The Tiger's Mail Order Mate (Paranormal Shifter Romance) (6 page)

“So back to the boat, huh?” Sonja asked.

“Sure looks like it.” Russell replied. “We have barely enough gas to get us to Kauai, after that we abandon it and hope for the best.”

“Yeah let’s hope that ship isn’t going to the Big Island.” Sonja said. “That would suck.”

“That it would. We’ll be lucky to talk to the captain and get a ‘no questions asked’ job on there. That’s if you don’t mind cleaning up after people.”

“Not my cup of tea, but I’ve done worse while under cover.” She replied. “Anyway, let’s get going.”

“You’re not going anywhere, you two.” A Romanian male voice announced in the darkness.

Sonja and Russell both drew the 9mm pistols that were holstered at their waists. “Who is that?” Russell called out.

“Sonja knows me.” He said stepping out of the shadows and into the pale moonlight. “Don’t you, dear?”

“Nicolai!” she exclaimed, relieved. “Why are you even here?”

“Well,” the greasy Romanian began to explain, “I was made an offer I couldn’t really refuse.” He said sadly as he pulled out a handgun of his own. “The KGB took my wife and children into custody after I helped you escape. They told me they would torture and kill them unless I brought you back, alive.” He said, his voice trembling as he stood in the cool night air. “They told me, if I brought you back, my family would live, and I would get a cool million dollars and a house by the Caspian Sea.”

“You traitor!” Sonja spat.

“Your government gave me the green light to fly with you at least, back to Russia. They told me it was okay to kill the man. He is too dangerous now, that’s all they told me.” Nicolai explained.

Russell felt the rage building deep inside him. He was not going to die; he was not going back to his cage. He was finished with the US Navy and the rest of his country’s government, and he sure as hell wasn’t going to stand by and watch Sonja get taken back to Russia just to be tortured and executed, or worse, reprogrammed. He decided it was time to unleash the animal.

He screamed a feral scream as his muscles and bones shifted within his body. He dropped to all fours and started growling as his body hair grew longer and his clothes ripped off of his growing bulk. His face changed into a feline shape and his ears moved up on his head.

Nicolai and Sonja both stood there, awestruck. Sonja was the first to get her wits about her and dove for cover as Russell, in his tiger form pounced on the terrified Nicolai.

A roar escaped Russell’s muzzle before he tore into the soft greasy neck of the human he had marked as prey. The salty tang of blood filled his mouth as he nearly decapitated Nicolai with one bite, swiftly ending his life. Russell then shredded the Romanian’s clothes off and began to gorge himself on the man who had betrayed his mate and wanted to harm her.

Sonja discreetly vomited in the bush in which she was hiding from the combination of the grizzly spectacle and the utter shock and disappointment that Nicolai had betrayed her. She remained concealed for a little while longer to make sure Russell was finished his horrific feast.

After about twenty minutes, she peeked out of the hibiscus bush and saw a bunch of scattered bones and Russell cleaning his orange and black fur with his raspy tongue. She had a little bit of an idea on how to get him back to his human form, but it would be tricky.

Usually, Splicer handlers had a remote control to give them their adrenal suppressants, which she didn’t have. She needed to walk up behind him and deliver the dose manually without getting mauled herself.

She slowly approached the massive animal with her hands extended in a non-threatening manner. “Shh, Russell, it’s me, Sonja, you don’t have to worry about me hurting you. I just want to help. We need to get off of this island.” She cooed at the large cat.

Russell snarled at her and lunged, swiping the air in front of her as her super reflexes took hold and she danced backwards.

“Look, I need to give you your medication or you’ll be like that forever and they will be sure to kill you then.” She tried to reason with him. “We need to be safe, the bad man is dead now, so let’s get going.”

Russell growled at her once more, turned his back to her, curled up and put his massive head down to go to sleep.

“Oh no you don’t.” She said as she sprang forward, pushing the button on his implant and ran off. Thanks to her lightning fast reflexes, the large tiger had no idea what just happened. She looked back and saw Russell lying naked on the ground breathing heavily and pressing his implant three more times.

Sonja walked up to the prone man and extended her hand to help him up. He looked up at her with fear in his eyes and was surprised to be the recipient of a warm, loving stare. He clasped Sonja’s outstretched hand and hauled himself out of the dry dirt. “Thanks.” He said as he caught his breath. “And sorry about that. That guy was your friend, wasn’t he?”

“Not anymore. The moment he betrayed my trust was the moment we ceased being friends. I was a fool to trust him.” She sighed. “Let’s get some clothes on you and head to the boat, we don’t want to miss the cruise ship tomorrow.” She said. “Not that I mind looking at you, but it might get a little chilly on the trip to Kauai.” She concluded with a smirk.

Russell laughed as he opened his discarded backpack and pulled on some clothes. “You’re incorrigible, you know that?”

“Yes, I do, but I don’t really care. We’re both about to fly free from all this bullshit and that’s making me feel kind of giddy.” She replied.

They made their way back to the beach and found the boat still tied up to the pontoon pier. “So, what made you get into spying?” Russell asked as he started the boat up once more.

“I had no choice, just like you had no choice but to be what you are. After Chernobyl, people started getting sick and dying. My mother developed cancer, but survived. My brothers they all died, as well as my father. We had the KGB over all the time during my childhood to keep an eye on me. One day, I was around twelve and one of the KGB agents threw a knife at me. I caught it in mid-air without looking at it. That was the last normal day of my life. I was sent to this place called the ballet school. All the girls there were gifted in one way or another. I had the reflexes so they put me in the physical training program. It was not pleasant.” She trailed off, looking towards the cruise ship lights. “So how was your childhood?

“Not much different. My mom died, or was killed, after I was born. With the military, it could go either way to be honest. I was raised by nannies hired by the scientists. They were impersonal and they just did what they had to do to make sure I didn’t die. Never really had any warm contact. Bankes was the only one that had been a constant in my entire life, actually. I had painful experiments done on me. I was taught how to regulate my anger when I needed to. I think I killed a few of my nannies, to be honest. It sucks when you’re raised to be nothing but a weapon.” He said glumly. “They kind of forget we’re people as well.”

“Tell me about it.” She said as she lounged on the deck. “I had to kill my first when I was twelve. Just a week after I got to the ballet school.” Sonja said quietly. “It still haunts me...”

“I guess I’m lucky, I don’t remember my first. I think I was about the same age. Splicers start to be able to change...”

“At puberty, I know.” She finished for him. “I was one of the people assigned to be a handler in Russia. My charge died after an unfortunate accident. So the KGB brought me back into espionage.”

“Well at least I won’t be left unattended, so to speak.” He said. He knew deep down he couldn’t live his life as a normal human. He needed someone who could understand what he was and how to help him minimize fatalities. At least Sonja had all the knowledge to help him wrangle his tiger self.

Sonja got up and walked to the wheel. “Hey, how about you snooze and I’ll get us to the island. I’ll make sure we pull into the main pier and as soon as the tourists leave the ship we’ll go on and talk to the captain, sound good? Tourists usually spend a day at a stopover so we have time to get in and get hidden before any of them come back.”

Russell smiled and yawned. “Thanks,” he said as he stepped away from the controls. “Changing always wipes me out, especially if I...”

“Yeah...” Sonja said uncomfortably, “Let’s not talk about that part, okay?”

“Okay.” Russell replied as he spread out on the fibreglass bench. He pulled the wool blanket over him, closed his eyes and tried to get some sleep.

CHAPTER FOUR

Russell startled as he felt a hand on his shoulder. “Hey, we’re here.” Sonja said, as the sun crept over the eastern horizon.

He sat up and rubbed his bleary eyes and looked around. He saw the cruise ship moored at the pier. No one had woken up yet so the area was deserted. Russell tied the boat to the dock and hopped off, followed by Sonja.

“So, should we make a beeline directly to the ship and see if we can sneak on before the locals wake up?” She asked.

“Sounds like a plan to me. I see one of the deck hands about to lower the gangway.” He replied as he casually strolled down the boardwalk. As much as he wanted to jog towards freedom, he didn’t want to attract any unwanted attention.

They reached the gangway and walked up to the man who was standing at the top. “Excuse me, sir,” Russell greeted, “I was wondering if you guys needed any more help, my lady friend here is a good housekeeper and I’m no slacker in the kitchen. I can definitely wash dishes and chop up stuff for the chef.”

“We had a couple of people ditch us at our last stop.” The man said, looking around to see if anyone was listening. “We could use you, for sure, how much are you wanting to be paid, just so I can let the captain know, I’m one of the chief stewards, so I’m the one who hires the new folk”

“Nothing except a bed and food for each of us.” Sonja replied. “We don’t even care if we get tips.”

“The way it works is, all tips get put in a pool and divided up among the crew at each stop. You’ll get some cash, regardless.” The steward said as he ushered them into the belly of the ship. “The crew sleeps down here. We have the racks for men and racks for women, it’s kind of set up like the navy. Shared quarters. There is always someone sleeping in here at all times, so be quiet and respectful and you won’t make any enemies.” He looked pointedly at Sonja, “and you, miss, if you have any special friends that buzz, don’t use them, we’ve had a few complaints about other women being kept awake at night.”

Sonja looked at the steward with an arched eyebrow and nodded.

“Alright, I’ll go to the main office and get you your contracts while you two get settled in. After you sign, I’ll bring each of you to your assignments and you can get to work. We do most of our work while the guests are ashore. It’s just more efficient that way.”

Sonja and Russell nodded as they went to their respective bunks to put their stuff away. Sonja took a bit longer to put her things away and Russell grew worried. He breathed a sigh of relief as she exited the women’s quarters. “What took you so long?” he asked.

“I still have that SD card, remember? I don’t want anyone finding it.” She explained.

“Makes sense. I guess we’re supposed to wait here until the steward comes back with our uniforms, I guess. I’ve never wanted to go on a cruise, to be honest. I spent enough time at sea with the Navy to last a lifetime.”

“Well think about it this way.” Sonja purred as she draped her arms around his shoulders. “One last trip to sea and we’ll both be free people.” She said as she zoomed in for a kiss.

She stopped as the steward stood in the door and cleared his throat, “Also,” he said, “Fraternization, if you are going to do it, should be done discreetly and out of the view of the guests. Personally, I don’t know why you’re running and I don’t want to know, but I’m letting you know that I had to let some Navy people on to look for some fugitives. I think you might want to hide down in the engine room until they leave. It was only a few of them so we can hope they just stick to thinking you two are guests. If they do search the engine room there are plenty of places you can hide that this key can open.” He said sliding a key card to Sonja.

The steward then reverted to a Ukrainian accent. “Look, we know who you are and what you are doing. I’m part of the movement to keep Russia from taking over our country. I had to get this job because the KGB wants to kill me too. You’re safe here if you just follow my lead.”

“Thank you.” Sonja replied.

“I won’t put you on the employee role until they leave, that way when they check the list they won’t see two new hires.” The steward informed them. “Now go to the engine room and stay there until I come and get you. There’s a room that only this key and the chief engineer’s key an access. You’ll be safe there.”

Sonja ran to her rack and grabbed the SD card from its hiding space and returned to the crew’s common area. “I had to get a little something.” She said demurely. “Come on let’s go.”

They followed the steward to the engine room and used his key card to get in. “You can keep that card until I come and get you. It’s a gesture of good faith. The engineer is off on shore so you don’t have to worry about him coming in here.”

Sonja nodded and waved the card in front of the smooth panel on the thick grey door. It swung open and inside was a small desk and racks of switches and routers. Their green and red LED’s flashed rapidly as they sorted all the data to its destination.

“Yeah this is our data center. We have a broadband satellite connection so our guests can stay connected to the internet at all time. Usually, it’s one or two wifi routers, but we have guests that require direct access, so we have wired internet in every room, we even supply the LAN cable.” He seemed awfully proud of that little feature. “Sorry, it’s part of my job, you stay in here, don’t knock anything around. It will take a few hours for the navy people to search this ship so you might be here a while. If you hear an announcement that we are leaving port, you know we are in the clear and you can leave if I don’t get you first. We’ll meet up in the crew’s common area if that happens. You still need your uniforms and assignments.” With that the steward left and closed the door behind him.

Sonja turned to Russell and wrapped her arms around him again, grinding her pelvis into his, seductively. “Well, while we’re waiting, we might as well keep ourselves occupied.”

“We’ll have to be quiet.” Russell whispered. “Don’t want let them know we’re here.” He said as he lightly kissed Sonja’s soft lips.

“I’m able to do that, but are you?” she said as she playfully nipped Russell’s lower lip. “You growled last time we fucked.”

“I’ll try not to do that this time.” He said as he snaked his hand up underneath her shirt.

Sonja felt her knees go weak as she felt his strong hand caress her breast through her bra. He began to nuzzle and kiss her neck as he stroked her nipple through her lacy bra. She felt his other hand move down to her leggings and push its way in. She felt a long finger probe between her moist pussy lips with restrained urgency. As Russell stroked her gently, she felt shocks of pleasure course through her body. She wanted to moan and cry out but she couldn’t alert those who stood outside the door so she kept silent, which amplified the naughty feel of the entire situation.

Russell’s finger found her clit and he started moving it around causing her to whimper as she bit down on his shoulder in an effort to keep silent. She felt like a teenager trying not to get caught messing around in her parents basement, or in her case, the shed behind the ballet school.

Russell’s dick strained in his pants as he inhaled Sonja’s spicy scent. The stress and the danger of the past few nights had finally caught up to him and this was one of his ways of dealing with it without resorting to anger. The adrenal suppressant didn’t suppress the adrenaline rush of anger and fear; the nervous system wasn’t that simple. Russell’s body had adapted and instead of adrenaline, which was suppressed with the medication, his body produced more testosterone during stress, causing him to become increasingly sexually aroused. His adolescent years were very, very difficult, to put it lightly.

Sonja breathed in Russell’s heady musk and widened her stance a bit to give his hand more room as he stroked her clit gently. She felt the tension building in her abdomen as she reached down and undid his jeans. She reached in and grasped his thick, hard cock and began to stroke it gently. The feeling of her hand on his dick caused a low rumble to form in his throat, which he bit back.

She loved feeling his thick, hard cock in her hand and played with it gently by moving the soft skin up and down the shaft.

Thrills of pleasure danced up Russell’s spine as Sonja gently stroked him. He looked into her emerald green eyes and felt a surge of deep love for the woman who tumbled into his life. Both of them longed for the freedom that many people in the world took for granted; the freedom to determine their own fates, which somehow became intertwined.

Sonja felt a surge of love as she looked into Russell’s unique golden eyes. First he started off as a means to an end for her, now it was so much more. He gave up everything to keep her safe. He could have turned her in and just kept on living his life, as much as it was. He had much more freedom than the splicers she had known.

As he stroked her clit her orgasm built higher and higher. The pleasurable sensation was amplified by the love she felt for this man as she buried her face into his shoulder and whimpered as her tension grew. Her body tensed up and her knees began to weaken and tremble as her orgasm surged through her body. Russell felt a gush of wetness fill his hand as Sonja shook and bit down hard on his shoulder. Her grip on his cock became vicelike as she came.

Russell then removed his hand from her leggings and pulled them down. He turned her around and bent her over the small desk and pulled his hot and ready cock out of his jeans. He then placed the head of his cock against the hot, wet opening of her waiting pussy and bent over her. “I can’t wait till this is all over so we can finally fuck without having anyone listen in.” He whispered as he shoved his nine inch dick deep inside Sonja’s waiting pussy.

She bit down on her forearm so as not to cry out from the exquisite pleasure of Russell’s hard cock filling her to the brim. He thrust softly so as not to cause the desk to rattle it and alert those outside.

The soft, slow strokes inflamed Sonja’s passion even more. It took all of her restraint not to buck back in response. Russell was the first ever man she had been passive with and the role reversal was amazing. She whimpered into her forearm as the soft, short strokes rocked her to her core building another orgasm deep within her.

While Russell was gently grinding inside her she instinctively reached between her legs and touched her throbbing clit with her long fingers. He grabbed her wrist and removed her hand from her sopping pussy and placed it back on the desk. “Not today.” He whispered in her ear. “I want to be in control of when you cum, so you keep that pretty little hand up there.” He whispered as he ground his pelvis in a circular motion against hers.

She bit her arm harder, drawing blood as she felt another tide of pleasure well up inside of her. Russell felt her muscles tense as her orgasm began to crest and stopped moving. He reached out and held her free hand to the desk to prevent her from rubbing herself off while he was buried deep inside of her.

“Not quite yet.” He whispered. “I’m nowhere near ready to cum yet and the more you have the louder you get, we can’t risk compromising our position. I would give anything to be drilling you right now, but slow and steady wins the race.” He finished as he flexed his muscles, causing his dick to twitch inside her.

Sonja fought to not move against him as she felt her peak ebb, leaving a pleasant throbbing sensation between her legs. She decided to abandon her focus on her orgasm and just let the sensations carry her away since they did have a few hours to kill.

He felt her relax underneath him. “That’s it. Just let it go and focus on the experience.” He whispered. He started the soft quick thrusts up again and Sonja just relaxed and felt herself being rocked deep inside. Russell’s heady sex musk filled the room as he softly caressed her back while he barely moved inside Sonja’s tight, wet well.

She vaguely remembered the training she received while she was in the splicer program. When one chooses a mate, they claim them for life. The more that the opposite sex is exposed to the musk the deeper the bond becomes. The pheromone rewires the brain to produce extra oxytocin when the couple is together, and it can be consciously released by the splicer during sex. She inhaled deeply as she allowed the chemical to take her away.

Russell felt her breathe in his pheromones as she relaxed beneath him even more. She wasn’t unresponsive, if anything with that deep breath, she became more responsive to his sexual control. He let himself slip into a semi-trance state to keep his shape shifting under control since he felt the tension begin at the base of his spine, signalling he was going to blow his load soon.

Unbeknownst to her, he matched his breathing to her own as she took deep, steady breaths to maximise her exposure the chemical. She squeezed her legs together, providing a tighter grip for Russell as he fucked her softly from behind.

While he rode her, he bent down and nuzzled her neck and whispered in her ear. “God you feel so damn good. I’m feeling like I’m gonna cum soon. We’re going to cum together, do you understand. It’s important for the process.”

Sonja understood and accepted it as Russell began to thrust harder and quicker. She felt her orgasm rising deep within her belly as he reached down and rubbed her clit and fucked her at the same time.

Higher and higher it rose and suddenly, it hit. She bit down on her arm to stifle the cry as he pinched her sensitive nub hard causing her to cum harder than she has ever cum before, while he unloaded the contents of his balls deep inside her with a quiet grunt.