The Avalon Institute For Supernatural Beings (AISB)

Chapter 35: Don't Cry For Me

Always be yourself. Unless you're a unicorn. Then be a unicorn.

~Kickass Personnel

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I opened my eyes and blinked, confused as to why I'd woken up. Then my vision cleared and even in the dark I could see everything around me. I heard shuffling of feet as all the tigers Nathan had put on babysitting duty were leaving through the door, yawning, probably from lack of sleep.

Poor cats. I'm going to have to talk to Nathan about this.

Mom and dad had left after seeing that Nathan had sent so many cats to take care of (cough baby-sit cough) me. I think Sara and Jeff were showing them where to crash.

I sat up, groggily, rubbing my eyes, when after fifteen seconds, Nathan entered the room with just his low hung jeans and bare feet.

Oh swoon.

My eyes raked up his form as I took in his slightly heaving chest, ripped glistening muscles and messy black hair. But it was his eyes that had me straightening and blinking the sleep out of my eyes.

I knew what he wanted seconds before he moved towards me. His emotions flooded me, heady, even as his scent dragged me deeper into the sea that was Nathan. Dangerous, uncontrollable, but beautiful.

I opened my arms as he got onto the bed, one knee dropped in between both of mine and the other beside my right. He pressed his forehead against mine, as everything he left flooded me with so much intensity, I shuddered before absorbing them without even recognising what any of them were. There was too much in there to stop and contemplate.

I drew in everything he didn't want to feel into me, releasing the tautness that had strung him so tight that it was clear he had come to me as a last resort. Like he didn't want to bother me or something.

"You should've said something." I whispered against my mate's lips.

"Balls." Nathan murmured, sounding almost drunk on serenity. Then he sighed and pushed against me, like he wanted to get closer, then, he grunted before gently but swiftly making us switch positions so that he was underneath me and I was straddling his hips.

And when he said "Pet me." I all but crushed him to me. He had his head pressed against my chest, with my hands buried in his hair and smoothing through the strands while his hands rested against my lower back, pressing me to him.

I murmured to him in a low voice, like one would do to a hurt and angry animal.

Except, my mate wasn't just any animal. He was a tiger.

He shuddered, like he wanted to shift but was restraining from doing so.

"Shh shh." I said, speaking to the tiger that was rubbing against the man's skin. I pressed him harder to me, tugging at his hair to get his attention. When he leaned back, his eyes weren't green like I expected them to be. Instead they were black.

Aw,cripe.

"What's wrong?" I asked softly.

Nathan didn't reply, he just pulled me down, his fingers curled in tight fists in my hair, to press his lips to mine. I kissed him back with equal vigour. I placed my hands on his neck, pressing my thumb below his jaw to lift his head up a little. The bristles in his jaw scratched my skin, making me smile against his mouth.

I started to pull back but Nathan resisted, pulling me back to him.

Speaking around the kiss, I gasped out.