“Every day,” I admitted. “My father and my uncle were jaguar shifters too. They would spend hours training me to defend myself in the event that I ever got taken by a master.”
“Did the defense training work?” Sophia cringed.
“Somewhat,” I said. “But there were too many of them. They netted me before I was able to shift and fight back.”
“Magic and shifting were forbidden in the Master castle I lived in,” Sophia said. “Although sometimes people tried to get away with using it in subtle ways.”
She flicked her eyes away as if she were guilty of the very thing she was describing. I smiled. She was so intriguing and I wanted to know more about her. She had captured my attention in the very best ways possible.
As I looked into the seduction of her fierce blue eyes, I saw a fire blazing in them. A fire that desperately needed to escape. I knew without a doubt that this tortured soul of a woman was going places that none of us could even imagine.
I just hoped I would be lucky enough to go along for the ride.
26
James
“I must say,” I told Sophia as we strolled past rows and rows of books, slowly and side-by-side.
Every now and then, her shoulder or her arm lightly grazed against mine and delight surged within me from the inside out. “I am so grateful that I finally found a shifter out there who shares my penchant for reading.”
Sophia’s eyes brightened and there was a faint twinkle of charm in them. Her full red lips curled at the edges with amusement.
“Me too,” she said. “Don’t you just love the smell of a library? It’s like every page has a history, a story to tell. I have always loved burrowing under a warm blanket by a crackling and cozy fire while burying my nose into a great story.”
“It’s wonderful,” I said.
Sophia’s features softened into something melancholy. “The last time I remember enjoying a moment of relaxation like that was before my Master took me.”
“You can start your life over now,” I whispered gently and stroked her back. “You don’t have to worry about the monsters out there in the shadows anymore.”
“Except for Cameron?” Sophia grinned, then her smile quickly faded. “I know. That one was in poor taste.”
“No, it’s okay,” I chuckled. “We joke around with Cameron about his affliction sometimes. It’s like comic relief for the severity of the curse on him.”
Sophia gave me a contemplative look as she pursed her lips in concentration. “I wish there was some way we could help him, something we could do.”
“Believe me,” I said with a sigh as I led her in the direction of the fire in the hearth. “If there was a remedy, we would have already done it.”
“Oh, I’m sure.” Sophia nodded confidently as if she could put her trust in us too and didn’t mean anything offensive.
“Would you like to sit down?” I asked.
“Sure.” Sophia casually shrugged as she glanced down at the giant leather sofa in the center of the circular relaxation space next to the glowing fireplace.
I sat down next to her with a contented sigh and leaned back against the cushions. I gave her a smile that I hoped she would find charming.
“It’s nice to be able to sit down at the end of a long day and take a breather,” I said.
“Absolutely.” Sophia nodded. “But I have to say one thing. In observing the chores and job sharing that everyone does around here, I can see it’s an amazing improvement from what I had to deal with in the Master castle.”
“Oh, of course,” I agreed with a nod. “Nobody wants to be stuck in a freezing and dim cell all day when they could be doing something useful.”
“When I was on chore duty in the master castle, if I didn’t work hard enough or fast enough, I would be beaten.”
I crossed my leg over my knee and leaned in to look at her. “Can I tell you a story?” I asked.
“Yes,” Sophia said with an interested grin.
“When I was living in a Master castle in my village, I was on bathroom duty. I had to clean the bathrooms once a week on my rotation and it was an absolutely disgusting job. I remember one specific time that I missed a spot on the tub that wasn’t glistening to perfection the way my Master wanted it. So, to punish me, he made me sit there all night and scrub the tub again with the tiniest toothbrush with the most microscopic bristles that you have ever seen. My hands and wrists hurt for a week.”
“Did you have guards watching over you to make sure you didn’t stop?” Sophia asked.
“Unfortunately, yes,” I said.
“That’s terrible.” She placed her hand on my arm and stroked it gently.
My cock began to throb in my pants.
“I’m just glad it’s all behind me now,” I said. “I’m a survivor. I always have been, and I always will be.”
Sophia smiled with recognition. “I try to tell myself that same thing every day.”
“Don’t just tell it to yourself,” I said. “Live by it. Make it your motto. Before you know it, you will have more strength than you could ever imagine.”
Sophia glanced over her shoulder and peered fondly at the books. “Maybe that’s why I enjoy reading so much.”
“What do you mean?” I asked.
Sophia let out a delicate sigh. I watched the rhythm of her chest and shoulders falling. She propped her elbow up on the back of the sofa and gazed at me as if she had an old soul.
“I want to get lost in the stories. I want to pretend that I’m the characters going on adventures and having fun. I want to escape reality and become someone else.”
“You don’t need to be anyone else,” I said tenderly and stroked her cheek with my thumb. “You are Sophia. You are beautiful just the way you are.”
“Yeah, right,” Sophia scoffed. “I’m the ugly duckling.”
“Are you kidding me?” I was appalled that she would describe herself in such a grim manner. “I think that all black swans are unique. They have talents and magic that is unmatched by anyone else in the shifter world.”
Sophia’s expression brightened a touch and I saw a shimmer enthusiasm in her eyes. “Really?”
“Absolutely!” I exclaimed. “You need to give yourself more credit. Besides, you have an adventurous life. You had to be fished out of the river for starters.”
Sophia let out a gorgeous laugh. “That wasn’t exactly the highlight of my life.”
“That’s the thing about life, though, isn’t it?” I asked. “You feel like you are on top of the world one minute and the next, you might be crashing down to sink to your lowest bottom.”
“Yeah.” Sophia rolled her eyes. “I experience that all the time. I just never thought anyone else did too.”
“The world is full of ups and downs.” I lifted a strand of her black hair off her cheek and tucked it gracefully behind her ear. I admired her shimmering eyes and her rosy cheeks.
“I’m having fun getting to know you,” she said after several seconds of silence between us. I thought that the sexual chemistry sizzling between us was going to burn a hole in my heart.
“Me too,” I said with an inviting smile.
“Who knew that a jaguar and a black swan would have so much in common?” She chuckled at the fluke circumstance.
“Fate is funny like that,” I whispered.
I locked eyes with her and noticed sensuality swirling in her features. We were close together now, almost nose to nose. I took her hand and cradled it with mine. I loved the smoothness of her skin, the femininity of her curves. Her broken leg didn’t matter at all to me. She was remarkable both on the inside and out.
“I think you are the prettiest woman I’ve ever met,” I admitted.
“You probably say that to all the girls you meet.” Sophia let out a cynical chuckle.
“I don’t meet that many girls,” I said with a grin.
Sophia let out a sexy little sound, and then I took the plunge. I went for it, in that moment. I ha
d to taste her. I had to feel the fullness of her rich lips pressed against mine.
Sophia’s mouth parted in welcoming invitation to my flirtatious kiss. I was relieved that she was receptive and allowed me access to her glorious body. My senses were electrified with the spark of attraction.
“Just relax,” I said as I nibbled on her ear lobes and showered her neck with delicate kisses. “You are safe with me. I just want to explore you. I want to get to know who you are as a person, but I also want to appreciate the splendor of your body.”
Sophia seemed to go for it. She didn’t protest in the slightest. She snaked her arms around my neck and pulled me closer for a sensual hug. She grazed her fingers through my hair and rubbed my back.
Her breathing became heavier as I pushed my finger up her shirt and fondled her breasts. She wasn’t wearing a bra, which meant less clothing that I would have to take off of her. I was panting hard and my cock throbbed, just itching to get out and play with her warm, wet hole.
“Just lay back and relax,” I said in a coaxing yet pacifying tone.
Sophia leaned down on the edge of the couch and extended her legs out in front of her. She raised her arms over her head as I tenderly began to undress her.
I did exactly as I told her I would. I appreciated every surface of her beautiful body. She was gorgeous. Her nipples were pink and kissable. Her breasts were perky and bouncy. Her hips had womanly curves in perfect contrast to her sexy, slender waist.
“You don’t even know how gorgeous you are,” I croaked.
Sophia smiled up at me. Her gaze was erotic and adrenaline pumped through my veins. I grabbed a bandanna out of my pocket before undressing all the way. I plucked a condom from my pants pocket and sheathed it onto my swollen shaft.
“What’s the bandanna for?” Sophia asked as she stared in awe at the thick girth between my legs, only looking away to point to the garment in my hand.
“I have a surprise for you,” I said. “And it involves this very bandanna.”
Sophia nodded, appearing intrigued. Her cheeks were flushed. I continued to graze her skin with soft kisses that trailed down to her navel. When I got down to her inner thighs she began to quietly moan. Her legs began to quiver in response to my touch.
I knew how to please a woman. I knew exactly what Sophia wanted, and I was going to give it to her. But first we were going to play a little game because I wouldn’t be able to get off until I did it.
I leaned over and whispered in her ear. “You will enjoy the pleasure and passion of sex so much if you can’t see.”
“What?” She chuckled and gave me a curious stare.
“Just think about it,” I said and tried to easily persuade her to try something new and exciting. “For me, it’s such a thrill to be blindfolded during sex or to blindfold my partner. Just think of the maximized pleasure you can have when you lose one sense. The other four senses you have become even more heightened.”
Sophia was almost sold. “You want to blindfold me?”
“Yes,” I said. “I want to take away your sight so that you can really feel what I have to offer you sexually.”
Sophia took a deep breath and jumped on board. “Okay. I can try anything once.”
“Good girl.” I was practically beaming as I slid the bandanna around her eyes and twisted it into a knot on the back of her head.
Next came the exciting part. Sophia roped her legs around my waist as I pushed myself inside of her. She arched her back and gasped.
“You’re right,” she practically purred. “This feels so incredible.”
“I told you,” I said, satisfaction swirling through my soul. I groaned as I filled her up. “Oh, you feel so tight and warm.”
“Do you always have sex with a blindfold?” Sophia asked.
“Unfortunately, I have issues when it comes to sex,” I told her.
I was burying my snake deep inside of her. I might as well try to be as honest as I possibly could.
“Maybe we can learn some things from each other,” Sophia said and then let out a wail of pleasure.
I was fully charged by the magnetism of her moans, and her enthusiasm left me craving more. The fire was warm against our naked backs and we intertwined as one. I began to thrust harder and faster, taking pride in how wet I was making her. I tried to hit all her pleasure points. I wanted her to moan with ecstasy on account of my skills.
“I feel like we have a special connection,” I told her.
“Me too.” Sophia couldn’t see me, but she was smiling.
I put forth an enormous effort to make sure she was satisfied and happy with the experience. I pumped harder, more vigorously. My aim was to get as close as possible to her g-spot. I wanted to make her moan with wild, thrilling passion.
As soon as I hit it, I knew that I had done the job. Sophia whimpered with pleasure and then the guttural cries of passion and ecstasy began to explode from her voice in a throaty, sensual way.
Her hips wiggled around on my hardened cock and she began to tremble, slowly at first and then more violently. I held her in place so that she could enjoy the intense swell of orgasm ravaging her body.
“Wow,” she panted. She was glowing radiantly in the aftermath of climax, her cheeks red and hair disheveled. “That was incredible.”
I knew how to use my magic stick to a female’s advantage, but I also wanted to get off myself. Seeing her in the throes of pleasure sent me hurtling over the cliff of ecstasy to the point of no return.
I grabbed her by the hips and closed my eyes because I didn’t have a second bandanna. I wanted to feel everything. I didn’t have to see to experience the magic of an orgasm. I squeezed her breasts in my enormous hands and groaned.
I felt myself shooting the explosion of warm cum inside of her. I filled the condom to the brim, practically spilling the contents out. I had to carefully pull myself out of her before I could peel off the condom.
Sophia was grinning with a giddy smirk. She rubbed my flat stomach. “You are an amazing lover,” she breathed.
“Thank you.” I leaned in and planted a kiss on her soft lips. I felt tingly and numb with pleasure all over my entire body.
I was afraid that I was going to get addicted to Sophia now that we had shared this intimacy. I tried to tell myself that there were far worse things to become hooked by. I helped her put her clothes back on, especially her pants because her leg brace was bulky.
“Do you want to just lie here a while before I bring you back to the medical unit?” I suggested. I knew I didn’t want to be alone after sex.
“Yes.” Sophia’s features were splashed with relief. She had taken the blindfold off a few minutes ago. “That would be wonderful.”
She burrowed herself into the crook of my arm, giving herself a cozy little nook to cuddle in.
“Do you want me to go and get a book for you to read? Perhaps some poetry?” I asked.
I kissed the top of her head. I had thrown in the poetry aspect to make myself appear more gentlemanly and romantic. I didn’t need to try so hard. Sophia had already given herself to me and was seemingly reaping the benefits.
“No,” she said in dreamy voice. “I’m content just listening to the sound of the fire crackling and your heart beating.”
It was almost heaven. If I blinked, I was afraid that she would disappear. I was relieved that we had been alone in here and no one else had come into the library while we were having sex.
Now I got to enjoy an extended amount of time with her, hoping that this was just the beginning of our intimate connection.
27
Sophia
The next morning, I left the medical unit and noticed I wasn’t hobbling along as terribly as before.
I was beginning to feel a little stronger and I no longer needed use of the cane. I was able to put enough weight on my injured leg to navigate through the halls without the ambulatory device.
I was feeling exceptionally optimistic now that I had better control over my l
egs. I hoped that I would be able to get back to dancing in no time.
I wandered around the bunker. My goal was to seek out Cameron and talk to him about what had happened last night, and the behavior I witnessed from him. I wanted to reassure him that I would never judge him for something that he couldn’t control.
I needed to tell him that I too had felt like a complete outcast for most of my life, made to feel like I was worthless. I felt like we had that connection, that pain in common that we could both use to heal.
I found Cameron downstairs in the weight room. He was lifting weights, grunting and sweating. I was immediately attracted to him. He had chocolate brown hair and brown eyes. His hair went almost all the way to his shoulders, and he had a scruffy five-o’clock shadow. It wasn’t a full-fledged beard, but it looked like it was getting there.
He was the rugged, masculine, mountain man type and fit the description to a tee. He seemed a little reserved, but at the same time, there was a wildness about him that made me exceptionally curious about what he had to offer in a relationship.
He had been bench pressing when he turned his head, noticing me coming into the room. I gave him a friendly wave. He grunted as he raised the weighted bar over his head and then crashed it back down onto the rack with a giant thud.
“Wow,” I said as I approached him. “That’s impressive.”
Cameron sat up, out of breath and dabbing at his glistening forehead with a hand towel. “Thanks.”
I tried to subtly check out his body. He was sculpted from head to toe. His torso had a rippled eight pack. His skin was tanned as if he spent a lot of time outdoors in his human form. His biceps were bulging like tiny boulders atop his burly arms. He was chiseled, but he was still slender and agile in appearance. He wasn’t thick or beefy like you would expect from a body builder or a weight lifter.
He gazed up at me expectantly while he remained seated on the bench. He was still panting hard. I assumed he was nearing the end of his workout session.
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