Roar for Her: A BBW Paranormal Weretiger Shape Shifter Romance (Sassy Shifter Brides Book 4) (6 page)

He squeezed Teresa’s arm, feeling her tremble next to him. It took him a moment to realize that it wasn’t her that was shaking – it was him. Slate took a deep breath, trying to swallow the anger that wanted to take hold of him. His younger brother had a much more tolerant personality than he ever did. Having taken the brunt of their father’s anger, he still remained loyal to the clan, something that Slate could never do. Still, his striking blue eyes reflected sadness that Slate had not known to be there the last they met years ago.

“What’s going on, Slate?” Teresa whispered, her brows knit in confusion.

“Leave your little human and let’s go home, brother. You’ve had your fun. Father is old, and he does not have many moons left. This is Anastasia, a royal daughter from the Red Delta clan. She’s been chosen for you,” Ash said, looking worn and tired. Slate shook his head fiercely, not giving the tigress another look. Her smell fought for prevalence next to Teresa’s, and if it were left up to his body, he would take her without a second thought. But he had spent a lifetime preparing to say no, and damn it, that was what he was going to do. Cubs or no cubs. History or no history. He had chosen the woman that spoke to his soul and his body, and even if he couldn’t have cubs with her, he wasn’t going to let hormones dictate his path.

“No. Teresa is a human, yes, but she is
my
human. I told you years ago that the life we are meant to lead is not for me. I want a woman, who loves me, and I want to love and cherish her with all my heart, not just be drawn to her when she is in heat. And I certainly don’t want to be the man whose sole mission in life it is to ruin other families’ lives the way ours was ruined. Look at yourself. Our father nearly killed you when you said you didn’t want to become a warrior for the clan. Do you really want to serve a man like that, or anyone even remotely similar? I told you a long time ago that wherever I went, there would be room for you and our brothers and sisters, if only you wanted a different kind of future for yourselves. I’ve made my choice. I’m staying here.”

His words were stern, and his voice boomed over the rain and thunder. He could feel Teresa’s breath catch as she stood next to him, staring up at him. Had he just professed his love to her? It seemed he did. He had a lot of explaining to do, but first and foremost, he wanted to get Teresa to safety and to get it through to his brother’s head that there was a different way to live. In a way, he was retelling it to himself as well, reminding himself of all of the reasons why he had decided to choose the path he was on now. Why he said no to a traditional future, one that was set in stone and never wavered. Why he chose a woman he barely knew over a tigress that provided the safety of stability and the clear future drawn for him.

Ash looked morose, his expression falling with each word Slate spoke. The tigress on the other hand looked hopeful. Slate figured that she didn’t dare change from her tiger form, as it was custom for the tigers to remain in their animal form during the lead-up to the Bonding. His heart ached for her. She must have been here as reluctantly as he was, and it brought him shame that for a moment, his body had considered her feminine wiles as even remotely alluring. Certainly, she was a proud tigress in her own right, and any tiger would have been glad to call her his mate, but that was not what Slate wanted for himself. He could only hope that she would find someone that loved her as much as he now knew he loved Teresa.

Ash, or Aleksandr as was his given name, pressed his lips thin, his hand stroking across his right shoulder and the scar that was hidden under his clothes. Slate knew that his brother couldn’t have been prepared for this kind of reception. For all intents and purposes, it should have only been necessary to parade the tigress in front of Slate, and any lesser tiger would have quickly forgotten all about his promises to himself and to anyone else in the name of claiming a mate. Slate hoped that his brother would not press the matter. The last thing he wanted was to have to fight his little brother over something neither of them felt comfortable doing.

“Fine. I had a task, as far as I am concerned, I have completed it. Your peak is close, and I can assume you won’t change your mind. Father will not be pleased to learn that you chose a mate outside of your species.” Slate frowned at that.

“Mate? You mean…”

“Yes. You’ve been gone for such a long time that maybe you haven’t heard. You’re not the first to choose a human instead of a tiger, a few others have done so as well. We thought they were just rumors, but we had news of a human woman bearing a healthy offspring just some months ago. The child is a shifter and a tiger, clearly, but her mother is not.” Ash cracked a smile, an emotion that looked almost alien on his stoic expression. “Apologies if you thought you were breaking ground here. But the rules still apply to humans as well. You must bond during the Bonding if you want offspring.”

Slate looked at Teresa, rain streaking down her cheeks. She looked so adorably confused. He wanted to kiss it all away. He wouldn’t presume that she would be willing to take such a commitment right off the bat with him, but a hint of hope sparked in him. There was a chance! A chance to get everything he ever wanted and more. Slate exhaled deeply and smiled broadly.

“I hope you’ll be the next to stray from the rules then, brother,” he said, reaching his hand out to Ash. After a moment of hesitation, his brother grasped the big palm offered to him, and Slate pulled him in for a bear hug without further thought. They looked so different yet so alike. Ash’s fair hair and blue eyes were a reflection of their mother, while Slate was a spitting image of his father. Yet, both carried themselves in that proud way that clung to weretiger royalty, their heads up and their shoulders squared.

“We will see,” Ash said, his words wooden, but the hint of a smile on his lips telling Slate that he wasn’t completely off with his guesses. Ash pulled back and transformed into his tiger form just as the rain started growing thinner. With a soft snarl, he lowered his head to Slate, and Slate returned the nod. A second later, both Ash and Anastasia were gone, as if they had never been there at all.

“You have a lot of explaining to do, Mister!” Teresa grumbled, though she still had her hands wrapped around his waist. Slate chuckled and dipped lower, catching her lips in a long, luxuriating kiss that left both of them breathless.

“Yes, ma’am!”
 

CHAPTER SEVEN

Teresa’s hands were tucked in her lap, cradling a cup of hot cocoa, and her eyes were wide with surprise. Since Slate had got them home and warmed up after the ordeal on the mountainside, Teresa had felt like she had suddenly been pulled into some alternate universe. Sure, she could deal with a tiger now and then, but being part of a tense standoff between three of the massive shifters left her a little bit shaken. And that was to say nothing about the story Slate was telling her now. She kept getting distracted by how adorably uncertain he looked when telling her all the details but not enough to miss the fact that each word he spoke made her feel warmer and more hopeful.

“So, yeah. Long story short, weretigers go through a time in their lives where they must find a mate or never have cubs. It’s called the Bonding, and I am at the end stages of mine. My brother, Ash, was sent to get me to take a mate chosen for me, and honestly, that is how it works for us usually. But I don’t want a life like that. I want someone that
I
have chosen and who has chosen me. I don’t want a woman, a mate by my side, who doesn’t want to be there and stays only because of an ancient sense of duty.” His nose crinkled in aggravation, reminding her of the growl of a tiger. “I want you, Teresa,” he concluded, piercing the words with a small smile.

The pit of her stomach fluttered with butterflies. Oh, there was no doubt in her mind that Slate was the man for her. The one she wanted, the one she needed and the one she would like to spend her days with. But what he was saying gave her a lot to think about. It was a big commitment for both of them.

“I want you too,” she said, mirroring his smile as he sat across from her. “But it’s a very big decision. You say that we either go through this Bonding now or you will never have cubs?” she asked. More than anything she wanted to have children with a man she knew would be there for her and her children, as well as be a good father for them. Slate certainly fit the bill, but what if he changed his mind later? What if they were so caught up in their infatuation that when it came to living together day to day, they’d find they couldn’t stand each other? She couldn’t imagine it happening, but rationally she knew it was a possibility. Doubts swirled in her mind, but her heart only said one thing – yes! Yes, be his! Yes, accept him as your own for now and forever!

Slate reached over to her, gently plucking the mug from her hands and placing it on the table. Then, he clasped her small palms in his big paws and shifted from the couch, getting down on one knee in front of her. Teresa’s breath caught in her chest. Was he doing what she thought he was doing?

“Teresa, I know this is a lot to ask. I can’t promise that everything will be okay forever, though I would try my best to make it so. In my heart, I know you are the woman for me. Even if you say that this is too much for you, I wouldn’t go searching for another. I resigned myself to a life without cubs a long time ago but with you, I would gladly have as many as we could! If you wanted them, that is. I’ve been keeping my hands off of you because I didn’t know if I could bond with a human like that, even though when I first saw you, I knew you were my fated mate. My love, my light. I didn’t want to force you into a life you weren’t ready for. That’s why I couldn’t go further with you. But trust me when I say that I wanted to. God, I wanted to touch you so badly, to have you… to kiss your beautiful lips and claim you. If this is something you think you could be ready for, then say the word, and I’ll carry you to the bedroom right now. And if you’re not, then I’ll behave until the time is over, and we can try being together without the pressure. Just you and me.”

Teresa’s cheeks lit with a blush. Being next to him without him touching her again had been torture. At least it was a small bit of solace that it had been as hellish for him as it had been for her. She caught her lower lip between her teeth, feeling the warmth of Slate’s touch spread through her body. She knew what she wanted. It might have sounded mad, foolhardy and a decision made much too quickly, but she wanted children, and she most certainly wanted Slate. Having both seemed like a no-brainer.

“Slate, I want you too,” she said, her voice coming out small. “I’m ready. I’ve always wanted babies, and I’ve dreamed of having a family with a man who loved and respected me. I can’t think of anything better.” Teresa smiled brightly as Slate’s face lit up. The man grabbed her into a tight hug, pulling her into his lap and then kissing her savagely, all the pent up stress flooding out of him. She wrapped her hands around his neck, soaking up all the love he had to offer. Her core pulsed with need.

“I love you, Teresa,” Slate whispered between fevered kisses, his hands already undoing her top as she pulled on his shirt.

“I love you too,” Teresa gasped as Slate kissed her face, her neck, her chest, moving downward and making her need increase tenfold.  She pulled off his shirt and fell on the plush carpet between the chairs, giggling. There was a fire roaring in the fireplace, casting a warm glow over their bodies. Slate paused for a moment, his amazing body lit by the soft blaze as he looked down on her. Right then and there Teresa felt like the most beautiful woman in the world, and she was overcome with the knowledge that he would look at her like that every day for the rest of their lives. She didn’t need outside confirmation for their love. Simply, she knew.

He smiled that rakish smile of his, and her fingers slipped up along his still-damp jeans until reaching his belt buckle. She undid it quickly, her fingertips brushing against his hard abs as she pulled down the jeans.

“One last chance, Teresa. Are you sure you’re ready to commit to me forever? You’d make me the happiest man alive if you did,” he said, just a hint of worry passing through his expression. She quickly wiped it away by smiling at him and drawing him nearer to her by his pant pockets.

“Yes,” she whispered, his face was inches from hers. “I want you, Slate,” she said, and those words seemed to release a torrent of carefully wound up need in Slate.

He kissed her with reckless abandon, his hands quickly unclasping her bra and tearing it off of her. She kissed him back with matched zeal, each taste of him a piece of heaven. Teresa pushed down his jeans without a second thought, and her hand gripped his hard cock, rigid and impressive against her palm. He hissed in a breath and wiggled her out of her pants as well, desperate to be inside of her. Teresa glanced down, and an involuntary groan escaped her lips at the sight of Slate’s massive erection, making her wonder how it was ever going to fit. But she was so wet already and had been waiting so eagerly for this moment that there could be no other way. It was going to be fucking fantastic. She wouldn’t accept anything less.

Teresa rubbed the length of his cock a few times, loving the way her fingers barely touched one another around his girth. She circled her thumb over the head, and he moaned with pleasure, his lips hot on her neck. Then, he grabbed her by the wrist and pinned her hand above her head, kissing her on the lips once more as he spread her legs and settled between them. Purring grumbles sounded from his throat, resonating through her as she bucked against his hips, eager to have him in her. Slate’s cock pressed against her slit, spreading the wet folds.