by Angela Foxxe
We left, not knowing that there was one more adventure ahead of us. On our way off his property we were accosted again. Spikes popped out of the ground and I couldn’t help but to place my hands in front of my face as we lurched in our seats. It was going to cost a fortune to fix that damage to my car. I knew that. “Trap?”
“I think so.” I groaned. My head hurt. It felt like we had just been in some sort of accident. “Do you see anything?”
“No, not yet, but we can’t exactly drive out of here.”
“Is there a car up by the house?”
“Yeah, but we’ll have to go off-roading. Stay in the car, let me check out the damage.” I watched him climb out of the car and inspect the damage. He didn’t look very happy about it. I knew that if he couldn’t figure it out we were going to be in trouble. Torrance flipped out his cell phone and began to speak. I assumed that he was calling for help.
I took a moment and glanced the other way. I saw her. She was standing there, shadowed at the edge of the trees. I knew that it wouldn’t be very long now. She was going to come again. This time, however, it felt different, almost as if it was going to be more subtle.
The large white tiger stalked up to my side of the car and stared at me for a moment through the window. I gulped and stared back, knowing that I would have to act eventually if I wanted to get out of this mess. Torrance made a noise and then slapped the hood of the car. I think that he was trying to get her attention.
It must have worked, because the tiger broke her gaze and instead stared at the shifter outside of the car. He was saying something, but I couldn’t hear it. I reached over and locked the doors. I wasn’t going to be caught unaware again. I watched as the two argued as if in a silent movie and took note that the insulation on my car was pretty darn good. It had to be one of the few things that actually worked properly.
She changed back to human, the tiger lady was in the middle of the argument when she switched back to being human and all I could do was watch. I watched as the fight started and the two began to swing. It was violent and bloody and I knew that somehow this was different, more intense. Something was happening. Torrance had changed the way that he was treating this entire ordeal. He wasn’t going to have it anymore. He defended himself with vigor, carefully parrying with power and surprising his opponent with the fact that he refused to pull his punches. His new attitude had her full attention.
She swung with her fist and he blocked. I saw the violent motion in slow motion. Torrance was strong, sturdy, and powerful. Something about it was almost erotic as he battled the woman who had captured me. I knew that the blow would not be one that was easily forgotten because when he finished his counter attack her eyes grew wide and I couldn’t help but to stare at the two of them. She swung again. I could almost see her heart pounding as she saw the rage that existed in Torrance’s eyes. I knew that she was frightened and I couldn’t help but feel a bit of the fear myself. Would he be able to maintain any semblance of control as I saw both of them change. There were now two giant cats squaring off in the front of my car. It was the type of situation that cheap science fiction movies were made of and I couldn’t help but to be reminded of a few that I had seen in my lifetime. I knew that I would never in my life be able to see something like this again and my eyes widened at the sight of the vicious and bloody battle going on just out of my reach.
They were fighting over me and the injuries were something that I would struggle to live with. I didn’t like to feel at fault. Still Torrance was vicious, his claws raked, his teeth snapped and he wasn’t going to give in. He wasn’t making the attempt to save lives and to listen to the insistence of his people.
The fight ended quickly. I was surprised when the tiger slinked off into the woods. I knew that I felt a little strange about the entire ordeal as I watch Torrance reach for the door handle. I was still staring in shock, but he had been driving so he had the keys. He quickly unlocked it and climbed in. “They’ll be coming for us soon.”
“What happened?”
“She won’t bother us again.” He seemed confident about it and it made me feel a bit better.
“Why?”
“Because I showed her that I wasn’t going to sit by and take it anymore. I’m done being her little toy. I’m tired of being treated that way.”
“I didn’t know.”
“I hope that you never know what that feels like.”
I didn’t know how to answer. I had indeed felt like some sort of toy in my past. There were times that everyone has felt that way, I suppose. I had no real way to answer him, so I sat there for a long while, waiting to find the words to say. The silence seemed to permeate everything that we were doing. I knew that the world around us had changed in that moment. It was just a matter of how things were going to end up at the end of all of this change.
I looked over at the man. I didn’t know what I was going to say to him or how I was going to handle things, but what I did know is that the world seemed to shimmer and change around me. I needed to see the changes. “Don’t leave.” I felt the words more than I had heard them.
“I don’t think that I can go anywhere.”
“That’s not what I mean.” His eyes shimmered. “I can’t imagine my life without you. Don’t leave. I know that you’re planning on having that baby and taking off, going back to your old life.”
“I was planning on it.”
“Don’t go. Give me a chance. I know that you’ve been through a lot lately, but I’m asking, give me a shot to show you this world. It’s a lot better than it seems.”
I didn’t know what to say. The truth was that deep down I wanted to know more, but I was frightened by the things that I had seen. I knew that the world was rising up around me and that my entire world view would be changed no matter where I went from here. Still the thought of the bogeyman being real scared me. “I don’t know.”
“You don’t have to make your decision right now. Take some time to think about it, but please give me until the baby is born to prove to you how much I care about you.”
“All right.” And I never regretted that decision.
*
Epilogue
“Do you need anything?” Torrance looked at me. There was concern in his eyes.
I felt the pain cramp up my body again. I knew that it was coming and we didn’t have a whole lot of time. “Yeah. It’s time.”
“Okay, okay. I’ll call the driver. You get the bag.”
I looked over at the bag. “Maybe it would be better if I called the driver.” I reached up for the intercom. “I don’t think that I can carry the bag.”
“Oh yeah. Sorry. I forgot.” His heart was racing. I could see that from the look on his face. He was starting to worry. I had seen that type of reactions in the movies. It was the panic that came with a new child coming into the world. He got me there, but it wasn’t without trouble on his part. He seemed to be more confused by the fact that I wasn’t panicking as he ran around trying to do a thousand things at once. He signed the paperwork. He said that he would be responsible for the bill. I knew that he was going to continue to panic until it was all over.
Still I smiled through the entire ordeal. I knew that he was eager to greet his bundle of joy and when the nurse handed the baby to me and grinned. “She looks just like you, mama.” I smiled inanely and looked down.
We both stared in shock. I had seen a picture of the egg donor before the child was born. There was no way that this child had two white parents. It was my son. “That night,” Torrance gasped.
“I guess so.” I looked at him. “I had wondered.”
“Me, too. It was worth it I guess.” He reached over and hugged me. “I guess that means that the treatments didn’t work after all.”
I laughed. “You might try to get your money back.”
“It was worth every dime if it means that I got to meet you.” He squeezed me a bit tighter. “Everything is going to be just fine.” It was a great little prom
ise that he made to me and I knew that he would be there for me for the rest of my life. He was my lion, my fierce savannah protector and I wouldn’t trade that for anything.
“I’ve been thinking.” I looked at him. “Maybe I’m just emotional right now, but I’ve been thinking.”
“What have you been thinking about?” He held my hand and looked down at the child I held.
I passed his child over to him and he grinned. “I’ve been thinking about what you asked me last night.”
His eyes widened. “What are you saying?”
“I’m saying that I’d like to do it. I’d like to stay.”
There was something about the pure happiness that he portrayed in that moment. “Thank you.” There were tears in his eyes. “I was afraid that I was going to lose you.”
“I couldn’t go back to my old life.” It was the truth. I had been thinking about mating to him, officially becoming a member of his pack as the mother of his children, but I couldn’t find the way to tell him. I knew that I had been happy while I had been there. Especially since all of the problems stopped between him and that rival pack. I no longer lived under the threat of kidnapping and that made it so we were free to figure out where we belonged in this life. It had taken me a few months to figure out that I belonged with him. “I want to stay with you.”
“Everything is going to change now that the baby’s here.”
“I know.” I smiled. “But he’s my son too.”
“He’s beautiful. He’s got your nose.”
“What are you going to name him?”
“I don’t know. I was thinking about Junior.” He was joking and I knew it. It had been a running joke with him. I think that it was partially due to the fact that Torrance struggled to pick a name that sounded perfect, but I looked at the child and I knew his name.
It was instinctive. It was something that came to me in that moment. “Rudo.”
“Do you think?” He had been asking for my advice for ages.
“It was my Grandfather’s name. It means love.” I had never been so positive of anything in my life. I needed to say my piece.
“That sounds great.” He grinned. “Rudo.” He repeated the name. I knew that he would go with it. “Are you going to stay with me and help him understand?”
I looked down at the child. He had the same face that several of my cousins shared. There was no doubt that this was my son. “Of course.”
“Does that mean?” He struggled to find the words.
“Yes.”
“Amazing.” I could tell that Torrance’s mind was racing as he looked at me. “I’m so happy.” He squeezed me. I knew that his heart was soaring and there was nothing in the world that made me happier than to be a member of this family. The last several months of my life had been filled with education. I had learned about his life and his customs and he had learned about my life. We had met families and gotten to know everyone, but no decisions were made. I know that it seemed strange, but I needed to feel him close to me. It was the place that I belonged.
THE END
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BOOK FIVE
THE PANTHER'S
SURROGATE
ANGELA FOXXE
This is a work of fiction. Similarities to real people, places or events are entirely coincidental.
Copyright 2015 ANGELA FOXXE
All Rights Reserved To SimplyShifters.com
About This Book
A shapeshifting war between Panthers and Jaguars has left Kheem's Panthers almost wiped out. The situation is dire and he understands the urgent need to reproduce.
Kheem knows he can not wait around to find the perfect mate and so if he wants to reproduce he must use a surrogate.
However, he does not want just any surrogate.
The surrogate he wants to do the job is the beautiful Josie. Even though this is a woman he has previously had relations with.
The truth is that Kheem is secretly still in love with Josie and so she would be the perfect candidate to carry his child. However, there is another reason he has chosen her and when further danger arrives this reason soon becomes apparent to everyone...
Chapter One
While most people thought of luxury and opulence when they thought of the Royal Palace Resort on the small island of Tarobi, Josie thought of it as home. Amidst the palm trees, perpetual sunshine, and surrounded by cerulean waters that were warm enough to just drift away in, the Royal Palace Resort was sanctuary for her people, and while she was an outsider once upon a time, now it was home for her as well. She smiled at the best food, the best personalities, and the most beautiful people anyone could ever dream of spending their days with.
She walked alone, with dark tan skin, kissed and bronzed by the sun, giving her the perfect complexion for the environment she had come to know very well. This was her home and there was no escaping it. This was what Josie lived for and the Royal Palace was the best place to live for in the world.
The convention hall was usually occupied by multinational businesses looking to take their branch supervisors and higher officials out on vacations that reminded them why they worked for their company – but not today. Today, there was nothing planned on the books except for the Meeting of the Clans, a monthly meeting where the factions that had carved Tarobi into several territories talked, ate together, and reminded each other of why the peace was important to keep. For Josie, it was one of those meetings where everyone joked and laughed with her.
The men would hit on Josie and they would flirt with her, some of them were more upfront with their intentions while others were a little slyer. There were others who were more jealous of her, or envious of her, but they kept their lips tight most of the time. There was no need for anyone to dislike Josie.
The thing about the clans was that the only reason why they ever disliked anyone was that they felt threatened by them. After all, when you’re the top predator, you have to watch your back all the time, waiting for whatever clan is creeping up on you. But Josie was the last of her kind. With a whopping clan of one, Josie was the least intimidating figure on the council that was meeting. Being the only Wolf Shifter on Tarobi, Josie was more of a curiosity to the island than anything else.
For many of the women and men on the Council, she was the prettiest thing on the island, but Josie knew that she was probably far from that. There were models and celebrities on this island every day and she knew there were plenty of the staff members who sneaked away from their significant others, or their clans, to give the tourists the night or the tryst of a lifetime before they vanished from the island forever.
But to men, Josie was the perpetual rose in bloom and that made Josie feel like her only real use here was to simply be pretty. She always voiced her opinion, even if it didn’t mean much to the rest of the clans. As far as they were concerned, the Wolf Clan was just a funny girl with a smoking body.
Wearing her denim shorts, Josie’s long legs carried her into the convention hall where most of the other clans were already settling in and trying their hardest not to get into fights with the rest of the groups. She could feel the eyes of most of the men falling on her long, smooth legs as her heels carried her down the gentle slope to the stage where the heads of the Clans were seated around a large crescent table overlooking the auditorium.
Her low cut shirt showed off everything she was working with, hugging her body. She was glad that she wore red today, remembering again that she’d forgotten to wear a bra. She was going to the beach later to read and right then, on her day off, she was in her cleaning attire for her little bungalow in the town where most of the staff lived when they weren’t on duty. She would change her clothes later on, before she left the resort.
Her chestnut hair hung over her shoulders in long, wavy curls that nestled above her perky breasts and hid
her graceful neck. She wasn’t wearing a lot of makeup, but she rarely did. Josie was given the features of her mother which made her one of the most naturally beautiful women.
Make up tended to make her look like she was trying to dress up like a showgirl or something a bit too flamboyant for the crowd she was in front of right then. As a supervising manager for the Tiki Bar, Josie found that going with her natural look with just a little makeup did wonders for her. Only on truly special occasions did she actually wear makeup. So today, she looked probably the most scroungey of the Clan leaders.
Josie was one of the few people on this panel who wasn’t from the Motherland of Africa. There was the Jaguar Clan from Brazil and that was it. The Lion Clan, the reigning leaders, and the King of the Council, were the largest clan present. There was the Crocodile Clan, the Panther Clan, the Leopard Clan, the Hyena Clan, the Jackal Clan, the Vulture Clan, and the Wildebeest Clan. Everyone was present and in total, there were around a hundred Shifters on the island of Tarobi.
It was a sanctuary for them and it was sanctioned as safe from hunters so long as this Council maintained the safety of the tourists on the island. It was a sweet deal and when Josie was on the run from her reservation, n, she was grateful for the sanctuary the island offered.
“Hey,” Kibwe said to her, winking at her and staring at her breasts as she sat down next to the head of the Jaguar Clan.
She looked at him with her dark eyes and waited until his gaze met hers and reminded him that he wasn’t subtle at all. The Jaguar Clan had interbred with the Leopard Clan and it was hard to see what Brazilian was left in Kibwe. It was the way of lesser clans. If surrogacy was allowed, the child usually took the traits of the dominant clan. It was a cruel logic, which led to surrogacy and pregnancies being extremely rare.