by Rosette Lex
I was quiet and trying to understand what I felt, what that was…why I just did what I did with Safir. I should still be mad at him, I should hate him really, but I just couldn’t. I burrowed against his chest and into his warmth, I felt oddly complete in that moment.
* * *
I woke up safely enveloped in Safir’s arms. He either hadn’t gone out early that morning or went and came back. I smelled the forest on him and figured it was the latter.
“Good morning,” Safir said quietly and I looked up at him with a soft smile.
“How’d you know I was awake?” I asked with a shy smile and Safir smirked, his expression a little cocky.
“Your breathing changed…also I sensed your mind sharpen into awareness.”
I thought about that and wondered if he could read minds.
“Can you…read my mind or something?” I asked curiously. Safir chuckled and I felt the sound rumble through his chest.
“No…I am bonding with you as my mate. If I fully mark you as mine, I will be tapped into your emotions. I will be innately aware of certain needs you have…” Safir said, his gaze was intent on mine, he was telling me something without actually saying it.
He knew I was softening towards him. He obviously had feelings for me. I wasn’t ready to come out with what I was feeling yet though. It was all still too confusing.
“So…um, what should we do today then?” I said, needing to change the subject. Safir’s expression changed and understanding crossed his features.
“Well, we can go for another hike in the woods, or perhaps stay in…?” Safir said as an innocent suggestion. I shook my head. The woods made me think and talk too much.
“We can stay in then,” Safir said. There wasn’t much else to do in the cabin in the middle of the woods really.
“Okay, we can go for a walk,” I said with a sigh and then got up to go and put some clothes on. I realized I was naked and felt suddenly self-conscious when just the night before, Safir had explored my body very intimately.
As I hurried into the bathroom with a change of clothes, I felt Safir’s gaze on me the entire time. After I freshened up and walked back into the main room, I saw Safir was dressed in jeans and a normal t-shirt even though I was sure it was below twenty degrees outside.
Safir and I had a light breakfast of apples and bananas and we walked through the woods for a long while without speaking. The silence wasn’t uncomfortable. In fact, it was nice.
“What are you thinking?” Safir asked, his gaze intent on mine, waiting and expectant. He wanted to talk about us, I could tell. I sighed and decided to just be truthful.
“I’m thinking about what we did last night…how I feel, you know?” I said and Safir nodded.
“How do you feel about it? About me?” Safir asked while watching my face.
“I don’t know, I just feel like…you feel right is all I can say…somehow I know it’s you I’m supposed to be with,” I said. I was being completely honest with him.
“I feel the same way for you…obviously,” Safir smirked and I smiled.
“What does this mean, Safir?” I asked on a sigh and a slow smile spread across his face.
“Well for one, it means you accept me; will you consider being my mate?” Safir asked seriously and I looked up at his steady gaze. It was a heavy question because he was technically asking me to be his wife and have his kids.
“Do you love me?” I asked bluntly and Safir stopped walking. He took my hand and pulled me to a stop as well.
“I do love you Arianna,” it was as simple as that. I wanted to say the words, but something stopped me from admitting it then. We’d only known each other for such a short amount of time and he changed my life completely. Granted he was doing everything in his power to keep me safe and to ensure I had some sort of a future.
If I became his mate, his wife, what would happen with his men? Would they still hate me? Would they still want to kill me?
“I’m afraid Safir…” he took my other hand in his and kept his gaze locked onto mine.
“What about your warriors? Don’t they hate me? How can I be with you if…?” I trailed off and Safir took a deep breath.
“This morning I met with Tristan, Doran, and the other two men. I explained things to them and showed them that I could control my shifting without you as my mate, even though my mating instincts call out to you. They were satisfied and renewed their trust in me as their leader. They agreed to call off the hunt for your death.
“Though, Tristan can be unpredictable still and I would like to be completely safe where you are involved. All of this is to say that if you became my wife and mate, they would always respect you. You would be their Lord Commander’s wife. They would not dare lay a finger on you,” Safir explained all of this and I breathed a slight sigh of relief.
“Well that is good to know at least…” I said.
We continued walking and soon started a wide turn back towards the cabin. I kind of liked being hidden away with Safir, taking long walks in the woods and cuddling at night. Hell, I loved it!
He was protective and sensitive. We already had a connection deeper than I could possibly find with any normal human man. I didn’t want a normal relationship with a normal guy anyways. I wanted Safir. I looked up at his breathtaking face and knew that I loved him too.
“I would like to show you something before we return,” Safir said.
He led me along a different deer path and soon we arrived at the very edge of the forest. I hadn’t realized we were so high up in the mountains.
The abrupt drop off led down to a small river and beyond that was nothing but bare trees below. I looked out at the horizon and saw the mountain range painted against the backdrop of the already darkening sky by the setting sun. It was a beautiful view.
“This is incredible,” I said in an awed tone. I could feel Safir’s gaze on my face and after a moment of taking in the view, I turned to smile at him shyly.
“What?” I asked curiously and Safir shook his head, a small smirk touched his lips.
“You are beautiful is all. Incredibly beautiful,” Safir said sincerely. My shy smile grew even bigger and I turned my gaze back to the view.
“You aren’t so bad either you know,” I smirked and Safir chuckled.
“I think our children would be quite attractive,” I couldn’t help but laugh. He knew he was gorgeous, but he didn’t flaunt it arrogantly. It was a simple fact; anyone would be able to tell.
Safir and I began our walk back to the cabin, I wasn’t scared to be in the woods at night, I knew Safir would protect me and no being or animal in their right minds would think to confront him.
I couldn’t help but smile like a schoolgirl with a crush as I remembered his frank admission. He loved me, he didn’t even hesitate. The closer we got to the cabin, the more I wanted him to rip our clothes off and let him claim me. I wouldn’t fight it. My soul recognized his and I wanted him fully.
“Are you hungry? I can make something for dinner…?” Safir held the door to the cabin open for me and then he followed me inside.
“That sounds really good actually…” I said.
Safir got busy making pancakes while I went to the bookshelf to find another book to read. He had a taste for the classics. I chose one of them and curled up on the couch to read while Safir cooked.
“Have you read that story before?” Safir asked me curiously and I glanced over at him and nodded.
“Yeah, I’ve read it once in college and absolutely loved it. The story is just complete, you know? That and you have to love a good thriller-mystery tale.”
Safir went on to tell me about his favorite ‘human’ literature. I found it fascinating that he had adopted so much of our culture and really respected it as well.
The way he described his home on Voltaire, I would have thought Safir to be close minded and the type to deem himself superior to the human race. He was smart though, and he knew he had to assimilate for the survival
of himself and his men.
Safir and I ate our pancakes and actually managed to watch a movie together while in bed. I thought that maybe Safir was waiting for me to admit that I loved him too and wanted him as completely as he wanted me. It grew late and soon I fell asleep against Safir’s shoulder.
I dreamed about Safir, his attentive blue eyes and his almost reluctant smile. I was sitting outside of the café and asked him continually to come over and give me a kiss. He was casually leaning against the wall over by the storefront windows and simply refused.
In my dream, just before I woke up, I asked him why he wouldn’t come over and kiss me. He laughed and told me that he loved me before looking at me expectantly.
I woke up and found that I was sprawled across Safir’s chest and he had actually been sleeping for a change. His eyes opened, he was instantly alert when I lifted my head to look at him. Safir bit his lip and looked like he was trying not to smile.
“What?” I asked. I had never seen Safir with such an expression. He was usually so collected; it was kind of a turn on.
My eyes widened with suspicious realization, “Did you…you didn’t have the same dream I had, did you?” Safir laughed and the sound was delicious to my ears.
“I did; do you have something you would like to tell me?” Safir seemed eager for me to finally admit my feelings for him. He sat up with me tucked into his lap and I took a deep breath and looked him right in the eye.
“I love you,” I said, the words felt natural coming off of my lips and I smiled at how light, yet how full my heart felt.
“I love you, I love you, I love you,” I said it a few more times and Safir smiled widely.
“I don’t want to be without you Safir, I want to be your mate,” I said a bit more seriously. I was ready for him to mark me; I was ready to make love to him.
Something clicked in my chest, like a puzzle piece being put to it’s right spot as I looked into Safir’s blue eyes. He slid me off of his chest and then pressed his body against mine so that I felt every inch of him against me. He was definitely ready to finally claim me as his.
Safir removed my clothes without ripping them and quickly got rid of his as well before he pulled me against his naked body. Safir gently caressed up and down my spine and goose bumps raced across my skin as electric fire sizzled through my veins.
“Arianna, I cannot promise that I will be completely gentle with you for this,” Safir’s tone was soft and quietly promising.
My entire core clenched and my clitoris throbbed. I didn’t really want him to be gentle; I wanted him to take me. Safir inhaled my scent as the tip of his nose ran up the skin of my neck. I shivered in anticipation and my nipples hardened against his chest. I was already getting wet and he was barely touching me.
Safir pushed me gently onto my back and I looked up at him with wide-eyed anticipation. He nudged my thighs apart and settled in between them, his cock slid against my clit and settled against my already wet folds. I moaned and he positioned his engorged head against my clitoris.
Safir began to rock his hips against mine, massaging my clit with his cock. My vision blurred a bit from the pleasure and I moaned at the riotous sensations coursing through my veins.
Safir lowered his head down to my neck and sucked on the sensitive skin. A bolt of pleasure speared right down to my core and the sensitive muscles clenched impatiently, leaving me completely breathless.
“Safir please, I’m wet, just push inside…please,” I started to beg for him to push his hard length inside of me, but he simply continued to suck on my neck and collar while he pushed me nearer and nearer to an orgasm.
My already quickened breathing became erratic as my mind took a hiatus from the overwhelming pleasure. Safir gripped the headboard of the bed and I heard the metal frame groan in protest from his strong grip.
My hands gripped his waist tight as he pushed me further to the edge of climax. I felt the first quivers of my orgasm and Safir abruptly stopped moving his hips. I cried out in protest and then cried out again in pure pleasure when he positioned the head of his cock at my entrance and slowly entered me.
He filled me up completely, his sex touched the very core of me and I tightened and quivered around him. Safir groaned and then spoke in that beautiful language, his whispered words heightened my senses even more and I begged him to move.
Safir pulled out of me almost to the very tip and then plunged deep into me again. His hips picked up speed and urgency and soon he was pounding me into the bed.
All I could do was hold on to him, moan, and scream his name. There weren’t any words to describe how it felt when he kissed me deep over and over again.
My orgasm came out of nowhere and crushed over me. My back bowed with the onslaught of pleasure and Safir simply kept going. Soon my orgasm melded into another and tears slid from the corners of my eyes at how full and complete I felt.
I was amazed that Safir had brought me so much pleasure. Safir roared as his orgasm came down him and I felt each hot spurt of release shoot inside me, almost as if it were a separate thrust.
Safir took a moment to catch his breath while he kept his eyes on mine. They were tender and full of awe. My heart squeezed and I pulled his head down to mine for a kiss. His lips were soft and sure against mine; at that moment I couldn’t have felt any more complete.
Safir
I slid my lips from Arianna’s and pressed them against her pulse. I could already smell my scent on her blood. She had given herself to me and I had finally marked her as mine.
The tiger no longer loomed with pent up need, I felt calm and at ease for the first time since I first saw Arianna. She was mine, I inhaled her new scent, and it was perfectly complimented with mine.
There would be no doubt amongst my men as to whom she belonged to. Even human males would sense that she was taken on an instinctive level.
“So did you do it?” Arianna asked with soft curiosity.
I lifted my head to look at her and she smiled shyly. “Did you mark me?” I pressed a kiss to her lips and then another.
“I did, you are mine now,” I told her and then kissed her once more. Arianna giggled and I smiled at her. “We can come out of this hiding now, you can live with me…” I told her. Arianna nodded, she was eager to leave the cabin after being hidden away for so long.
“Will…will your warriors still want to kill me?” Arianna asked me hesitantly.
“They will not dare lay a hand on you now that you are my mate, in any event, they owe you an apology now,” Arianna bit her lip, her expression was still unsure.
“I don’t mean to offend you or anything…but they did attack you, their leader, to try and get to me,” Arianna pointed out and I shifted my weight to the side.
Consequently, I moved within her and Arianna’s eyes glazed over briefly with pleasure. My gaze swept down her body and I saw her nipples hardening.
“They trust me Arianna. They will not attack me again,” Arianna’s expression sobered and she still seemed unsure.
“All Tristan wanted was for you to become my mate, once he sees that has happened, he will have no logical quarrel with you,” I explained. Arianna took a deep breath and she nodded.
“Okay…yeah that makes sense,” Arianna relaxed and her hands ran up along my arms and back down.
She wanted me again and I was fully prepared to make love to her as many times as she wanted me to.
* * *
I woke early, as I always did. Arianna was using me as her blanket. She held my arms around her and managed to move my leg over both of hers as well.
I smiled and kissed the back of her shoulder. She stirred and then turned in my arms so that I could see her face. She looked so beautiful in the early morning light.
“Why am I awake?” Arianna asked groggily.
I chuckled and then buried my nose in her neck. I loved that my scent was all over her. I sensed something then, something that wasn’t quite Arianna, but was within her…we had con
ceived! And so quickly, she was already carrying my child!
I smiled against her skin as joy soared through me. I wondered if I should tell her that was why she woke so early, she had my child growing inside of her.
I knew human customs and in most cultures, it was frowned on if a child was born or conceived before the mother and father married. I would wait until after our wedding ceremony to tell her the news.
When we met with the men later, I would have to tell them not to say anything. I could even sense the life growing stronger inside of her.
“Will you do that a lot?” Arianna asked me another question, this time with a laugh in her voice. I lifted my head to look at her and she smiled crookedly. “Do I smell different?”
“Yes, my scent is on you now. I am just…excited is all,” I said and Arianna giggled at me.
“Well since we are up…do you want to go and get this over with? With your warriors?” Arianna asked with a sigh.
“Yes, we can return to town now if you are rested enough.” I carried Arianna from bed and went into the shower with her.
It was a cramped space with two people, but we did not need much space anyways. Once I got her cleaned and dressed and myself as well, we went outside. I locked up the cabin and made a mental note to return so that I could dispose of any foods that would spoil.
“Would you like me to carry you and run, or would you like to sit on my back while I am the tiger and run that way,” I asked and Arianna held her arms out to me with a grin. I smiled as I scooped her into my arms.
I ran to my house and we arrived in just a few hours, though it would have been a quicker trip if I were in my tiger form. I set Arianna down on her feet once we reached the back of my house.
“Have I ever complimented you on your home?” Arianna asked as she looked at the house.
“It’s beautiful, it’s like one of those big Minnesota log cabins.” I took Arianna’s hand and we walked into the house through the side entrance.