by Riley Moreno
“Bear shifters,” her grandfather said nonchalantly as he applied medicine to her injured wrists and jaws. “Luckily you had a tiger shifter watching over you. Otherwise, who knows what would have happened to you?”
“Ouch,” she said as she tried to bend her head to look into his light-skinned face, and inadvertently pressed her jaw against his hand. “Did you just say shifters? You mean like in the movies? You mean like vampires and werewolves?”
“Hold still young’un,” he admonished gently as he resumed his treatment. “Now I have never seen a vampire. Don’t know if they exist but I do know those are no wolf shifters or werewolves like you call’em in these parts. The bears won’t allow it. They’ll probably chase’em out the first week they show up here.” He chuckled at his own remark.
Yuri’s head, for the first time in hours, was not spinning because of the headache. “You mean Lucius is a tiger shifter?” she asked incredulously. She almost stammered on the word shifter. It sounded fantastic.
Old man Joe shook his head in gruntlement, “Can’t you see that walk, like he is gliding. I don’t think I have ever seen him stumble before. Always looking regal and self-sufficient…” he trailed away.
“Like a cat!” Yuri finished it for him, “Ouch!”
“Hold still.”
“How come you and papa never talked about this none?” Yuri asked, the childish pout on her lips causing her grandfather to chuckle.
“I don’t think your papa has ever seen one before. We certainly did not talk about it with him; your late grandma and me. The bears keep pretty much to themselves, and the tigers, restless spirits had started leaving town to search for excitement elsewhere. I am talking maybe fifty years ago; your papa was still a wee toddler back then”
“It’s not only papa-the whole town seems clueless about this whole other community within their community. I mean there is a tiger walking around in human skin, and they don’t even know!”
“Well not everybody is oblivious,” Old man Jacob’s eyes glinted with soft laughter, “The really old folk know. I mean we know about the bears. We know enough to stay away from their paths, and to shut up about them. Their ways are simple; you leave them alone, they’ll leave you alone.”
“And Lucius? What about his kind?”
“Well, all of us old folk in this community grew up with him around. He was already a young man then. I mean he looks a bit older now, but he is still the guy we remember: the cat who could not find his peri!”
“Peri? You mean as in Peri heights?”
“Well yes and not exactly. You see for tiger shifters, and I am sure this goes too for other cat shifters, there exists that one person, for whom they are willing to go any lengths to protect. That person is a peri. It means shiny, and you know how cats love shiny. This town is so named because it was founded by a bunch of tiger shifter couples-a bunch of peries!” So that is why he went all out to save you that night. He would have died trying!”
It was all so fantastic to Yuri. She had a thousand questions all struggling to reach the tip of her tongue, she wanted to know more, but she could feel sleep coming over her quickly. She only had time to mutter one before she passed out again.
“How is he?”
Old man Jansen put the medication away, as she slept. He knew Lucius was out trying to find out who the second tiger was so that peace could be maintained with the bears.
Chapter 8
Yuri resumed her duties the following Wednesday, she had healed remarkably quickly, and that day bore no marks on her body of her previous struggle. She went head first into the school milieu, taking her classes with added vigor, happy to be alive. She told nobody of her debacle. It would have been too hard to explain anyway.
She tried to act normal, but a part of her mind would not let her forget that some of those seated in her classes were part of a different breed altogether. Generally benign they were, as they had shown over the years, but also capable of great violence as she had experienced first-hand during the previous week.
There were surprised stares and whispers in the yard of the school campus after school. Lucius stood in the middle of the yard waiting for her after school. The kids swooned, and adult jaws dropped when he grabbed her by the waist and kissed her full on the mouth in front of everybody. They completely ignored everybody.
Yuri raised her eyes at the Porsche situated behind him.
“I had to have a way to transport the bear leader over to your school.”
Anger flashed dark, and hard across Yuri’s face as she tried to push him aside to have a go at whoever was in the black Porsche.
“Hold on a sec,” Lucius said, restraining her. “He is here for peace. He did not sanction whatever happened that other night and the culprits have been punished.”
“And you trust him?!” Yuri asked still struggling against his restraint. “You trust those wood hugging maniacs?”
“Hey, hey he is a friend-I knew him when I just got into the navy seals eighteen years ago. He was about to get out. Back then I knew he was a bear, but I never knew he was one of those form around here. His presence has really shaped the last few days for me. Two seals on his tail, that hidden tiger could not stay hidden very long.”
“You are a Navy Seal?” Yuri asked skeptically.
“Ex-seal.”
“Ever killed in combat?” she asked marveling at how childlike she became every time she encountered Lucius.
“I have fought my own wars,” was all he said.
At that point another man stepped out of the Porsche. He was shorter than Lucius, but had a similar confident air which she was sure had to do with the leadership role he occupied in his community. He strode over to meet them. Yuri was aware of having seen and heard talk about alphas in books and movies, but all she had seen did not do justice to the quiet, assured authority of the man now beside.
Power is the most powerful aphrodisiac, and despite herself Yuri felt a thrill run through her all the way down to the pit of her stomach.
The outside yard was deserted now, and the wind whistled in the distance. The two shifters nodded to each other, and started making for the door to the school.
“Wait, where are you guys going?” Yuri asked as they by-passed her.
“The unknown tiger works here,” the bear man answered. “We want to ask him nicely to leave town.”
“There is another tiger in the school? Who?” She asked, shocked. At that point the double doors that led into the school burst open, both pieces flying in different directions. A huge tiger, in the flesh burst through. It was white, not orange as you would expect. It stood its ground poised to pounce.
“Get back!” Lucius barked at Yuri, who by that time was too stunned to move.
In a flash, the space where the bear shifter had stood was now occupied by a bear, again larger than normal. Almost double the size of a regular bear. Yuri was backing away, and saw Lucius himself metamorphose into and orange tiger, just as large as the other one who was poised to attack.
The three of them cast a frightening vision standing there in the yard. The whole fabric of the space about them was antagonistic. Something dreadful was about to happen, and the whole atmosphere around them seemed to reflect it.
All the animals roared, showing off their teeth and claws. It was terrible to behold. Then a strange thing happened. What should have been animal babble and meaningless roars to humans, sounded completely sane and rational to Yuri.
She could understand what they were saying. She could hear them clearly as if they spoke plain ordinary English. The animal-speak, though sounding primitive to outsiders, expressed feelings she could not put into words if she had tried. It was our human language that was unintelligible and primitive.
She stepped forth in boldness. Roaring all the way herself. She realized she sounded like a tiger, but she was sure the bear understood her perfectly. She was between Lucius and his friend, fearlessly standing between them, roaring out as fiercely as the next b
east.
A few minutes later, things had quieted down. The bargain was struck, Mr. Slater the new history teacher was leaving town. All three men stood unabashedly naked before the lone woman.
“What?” Yuri asked. The curious look on both Lucius and the Bear man’s face were amusing. “I might as well know your name now.”
“Marcus”
“Well Lucius and Marcus. Nice ring on it.”
“You do know are pregnant right?” Lucius said smiling, “That is why you can understand us on such profound level. You are carrying my child!”
Yuri felt she already suspected this. She could feel an enlarging of her life, of herself deep within her being.
“So are you guys going to do this or what?” Mr. Slater asked from behind, all manner of shyness gone from him that afternoon. “The ménage is supposed to be the bond that seals our deal.”
“You talk like you plan on watching!” Marcus said slyly, “You can count on us keeping our end of the bargain, now we would like to see your back and be assured that you have kept yours.”
Mr. Slater said nothing. He just turned and started walking away, the finality of his previously suppressed graceful movements suggested she would not see him around this parts again, not until all those who took part in the sharing of the founder’s peri had passed away. A cat did not share his toys lightly.
There was no need to go far. Yuri led them into the by now empty faculty room and closed the door tight. This was going to be a solemn exercise albeit a pleasurable one. She kissed Lucius deeply, as Marcus pulled her jeans down, kissing her thighs, and pleasuring the warm folds between her legs. She threw her blouse over her head, her full breasts falling like large ripe pears into the Lucius’ ready hands. He squeezed and caressed gently as he continued kissing her. Yuri moaned into Lucius’ mouth as she felt Marcus exploring the warm folds within her with his fingers. Her body was on fire, and she held on tight to Lucius immoveable body to keep from falling as her feet grew weaker with each passing moment
The transformation had left both men naked, and now Yuri grabbed Lucius’ turgid manhood, and put in to her mouth, moaning over it as Marcus penetrated her from behind. Lucius held on to her hair as she sucked on him with gusto, thinking she was the most beautiful thing in the world at that moment. Marcus, who had a hand on her round soft butt, had similar thoughts on his mind as he gently slid in and out of her. The animal instincts of both men became fully aroused as they tried to pleasure her as much as possible.
A few minutes later, Yuri marveled at the size of the erection that Marcus dropped into her mouth as she lay on her back on her table, her books and papers scattered randomly on the surrounding floor. Lucius squeezed her breasts as he slid slowly in and out between her legs, spread-eagled before him, her soft round butt swallowing whole the formidable package he had to offer.
It was a strange boat they road that evening in the gathering gloom, there in the faculty room of the Peri Heights Community High School, but one that surely, and pleasurably led to memories that lingered on the mind a while, and led to one destination, especially with a child on the way, which they all could cherish and appreciate: Peace.
The End
Pregnant by the Panther
Paranormal Shifter Romance
By: Riley Moreno
Chapter One
Father and Son
Sonya was starving. Diesel had made her breakfast in bed, a stack of waffles under a mountain of clotted cream and rivers of syrup; but that felt like hours ago. Her stomach grumbled, her knees hurt, her feet were cramping and the woman just wouldn’t shut up.
“He’s very sensitive,” the woman was stick thin with oversized glasses that made her look like a starved owl. “He only eats canned tuna, and almond milk. I really don’t see what the problem could be. He was fine after his last visit with Dr. Brennen. But now he’s temperamental and won’t come when I call him. Mr. Snagalpuss, meow for Mommy;” the creamy white Persian stared at the floor, “come on pussy, pussy. See!”
“Please fill in these forms,” Sonya said pushing papers at the woman. “Dr. Brennen will look in to your cat.”
“Mr. Snagalpuss,” the woman corrected.
“Your cat will be fine,” Sonya said, disliking the woman immensely. “Fill in the forms and hand them to Lucy over there,” she pointed to the front desk. Lucy, a young woman with bright blue hair, was glaring at the woman with the cat. “I’m going out to lunch, Luc,” she waved at the girl who waved at her then started scolding the woman for going straight in to a doctor’s room without speaking to reception first.
Sonya took off her white coat, picked up her bag and checked her reflection in the mirror above the sink in her office bathroom. Her hazel eyes looked tired; her face was swollen and rounder, even her nose looked bigger. Her caramel colored hair shone though, glistening thick and long down her shoulders. Sonya took a surreptitious look down at her bloated body and her swelling stomach and grimaced.
The weather forecast was sunny with a possible snow storm by the end of the week. The last of the winters offering, it was going to be big and last for days before spring finally came in. Sonya breathed in the piney scent and enjoyed the feel of sun on her cold skin.
She walked two blocks to the Windmill Café, an old windmill turned in to a restaurant in Waterville. Shifter Grove was a thirty minute drive from Waterville city and Sonya worked in the veterinarian clinic of Dr. Brennen as an assistant doctor. She wouldn’t have bothered walking that far on her swollen legs if they didn’t serve fantastic gargantuan portions of fried fish and chips.
Sonya was meeting her friends for lunch. Diesel’s birthday was in a weeks’ time and she wanted to plan the final details. There was also the matter of her present. She wanted to give Diesel something that was meaningful, that he would love. Diesel had given her so much she wanted to give back just as much.
Diesel Wake was Sonya’s boyfriend, a WerePanther and the Sheriff of Shifter Grove. He was also the father of the baby Sonya was pregnant with. Sonya had been on the run from her ex-boyfriend, a WereTiger mercenary who killed people for a living, when she had met Diesel in Shifter Grove, a town where Shifter’s and non-Shifter’s lived in peace and harmony. Diesel had given her a home to stay and his protection. Belonging to broken homes, both Diesel and Sonya had wanted a loving family and Diesel had won her heart and her loyalty.
Her pregnancy had been a surprise for them both but a pleasant one. Sonya had contemplated marriage but Diesel hadn’t been comfortable with that. Sonya understood; never having seen a marriage that lasted she didn’t see the point of the institute of marriage. They didn’t need an official document telling them they loved each other.
Sonya settled in to a booth, ordered herself a lemonade, took out her planner and waited for her friends. She jotted down the things that still needed to be taken care of. Then she turned to the page which gave her the most anxiety these days:
Diesel’s birthday present.
Samantha slipped in to the booth, her ass making squeaky noises against the plastic upholstery. She brushed her red hair out of her face, slipped out of her heavy coat and signaled to the waitress.
“Root beer please,” she said, then turned to Sonya. “Hi.”
Sonya grinned.
Samantha was a WereFox. She had the long pinched face of a wily fox in the bushes, the bright red hair that was almost orange and big round, pink rimmed eyes that gave her a perpetually surprised expression. Samantha was a twitchy woman who thought too fast, spoke too fast and did things too fast like her entire life was a hair trigger away from falling around her ears.
Samantha’s husband Larry, the mechanic in Shifter Grove, had hit on Sonya her first day in town. Sonya didn’t feel guilty about that. She felt sorry that Samantha had such a creepy husband.
“Where’s everyone else?” Sonya asked.
“Oh Kathrine is having an argument with this man who took our parking spot,” Samantha waved towards the entrance eagerly perusi
ng the menu, “And Claus needed to get some eye cream. I think I’ll have the chicken.”
Katherine and Claus slid in to the booth as well. Clause, pink, hook-nosed and spindly legged, shooed Samantha to slide in further. Katherine looked self-satisfied. There were scrapes on her knuckles.
“You punched him didn’t you?” Samantha said.
“Thrice,” Claus rolled his eyes.
Katherine grinned.
They ordered lunch and gossiped about the people they knew in Shifter Grove and Waterville; the city wasn’t very fond of its adjacent town of Shifter Grove and the feeling was mutual but they kept their animosity under the surface for a friendlier environment for the children to grow in.
Samantha checked the checklist of all the preparations that had been made for the party and Sonya distributed the last handful of tasks.
“Have you had any luck?” Samantha asked when they tallied the number of people who would be coming.
“I have a lead,” Sonya shrugged, dejected. “But it’s a place in upstate New York. I was planning on calling first and gauging a reaction before I went ahead.”
“What if he’s an asshole?” Claus asked, sipping his iced tea, his feathery soft eyebrows up in his hairline. “What if he’s this unsavory character who doesn’t really care that he has a son?”
“Then I hang up and hope he doesn’t find us,” Sonya shrugged.
Diesel had never known his father, his mother breaking up with him when she’d found out he was a Shifter. She had never mentioned him, his name, where he lived or what he looked like. Martha Cousins had fallen pregnant, left her family home in the middle of the night and moved to Brooklyn to avoid shame. She had dropped her last name to pull on her ex-boyfriends like a jacket to cover her sin and told people she was a war widow. Sonya had seen pictures of Diesel’s mother, spade jawed and blonde, the woman looked nothing like Diesel except the blue eyes. She was sure Diesel looked like his father.