by M. J. Parker
He started walking towards me but I put my hand out in front of me and stopped him.
“Don’t come any closer,”
“Zena,” He said my name. “I told you I’m not like other guys,”
I couldn’t comprehend anything, for one he was standing in front of me naked, and another – he was a Tiger.
I felt dizzy, and suddenly blacked out.
Chapter Seven
I woke up, seeing Derek put a cold wash cloth on my head.
He put a hand on my cheek with a light smile on his face.
“What happened?” I asked him. My voice was groggy, almost as if I had been out for hours.
“You fainted,”
“Fainted?” I repeated, as I sat up slowly. I closed my eyes and took a few deep breathes, then opened them.
“It wasn’t a dream was it?” I asked. I looked him in the eyes as he smiled weakly.
“No,” He said. Almost sounding sad that I had said that.
“…How?”
“I was born a shifter, my father was a shifter and my mother was as well,”
“…Do you, go after humans?”
Derek looked at me, with a soft chuckle. He couldn’t help but laugh at what I had just said, it was an honest question, and a curious on at that.
“Were not vampires,” He said reassuring me. “Besides, don’t you think that if I was to go after humans you would be alive right now?”
I Shrug. This was true, I didn’t think about it like that – and then I looked at him.
“Are vampires real?” I couldn’t believe I was saying those words.
He placed the cool washcloth on my forehead and looked at me with a light smile. “Very much so,”
Those words did not excite me – but I felt an odd sense of security with him, I felt safe, I felt like I was home – in Jude’s arms again.
__
It had been hours that we had talked about his kind, the shifter world and how much different it was from the human world – it was more dangerous from what he had said, but at the same time it was one of the best places to be in.
“I won’t tell anyone,” I reassured him. We were now standing up, my hands placed on his chest and his eyes looked into mine, one hand cupped my cheek as he looked at me with his beautiful eyes. Before I or he could say anything more we kissed.
Chapter Eight
He lifted me up and my legs wrapped around him, as we got to his bed room. My hands wrestled with his shirt – practically ripping it off, I kissed him roughly, as he kissed me the same, and he lay me down on the bed.
His hands traveled my body – getting to know it better, and getting to know the sober body I had. I felt his hands at the hem of my shirt as his lips trailed away from my lips to my jaw, then to my neck – slowly he lifted up my shirt over my head, I helped him.
My world was spinning for the better.
___
We lay side by side after a while just covered in the sheets – his hand played with my hair and I felt like I was falling asleep. I felt his lips kiss my forehead, and I smiled softly.
“It’s ultimately your choice Zena, on what you want to do, I won’t hold you back,” I look up at him, and our foreheads touched. I knew what he meant by that and I had a big decision to make.
“I want to be with you,” I reply. Knowing that much. He smiled at me and kissed my lips gently again. “I’m just not sure how to handle your world,”
“It’s not easy,” He said honestly. “There’s more danger than your world, epically for you,”
“What kind of danger?”
“Considering that we slept together twice now, your already in danger – my kind doesn’t take lightly to humans entering our world,”
“But you do?”
He smiled lightly. “I’m not like most of my kind as you already know,”
I sit up. “You mean there’s no other self-made Billionaire tigers out there?” I chuckle. And he pulled me over him.
I was now sitting on top of him, and I kissed his chest.
The night was going to be long, but a good kind of long.
Chapter Nine
“Where have you been?” Natalie scoffed me as soon as I walked into the door. I looked at her with a smirk on my face, and she just looked at me with confused eyes. I loved seeing the confusion on her face, a rare sight to see.
“I was out with Derek,” I reminded her.
For once, she was quiet and had no words.
“If you haven’t noticed I’ve been gone for two days,”
“No, I’ve noticed – considering I almost put a missing persons report on you,”
I laugh, as she followed me to my bedroom.
“Zena,” She said my name, grabbing my arm and turning me towards her. “What the hell is going on with you?” She said in a demanding voice.
“This is unlike you,” She said.
I took a few moments, I made her wait in anticipation, and then I pulled her into my room and closed the door looking at her.
“I slept with Derek,”
Those words had just slapped Natalie in the face, she didn’t know what to think or say, and I could tell she was trying to come up with something.
“You…Slept with Derek,” The words fumbled.
“Yes,” I say. Starting to like the sound of me sleeping with Derek.
“Derek Haven…. The self-made billionaire?”
I roll my eyes playfully… “Yes, Derek Haven the Self-made Billionaire,”
“You don’t sleep with anyone,”
I walked over to my dresser and grabbed a fresh pair of clothes and a towel from my closet and then I turned and looked at her.
“I know, it’s weird to think that I slept with someone other than Jude,” I Say. “But I can’t help feel like Jude is the one who brought me to him, like he wanted me to do this,”
“Why would Jude want you to sleep with a guy you don’t even know?” Natalie asked.
I Shrug. Then think about it for a minute, and then I answered her.
“To live life,” I say. “I’ve always been stuck inside my own little box, cooped up because I was afraid of what others would think of me – It’s not what Jude would want for me, and it’s not what I want for myself anymore, I really do have to thank you Natalie, if you didn’t push me to go to the club the other night, I would probably still be sitting in my room listening to Jude’s mix tapes,”
“I See,” She said. “I’m glad you’re finally getting out of your shell Zena, but I just want you to be careful, Derek is a man of money, and he can pretty much get any girl he wants if he so desires so,”
“I know,” I said agreeing, I couldn’t deny that fact. “But Derek isn’t that kind of person, we talked a lot just the past few days and he seems genuine,”
“A rich guy that’s Genuine?” She questioned.
“Surprisingly yes,” I say. “I’ll explain more but you have to trust me on this, I wouldn’t be doing this if I knew it wasn’t the right thing to do,”
“I do trust you Z,” She said. “It’s just him I kind of don’t trust, I don’t want you getting hurt by him,”
I set my clothes down and hugged Natalie tight, as she hugged me bag. “I won’t get hurt,”
“You don’t know that,”
“I do,”
“He really isn’t the kind of guy you think he is,” I said trying to reassure her as much as possible. I let go of her after a few minutes, and she just smiled lightly.
“I’ll be fine Nat, I promise,”
I grabbed my clothes from my bed and headed into the shower as Natalie left my room.
Chapter Ten
A month had passed way too quickly.
Derek and I had spent time together every day, every night, and every morning. I was practically living with him.
I knew Natalie was worried about me, but I think I finally made her see that Derek wasn’t like any other rich guy, not that we knew any other rich guy.
“Have yo
u thought about what I said?”
I turn and looked at Derek, and I smile lightly. “I have, and I’m just not sure,” I say. Derek asked me if I wanted to become like he was – A tiger shifter.
A human turning into a tiger shifter has never been done before by anyone, and no one knows if they would survive the change, from what Derek tells me – when your changed into a human shifter the human DNA changes – giving your body the ability to shift freely into the form that your being brought into.
“I’m not pushing you to do it,” He says. He kissed my forehead. “It was just a question,”
I smile. I then stop and I feel my stomach curnge, for the past week it has been acting up and I’m not really sure what to make of it. Derek looked at me with worried eyes.
“You alright?” He asks. I nod.
“I’m fine,” I reply. “My stomach is acting up that’s all,” I kiss him to reassure him that I am okay.
Then I quickly head to the bathroom.
I close the door.
Then I throw up.
__
I wipe my mouth with paper towel as I flush the toilet, then brush my teeth, something was wrong with me, I Just didn’t know what it was.
I heard Derek knock on the door, his voice was full of concern and worry as he spoke. “Love, are you alright?”
I go to the door. “I’m fine,” I say. Reassuring him, even though I didn’t know myself if I was. I looked at myself in the mirror and sighed with frustration.
I couldn’t be…
As the thought of me being pregnant ran through my head.
But then again, we weren’t exactly careful.
My heart raced with anxiety and my mind raced with thoughts and feeling, how was Derek going to feel about this? We’ve been together for only a month.
I soon open up the door with Derek standing there looking at me – my mind feels like it’s in a haze, and my cheeks feel flushed as I see him standing there.
“Zena,” He said my name, grabbing me gently and pulling me to my waist.
“What’s wrong?” He felt my forehead, I didn’t think I had a fever and neither did he, because if I did, he would have said something.
“I don’t know,” I say. “…I might…” I hesitate to even say the word.
His eyes were confused and worried, and he placed his hands on my cheeks, kissing my forehead.
“I might be pregnant,” I say. Finally able to get the word out. His hands dropped from my cheeks to his side, and the look on his face was pure shock.
I closed my eyes seeing the way he looked.
“Say something,” I whisper. Placing my hands on his chest, his eyes looked right into mine and he said the words I never thought I would hear anyone say.
“Marry me?” He kissed me roughly and I kissed him back. My heart pounded, and then I looked at him.
“I don’t want you to marry me because of the baby,” I said. Which was the truth. He seemed a little hurt by it, but he understood where I was going at.
“I want to marry you, because I do love you, and I want to spend every waking moment with you,”
His words were honest, and true.
I smile, and then kiss him again, as his hand gently placed on my stomach.
Chapter Eleven
“It’s a boy!” The doctor said happily. I can’t believe we were already finding out what the sex was. He wanted to wait till the baby was born so our child could be in our wedding.
He kissed my forehead happily as the nurse cleaned up my stomach.
“Do you have a name?” The nurse asked kindly. I sit up as she finished cleaning my stomach and stood up.
“Jude,” I say.
Derek put his arm around me and kissed my temple.
The nurse smiled at both of us. “Congratulations, and I’ll see you at your next appointment,” She said. Walking out of the room, we followed her and headed out to our car.
__
We meet Natalie and Kenneth at small restraint on the outskirts of town, Natalie was pregnant as well, but she was a bit more far along than I was.
Natalie hugged me and then we sat down next to our fiancé’s.
“So?” Natalie said excited.
I look at her and then I pull out the baby picture from my purse and show it to her. “It’s a boy,” I say happily.
She squealed happily and reached over the table hugging me, and I hugged her back.
“Do you have a name?” She asked.
“I do,” I say. Derek took my hand into his as we sat side by side.
“Jude,” I say. “Jude Carter Haven,”
Natalie looked at me a little surprised, but I knew she was happy in the end for me.
__
The week passed, and I was officially moved in with Derek, Natalie and Kenneth kept the apartment and turned my room into a nursery, which I didn’t mind. Derek and I lay in bed together, and what once was his room is now our room.
He placed his hand on my stomach lightly, and gently kissed my neck, I couldn’t help but let a soft moan escape.
“I love you,” He whispered to me, in between kisses as he kissed my neck.
I placed my hand on his cheek, and looked at him after a few minutes. “And I you,” I say.
Months Later
Chapter Twelve
I screamed loudly as Derek held my hand, and I suddenly heard the baby cry as I pushed.
He kissed my forehead as the baby had come out, and smiled.
“He’s here love,” I heard Derek whisper to me.
I Smile, as I look over and see the nurses clean him off, a few minutes later they handed him to me. He was perfect, as perfect as any child could have ever been.
Derek sat next to me on the hospital bed, and with his index finger he gently stroked the baby’s cheek.
He looked at me, and leaned in kissing my lips. I kissed him back and then his forehead touched mine.
“Our son,” He whispered to me.
I couldn’t help but smile, I close my eyes hearing his words. The words “Our son,” was the best thing Derek could have ever said.
Now, all we had to do was be married and it was time to plan a wedding.
Our lives were going to be perfect.
___
Derek was taking care of Jude, while I was getting ready for our wedding, I wore a beautiful white wedding gown that flowed out. The dress was almost a princess ball gown with a corset top, strapless, showing off my shoulders and back.
Natalie walked in, and smiled at me, she hugged me squealing with excitement.
“I can’t believe your finally getting married,” She said with a smile.
I couldn’t believe it either.
Natalie was my maid of honor.
“I know,” I say. “Me either,”
“How are you feeling?” She asks.
“Nervous,” I reply.
She looked at me with concern eyes. “Are you having second thoughts about being married to him?”
I look at her, and she knew my answer right away before I could even speak. I loved Derek more than anything in the world, but what Natalie said a really long time ago had got to me.
He’s rich, a self-maid billionaire, he could have any girl he wants, so why would he have me?
“I don’t know,” I say. “I can’t help but think about what you said a year ago Nat, why out of all the girls he could have in the world, would he have me? Why would he choose me to be the father of his baby?”
Natalie placed her hands on my cheeks and made me look at her.
“He loves you Zena, more than anything in the world, and if I recall, you do as well – hell you guys have a son together,”
I smile lightly, thinking about Jude.
I thought about Derek’s secret, him being a Tiger shifter, of course Natalie didn’t know about that and she was never going to, but Derek still never explained how our child was going to turn out with the Tiger shifters.
I was already too far in to dig my
self out at this rate. I look at Natalie as my thoughts had decided to go forward everything that was happening now.
I smile lightly. “Your right,” I say. “I do love him more than anything in this world, and our son needs both of us together, not just one parent at separate times,”
Natalie removed her hands.
“It’s all going to be okay Zena, You’ll see,” She said.
I just nodded.
___
We were finally married and at the reception. For the rest of the night I had a baby sitter for Jude, not that I wanted to leave my son.
But he was tired, and needed to sleep.
The reception was the best night of my life, being with Derek dancing in his arms, and only thinking about him, and the rest of our lives together.
By the time the party ended, we were both exhausted. We thanked everyone for coming once it was time, then Derek and I Headed back to our place.
As we got there, he lifted me up and walked me through the threshold, I couldn’t help but giggle as he sat me down on my feet and I kissed him passionately. He kissed me back.
“Is Jude going to be like you?” I ask after a few minutes. He doesn’t say anything, he takes my hand and leads me up to the nursery where our baby sitter was waiting, and he gave her some money then sent her on her way after thanking her for watching our son.
I was still in my ball gown wedding dress and he lifted Jude up and held him as he slept.
He finally answered my question. “If he has the markings of a tiger by the time he’s four, then yes, he will be like me, but if not, then he will be like you, human,” He said.
I questioned him about the markings. “Markings? What markings?”
I knew Derek’s body from head to toe, and he had no markings.
“When a child is born from a shifter, they have markings on them to let them know when they’re ready to shift, there almost like tattoo’s but there not permanent, they last a year,”
He reassured me.
I smile, as I kiss Jude’s forehead and he lay back down.
