Chapter Nine
1122 Words
Bat
I hadn’t even realised I was half a man until she completed me.
And that’s exactly what it felt like. I was final complete. My usual raging beast was finally calm. Content and sated.
Because Sarah was finally ours.
I ha always loved her, right from the moment she had been placed in my trembling hands. A squawking red-faced bundle of temper. And I had loved her every day since.
It was more than physical, although that was a major part of it. No, it was more like we were one soul that had been shattered and then finally put back together.
I loved her.
Not just as any man would love a woman but with my entire being.
She was my mate.
The life inside of her would be my cub. Whether it was nine by blood or not. Whether it shifted or not, it was as much mine as she was.
Rolling over, in the bed I let my eyes flicker open. The room was still dark, only the slight grey murkiness of the light coming from a c***k in the curtains told me it was nearing dawn. Sarah lay on her side, her head resting on her bent arm. She had a look on her face that told me she was feeling exactly what I was.
Complete.
I didn’t want to wake up, but I couldn’t help but reach out for her. Using my fingertips to push back a strand f her gold hair behind her ears. A low happy purr fell from her lips. She leant into my hand for a second but didn’t wake.
It made me smile. Even when she was asleep, she craved my touch, just like it was meant to be.
“God,” I smoothed a finger down her cheek. “I f*****g love you.” My spare hand pressed against her stomach. “Both of you.”
It wouldn’t be long until we could feel the movements of the life growing inside of her. The idea both excited and terrified me in equal measures.
“We love you too.” Sarah mumbled sleepily. My eyes fell back on her face. She wasn’t asleep but she wasn’t quite awake yet either. She was in the happy middle space. Leaning forward pressed my lips to her forehead.
“Go back to sleep Sarah.”
“Where are you going?”
Even without me moving or saying anything she knew I was getting up.
“I’m going for a run, and then I’ll make us breakfast.”
Her eyes opened, rapidly blinking the sleep from them. “Your leaving?”
Kissing her again. This time on the lips I sighed. “I’m not leaving you, my love; I’m going to go for a run. When I’m back we can have breakfast in bed, and I can show you ow much I missed you.”
Her smile was dazzling, but her eyes were already closing. “OK.” She mumbled sleepily “Ok that’s sounds nice. Just don’t be too long ok.”
“I won’t.” And I wouldn’t be. The thought of leaving her for any length of time was like taking a knife to the chest. Was this how Jett and Diablo felt? I dint know how they managed to go about their daily lives without their mate stuck firmly to their sides. I sure as hell didn’t know how I was going to manage it.
“Go back to sleep now my love.”
She was already snoring softly.
It made me smile.
***
It was only when I was deep into the woods that backed onto her house, did I let the shift take me. As contented as my cat was, he needed to run every day otherwise he became practically impossible to live with.
My body elongated, black fur flying to cover my skin. Claws erupted from my nails. My shifts had always been smooth but today it was different.
It was effortless.
Which just went to prove how complete being bonded with Sarah had made me.
Throwing my head skywards I let out a roar. The sound vibrating through the trees. Leaping forward let my giant paws carry me forward. My thick fur protecting my face from any low hanging branches.
What was better than this?
I had everything a man could ask for.
A beautiful woman, who loved me with her entire soul in my bed. One that was boned to me for life. I had a child on the way. The start of our family.
And I had this.
My other self, pounding the leaf covered forest floor. His steps, almost playful. I felt more like a house cat high on cat nip than I did a furious sabretooth. And that was ok.
I was allowed to be happy.
It wasn’t a movement or even a sound that caught my attention. It was something more subtle than that. A feeling of being watched washed over me.
I skidded to a halt. Dragging up mud and leaves as I skidded. And my head snapped to the side. Just a man stepped out of the trees.
He looked human. Just a hiker, out for an early morning stroll but I wasn’t fooled.
For one he wasn’t dressed like any hiker. To preppy and no hiker would ever start walking these woods in dress shoes.
Without meaning to, my lips curled back. My growl vibrating through the quiet pre-dawn air.
He was a shifter.
A dragon.
I hated dragons. I had from the moment that Sarah had swooned over the one they called Wren.
For a second his eyes flashed a toxic green colour. Like a fluorescent marker pen, there was nothing natural about it.
Just as quickly as it was there it was gone. A smile curved his stupidly handsome face.
Why did they all have to look like models? All shifters had good looks. It was just written into our biology, but dragons took it to the next level.
“Easy now kitty.” His voice was soft. Almost feminine. but it didn’t put me at ease. In a fight I could hold my own against almost anything. But a dragon? A dragon would always win. They had every unfair advantage going. Bigger, faster stronger and their damn mind reading made it impossible to surprise them.
I glanced over my shoulder, back towards the house where my mate lay sleeping. H
ad he come for her?
“You don’t have to worry about the lovely Sarah, Bat.” A small chuckle, drowned out by my renewed growling. “I’m not here to hurt anyone. Just to talk.”
I didn’t answer him.
“My names Lock.”
- Writer
