by Rosette Lex
“They gave me the day off today, because I worked late last night,” I managed to reply smoothly and without any panicky pauses, even though I was super nervous inside.
His gaze was now growing a bit heated as his eyes roamed over my body. I forced myself to keep it together and let my eyes travel across his broad chest. He was wearing a thin grey sweater in the cold weather and blue jeans. The sweater was form fitting and contoured almost every defined ridge of his chest and arms.
“Well I am glad I still managed to see you today…and speak with you. I am not sure if you’ve noticed, but I’ve been coming in to get coffee just to see you for the past couple of weeks now,” Safir mentioned, at which, I quirked an eyebrow in surprise.
“I didn’t realize it, no…though I definitely remember you from last night…actually I was hoping I’d run into you again here.” I said to move things along. I gave him a shy smile and the corner of his mouth lifted in surprise.
“Really? Why would you want to see me again?” he asked, his voice deepening slightly. I licked my lips; my throat was drying up, as the words did not want to come out of me.
“I don’t know…I kind of—I think you’re sexy I guess and I was hoping we could go out sometime,” I tempered my words to sound like a nervous girl with a crush. Not like a nervous girl whose life was on the line.
I was blushing like hell and Safir smiled at me as if he hoped I would say those words. His smile was amazing and somehow just made him look all that much more appealing.
“I would like to go spend time with you…but I must show you something first, or rather share something with you.” Safir stood after speaking seriously, his gaze was locked intently onto mine.
I wondered what he was going to do and my heart sped up in my chest. Was this okay that he was taking me somewhere? Would his men think I was trying to get away? I tried my best to hide any hint of fear, as I began to suspect that he could sense my emotions.
“Are you alright?” Safir was studying me in slight concern now and he slowly held out his hand for me to take. I nodded and then slid my hand into his.
“I’m fine, I’m just…I can’t believe you feel the same way about me,” it was a lame cover up, but it was a cover up and really, what could a beast know about normal conversation? Safir smiled reassuringly and pulled me up gently to follow him towards the woods.
“I do, I have for a while now,” Safir continued to lead me towards the woods and I wondered where he would take me. We walked into the dense forest for about twenty minutes, well out of eyeshot from the rest of town and it was starting to get darker and colder.
“What is it that you have to show me, Safir?” I almost slipped and used his name, even though he himself hadn’t given it to me yet.
“My name is Safir, and I am not from this planet…” Safir let my hands go and took two steps away from me before he turned into the huge tiger I had seen on the news the other day!
My eyes widened and my breath left me in a rush. He was just like the wolf and dragon, only he was a tiger! He stepped close to me and I froze, unsure of what to do. I needed to control my reaction and pretend I was okay with everything. That I don’t care he was from another planet and could turn into a gigantic tiger capable of eating or killing me in a second…
Safir dipped his head and, like a regular pet that liked to be stroked, forced his nose under my hand so I could run my fingers through his fur. It was incredibly soft and he seemed to be gentle.
Before I knew it, Safir was changing back and returned to his normal form, though this time he was in a crouch….and my hand was in his hair. I took my hand back and he stood up, his eyes intent on mine, waiting for any sort of reaction.
“You can…you can shift into a…tiger,” I said slowly, as if it were completely fine with me. Safir tilted his head at me, his eyebrows furrowing a bit in astonishment.
“You do not fear me?” he asked incredulously while covering his naked figure with a robe that he’d just pulled from his bag and I shook my head no.
“You’re…you’re still a person, so what you aren’t from around here and you can turn into a tiger. I’m sure you’re just Safir right now.”
I had no idea what I was saying, but I just went with it. Safir surprised me by nodding his head earnestly.
“I am the same person; the beast does not change me. It is a part of me yes, but more like an ability and an extra set of instincts rather than something that takes over my mind,” Safir tried explaining to me what he was, but after I’d seen how cruel the wolf and dragon were, I couldn’t believe him.
“I will take you to my home and I can explain it more if you like?” Safir asked me expectantly, almost eagerly, and I nodded again. Holy shit it was happening.
“Are you sure you realize what you are…getting into, so to speak?” Safir asked, that heat entering his gaze once more, yet his head was tilted to the side as if he was studying me again. I bit my lip to keep myself from crying and I simply nodded.
Safir
I had to admit that I was surprised. I had no idea she wanted to see me again, but I suppose that was my own fault since I never chose to speak with her.
Arianna looked amazing that day. She wore a light grey, almost silver colored sweater that fell loosely to her knees; I could just make out the black tights she wore underneath before they were covered by her leather boots. I wanted nothing more than to slowly undress her so that I could see what was underneath. I had taken her back to the coffee shop so that we could drive to my cabin.
I did not want to risk scaring her by having her ride my back while I was in tiger form and running home. Just because she did not seem to be afraid of the tiger, did not mean she was comfortable with blitzing through the woods at super speed.
She was relatively quiet during the car ride though. I kept getting strange emotions from her that I wasn’t sure of. One moment, she would appear afraid and then it would go away quickly and she’d assure me she was fine. Eventually, I started taking her word for it and ignored my concerns, as she seemed to be interested in learning about Voltaire and what it was like there.
As we reached our destination, I asked if she was hungry and she declined so I brought her up to my bedroom. The need I had for her was only growing since she was so close to me and her scent was driving me crazy.
I needed to make her mine and then I could focus on properly courting her. I had been on Earth long enough to know that a woman’s love had to be earned. If our mating would be successful, then I wanted love to be shared between us.
Arianna was curled up on the couch that sat opposite the fireplace. It was cold outside but I was not as susceptible to the weather as humans were.
“Make yourself comfortable Ariana. If you need a blanket, I can bring you one,” I offered, she looked over at me and then nodded.
“Yeah a blanket would be good, thanks,” she said softly.
I quickly went to get a quilt for her. Yes, I wanted to bury myself within her, but I did not want her to be uncomfortable. I fetched the thick red blanket and brought it back to the chaise and covered her feet with it. She had taken off her boots and when my arm brushed her toes, I could tell she really was cold. “Thank you…” she said, her tone soft and intimate.
I tilted my head closer to hers so I could press my lips to her temple and lower along her jaw. She gasped when my mouth pressed against hers and I slid my tongue against hers.
Arianna tasted just as intoxicating as she smelled, sweet and addicting. My fingers pushed into her soft wavy hair and my other hand cupped her neck. I felt her pulse jump beneath my fingertips and mistook that as her arousal and hunger for me, just as I was hungry for her.
I then gathered her into my arms, walked over to the bed, and laid her down gently. She looked up at me with her wide emerald eyes and her mouth formed a silent oh as I pulled off the sweater I wore.
I smiled when her gaze slid down to my chest, arms, and stomach. I lay on the bed with her and held the weig
ht of my torso above her while I pressed my hips into hers.
My hardened sex was straining and throbbing almost painfully in those denim confinements. I wanted to be inside her silky heat. I slid my tongue along the pulsing vein in her neck and sucked on the sensitive skin. Arianna was quiet, but her breathing was growing erratic.
I gently nibbled at her skin and she whimpered softly, the sound further heated my blood. My hands traveled down to gently push her legs open wider so I could settle in between them and the bulge in my pants pressed directly against her warm core.
Arianna gasped again and I unbuttoned the jeans so I could free my engorged sex. I wanted to tear at her tights, but did not want to scare her, so I simply straightened and pulled them off of her, depositing them on the ground. She wore a white lace undergarment and I paused, needing to see what she wore to cover her breasts.
I quickly stepped out of the jeans and then lifted her dress over her head and deposited it on the floor with the rest of our clothing. She wore a matching set and I could clearly see her pink nipples through the thin white lace.
Arianna was incredibly beautiful and I was about to make her mine. Her eyes were riveted on my sex and I glanced down at the thick muscle, it bobbed under it’s own weight, but was nevertheless erect for want of her.
“You’re…so big…” she whispered. Her eyes were wide with some masked emotion and I wondered why she did that, why she kept pushing them aside. She did not know I could sense her emotions, but I wanted to know what she was feeling. That she wanted me just as badly.
“It is not something I can help, but I promise to be gentle with you…” I studied her expression and she nodded once slowly. I pulled off her underwear and her scent hit me full on. My instincts roared for her and I climbed on top of her and positioned myself at her entrance. My temples throbbed from trying to put some restraint on my need, my blood was hot with lust. I simply had to stake my claim on her.
I glanced up at her face just before I pushed inside and saw her eyes filled with tears. Dismayed, I stopped what I was about to do and sensed that she was no longer hiding her emotions.
She could not, as they were too strong. She was scared, angry, and felt hopeless. I knew then that she did not actually want this. She was somehow forced into doing this, even though it was not by me. Anger replaced the passion I felt for Arianna and I knew who had to be behind this. The only person I confided in.
“Arianna, you do not want this…do you?” she shook her head at first and then nodded vigorously, the fear in her peaking momentarily.
“Y—yes. I do, I want you…” she was obviously frightened and it disgusted me at the possible implications of her being there as she was. I pulled away from her and dressed while handing her her clothing.
“You do not. I promise I will not hurt you, but you must tell me the truth. Why did you approach me today?” I veiled my anger as not to scare her further and watched her as she silently dressed, her eyes darting around the room as if someone would appear.
“It w—was…they were like you. Two of them shifted, one into a giant wolf and the other a dragon…they told me that if I didn’t have your heir, then they would kill me,” she stammered with near tangible fear.
Rage replaced the anger I felt and I stalked around the room as I waited for her to put on her boots. I knew where Tristan and Doran would be. They’d be at Arianna’s home waiting to see if the deed had been done.
If I had impregnated Arianna, my kind would be able to tell instantly. So if she returned home without a child in her womb, they would simply kill her and be done with it.
I growled and continued pacing. “I’m...ready to go,” Arianna said hesitantly. I hated the fear in her voice and it only fed to my anger.
“Let us go then,” my voice was a barely restrained growl and she followed me as I stalked downstairs and out to the truck. I of course knew where she lived and drove her to the apartment quickly.
I’d force Tristan and Doran to leave her alone and then we’d let her live in peace. Perhaps, then we would move our race into Canada, far away from Arianna.
Arianna and I went up to her apartment and I could smell them from outside. The door was unlocked and I walked in ahead of her. “Tristan, Doran…reveal yourselves.” I barked and they emerged from the shadows of her apartment.
I flicked on the lights of the living room and there they stood. “The two of you have betrayed me. You Tristan are the worst of all. You have broken my confidence and turned your back on me to go against my most expressed wishes!” I roared at them and they bristled in anger, their inner beasts unsettled with my tone.
“I specifically told you Tristan, that I would not mate with a woman against her will!”
Both Tristan and Doran’s eyes shifted over to Arianna and I could see the barely restrained rage in them.
“You foolish woman, didn’t we tell you not to let Safir see the truth behind your actions? Don’t you fear your life?” Tristan spat the words at Arianna and she whimpered behind me.
“Tristan, you will leave this woman alone. Free her of whatever foolish demands you made of her. Or you both will have to face terrible consequences,” Safir shouted.
Doran growled and I felt the air heat as he shifted into the dragon and lunged for Arianna. I pushed her back into the kitchen and shifted just as Tristan morphed into the wolf.
I knew Doran would not breathe fire yet, as it exhausted him prematurely. I only had to worry about Tristan, as he was deadlier. Tristan lunged at me while Doran tried to break around us. I charged forward and closed my teeth around a portion of his long neck.
Tristan sank his teeth into my flank and I kicked him off before throwing Doran back onto Tristan. The two scrambled a moment as they righted themselves and I waited for one of them to make the next move.
Doran swept his powerful tail around to catch my legs and Tristan crashed his heavy claw down on my side. I dodged Tristan’s blow and jumped flexibly over Doran’s tail so that I could claw Doran’s back, tearing at his wing.
He screeched and I used his moment of incapacitation to strike at Tristan and sink my teeth into shoulder. Arianna screamed and my head whipped around to see Doran slinking towards her. With ice in my veins, I leapt over to Doran and tackled him into the wall.
Tristan tried to lunge at me once again, but I simply swiped his face with my claw and knocked him back against the far wall. Both were down, but I knew Doran had not given yet.
Tristan was bleeding heavily and I knew he would soon return to his natural form. Doran reared back and I quickly shifted back into my natural form to grab Arianna and retreat into the side hall while fire spewed from Doran’s mouth.
There were two explosions and then alarms and lights went haywire. Water spewed from the ceiling and I held onto Arianna tightly before I barreled into her room and ran to the balcony to escape. I cradled her against my chest and jumped down to the grass below. Thankfully, her balcony looked out over the surrounding forests that always threatened to overrun Keene.
I ran with extraordinary speed and strength deeper into the woods and reached one of the surrounding mountains where I had a smaller cabin that I often visited for solace.
It was out of the city and none of my warriors were aware of the place, not even Tristan. We would be safe there until I figured out what to do. I was so focused on getting Arianna to the cabin that I did not notice her cries and shivers until we reached the small building.
“It will be alright, I promise. We’ll be safe here and I will keep you safe…” I trailed off as she stared up at me with her beautiful tear-filled eyes.
She was breathtaking and my chest felt oddly full with her in my arms. I went inside and locked the door behind us for good measure before I walked over to the bed in the corner of the room and sat her down.
The cabin was one big room. There was a section serving as a bedroom and one serving as a small living room with a fireplace. There was a kitchenette along with breakfast bar and one b
athroom. The cabin also ran on solar energy and drew water from a nearby freshwater stream. But, the thing I really had to worry about was food.
There was nothing here and Arianna could not morph into a carnivorous animal and eat raw meat like I could. I would simply have to raid a relatively nearby ranger cabin for food.
“Your restlessness is making me dizzy…” Arianna spoke faintly and my head turned so I could look at her. She was shaken, that much was true, and it pained me to see her so distraught. I asked myself why I felt so strongly for her, even when I had brought her to my bed earlier in the evening, I had the thought to have love shared between us.
Now here I was, hidden from my race after having fought two of my most loyal companions for her. Even if their actions were wrong, I knew they did it out of loyalty and concern for me.
I just simply could not let them terrorize Arianna; thinking about it stirred my anger once more. I knew that protecting her was the right thing to do. My heart was steady on that decision and only moved when faced with putting Arianna in danger.
I needed to find a way to help her return safely to her world. “I apologize…how are you faring?” I asked her with true concern.
“I don’t know…this is all—it all…happened so fast Safir. Did my apartment really blow up?” she asked me disbelievingly, her eyes wide as the scenes from that night replayed in her mind.
“It did…and I apologize for that,” my tone was sincere. Because of me, she had to live exiled in the woods, because of me her life was put in danger, and because of me she was now homeless and possibly jobless. I had ruined her life. I silently vowed to do everything I could to fix it.
“And why are we here now?” she looked up at me with wide, questioning eyes. She was trying to hide her desperation and I so badly wanted to comfort her.
“Because it is most likely that my men are still angry enough to want to kill you and I cannot fight all of them. They do not necessarily want me harmed, as they have a deep-rooted loyalty to me, but you…I have to protect you. This is the safest place away from them.”