Taming the Cat Ch. 02

Alex had curled up in her bed, her back to the window with as much of her face submerged by the covers as she could manage without feeling trapped. The storm was still raging outside, and her body was raging from earlier. Rider had woken the beast, and she had no idea how to soothe it again. Actually that wasn't true, she had a fairly good idea of how to calm her body, but she wasn't resorting to that.

Her emotions were a jumble and she felt truly lonely for the first time since she was thirteen. Her friends were leaving her for university, and she couldn't talk to Jeremy about what had happened between her and Rider. In fact that would be a very bad idea indeed she thought with a start. Her exile, her parentage. It was probably his job to make sure she never passed her genes onto a child. Alexis was not interested in kids, but preventing her from having sex would probably be the easiest way to stop that from happening.

Not that she was going to, she didn't want Rider in that way. Did she? No, she assured herself. No she didn't, Rider and her hated each other. This was just him having a good time. She had seen how he was with women and sex.

The storm continued well into the night, and Alex finally managed to sleep early in the morning. Her mind had wandered to the memory of Riders hands stroking her hair and she had been so caught up in her thoughts that the storm had finally faded to the back of her mind.

The next few days were difficult for Alex. She submerged herself into her study and ignored her bodies demands to shift or seek out Rider. When she was finally forced to see him it was not by her choosing.

Alex had been in her room for the larger part of three days and had crept down for ice-cream. She was positive that Rider had gone to bed for the night. Jeremy had left for a run earlier and would probably be gone until early the next day. His runs seemed to be lasting longer and longer lately.

The kitchen and laundry doors were both open and Alex, in bare feet, a short skirt and a black singlet top, luxuriated in the feeling of the cool night air drifting across her skin. She was tempted to shift and play in the forest, but instead grabbed a small tub of boysenberry ice-cream from the freezer and sat up on the centre island bench with a spoon to eat straight from the container.

She had intended to go straight back to her room, but after days of being cooped up and sneaking around the house she wasn't ready to go back to studying. She was staring into space and resting her feet on the opposite bench when she heard movement behind her.

"Sitting with your back to the main entrance way is usually a very bad idea Alex." Rider trailed a finger across her back, taunting her with how close he was able to get without her noticing. "Without Jeremy or I around to take care of intruders you could get into a lot of trouble." Rider leaned closer inhaling her scent.

Alexis shivered "Thanks for your concern, but I'm well equipped to take care of myself." She put the lid back on the ice-cream and slid off the bench. She made brief eye contact with Rider before the intensity of his gaze made her turn away.

"Why are you scared of what happened between us, Alex?" Alex threw the ice-cream back into the freezer, the blast of cold air helped her flushed face. "There's nothing wrong with what we did, its natural for shape shifters to react like that." Said Rider. "Its natures way of letting us know when we've found the right mate." Her eyes widened and she couldn't help looking back up at him as he finished.

Rider stayed still, bracing himself on the bench in front of him. He kept his arms wide and tried to look as non threatening as possible. He knew her well enough to realise how that statement would affect her temper.

She reacted as expected. "We are not mates. We can barely stand in the same room without killing each other." Alex resisted the urge to bare her teeth and instead turned away again. She could keep her temper under control if she wasn't looking at him. Maybe.

"I can't sit in a room with you for five minutes without wanting to tear your throat out, and I'm sure as hell not going to let you decide what's right for me right now. I'm also pretty sure I'm not meant to be screwing around. I'm willing to bet its part of Jeremy's job description to stop the muddied genes being passed on." Anger seemed to be quickly morphing into panic. Rider stayed silent behind her so she pushed on. "I'm not going to submit to being some guys mate. I don't work like that. I'd make both of us miserable. I like having my own space, as pitiful as that is stuck in this house, but I don't plan to be here forever. I don't like sharing. I have plans for my life, and a partner is not in them."

Rider noticed her shaking hands and moved around behind her taking the glass she had been about to fill with water. "Let me do that." He stepped closer, pressing her to the sink and reaching around her to turn the tap on. Alex accepted the glass of water and drank most of it with Riders warm body cocooning hers.

"I don't think Jeremy gives a flying fuck what his job description is Red." Rider said quietly into her hair. "He cares about you, not his job."

She placed the glass back on the bench and turned in Riders arms. He didn't step back as she had expected, instead he pressed closer dropping his mouth to hers and kissed her.

Their tongues slid against each other and he tasted inside her mouth stroking the roof of her mouth. He was a little unprepared for her to thrust her tongue inside his mouth, aggressively taking over the kiss, her teeth nipping his bottom lip as she drew back. The nip pushed at Riders control and he let his hands Shift a little. Sharp claws extended from his hands and drew them down her exposed back and shoulders. The claws bit into her skin and made her gasp and reach back to hold herself up against the bench, one of her hands slipped and knocked the glass off the bench.

Rider, remembering her bare feet, scooped her up and sat her on the centre island. He stepped in between her knees, and despite Alex's best efforts she was not able to stop him.

"We're just going to have to learn to get along." Murmured Rider. He ducked his head to gain access to her throat, and lapped at the spot above her collar bone making her squirm and relax her leg a little further. Rider took another step closer to her spreading her legs wider again and running his - now entirely human - hands over her knees.

His mouth moved to her collar bone, and he began delicately nipping along it with sharp teeth. It felt good. Alex rested her hands on his wide shoulders, giving him increased access to her body.

Rider moved his hands further up to her thighs pushing her skirt up as her went. He stopped inches from her black panties, and teased her a little circling his thumbs on her inner thighs making her gasp and arch her back a little.

"See we're getting along fine." Rider chuckled.

"Don't make me beg for this." Alex whimpered. She wasn't thinking with her brain that was for sure. She just wanted relief from the pressure that had been building up inside her over the past three days. She writhed on the bench trying to get him to touch her.

Rider nearly lost it, he desperately wanted to sink himself into her, but wanted it on his terms. He knew in the back of his mind not to push his advantage, She needed to make the decision to have sex with him with a clear head. In the mean time though he could satisfy her immediate cravings.

Rider sunk his teeth into the join of Alex's neck and shoulder, without words commanding her to sit still. Alex, surprisingly, obeyed letting her head drop onto his shoulder. Her thigh muscles tensed as his fingers inched closer to her centre but she did not writhe against him again.

He slid his fingers under the side straps of her panties and snapped them, throwing the now useless underwear towards the laundry. Alex shivered as the cool air bathed her moist centre.

Rider released her shoulder "Don't move." He whispered before wrapping his jaws more securely around the base of her neck. He slid his finger up along her pussy, gathering her juices on the tip of his finger. She whimpered and dug her nails into his upper arms as he spread the lubricant and massaged her clit.

He started gently teasing her, but soon her had a slow rhythm, not quite rubbing her hard enough or fast enough to let her come. It felt like her pussy was on fire, her entrance felt white hot but still she held herself still. Her fingers clutched his arms and her back broke out in beads of sweat from the effort of holding herself still. The cool breeze chilled her back and felt like a delicious contrast to the burning between her legs. Her breathing was harsh in her ears and still Rider kept the infuriatingly light stroking.

Alex felt the pressure build up in her stomach, and moments before it all became too much for her Rider slid a long index finger into her, having to work to thrust the digit into her tight passage. Alex couldn't hold it in any more and cried out with every invasion until Riders thrusting hit a spot inside of her that changed the pitch of her voice.

He then changed the rhythm of his fingers on her clit, rubbing her harder and faster, and driving her to the brink by thrusting his finger over and over the spot inside of her. The orgasm broke over Alex in waves. Rider kept his hands busy until her hoarse cries had finally stopped before withdrawing from her pussy.

Alex sighed and slumped against him, bathing in the afterglow of what had to be the best orgasm of her life. The best orgasm of her life... with Rider. Shit. Alex tried to stand and ended up sprawled on the ground with Rider crouching over her.

"Are you ok?" He asked concerned.

"Yes, my legs just aren't working right now." Alex said reluctantly. Rider began to grin. "Back off. I'll be fine."

"That good huh?" He chuckled. "Come on then Red its past your bedtime." Despite her protests he picked her up and carried her to her room. Once there he turned down the bed, and slid her into it with ease. Alex had a moment of near panic when she thought he was going to join her before he left, turning out the light.

She spent a good minute trying to figure out exactly what had happened before realising she was still clothed and giving up in favour of stripping and getting some sleep.

Rider grinned the whole way down the stairs, he had been worried when he hadn't seen her around the house, but now that he had he was pretty sure everything was going to be ok. In general the angrier Alexis was the quicker she would get over it and in truth this didn't feel much like anger, it felt more like panic which in Riders mind was much easier to deal with.

Back in his room Rider slid into the shower, wincing as his arms slid under the water. Alex had dug her nails in hard enough to draw blood. He was still hard and took the opportunity to relieve his arousal, sliding his hands over himself and thinking back on Alex. The feel of her under his hands, and the salty taste of her skin. Rider came with a cry and leaned back against the glass in his shower. They would be good together, he was head over heels for her and had been within moments of arriving. The issue was convincing Alex of that.

She was stubborn as a mule, and her temper made her unpredictable. He loved her for it anyway. He loved the fact that in the right circumstances she could have him on the ground gasping for breath. He loved the fact that when she cared about someone or something nothing anyone said would change her mind. He loved the fact that no matter how tough she was, and how emotionally closed off she pretended was she still needed someone. She needed him.

The following day Alex decided to sneak out to the forest It was actually less of a decision and more of a necessity. The long days of being cooped up had left her miserable and angry so after throwing a pointless tantrum over her inability to concentrate on her study (and shredding her duvet in a fit of anger) she forced herself out of the house. She climbed down the side of the house and shed her clothes at the bottom, shifting immediately into her cat form.

The change felt so good she couldn't resist playing a little, she tussled with a couple of blades of grass contorting her body and writhing on the ground theatrically. After bounding across the lawn towards the forest like a bunny on steroids she got down to the real business of running.

Much like fighting Alex had always felt more relaxed while running as a cat through her territory. Of course she shared it with Jeremy and Rider but in her cats mind this land was hers.

She had also found running to be conductive to thinking, so she used the time to mull over her latest problem. Thinking about Rider wanting her as a mate inevitably got her angry. Alex took her frustration out on the forest swiping at trees, and tearing at the ground with her claws as she pounded out all the anger.

The wind was picking up when she was finally done tearing the the forest apart so she headed back to the house. Somewhere between snapping at the river and scattering the rocks on the banks she had decided to stop hiding in her room. She was done with slinking around her own house on her belly. Her run over Alex wasn't feeling quite so aggressive anymore, but she was still going to walk in there with her head held high and her teeth showing. Literally.

At the laundry door she manoeuvred the kitchen door open - a real bitch with the mouth of a cat - and loped silently to the library. The library was shut but this door was easier to open, just a bar handle as opposed to one of the pain in the arse round doorknobs.

Inside Jeremy was reading one of his world history books and Rider was curled in one of the big armchairs with one of her books. He reached out idly drawing his hand down her back as she passed, almost totally engrossed in the book. She let it pass as the library always left her feeling calm.

Alexia settled on the thick rug beside the fire and placed her muzzle on her paws, closing her eyes to doze. There was an art to catnapping and Alex had it down. She relaxed every muscle in her body, one group at a time and shut down all of her senses until finally she was listening just for any out of place noises and let herself drift, almost into a trance.

The fire at her back made her lethargic and she knew from the feel of the fur against her skin that if anyone stroked her she would feel velvety soft. The books around her pressed at her, the memories of them almost a tangible weight in her mind.

As a kid she had loved reading and had gone through almost every book in here absorbing everything she could. Jeremy had indulged her, spending thousands on rare and interesting books to occupy her mind.

Her favourites would always be the old versions of fairy tales and kids books. Peter Pan was her absolute favourite, the book was well-read with thick yellowing pages and a cracked spine which the paper spilled from. It had been found in a second-hand shop and Alex had nearly cried when Jeremy had brought it for her after seeing how taken she had been by it.

Alexia had been entranced by Sleeping Beauty and Alice in Wonderland and enchanted with Peter Rabbit. She still sobbed her eyes out at the end of Charlottes Web, and made a point of seeking out and reading new children's books but she still came back to Peter Pan every time. There was just something about escaping into an unknown land, leaving all of your problems behind to fly and have adventures and never grow up that appealed to her.

Speaking of growing up. Rider had grown from the silent closed off person he had once been. She opened her eyes into little slits and studied him. He'd filled out too. Even with the extra muscle he had still stayed graceful. Curled into the armchair his hair spilled down his back and over his arm, gleaming in the firelight. His eyes were devouring the book intensely.

He moved with a natural grace and strength, a combination that you don't usually see in a man. She enjoyed watching him do little things, the way his big hands could seem almost delicate. They could feel pretty delicate too she reflected.

Fighting with him was like trying to out-manoeuvre a dancer . He knew exactly what the moves were, and if he was intent on causing pain not much could stop him. She was pretty sure she didn't look nearly as graceful when fighting to the death, and could never hope to be as effective. She did have a craftiness which would would still occasionally win her points against him in a fight. When he fought her he gave her his all. He didn't pull hs punches, trusting her to be able to take it - which was very liberating.

His face was the prefect mix of sensual and strong. No she definitely didn't mind his looks, or the way he handled her.

Lying there on the rug Alex finally admitted it to herself, she like him. She had feelings for him. She might, if she let herself, love him.

The panic that she thought would accompany that revelation didn't come. It could have been the fire or the catnap, or it might have even been the tantrum in the forest, Alexia felt more relaxed about the whole situation. Alexia slipped into a sound sleep hardly noticing when first Jeremy then Rider departed for their own beds.

She woke slowly sometime later to the sound of wind raging outside. The fire had burnt down to embers and Alex had wrapped her tail over her nose in an attempt to keep warm. It wasn't working and she was about to go to her bedroom to curl up in her own bed before remembering her temper tantrum from earlier. She had shredded her goose-down duvet.

If she wasn't so annoyed with herself she would have attempted to giggle. The thought of herself raging in her room with snowy feathers slowly settling onto every surface around her was amusing. She would have to find some way of paying for a new duvet. Jeremy had strictly enforced the rule that if she broke something because of her temper she was to replace it herself. It hadn't happened for a while, and Alex had thought she had learnt the lesson. Apparently not.

It occurred to her that Rider probably wouldn't mind her curling up with him. The problem was that although she had admitted her feelings to herself, she wasn't quite prepared to admit them to him.

He may have implied they were meant to be mates, but that was likely to be him thinking with his penis rather than his head. He probably wasn't altogether interested in the long-term view of it. Alexia wasn't anywhere near prepared to have her heart stomped over, so felt it best to keep the soppy feelings to herself.

She padded down Riders hall, pausing a couple of times to think it through again. Did she really want to do this? Yes it was cold but she did have other options. In the end the weather decided for her. The wind whipped against the house screaming eerily. 'Enough standing and more finding a warm bed' she thought, nearly galloping for Riders room.

Alex did the door handle trick again and batted the door shut behind her. Walking to the bed she wrestled with bed crashing etiquette. Should she ask permission, or just jump on in? She stopped, resting her muzzle on the bed inches from Rider's face and let out a small questioning chuff.

Rider opened his eyes a little, managing to conceal his surprise, and patted the bed behind himself to invite her up. Alex ended up between the wall and Rider, curled by his shoulder. Rider fell back to sleep almost immediately.

Alex woke to being tucked under the covers by Rider. She had shifted back into her human form some time during the night , 'my naked human form' she thought embarrassed. She was freezing, and snuggled into Riders warmth.