Shifting Crossroads 8 - Ocelot of Trouble

by Zenina Masters

  Chapter Seven

  The bed was huge, swathed in crimson, and the manacles gleamed against the dark fabric in the bright room. A door to one side led to a bathroom, and once she had explored, Mina returned to Robar’s side. She looked up at him, and he said the one thing that caused her heart to swell with grateful affection.

  “Mina, what do you need?”

  She paused as nine different options ran through her mind. Finally, she settled for, “I need you to tell me what to do so that I don’t wreck this.”

  “Is it your first time?”

  Looking anywhere but at him was not an option. The only other thing in the room was the bed. “It is. With this…condition of mine, getting close to foreplay ended up with broken limbs on the part of my partner.”

  He winced. “What happened?”

  “It involved a car door, a moped and a skateboarder.” She shuddered at the memory of the snap of the femur. She still could not figure out how it had happened. The arm she could figure out. The skateboarder had fallen on it.

  Robar smiled, “Well, the first thing we need to do is get undressed. I will go first, and you can go when you are ready.”

  She froze as he shrugged out of his shirt and dropped it carelessly on the floor. Mina sat on the edge of the bed and watched him as he kicked off his shoes and flicked away his socks.

  The skin of his torso was smooth with a red line beginning low on his belly and trailing into his jeans. When he unsnapped the denim and eased it over his hips, she held her breath.

  His erection was long, straight and it bobbed invitingly as he finished removing his clothes. Without asking, he crept past her and positioned himself near the shackles. “Ready when you are, Mina.”

  His erection pointed toward the ceiling, and his body was taut but relaxed.

  She shivered and slowly reached for the chain and cuff nearest her.

  “It will be easier for you if you let your beast take charge. She knows what she wants.” His voice was low and controlled.

  Mina looked inside herself and found that he wasn’t wrong. “How did you know?”

  “Our beasts are always close to the surface when we are naked with another of our kind.” Robar smiled.

  Her inner cat was flexing and wanted to rub herself all over the naked male next to her.

  “What happens if I let her go?”

  “Nature will take its course.”

  “Is that all right?”

  He grinned. “It is wonderful. We screw ourselves up with the human instincts. Here at the Crossroads, we learn to trust our inner beasts again. Let her lead the way.”

  Mina nodded and smiled shyly.

  “Now, tie me up.”

  She was startled into laughing, and before she knew it, he was cuffed to the bed. Her inner animal had done it without consulting her.

  Her beast wanted to feel his skin on hers again, so it removed her clothing, tossing them in a tangle over his. With one last move, she unsnapped her hair clip and let her curls tumble around her shoulders. She shook her head and enjoyed the feel of her hair sliding over her skin.

  She climbed onto the bed with him watching her every move. He was right—her inner beast knew just what she wanted.

  A low, satisfied growl came from her throat as she climbed over him until her torso was aligned with his and she was holding herself away from him. She leaned in and brushed her lips across his in a slow kiss.

  Once he responded to her, she licked his lips with hers. Her beast was leading the way but her human mind was whispering all sorts of ideas. It was rather like hiding behind tissue paper. She could take control anytime she wanted, but her beast was content to lead.

  With slow moves, she brought her arms in and straddled his torso, letting his cock rub against her sex as she stroked his shoulders and chest. Her opening got slick and wet as she moved against him. Every stroke of her tongue against his sent a spiking tension through her.

  Her beast wanted to taste him, so she backed up, nuzzling at his neck, nipping him and using her tongue to gauge the flavours of his skin. She enjoyed the flex of his muscles and tendons under her lips. Mina smiled as she learned his flavours, nipped his nipples before lapping and sucking at them in turn. He groaned, and her smile crept into her soul, knowing that she was making their first time together memorable for him as well.

  When she reached his cock, she heard the shackles jingle as his limbs jerked. The flared head was dripping precum, and when she lapped at the salty pearls, the low groan coming from his throat was accompanied by a sharp jerk on the chains.

  Her beast smiled and sucked him into her mouth, licking at the tiny opening before pulling back with a pop.

  While she had been exploring him, her own body had been waking gradually. Mina straddled him again, easing the wet head of his cock into her opening and relaxing a little, letting him slip inside.

  Robar shuddered, and his eyes narrowed as she engulfed that small bit of him. “Take your time, Mina.”

  She chuckled and caressed his abs, running her nails over his chest with the lightest touch. “I have waited a long time, Robar. Now is as good as any other time and better than most.”

  Mina flexed her hips, gaining a little more of him. Her body was adjusting to his intrusion, but she could only get him in so far before he wasn’t going any further.

  His eyes locked with hers. “Take your time, Mina.”

  It was a mantra he was whispering to her over and over.

  She squirmed in place and felt a sharp ache inside. “This isn’t going to work.”

  “It will; just rub your clit and follow your instincts.”

  It was beyond embarrassing to follow his direction, but as she used her middle finger to circle her clit, the urge to have him all the way inside her became overpowering. Her breath sighed in and out of her throat as her climax roared up on her.

  In a sudden move, Robar arched under her, and she shrieked as her release rode a wave of pain into ripples of pleasure. A second surge caught her by surprise, and power roared out of her and into Robar.

  Dimly, she heard the snapping of metal, and Robar’s arms came around her as he flipped her to her back.

  She stared up at him as he slowly started to thrust into her. At first, her body registered the friction as pain, but as he continued, pleasure slowly crept into the mix.

  He kissed her with the same deliberate attention as his body moved within hers.

  Mina returned the kiss and locked her arms around his neck while her legs gripped his hips. She held tight and rocked with him until his motions took on a frenzy that tumbled her along for the ride.

  He threaded one hand in her hair and savaged her mouth with his, growling into her mouth while his hips jerked against hers.

  A low wave of pulses ran through her channel and sent heat out into her body in low ripples that showed no signs of stopping. She moaned into his mouth, and he held them tightly together as he rolled to his back once again.

  Mina was plastered flat against him and copper scented the air. Her sex throbbed and it wasn’t simply in memory of pleasure. “Excuse me.” She tried to push away from him, but he tightened his hold on her.

  “Wait a moment.”

  Mina scowled. “I need to clean up.”

  He laughed. “The side effect of making love. There is usually some sort of residue to attend to.”

  “Blood?”

  “Occasionally, especially on the first occasion.” He pressed a kiss to her forehead.

  What he had said sunk in. “Making love?”

  “My kind mates for life once we find our match. You are my match.” He stroked her hair and pressed a kiss to her cheek.

  Her eyes widened in shock. “You can’t be serious!”

  He looked offended. “Why not?”

  “You are…and I am…and you need…I am not your type. I saw those other women at the bar, and I am not in their league.” She frowned.
>
  “Those women and I had relationships in the human world. We are not compatible when our inner beasts collide. Your ocelot and my fox get along fine.” He grinned and pressed another kiss to her forehead.

  She had to admit that he had a point. “Fine. I can chase that fluffy tail of yours around indefinitely.”

  He grinned. “And I will even let you catch it on occasion. Is it really my tail you are after?”

  “Well, your tail and you smell like berries.”

  “That is because you spilled them on me that first night and today I was eating blueberries.”

  Mina blushed. “Oh.”

  Sweat was cooling on her body, and she shivered. It was that small motion that made Robar release her.

  He slipped out of her and stroked her spine slowly. “Go and take a hot shower. If you like, I will wash your back for you.”

  She sat up and took a quick look around. Her body was painted with stripes from rolling back and forth in her own blood. “Oh my whiskers.”

  She bolted out of bed and headed for the bathroom. She heard motion behind her, and she was barely under the hot spray before he was crowding her against the wall and helping her remove traces of their coupling.

  Mina leaned back as he massaged her spine and the curve of her butt.

  His hands slipped between her thighs and relieved some of the ache that was starting in muscles that hadn’t straddled another living being before.

  “So, where would you like to go for lunch?” Robar whispered it in her ear.

  Her stomach growled as an answer. “The café would be fine.”

  He laughed. “I was thinking something more formal for our first meal together.”

  “Formal can be for dinner. I am in the mood for fries or maybe a salad.”

  Robar’s hands moved around her body and cupped her breasts. “I am in the mood for more of you, but I will wait. I think we need to exchange particulars and the café is as good a spot as any.”

  She smiled. “Good. Now, let me out of here and you can have your own run through the water.” She turned in his arms and stared up at the clean line of his jaw and the throbbing pulse in his neck.

  “Fine, but don’t take off without me.” Robar laughed.

  Mina sighed and slid past him. She wrapped herself in a towel and retreated to the bedroom. She blinked. The sheets were now a pristine white and there was no trace of the previous wreck.

  A table set for two with covered dishes on it waited for her.

  Her clothing was folded neatly at the foot of the bed but a navy blue silk and lace negligee was draped over top of it. She took the hint.

  When Robar returned, he stopped short, wearing nothing more than a towel and a shocked expression. “What?”

  “Apparently, Teebie thought I could benefit from an afternoon in.”

  He grinned and looked at the table. “What is she serving?”

  “I have no idea. There was a note that said we were to place our orders out loud and she would provide.”

  He smiled and held her chair out for her. She slipped into the seat, and he helped her place the napkin on her lap.

  He sat opposite her and smiled, “I do not recall you wearing that on the way into this room.”

  “It was waiting for me when I came out. I decided to take the hint.”

  “Remind me to thank Teebie for it.”

  She smiled. “I will.”

  She closed her eyes and muttered her lunch request. There was a ping from the metal, and when she lifted the cover, her fries, ketchup and salad were all huddled together.

  Lunch was served.

  Chapter Eight

  “So, how did you end up here? I was blackmailed.” Robar grinned.

  “Ah, well, I was sent here by my family and my entire local shifter community. They held a social to raise funds and each donated a piece of themselves for the transporter.”

  She dunked her fry into the ketchup and waved it in the air. “It was the largest single donation on record.”

  “What is a social?”

  “It is an event where you purchase a ticket, dance and drink. It is a ticket to a party.” She smiled.

  “Was it fun?”

  “Not particularly. Even my ex-dates participated in an effort to get me to the Crossroads.”

  He winced. “That must have been embarrassing.”

  She snickered and waved a fry at him. “No more so than finding that the women you had paid to come here were not suitable candidates for an easy escape.”

  He raised one auburn eyebrow in surprise. “Fair enough. You are right. I was a little perturbed when I realised that none of them would be suitable as mates.”

  She chuckled. “At least my exes wanted me to find my proper match. If they couldn’t be the love of my life, they wanted me to find it.”

  He sat back with a strange look. “You do seem to make friends easily, don’t you?”

  She shrugged. “I know. For a wild species that is normally solitary, I am perversely social.”

  “It is a good trait. My family throws a lot of dinner parties and attends any number of events.”

  Mina suddenly realised that he came from money. “How well off are you?”

  “Well, the Pickwiks are an old family, and my grandmother’s line is even older. She’s an Alenfleur.”

  “Well, the Lancasters are an old family, we are simply middle class.” She smiled, “My mother’s family are Ekhearts. Two steady ocelot lines.”

  He finished his burger and grinned, “So, do you think our children will be ocelots or foxes?”

  “I really don’t know. It isn’t something I have thought about. Heck, they could even be turtles. I have some in my lineage a few generations back, and they pop up when you least expect them.” She blinked. Children. Well, she supposed that it was the logical outcome of the sort of activity she had just engaged in. Fortunately, she could not bear more than one child every two years. It would help her keep things in perspective.

  “You hadn’t thought about children, had you? Your face just went blank.”

  She sighed. “It is just all a little more than I was thinking about. I was concentrating on getting past my gentlemen callers being struck by passing objects or set on fire. I hadn’t thought about what would happen next.”

  Robar laughed. “Understandable. My mother and grandmother confronted me and ordered me to come here. I only thought to find a mate and go home, but now that I have met you, the future seems something that I am very interested in. For example, where would you like to live?”

  “I don’t know. Somewhere near a thick forest where I can run and hide when I like.” She finished her fries and moved on to her salad.

  “You don’t have a preference for a certain location?”

  “No. I will go where my mate is and make a new territory.”

  “Is that traditional in ocelot shifters?” He asked her the question as if he knew the answer.

  “No. My family is not traditional in our beast’s sense. We remain with our mates. We don’t simply mate and kick the male out so we can raise our offspring. Both my parents are steady influences in my life, but they want me to strike out on my own.”

  “So, we both have strong parents who are shoving us toward a settled life. We have something in common beyond the basics.” Robar smiled and took her hand.

  “Apparently.” She finished her salad and tucked everything back under the silver dome.

  “Now, how did you come to be the victim of a curse?”

  She sighed and sat back. “I didn’t realise that anything was wrong for the longest time.”

  “How did you figure it out?”

  “It was my senior prom. My date was David Twist, and he was very gallant and cheerful, just what I needed at the time. We were dancing, and one of the spotlights that the gym was using fell and shattered, embedding a piece into his leg that required extraction at the hospital. It was the f
ifth date that had ended in trouble.”

  “Ah, that would do it. What did you think was causing it?”

  “I thought I was a jinx. Unlucky and unlikely to find a man who could survive being near me. My family didn’t believe it; they kept setting me up with any eligible male they could find. I merely kept going on round after round of first dates, all ending in disaster.”

  “What caused the curse?”

  “Teebie is looking into it, but her theory is that one of the boys that I knew in high school was a curse master and he marked me as his own.”

  “Why couldn’t you ask him to remove the curse?”

  “His family moved three months after the first dating disaster. I had no idea what was going on at the time. It never even occurred to me that he could have been a human mage.”

  “They are hard to spot.” He chuckled. “Would you care to take an afternoon nap?”

  She smiled and felt the aches and pains in her body. “It is a very attractive idea.”

  He rose to his feet and discarded the towel.

  “Alright, now it is more than an idea.” Mina smiled and got to her feet. “I know an order when I see one.”

  He laughed and walked her over to the bed, folding the sheets back before lifting them to allow her to slide in. Instead of walking around to the other side of the bed, he slid in next to her, curling her against him.

  “I haven’t napped in the afternoon since I had the flu two years ago.” She babbled as he wrapped his arm around her, cupping her breast in one hand while he tucked his hips against her buttocks.

  He pressed a kiss to her neck. “It is a habit worth rekindling. I can imagine many lazy afternoons with you in my arms, sunlight bathing us in warmth and light.”

  The idea had merit, and Mina smiled happily at the thought. She did so love to be warm.

  “So, what do foxes do for fun?” She murmured it with sleepy satisfaction.

  “We run together, play together, race around in the fields.” He spoke slowly while his hands moved on the silk that covered her.