Taming the Cat Ch. 04

Jeremy had been dropped off to the airport early the next morning. Alex and Rider had both said their goodbyes to him, both making promises not to kill each other while he was gone. The next few days at the house had been unusually muted and quiet. They spent time alone getting to know each other better and trained a lot to distract themselves from Jeremy's absence.

It took a fortnight for Jeremy to make contact with them from Aruba, right as the two cats were preparing to do some sparring with weapons.

Rider had noticed Alexia getting short tempered, and had insisted that she do some practice with some short bladed knives. He had justified this to her by insisting that she was getting rusty without her regular practice. In reality he wanted to give her a chance to let off some steam.

Rider slid into a fighting stance and preparing to attack Alexia, who stood in the centre of the gym with a lethal looking pair of daggers. They were just about to launch at each other when the phone rang. Instead of grumbling at the interruption and ignoring it as she normally would, Alexia dropped the daggers into her belt and ran to the phone in the hall.

Rider ambled after her, hoping for the same caller that she was. He leaned casually against the wall, listening to her conversation.

"Jeremy, How are you?" Alex turned stone faced.

"You're kidding. Does that include me?" There was a pause, and he saw a flash of fear run across her face.

"Uhuh." Rider shifted more firmly on to his feet.

"Jeremy, when are you coming home?" This last answer must have not been much to her liking, because she growled and dropped the phone in Riders hand.

He raised an eyebrow as she headed back into the gym, drawing her daggers with something close to hell in her eyes. "Well whatever you just said to her has cost you a punching bag and a nice set of daggers. What's up?"

Jeremy sighed on the other end of the phone. "The Royal family has taken out contracts against the Theris family bloodline. The council is in an uproar, they've been waiting for this chance for a long time. They've put Marcus Louvre and his wolf pack on the job."

The Louvre pack were renown for their fighting and tracking prowess. Recently he had heard rumors circulating that they had a tiger working with them. Rider hadn't realized they supported the Council and Royal Family to the point they would kill for them. Another thought occurred to him.

"Is Alexia tagged as a Devon or a Theris in this slaughter?" Rider asked.

"I don't know Rider. Until we do I suggest you find some supporters. Are you still friendly with your cousin?"

Rider's cousin Gabriel had left Aruba, and a highly sought after position with the Royal Guard, when rumors around the court painted Rider a murderer. He now ran Hunter Enterprises in Paradise City with a group of other shifters.

Rider visited Gabriel as often as he could, they were each others only family. He owed Gabriel a lot, trusted him implicitly, and the older shifter enjoyed having Rider around.

"Yeah we're in contact."

"Good, get Alexia to the city, and make sure you have enough support to keep her safe if the Louvre wolves come for her." Rumbled Jeremy. There was a pause and Rider waited patiently for the news that had sent Alexia off to destroy something.

"I won't be returning to Dartmouth. The Devon's have decided I'm needed here and I can't change their minds at this point. I will get as much information to you as possible from here" Jeremy sounded resigned and Rider wasn't surprised. They had both realized that there was a possibility that this would happen.

"I'm sorry I can't be of more help. Keep her safe." Jeremy finished.

After exchanging more information and their goodbyes Rider passed the phone back to Alex and popped his head into the gym before heading to the study to call Gabriel.

Alex had destroyed an old punching bag, as predicted. He grinned and shook his head in amusement. Red may have been tamed but she was certainly not a well-behaved house cat.

***

Alex was curled in the library with a book on ancient greek politics when Rider found her later that day. He slid into the chair beside her, taking the book and laying in onto the floor before curving around her completely.

Alexia rested her head against his cheek for a moment before asking "what's up?"

"I've just spoken to Gabriel. We're going to be heading down there kinda soon. Like mid day tomorrow. Its too dangerous to stay here. Gabriel intercepted a file with a list of addresses for people the council are keeping an eye on... We were on it. They didn't have the right address, but if they're looking for us then we are in trouble." Rider said into her hair.

"How much trouble? Like wipe all record from the face of the earth trouble?" Alex twisted to see his face better.

"I don't know. We're on the same list as a bunch of anti royalists... There are some names that have been connected with supporting the Theris family too." Rider said heavily.

Neither of them assumed it was a good thing to be on the list.

"I can't figure out what to do with the house." Rider said.

They would be gone for some time, and it would make sense to sell it, but both cats were very attached.

"I think we should keep it. Jeremy's taken care of the titles and stuff. It won't lead back to us, and we can lock it up pretty easily. No one will trip all the way out here to vandalize it.. I'm not sure most of the people from town even know where it is." Alex reasoned.

"Yeah I don't like the idea of anyone else living here. Its home, and I wouldn't mind being able to come back here one day. I know a witch in town who won't mind keeping an eye on the place - she's always wanted to be able to have access to the forest, so I'll see if she wouldn't mind." Rider said.

"Really who??" Alex said, intrigued to know she had been living in the same town as a witch and not realized.

"Marcus's wife Jiena Talbolt. Why else do you think he gave you that job? They're good friends with Jeremy, and how we get most of the information about the rest of the non-human world." Rider explained, wondering again why Jeremy ever let her leave the house alone.. He loved her but she could be amazingly scatty sometimes.

Alexia blushed and shrugged "I don't know I never really thought about it. I was busy being angry."

Rider snorted and tugged her closer. "Ok I'll call Jiena. We both need to pack, and I think it would be a good idea to clean the house. We should probably chuck sheets over all the furniture to stop it from getting dusty... just like the movies."

"I'll do the kitchen, and downstairs. And the gym... The weapons will need to be locked down I guess." Alexia said.

They had designed the gym to conceal the weapons, just in case they ever had human company. Rider decided to take the upstairs areas, and after another nuzzle they separated to begin work.

***

"Three stories, and a gym is so excessive for three people" Alexia grumbled as she did a final check of all the rooms.

They had worked almost solidly since the previous day to ensure the house would be left in good condition. The car was packed, the water had been turned off, and the house was almost entirely locked up. All the plants had been put outside to fend for themselves, and Jiena was more than happy to keep an eye on the house.

"Ready?" Rider asked from the front foyer.

Alex paused in the room she was checking. Was she ready? She had wanted to leave ever since she could remember, but now that the time had come she was reluctant to leave her only home. With a deep breath she switched off the light and made her way downstairs, running her hand along the banister.

"Good to go." She said a little grimly.

Rider turned off the electricity, and Alexia locked the front door and they both made their way to the car.

"Are you sure you're ready?" Rider asked, concerned at her silence.

Alex looked up at him and grinned "Yeah I'm sure."

***

Both Alex and Rider were relieved when he pulled up to Gabriel's security gates. Someone must have been watching out for them, because the gates opened automatically, allowing Rider to drive up the long driveway.

Rider bounced energetically out of the car and up to the huge doors, knocking impatiently. Alexia followed grumbling behind him.

She hated being trapped in small spaces for long periods and had felt carsick for the last four hours, preventing her from eating or napping.

Gabriel answered the door looking harried and a little panicked. "Hi guys come in."

Rider stepped forward and gave his cousin a quick hug and then reached back to haul Alexia inside the door. "Gabe you know Alexia, my delicious sex slave."

Gabriel's eyes shot up and Alexia went bright pink.

"I think I'm going to go for a walk, I'm not feeling all that great." She growled, turning on her heel and heading back out the door.

"I want to hear the whole story there, but I have something I urgently need to take care of. You'd probably better go let her beat the crap out of you... I'm guessing this is a new thing?" Gabriel asked, amused despite himself.

"Yeah. She's not a fan of long car trips and hasn't eaten anything for a bit. Low blood sugar and all." Rider flashed a grin and loped out the door after Alex.

***

Rider caught up with Alex just outside of the forest. She rolled her eyes at his carefree grin and stripped out of her clothing to change. Rider followed her lead and they set out into the bush, Alexia intermittently growling when he came too close for her liking.

A few minutes in they both saw a woman tumble out of one of the bigger trees ahead of them. She let out a shriek before landing on her back in a pile of pine needles.

Alex pinned her ears back and Rider stepped closer to investigate the disgruntled woman.

"Well that was elegant." She said.

Her features were delicate, with deep green eyes and a stubbornly set mouth. Her eyes narrowed and she launched herself to her feet as she heard Alex and Rider.

Rider stepped forwards out of the bush to alert her to his presence, and Alex growled low before following. Trust Rider to have beautiful women falling at his feet in the middle of a deserted forest.

Alex had a feeling that her expression wasn't particularly friendly, but really didn't care. Rider probably looked friendly enough for the both of them.

"Erm. I don't suppose there's any hope you didn't see that?" The woman asked eyeing them carefully.

She brushed a few leaves off her jeans, bringing Alexia's attention to the strip of golden skin above them. Another woman dropped from the tree, gracefully landing beside Max and startling the hell out of Alex. A line of fur went up along her back.

She was short, and slim, with streaked red and black hair and almost matching black eyes. Great. Rider had found two beautiful women in a deserted forest. Alex growled a little.

Rider looked over at her and began to change. He probably thought she was incapable of controlling herself. That or he wanted to chat them up.

Alex realized how jealous her thoughts were sounding, but didn't really care. She would be stupid to forget what Rider could be like. He went through women like tissues, and she would be silly to think that just because he was with her he would change.

"Hi I'm Rider, and this is Alexis. She's a bit tetchy because long car trips don't agree with her." Alexis growled and swiped at Riders leg.

"Also because I called her my sex slave to Gabriel. I'm not sure she was quite ready to break the news." Alex resisted the urge to swipe at him again.

The woman grinned at them both and introduced herself as Max and her friend as Jess, they both worked for Gabriel. Rider cocked his head on the side and looked Max over properly.

"So you're the girl Gabe's all worked up in a frenzy about?" He asked.

The friendly mood changed dramatically, and Max growled "Nope that would be some other girl"

"Its a bit of a touchy subject." Jess explained, shaking her hair out of her eyes and going after Max who had turned to go back to the house

"Enjoy your run." she yelled over her shoulder.

Rider watched Max and Jess go with a speculative look on his face. Alex grumbled deep in her throat. Stupid men and their stupid libido's. Couldn't Rider just pretend to be uninterested in other women around her?

Hearing her growl Rider sighed. "Oh sure. Its going to be a load of fun."

Alex hissed at him, and turned away, slinking into the forest. She didn't care if he followed. Its not like she had drooled at Gabriel around Rider - and that was a man worth drooling over.

Suddenly sick of the over-stimulation of her senses, she shifted back into her human form, shaking her hair back over her shoulder. She took a deep breath and relaxed into the dulled world her human body perceived.

"So what's up Red?" Rider asked from the tree he was leaning against.

She looked over him, stretched out with his arms crossed over his chest he looked edible. "Nothing. Lets go back."

Rider sighed. There was obviously a problem, and if he had to drag it out of her he would.

Alexia strode past him, unaware of how sexy she looked. Her hips swayed gently with each step, and she was totally unconcerned with covering herself to him. She looked disappointed and resigned as she headed home.

Rider decided to take charge. Moving silently he stepped up behind her locking one arm around her throat, and the other around her belly, pinning her arm against her side and grabbing her free wrist.

He used his hold to lift her a little, and stretch her out along himself. Looking around he spied a soft looking patch of moss against a tree and sat down. He sat Alexia between his legs, with her head resting on his shoulder. He didn't release his grip, and she didn't fight him.

"Alexia, honey, tell me what's wrong." He said patiently.

She felt cocooned against him, rather than trapped. Not safe enough to to tell him about her issues with jealousy though. "Nothings wrong. I'm just tired and hungry."

Rider released her neck, and trailed his now free hand down the column of her throat. "Are you sure?"

"Yes" she hissed as her body came alive.

Rider stroked his finger lower, reaching her breast and pausing a minute to play with her nipple. Alex writhed against him, trapping his hard cock between his belly and her back.

Going lower he tickled the sensitive spot on her belly. He felt a thrill of excitement as she bucked against him, and tried to free her arms for the first time.

"And you're sure that you don't need to talk about anything?"

"I'm sure."

She gasped as his fingers slipped lower, playing with the curls between her thighs. Her thighs splayed open, resting against his where they bracketed her. He slid his finger a little lower, running lightly over the seam where her lips met.

Releasing her arms he smoothed his other hand over her belly. He finished by resting a hand on each inner thigh.

"Tell me what's wrong Red."

She responded by rolling her hips. The movement put pressure against his cock again, and he groaned lowering his mouth to her neck.

Alex waited breathlessly as his fingers inched closer to her center. Just a little more and he'd be touching where she needed it.

"Watch" he breathed in her ear before returning his attention to her neck, his mouth and teeth ticking against the skin.

She did as he asked and watched as slowly he peeled her lips back, exposing her to herself. She shivered as his fingers slowly moved for her clit, one each side. She moaned, long and loud as they made contact, slipping along her wet flesh and making her nerves sizzle.

She dropped her head back and the fingers stopped. "Watch or I'm not going to let you come."

Her head snapped forwards again. One of the fingers circled her entrance. She clenched wanting it inside of her.

Teeth bit into her neck, making he gasp, and in fascination she watched as he sunk a finger into her. His cock pressed harder against her back, leaving a wet spot.

He pumped insider her a few times and then stopped. "Tell me what's wrong."

She growled. He added another finger. She pressed back against him waiting for him to continue. When he didn't she looked back at him accusingly.

"This isn't fair. And its not a big deal. Please, let me come." She whimpered.

He kissed the corner of her mouth soothingly. "It is a big deal. You're upset, and I don't understand why. I can't fix it if I don't know what's broken Red."

"I'm not broken, and I don't need fixing." She growled, trying to rock her hips against him.

He pumped his fingers inside her once and then withdrew them entirely. "I didn't mean you Red. You're perfect the way you are, but something's bugging you about me. Give me a chance to make it better."

She groaned. Great. He wanted to change to make her happy. Because she had issues.

She angled her face away from his. "I'm jealous. The way you look at other women annoys me. You were speculating about that Max woman. Whether you could get her into bed weren't you? And you told Gabriel about us... I wasn't ready, you made what we have sound kind of cheap and nasty. And I'm scared this is all going to go wrong, and we'll hate each other again."

Rider grimaced. "Sorry Red. I was feeling a bit possessive. I know how tempting Gabriel is, and I wanted to let him know straight off that you were mine."

Alex relaxed a little against him so Rider continued. "And I was looking at Max like that because was I pretty sure there was something going on between her and Gabriel. She's new here. He's all worked up, and she's all worked up... Also for the record, I might notice other women, but you're the one I love Alexia. I never hated you. I never will. We're going to be fine together."

Alexia's breathing froze for a moment, and she twisted away to kneel facing him.

"Are you sure?" She asked.

Rider grinned and rose to his knees also. "Yes I'm sure, you dweeb."

He cupped his hand around the back of her neck and pulled her against him for a kiss. She relaxed into him for a moment before pushing him back.

"I'm not a dweeb you arse. I was just checking. And I love you too, but then you knew that, didn't you?" She said shoving him on to his back.

"Yes I did know that. There's no way you could resist me and my considerable charm, skill, and my manly protection. Besides I'm hot, and you know it. You're hot for me." Rider said pulling her onto the floor and wrestling her to the ground beneath him.

"Yeah I'm hot for you. Now finish what you started cat, or I'll take my frustration out on you." Alexia giggled.

Rider pressed his cock against her entrance, pausing a moment to enjoy the sensation of her warmth and wetness coating the tip of him. Plunging the rest of the way into her he growled and hugged her tight to his chest.

"You promise?" He whispered roughly.

"You bet I will." She gasped.

He took her roughly, as she writhed beneath him. His cock dipped deep inside of her, stretching at her walls. She was so ready for it that her climax took very little time at all. Rider felt her nails dig into his arms and her vagina grow incredibly tight around him as she came, groaning under him.

Rider grabbed her wrists and held them above her head. She lay limp beneath him as he continued to thrust into her.

"You're so tight." He groaned forcing himself into her tight channel.

Alex whimpered as his swelling cock slid forcefully inside her again. His thrusts grew rougher and deeper as he got closer, pulling a scream from her. As the pain bordered on too much her muscles grew almost too tight and she came around him again, wetness flooding her as Rider reached his climax.