Page 12 of Bria and the Tiger

Chapter Three

She woke just before dawn, blinking sleepily at the unfamiliar ceiling as a faint feeling of relief went through her. Her cycle was done, and the pulsing need that had tormented her for the past two days had disappeared. She stretched lazily before wincing. Her thigh muscles had just started screaming at her and she moved her legs gingerly under the quilt. What the hell did she do to herself? Did she –

She hissed in sudden dismay. Oh shit, she had fucked a complete stranger last night. She turned her head and stared at the broad back of the tiger shifter. He was sprawled on his stomach, his head buried beneath his pillow and his large body taking up most of the queen bed.

“Bria, you idiot,” she whispered before blinking back the hot tears. She sat up slowly, holding the quilt against her naked chest and watching the shifter for any movement. His naked back was covered in deep slashes and she bit back her moan of shame. She had done that to him. She had clawed and scratched and bitten him while he fucked her senseless and she had begged for more.

Feeling nauseous, she slid out from the bed and quietly dressed. As she crept toward the door, the floorboards made a loud squeak. She froze as the shifter snorted and scratched at one of the slashes on his back. He muttered something before sliding his hand back under the quilt. She released her breath in a quiet hiss and eased the door open. She closed it quietly behind her and hurried down the stairs. Her purse and her shoes were lying on the hallway floor, and she snatched her cell phone from her purse and dialed for an Uber as she slipped out the front door.

* * *

Two hours later, freshly showered and holding a tray with two cups of coffee in one hand, she rang the doorbell of Kat’s house. The door opened and Kat, still in her robe, smiled at her. “Bria, what are you doing here?”

“I – I did something really bad, Kit Kat.” Bria burst into tears.

“Oh, honey, come inside.”

Twenty minutes later, Bria stared into her coffee cup as she waited for Kat to yell at her.

Instead of yelling, Kat said, “Thank God. The way you looked, I thought you had murdered someone or something.”

“Did you hear what I said?” Bria said. “I slept with a total stranger last night. I was completely out of control. I didn’t care who he was or if he was dangerous. I let him fuck me in a public washroom while I shredded his back with my claws. Then I went home with him and screwed him six ways to Sunday.”

“Well, that wasn’t your best idea,” Kat said. “But it could have been worse. Sounds like the guy did you a favour by keeping you away from that snake shifter. Do you think he was telling you the truth about that?”

“Honestly? Yes. Now that I’m back in control, there was something off about that damn snake.”

She stared at the table. “I just keep thinking – what if I had tried to fuck a human or a shifter who wasn’t that strong? The marks on his back were so deep. It must have hurt like hell when I did it.”

“You said they were starting to heal, right?”

Bria nodded, and Kat patted her hand. “Then it’s fine. Besides, you know better than anyone how resilient tiger shifters are. He’ll be completely healed in a day or two.”

“I need to go to the doctor,” Bria said. “There’s something seriously wrong with me.”

“There isn’t. So, your heat cycle made you sleep with a random stranger. Most cat shifters have been there, sweetheart. You used protection, right?”

“Yes. But I wouldn’t have and wouldn’t have even cared if he hadn’t taken care of it.”

“That doesn’t mean there’s something wrong with you. Our heat cycles make us do crazy things sometimes.”

Bria shook her head. “You’re wrong, Kat. It’s never been like this before. There’s something wrong with me.”

“Honey, look at me.”

Bria raised her gaze to Kat. The jaguar was giving her a sympathetic look and she didn’t object when Kat took her hand in a tight grip.

“This is the first time you’ve been single, basically since you started your heat cycles, yeah?”

Bria frowned in thought. “Yeah, I guess so. I mean, I started dating Kyle in high school and we were together for nearly eight years, but then I was gone on the pilgrimage for three months.”

“But you had sex with Raden during the pilgrimage, right?”

“Yeah. We hooked up maybe two weeks after I got there.”

“And you slept with him regularly, and during your heat cycle?” Kat asked.

“Yes, but what does that have to do with what’s happening now?”

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