Middlemarch Shifters Box Set 4--6, page 28
“Daddy is purring,” James said.
Caroline’s head jerked up to study her sons, her cheeks heating. For a second there, she’d forgotten their presence.
“I love Daddy,” Ricky said and threw himself at Marsh. He giggled when Marsh licked his cheek.
Marsh and the other black cats drying their fur on the lakeshore didn’t scare James or Ricky.
“Have you seen cats before?” Caroline asked Ricky.
“At school we learned cats,” Ricky said. “I like cats lots and lots.”
“That’s good.” Something else to ask Marsh.
James shivered, and she glanced at Marsh. “Should we go? The boys look cold.” Around them other families were packing up to return to their homes.
Marsh stood and shifted. Ignoring the fine white sand clinging to his skin, he pulled on his jeans and sat on a nearby log to don his boots.
Caroline dressed the boys, and they set off home. Although her life had taken a sudden right-hand turn, this afternoon had been one of the best she could remember.
* * * * *
They didn’t talk until after the boys were in bed.
“Are you okay with me sleeping in here with you?” Marsh asked.
“Yes. I know you won’t hurt me. I might pester you with questions though, and I’m still confused. A little angry.”
Marsh puffed out a breath, the tension residing in his shoulders lifting. At least she was willing to listen. After seeing Caroline’s initial reaction he’d thought she might prove difficult. Saul had scared her, but she’d calmed down. The boys were fine. Ricky wanted to know when he could shift to a cat. He’d been very disappointed to learn that it wouldn’t happen until he reached his teenage years.
James seemed equally excited and their secret exposure throughout the week had helped ease Caroline. Not that he’d known the school syllabus included feline history. It made sense since there weren’t any human children in the class. The more the children knew the better for them to find their place in this modern world.
Marsh stripped and crawled into bed. Caroline took longer in the bathroom, and when she shuffled into the bedroom wearing her bright pink wooly slippers, she wore a thick nightgown.
No lovemaking tonight. Marsh sighed, since part of him had been hoping.
“I won’t pounce on you, Caroline. All you have to do is say no.” His voice came out flatter than he’d intended, with a thin layer of accusation. He swallowed. Damn.
“I was cold,” she said, her nose lifting in challenge. “If I was that worried, I would have told you to sleep on the couch.”
They stared at each other, turmoil in her gaze that he suspected echoed his.
“I’m sorry,” he said in a low voice. “This can’t be easy for you. Ask your questions. I’ll answer anything you want to ask me, but know this up front. I want you. Our marriage. I want a future with you and our children.”
She nodded and kicked off her slippers. She hesitated a fraction longer and whisked her nightgown over her head before climbing into bed.
That small act, one of courage on her part since her immersion into an unknown truth, eased some of the pressure on his chest. He blew out a breath. “I can warm you.”
She slid across the width of the bed and into his arms. His feline gave a loud purr and Marsh did nothing to halt the catlike sound.
“You’ve made that sound ever since I met you.”
“Yes, it’s my feline part. He loves you as much as I do.” God, he’d have to tell her about the mark. No more secrets. “Caroline, I need to tell you something else, something I did a few nights ago.”
She froze in his embrace, then pulled back to study his face. “What?”
He swallowed, nerves, the like of which he’d never experienced before, tromped across his stomach lining. A sweat broke out on his brow, and he swallowed for a second time, his feline snarling.
She started, and he realized the sound had squeezed free and wasn’t just in his head.
“Sorry. My feline is agitated. Let me explain. When a feline finds his mate, he marks her, biting her on the marking site, the fleshy pad where the neck and shoulder meet.”
Her hand crept up to the spot, her fingers massaging the tiny raised scar his bite had left. “You marked me.”
“Yes. I…I couldn’t help myself. From the moment I met you, I wanted you. My feline recognized something in you and drove me. I wasn’t unhappy when you became pregnant.”
“Why didn’t you tell me at the start? We married, had a child on the way. Why didn’t you tell me the truth then?”
Marsh flopped over on his back and stared at the ceiling. “My parents. They didn’t want me to marry you. They’ve always been against matches with humans and were outspoken when Saber mated with Emily. But they couldn’t turn their backs on a child who would be a shifter, so we made a deal. They let us live in the farm cottage as long as I kept our feline shapeshifter status secret and didn’t mate with you.
“In hindsight, it was a stupid decision because it set us up to be at my parents’ beck-and-call. But neither of us had any money, and we had James on the way. I thought it was the only choice, and I still felt guilty about Angus’s death. I made a mistake and Angus died. My parents have never let me forget that.” Marsh stopped talking and turned his head to glance at Caroline. She was still fingering her mark, and the sight had an immediate reaction. His cock filled and lengthened.
“Knowing your parents, I can understand your decision. I talked to Isabella this afternoon. She helped me see the alternatives.”
“Which are?”
“I walk away from you and the boys or I stay.”
Marsh flinched at the reality. “Any children we have will inherit the feline gene.”
“Yes, which means as a human I don’t have the knowledge of how to help them when the shapeshifter gene takes over. In their teens?”
“Yes, I shifted for the first time when I turned thirteen.” Marsh glanced at her as a thought occurred. “Occasionally, a shapeshifter will shift at an earlier age.”
“When?”
“Sylvie Mitchell shifted for the first time at age five. That was just before Felix and Tomasine came here. It was safer for them.”
“Shit,” Caroline said. “I don’t want to think about our children shifting early. Are there signs?”
“Yes. Our bones start aching and we dream of cats.”
Caroline frowned at his words. “I guess if we know what to look for. You’ll explain to the boys?”
“Yes. I’ll talk to James because he’s the same age as Sylvie. I don’t think Ricky will understand yet.”
Caroline nodded. “Isabella told me someone wanted to kill Tomasine. She also told me about Lisa Jordan and her human stalkers.”
“It’s Mitchell now. She mated with Sam Mitchell, Saber’s cousin.”
“I think Isabella’s point was that it doesn’t matter if we’re human or shifter, we can still be in danger. There are some strange people in this world.”
“Yes. My parents aren’t warm and fuzzy.”
Caroline barked out a laugh. “I’m glad we came to live at Glenshee.”
“Me too. It’s easy to see that the boys love it.”
“Yes. Tell me more about the mark since I have one. What does it mean?”
“It’s a signal to other male shifters that tells them you’re claimed. It ties me to you emotionally. Physically too, I guess. It’s made you more disposed to stay with me and the enzymes that I passed to you during the bite will help you live longer.”
“How long do you live?”
“Longer than a human. One hundred and thirty years, sometimes longer. Our appearance changes more slowly than a human. We can still die in severe accidents and diseases such as cancer can kill us, but on the whole we’re healthier than the average human.”
“How do you get on when your official age is over a hundred? Don’t people notice?”
Marsh frowned. “I don’t know. I’ve never thought about it, but I suppose the Feline council deals with that sort of thing.”
“You have a Feline council?”
“Yes, they’re the ones who organized the Middlemarch ball and have started the new activities around the town. The craft market, the upcoming zombie run, the padlock fence. They raised the funds to build the new sports field and changing rooms. It’s the feline elders who are on the council. You remember Sid?” At her nod, he continued. “Saber Mitchell is on the council. He’s the youngest member. He took over from his Uncle Herbert.”
“I can’t believe I never noticed. You did shift, I presume?”
“Yes, but I stayed in human form on the farm.”
“I feel so stupid.”
Marsh rolled over without warning, pushing her flat on the bed and caging her with his strength. She blinked up at him, her blue eyes widening. “You are my mate. You are not stupid. We are a secretive race and have thousands of years of hiding our identity from those who would use us. I promise you—none of the shifters at Glenshee are laughing at you. If anything, it’s me who is receiving their censure.”
When she didn’t reply, he dipped his head to steal a tentative kiss. For a second, Caroline didn’t respond and his heart clenched in disappointment, then her arms crept around his neck, holding him to her. Relief filled him along with a purr that vibrated his lips.
Caroline’s giggle remained trapped in their kiss as he took control, tasting and teasing her until she moaned. One hand caressed her neck, his callused fingers strumming her mark.
“Marsh,” she whispered in a thick voice. “That feels so good. I always wondered why you kept nipping me there.”
“My feline trying to exert control,” he said. “You don’t know how many times I wanted to claim you as my mate. It didn’t seem right when you didn’t understand.”
“But you marked me this week.”
“I know. I want to say I’m sorry, but I’m not. Does it make me a prick when I say I love seeing the mark there? It makes me want to puff out my chest and strut.”
She laughed. “Why does a puffer pigeon come to my mind when you say that?”
Marsh growled, allowing his feline to emerge without restraint. “Don’t insult me, woman. I’m a black leopard shifter.”
“Can I mark you?”
“Yes, but it won’t leave a mark like yours—at least I don’t think so,” he added with a frown. “You need to ask Emily and Saber.”
“Or I could experiment.” She fluttered her eyelashes at him, the action filling him with joy. He thought Caroline might accept him, his otherness, after all.
“Kitten, experiment on me anytime.”
“How hard should I bite?”
“I heal fast, and the mark always heals rapidly. Yours did.”
“Yes, I expected to have a sore spot the next morning. It surprised me when I didn’t.”
“And it’s best to bite during sex, during climax if possible.”
“Okay.” She pushed him off her and crawled to the bottom of the bed. Before he could ask, she grasped his cock and slid her hands up and down his shaft. Her mouth closed around his tip and he gasped.
“Christ, woman. Don’t bite me there.”
He felt the shudder of laughter in her body, then she sucked and licked, sending his mind in an entirely different direction.
Chapter Ten
Caroline’s mind reeled with the new knowledge, jumping one way and then the other like a disoriented person in a maze. The one constant she kept returning to was her love for Marsh and their children. None of them were monsters, even with their otherness. Yes, everything else was secondary, and she’d settle her thoughts in the coming days. Just one day at a time.
Instead of stressing, she gave herself over to loving Marsh. She stroked. She sucked. She licked until his big body trembled and his balls tightened and lifted. Judging he was almost ready to come, she pulled her mouth off him and straddled his legs. In seconds, she lifted over him and impaled herself, taking him easily. She rode him at a lazy pace, pleasing herself and watching his face the entire time.
Handsome. Striking. His green eyes blazed with passion, his too-long black hair spread over the pillow. His hands gripped her hips as he encouraged her to move faster. Since it was what she wanted, she allowed the increase in pace. Something pierced her hip, and she realized he’d grown claws, which fascinated her.
She saw he was struggling for control, yet trying to be gentle with her, and this knowledge made her go mushy inside. She used one hand to stroke her clit while she continued her rapid rise and fall. Then, she was hurtling into ecstasy, white-hot pleasure rippling down her legs and blazing upward to her chest. The spasms took over, and Marsh moved with speed. He flipped her over and plunged deep. One stroke. Two. Then he stilled, balls-deep in her, a shudder speeding through his entire body. He fingered her mark and her pussy pulsed around his girth, squeezing another spasm of pleasure free.
For an instant, he rested his weight on her, his forehead touching hers.
“Thank you, Caroline,” he whispered, and she knew he was thanking her for way more than the passionate loving. She stroked her hand over his back, enjoying the closeness, both mentally and physically.
“I forgot to bite you.”
“We have plenty of time, kitten.”
“I always wondered why you called me that. Now it makes sense.”
“You’re everything I need, everything my feline needs. To us you’re our kitten.”
Damn. She dragged in a breath, aware of the shift between them. Damn if he didn’t make her want to purr.
* * * * *
A new openness sprang to life with the employees of Glenshee during the next week, and part of Caroline wondered how she’d been so blind. Now that she knew, she could see the small clues she should have noticed, but had swept aside as quirky or odd. She often came across men in half dress, with no clothes or in feline form.
Marsh had caught her gaping at two of the men and gone all alpha. She kneaded her batch of bread and grinned at the memory of her husband, her mate, ordering the men not to come into the kitchen unless they had their pants on or wore fur. His mate didn’t need to see their nudity, just his.
“Hey, Knife Lady.” Caroline turned at the teasing shout from the door. “Is it safe to come in? I’ve come to collect the lunches.”
Saul spluttered from where he stood at the stove, stirring a white sauce for the fish pie they’d decided on for part of the dinner.
Caroline rolled her eyes. “The lunches are over there on the counter in that box. Come inside and take your chances.”
Saul cocked his head. “We have a visitor.”
“I’ll check.” Maxwell, the guy who picked up the lunches, strode away.
“I’m envious of your hearing,” Caroline said. “I can’t hear a thing.”
“At least you don’t have to smell half of what we can. Ladies who overdo the perfume are hideous. I sneeze and pretend to have allergies. Some guys with aftershave too.”
“I hadn’t thought of that.”
“Visitors for you,” Maxwell said, striding into the kitchen.
“Me?” Caroline noticed he scanned her for a knife, and she cackled. “Knife. Just over there.”
Maxwell froze, the color leaving his face.
Saul chuckled. “She’s teasing you, man.”
Maxwell blushed, the tips of his ears turning pink as he picked up the chiller-bag of lunches and left.
Caroline heard him speak and the next minute, Emily, Tomasine and Isabella crowded into the kitchen.
“Saul,” Emily said. “I didn’t know you were here.”
“I arrived without warning, and stayed to help Caroline.”
“It was his fault I learned about feline shapeshifters before Marsh told me,” Caroline said.
Saul winked at Caroline. “She pulled a knife, prepared to gut me to save her kids from the big mean leopard.”
Emily slapped her hand over her mouth to cut off her laugh. Above her hand, her eyes danced with merriment.
“You didn’t?” Tomasine asked, and Caroline could tell she was trying not to laugh too.
Caroline nodded. “I did. Let me put this bread in the oven and I’ll make us a morning tea.”
“I’m glad you stayed,” Isabella said. “I thought you would. You’re strong.”
Caroline glanced at her. “Your bluntness regarding my options pulled me up and made me think about what I wanted and everything I’d have to give up.”
“How are the boys taking it?” Tomasine asked.
Caroline placed six loaves of bread into the big oven and set the timer. She washed her hands and filled the jug to make tea and coffee. “With scarcely a blink. They’d seen and learned things since they’d been here. They never mentioned anything, but I’d noticed their fascination with leopards. Ricky keeps asking when he will turn into a cat. He’s obsessed with leopards and loves to play with the men when they’re in leopard form.”
“Grab a seat at the table,” Saul said. “I’ll make tea and coffee for you. We’re way ahead. Spend time with your friends.”
“Thanks.” She turned to Isabella. “Since Saul has been helping in the kitchen I’ve had the afternoons to sew. Your dress is almost finished, apart from the hem. Normally, I’d do two fittings, but I didn’t know when I’d see you, so I kept going. Tomasine, your dress is done too, and Emily’s is underway.”
“Did Isabella tell you about the market?” Emily asked.
“A little.”
“It was brilliant.” Tomasine’s eyes sparkled. “People crowded the hall, and since it was a warm day, we had a few stalls selling food and drinks, set up outside. Most of the stallholders sold out, and the Feline council is thrilled with the funds we raised.”
“When is the next one?” Caroline asked. “Maria and Cam are back soon. Once Maria is back, I’ll have more time since I’ll only be helping her a few hours each day.”
Saul placed the teapot on the table and returned with mugs, milk and sugar, and a plate of cheese scones, not long out of the oven He set a pot of coffee in front of her.
