Jax

by Julia Mills

  I was dumbstruck and fascinated as I watched her wrap her delicate fingers around my throbbing dick, holding it still as she lifted to her knees and positioned her still wet pussy right above me. Her sly smile forced me to ask with the little breath I could gather, “What are you up to, kitten?”

  A sadness passed through her expressive eyes a second before the determination I’d seen since meeting her returned. Her answer was confusing. “I’m sorry this is the way it has to be. Time is simply not on our side, but I’ll make it all up to you. I’ll answer all your questions when you wake.”

  I was about to ask what she meant but all thought was driven from my mind as Pearl put the tip of my cock inside her opening and in one fell swoop, took my entire length inside her. Our hips met at the same time as the tip of my cock touched the opening of her womb. The walls of her vagina closed tightly around me, gripping and massaging until I thought I would explode from just that contact.

  With a gleam in her eyes, Pearl rose up until I almost slipped from her warmth, only to quickly slide down, engulfing me again. It was as if we were simply continuing the tempo we’d had before. I watched as she rode me with a carelessness and freedom I had yet to see in her. My hands could not resist the bounce and sway of her beautiful breasts as I molded my fingers around them, loving the feel of them against my palms.

  Our hips pounded together as I met her thrust for thrust, the sounds of our lovemaking filling the cavern. Pearl leaned forward, her hands landing on my chest. The change in position caused the shaft of my cock to rub against her clit. Her walls gripped me tighter, our rhythm quickened, and within seconds, I was coming with a force I’d never before felt. It seemed to go on forever, our combined screams echoing off the stone.

  As I felt my orgasm begin to ebb, a burning sensation followed in its path. It filled me with a bone deep ache that quickly turned to spine twisting pain. Pearl climbed off me and appeared at my side. She placed my head in her lap and began rubbing a cool damp cloth over my face and chest.

  I wanted to ask what was happening. Wanted to shout that I hurt worse than I ever had, but no matter how many times I opened my mouth, I was unable to speak; I could only utter unintelligible moans and groans.

  Pearl continued to rub her cool cloth all over me, assuring me everything would be okay and continuing to apologize. But for what, I wanted to ask, needed to know. Just when I thought the pain was about to end, I would once again be overcome with another wave of agony stronger and more excruciating than the last. Finally, after what seemed like hours and at Pearl’s begging, I succumbed to the darkness. My last sight was of the beautiful woman who’d stolen my heart, along with my sanity, in just a few hours. I only wished I could tell her what she’d come to mean to me in such a short time.

  When I finally regained consciousness, I was shocked to feel soft, thick fur under the fingertips of my right hand. An amazing comfort filled the depths of my soul when I realized Pearl was with me. I rolled to my side, groaning at the pain the one simple movement caused, but then grinning as I came face to face with a full-grown puma.

  The dark, thin lines of fur that outlined her hazel cat eyes reminded me of the eyeliner I’d watched Phoebe apply to her own eyes more times than I cared to remember. They extended the length of her muzzle, ending at her cool, black nose. All the rest of her regal face was the same caramel color as her body, except for the pure white fur that came from the base of her nose and surrounded her mouth.

  “My hand is itching to pet the top of your head, but I’m not sure that’s proper and I damn sure don’t want to pull back a nub,” I teased.

  A chuff that I likened to a cat’s laugh came from her as she lowered her chin to the sleeping bag next to my hand and pushed my hand with her nose.

  Chuckling, I ran my fingers through the luxurious softness between her round, dark, fur-tipped ears. Her purr was loud, shaking both our bodies. We sat that way for several minutes before Pearl stood on her four paws and padded to the stone floor beside the pallet where I was lying. I watched, as from one moment to the next, the beautiful puma became the breathtaking young woman. I cursed nature as she stood fully clothed while I remembered how absolutely gorgeous she was under those garments.

  Shaking her head, she rolled her eyes and walked towards me. “Get your mind outta the gutter, Sarge, we’ve got lots to talk about.”

  I wanted to argue. Hell, I wanted to see her naked on top of me again. But as I tried to sit up, pain shot through my body, causing me to flop back onto the blankets. Pearl knelt at my side as I fought to control my breathing and keep from throwing up. She rubbed the cool rag I remembered from before I passed out across my forehead, while lifting a small cup to my lips.

  “You need to drink. You’ve been out for almost three days, and I’ve only gotten you to take a few drops of water here and there. You’re dehydrated and need the herbs infused in this water to ease your pain.”

  Now, I’ve never been one to put a lot of stock in new age medicine, but at that moment, I would’ve chewed on a tree or eaten grass if it would’ve made the pain go away. I drank as much as I could, and with each swallow, the ache receded until I was able to sit with Pearl’s help. She piled pillows behind my back and made sure I was comfortable before going to a small table I hadn’t realized was there and refilling my cup with the magical elixir.

  When she returned and handed me my drink I could see hesitation, mixed with a little fear, along with the hard fought strength and determination I would always associate with Pearl, in her eyes. I waited until she was seated before I began to ask the multitude of questions running through my brain.

  “Three days, huh?” I bowed my head, trying to think of a joke to lighten the mood and failed miserably. When I looked up again, Pearl was simply staring at me, waiting, so I added, “Thank you. I think most people would’ve left me for dead.”

  She took a deep breath and tried to look everywhere but at me, which was new for Pearl. Ever since I’d met her she’d been a ‘look me straight in the eyes’ kind of girl. I let her have the time she needed, even though every part of me wanted to fire questions at her. When she finally spoke, her voice was barely above a whisper and filled with more emotion than I was prepared for. “How much do you remember about what happened before you passed out?”

  My thoughts stopped cold in my head. That was in no way what I’d expected her to say. The swirling mass of questions I’d had since waking up disappeared and were replaced with a myriad of memory flashes. I saw our lovemaking in vivid detail and smiled. Then came flashes of what I could only guess where my brief moments of consciousness in a sea of darkness and pain.

  I saw quick pictures of a much larger puma, obviously a male, racing through the forest, sometimes leading, sometimes following, but always close to Pearl in her animal form. I watched as she took down a large red deer, felt the blood as it flowed down her throat, and felt the thrill she felt at providing food for her mate.

  Mate?!

  The word screamed through my brain. It was then I remembered Pearl calling me that during sex. I looked her straight in the eyes and blurted out, “Am I your mate?” I knew the moment the words left my mouth what the answer would be, but I still held my breath as she answered.

  “Yes.” She nodded. “And I’m sorry about how you had to find out, but there is a reason for everything I did. I only hope you understand and forgive me after I’ve explained.”

  She talked so fast and her tone was so low, it took a few seconds for her words to make sense. It was then I remembered her apologizing when she’d first kissed me, but I had to admit my mind was on other pursuits at that time. I wanted to be pissed. I wanted to yell at her. I wanted to deny what she was saying, but in my heart, I knew it was the truth. I’d felt it in the depths of my soul when we were making love...she was mine—and even more than that—I was hers.

  “Then explain,” I commanded, sounding gruffer than I’d intended but needing to maintain at least a little control while it seem
ed my world was spinning off its axis.

  Pearl took a deep breath, squared her shoulders, straightened her spine, and looked me square in the eye. Her movement caused the collar of her blouse to fall to the side, revealing my bite mark on the side of her neck. I reached out to touch it but she quickly pulled away before I made contact, shaking her head. “If you touch that you’ll be waiting quite a while for your answers.”

  She winked and my mind was immediately filled with images of our previous time together. Her fingers touched the mark and it felt as if she’d touched me. Arousal rushed through my body, making it hard for me to breathe. I felt my eyes widen as she snickered. “Imagine if you’d touched it. We’d both already be naked.”

  As good as that sounded I wanted answers, so I shut down the pictures in my head and waited. I wanted to reach out to her, to take her in my arms and tell her we’d work through whatever we needed to, but my rational brain was calling the shots and he wanted to know what the hell was happening.

  For the first time since meeting her, Pearl appeared rattled, which made it all the harder for me to remain stoic. Thankfully, she quickly regained her composure and began explaining. “I’m gonna give you a little history lesson which will help you understand all that’s going on, so please, bear with me.”

  I nodded once and she continued. “The puma are different from every other breed of cat shifter. When it comes to recognizing our mates and completing the mating ritual, we are matriarchal. A male has no idea who his mate is and will ‘cat around’ so to speak, until she makes herself known to him.”

  I had to smile at her use of air quotes along with her witty little pun.

  Damn this woman is lethal. Life’s never gonna be boring with her by my side.

  “Once she initiates the mating, they are destined to see it through until their union is fully consummated.” She dipped her chin and raised her eyebrows until I nodded my recognition.

  “Everything that happens is instinctual, beginning with the male marking the female wherever he chooses, but in plain sight for all to see that she is taken. Then the female gives herself over to her mate to ensure his completion. All of this must happen before the full moon. That is why I did what I did. Whether it was right or not, I’m still not sure, but I knew if we didn’t complete the mating I would be barren. That is the curse we bear.”

  At the weight of her words, her head fell forward. I could feel frustration radiating from her. My arms shook with the need to hold her and my heart accepted the methods she’d used to fulfill our destiny, but I still had questions that needed answers.

  “But, Pearl, I’m human. How will all this work?” I motioned between us, hoping that helped explain what I meant.

  “Well, you’re kinda human.” She paused and looked away for a just a split second. I knew I wasn’t going to like what she was about to say, but I had to hear it any way.

  “Kinda?”

  “You see, you have to have had some shifter blood somewhere in your heritage for us to be fated to be together. I knew I was to be yours the moment you stepped foot on Pride lands. I sensed the cat buried deep within you. I’d been trying to get close enough to introduce myself and somehow explain what I already knew...that we were meant to be together. I’d decided to do it the day you found me in the brambles, but unfortunately, a rather large snake found me first and I was forced to shift and kill it. During the fight, I ended up in the thorns, and that’s where you found me.

  “I was freaked. There was no way I could introduce myself while in cat form and I had no idea if you’d ever seen anyone shift. I mean, I know about your sister and of course, the King, but didn’t know if you’d actually seen it happen.”

  She paused and I nodded. “Yep. Seen it a few times.”

  “Wish I’d known that, but either way I screwed up, took off, and ran right into you. I reached out to keep you from falling, completely forgetting I was in puma form. The claws of my right paw sliced through your jeans and into your skin and you fell anyway. I started to turn back to help you, but I heard the sounds of other cats in the distance and feared I would be banished for harming the king’s brother-in-law, so I ran and hid here.

  “I swear I’m not a coward. It was just the only way I could think of to stay free and make contact with you another day.”

  I could feel her need for me to believe her, to believe she hadn’t just left me...wounded and alone in the woods. “I understand. Sometimes it’s better to retreat and regroup. Live to fight another day.”

  She rewarded me with a half-smile that disappeared when she once again spoke. “Yeah, I guess that’s what I did. Then, as you know, I showed up in your garden. I had to know you were okay and I was hoping you might be alone, but that was another epic fail. With nothing left to do but wait and watch after that last debacle with the young lion and the panther, I went to talk to Mom to make sure I had everything I needed if by some miracle I was actually able to get you alone. You can thank her for the pain elixir and the fact that I didn’t lose my ever-loving mind when you were out of it for almost three whole days.

  “I came back just in time to get jumped by the King’s security and spend a few horrible hours in the clinic. I was sure I was going to be detained, but a sweet young nurse forgot to lock the door and I escaped. I was running back here when I scented you on the cliffs and as they say, the rest is history.”

  “So that was you raising hell while I was waiting to get my cast off?”

  Her cheeks turned pink and she looked at the floor before whispering, “That was me all right.”

  “The doc was covered in blood when she first came out of Triage. How badly were you hurt?” This time I didn’t hold back, I reached out and took her hand in mine.

  The spark of recognition came to life between us. I finally gave in to temptation, pulling Pearl onto my lap to continue our conversation. She’d been too far from me for too long. I had an idea where the sudden possessiveness came from and asked, “I feel like I need to touch you every moment, to comfort you, to be there for you no matter what. Is that all part of the mating?”

  “It is and there’s more. Because of the shifter already in your blood, no matter how diluted, and the scratch I inadvertently gave you, you are now what we pumas call ni’ leor le cat, or not quite a cat. You will never completely shift to puma form, but your beautiful brown eyes will change to that of a cat’s and your incisors will lengthen when you reach for your beast. Another benefit is that your senses will grow as sharp as mine over the next few full moons. Although we do not depend on the moon for our transformations, we do mark time with Her phases.”

  I pulled Pearl closer to me and smiled as she relaxed against my chest, her delicate fingers rubbing circles on the bare skin just below my nipple. I held her close, mulling over everything she’d just told me, trying to find a reason to be upset, a reason to deny any or all of what I’d learned, and through it all, I came up empty-handed. I’d known from the first touch of her lips to mine there was more going on than just fickle attraction or lust. Those feelings only grew stronger as we grew closer and even I’d admitted to myself, though not to her yet, that I was in love with her. None of it made any sense and maybe that made it all the more awesome, but I knew what I had to do.

  Pushing Pearl away from my chest, I slid my hands under her arms, lifted, and turned her until she could straddle my legs as I sat her back down. Placing my hands on either side of her face, I moved forward until our noses almost touched. I looked into her beautiful hazel eyes and uttered the words I’d never said to another human being but Phoebe, and never in the way had I meant with the amazing woman on my lap. “I love you, Pearl. Even if it defies all logic and makes absolutely no sense. I love you so much it hurts to think of spending a second without you by my side. I have no clue how pumas do it, but I’ve gotta ask, will you be my wife?”

  She giggled like a little girl. That simple sound filled my heart until I was sure it would burst with the love I felt for her. “Well, i
n my world you’re already stuck with me. As for yours, I can think of nothing more wonderful than spending the rest of my life as your wife.”

  “Is that a yes?”

  “That’s a hell yes, Sarge.”

  I couldn’t help but chuckle right before touching my lips to hers. We both had a lot to learn and nobody said it was gonna be easy, but with Pearl by side, I knew our future was going to be legendary.

  After making love several more times to my fiancée or mate,

  Still working on the details of that.

  ...I knew it was time to return to the real world. There was no doubt in my mind Phoebe was laying eggs or having kittens or whatever since she hadn’t seen hide no hair of me for over three days. Dressing in our nearly destroyed clothing, Pearl and I made our way out of the caves and into the forest. In less than a hundred yards we were surrounded by Grant’s guards.

  Willem was the first to speak and for some reason thought he could order me around. “Get away from the rogue.”

  I growled in response to his aggression, my newly acquired puma senses jumping to protect my mate. Stepping in front of Pearl, I simply crossed my arms, daring any of them to make a move. The look of shock on the guard’s face was priceless and something I would’ve laughed at any other time, but this time I was pissed. “She is not a rogue. She is my mate and you will give her the respect she deserves.” I felt Pearl relax just a fraction behind me, our senses becoming more in tune by the minute.

  “But...” The usually self-assured guard stuttered.

  “But nothing. Take me to the queen.” Without waiting for their answer, I grabbed Pearl’s hand that had been resting on my waist and pulled her to my side before marching right past Huey, Duey, and Louie in the direction of the castle.

  From the footsteps behind me, I knew they were following. I could also hear their whispers of disbelief. Several times I thought about turning around to explain, but getting to Phoebe was more important. I knew she would be freaking out and the news I was about to deliver was not going to make my homecoming any better. But the one thing my sister and I had always shared, no matter what, was honesty. This time would be no different.