Page 53 of Purrfectly Trapped

Fine, Tigers were not freaky, and Reg was all kinds of beautiful. But she was not ready for this. Couldn’t he have softened the blow somehow? Gretchen argued with the beast in her head for what seemed like forever.

Finally, after listening to Reg’s sweet pleading, and his angrier ones, she came to a realization. The she-Cat had a point. But how could Gretchen just accept this fantasy for fact? She didn’t believe in things like Shifters. Those were just stories. Make believe stuff and nonsense like the creatures in those naughty, little books she read on her phone between cutting and dying her clients’ hair.

Oh shit.

She groaned as another round of pain hit her right in the gut. Shifters were real, and she’d taken one to bed. No wonder she’d attacked him like an animal. She was one. Or well, she was one now.

Because of him and his stupid stripey though totally hot ass--- Ooowww! Ouchie!

Okay, pain aside, she wasn’t sure how she actually felt about this. Her Tiger had confirmed what everyone kept saying. Reggie was in fact her mate. A fated mate at that, which was something blessed by the universe, and the gods, of which she was getting a feeling there were multiple.

Mate. Hmm.

The word felt strange, and yet, familiar somehow as it rolled around her brain. Her heart was pounding heavily, the muscle working to keep her alive while she fought the inevitable. Gretchen growled, the sound of her own blood roaring in her ears making it near impossible to think.

She wanted Reg, but could she trust him? That was the real question. Her inner feline claimed he was a good male, but she didn’t know him well enough to make that kind of judgement. He’d lied by omission. How was that good?

He did try to explain though, and she had been less than willing to cooperate. Okay, she flat out refused to listen to anything he had to say over the past few days. But this was huge. This was her whole life on the line.

Pros and cons, okay, here we go.

Pros:

Reg was undeniably gorgeous, Gretchen could not deny her physical attraction to him. He made her body hum with pleasure just from being near him. He was also funny, charming, and a good listener. He made her feel good about herself and seemed to really care when she spoke about her work and hoped for the future. And there was that purring thing he did when he had her clit in his mouth. A girl had to count that.

Cons:

Reg totally fucking lied about being able to turn into a big ass Cat. Did anything else matter after that one? Oh yeah, and he bit her and changed her into a big ass Cat without permission.

Grrr.

Her Tiger didn’t exactly like being called that, but as far as she was concerned, Miss Kitty could stuff it or no catnip for her!

Damn.

How could she make such a huge decision without more info? Blinding pain shot through her again in great, powerful waves, until she felt as if she’d been swept away by them.

It was like being caught in a riptide. It was happening all too fast, and she had zero control. Gretchen’s body was burning, she was on fire. She felt like she was being torn in two. She tried breathing, but she could hardly stand it.

Someone was touching her, talking some more, but she didn’t want that. It was not Reg, and that was not okay. She only wanted his hands on her. No one else. She stumbled trying to get away. She was suffocating, but there was nothing she could do to stop it.

Then suddenly, she scented him near. Reg was there with her. His warm, strong hands enveloped hers. He was talking to her, whispering words of encouragement, begging her to stay and fight.

Of course, she would. Did he think she was dying?

Oh my gah!

Was she dying?

Fear spiked through her heart, and she felt herself gasping. Her blood was like cement, and she wasn’t getting any air.

No. Let me in, little one. I can make the pain stop, just let go and give yourself over to me.

Her Tiger pleaded with her, but she was still so afraid. Then Reg was there once more, whispering to her fiercely.

“She won’t hurt you. She is part of you. Just let her in. Accept her and all the pain will go away. Come on, love. You got this. I swear you got this, baby,”his voice was thick with emotion, and Gretchen’s heart swelled.

Mate. Mine.

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