He was also elated that this was one of his missing tribe mates. It could be his best friend from his youth, or it could be another child who was kidnapped during one of the many slaver raids they experienced. All he knew was that they were the same tribe and that their child wouldn’t have problems.

  Shawna started to get her bearings as she stood still and hung her head low. She put her right front paw forward in tandem with her left back paw, while using her tail to balance, she took her first tentative step forward without falling. She repeated the action with the opposite paws and didn’t fall. Step by shaky step Shawna learned how to walk in her new body.

  “Good, that is the first step,” Freyna said. “We falcons have it much harder than you land anima, and the dolphins on the coast have it even worse. Your next step is to figure out how to change back to your human body. Take all the time you need, child. Get used to the feeling of being a tiger for now. We will wait here.”

  Shawna just nodded as she slowly walked around in a circle to get her bearings. It was starting to come easier to her as the hours went on. She started to feel a small bit of concern though as she wasted valuable daylight in learning how to control her new body.

  “Don’t worry about the slavers, child,” Freyna soothed the upset Shawna. “They don’t know where you are. As far as they’re concerned, both you and Winston are dead. There won’t be a trip to the brothels in Vegas for you in the future. Well, unless you totally screw up again.”

  Winston snorted. “Yeah, not gonna trust a solo hume ever again.”

  “How about don’t trust a hume ever again?” Frigla chuckled. “They are nothing but trouble. Greed-ridden, lust-driven beasts, the lot of ‘em. I feel sorry for your mate, being raised by them for so long.”

  “At least she survived,” Winston said as he watched Shawna intently.

  “That she did,” Frigla said as Shawna began to run a little. “She’s getting more confident, at least.”

  Winston nodded. “But the difficult part is yet to come. She needs to change back. That’s as painful as the first shift… and it has to be done consciously.”

  “Yes… I don’t wish to recall mine,” Frigla said with a shudder.

  “Me, either,” Winston said ruefully.

  Shawna felt steady enough on her feet in her tiger body that she decided to try to go for a decent run. She bunched her legs under her and sprang forward in a leap, then bunched her front legs again and repeated. She practically flew over the scrub grass with a sense of newfound freedom in her body.

  She felt the thrill of exhilaration as she sped through the grassland at full tilt. She didn’t want to stop, but her body was tiring out before her brain was ready. So, she slowed down, turned back toward the waiting Freyna and slowly walked back, panting from the exertion.

  When she got there, Freyna stood over her with a smile on her face. “Now, child, you need to change back. Don’t worry, as you change, the child inside will change back, too. I caution you from changing too often during pregnancy or your infant will be stuck in its animal shape until puberty when it will need the tonic to unlock its abilities once more.”

  Shawna stood there and tilted her head quizzically.

  “You just picture your human body and concentrate hard and you will change. It’ll hurt, but it’s better than being stuck.”

  Shawna pictured herself in her mind and started to will her tiger body back into her human shape. The pain began once more and she stopped.

  “Don’t stop. You need to do this, after you’ve completed the change, subsequent shifts won’t be as bad,” Freyna urged.

  Shawna grit her teeth and resumed the transformation as her body screamed in agony. She felt her bones and muscles shift under her skin, her unborn child thrashed and kicked inside her as it too went through the agony of transformation at the same time as its mother.

  She forced herself to play through the pain as she forced her cells to change back into human one by one and after what seemed to be an eternity, she was on all fours again, naked, on the hard dry ground.

  She felt a cloak being laid over her bare back. As she looked up, she saw Winston’s amber eyes staring down at her as he extended a hand to help her to her feet.

  �
�Thanks,” Shawna said as she rose to her feet and drew the cloak closer around her shoulders to hide her nakedness.

  Winston said nothing. He just drew her in for a long warm hug.

  Shawna melted into Winston’s strong, muscular chest as she was soothed by the steady beat of his heart. She couldn’t believe she was an anima like him. Maybe it was because she was pregnant with his child, or was he right? Was she his missing friend?

  She didn’t know or care right that minute. All she knew was she was exhausted from the ritual and she needed to eat and rest.

  “When can we set up camp?”

  “There’s a tree near by,” Freyna replied. “It has a large hollow in the base of it that is perfect for your needs. We will fly on over and scout it for any undesirables,” she said as she shifted into her giant falcon body and flew off.

  Frigla followed suit and winged after her leader as they headed eastwards.

  “I have a feeling we won’t be alone for the rest of our trip,” Winston said.

  “Same. It seems that they have a vested interest in us for some reason,” Shawna replied.

  “Well, I, for one, welcome the help. Having eyes in the sky will help tremendously. I wouldn’t want them to carry us any more than they have to, though, it tires them out more than needed.”

  “I agree. That was too scary,” Shawna said as she shuddered at the memory of their recent flight.

  “How long do you think they’ll be?” Shawna asked as she stroked Winston’s strong pectoral muscles.

  He felt his cock stir in response as he took her teasing hand. “Probably not long enough, unfortunately,” he said as he bent for a kiss, then his nose wrinkled. “We both need to jump in that pond over there,” he said. “We still stink like the sewer.”

  “Agreed,” she replied as she whipped off the cloak and ran into the clear water of the pond. “Hope there’s no stone crabs,” she said.