Jungle Cat Fever

**Author's note: So sorry this is later than usual. I've been dealing with some health issues that I haven't had much time to write.

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There was a shapeless darkness. Ebony was floating in an endless cold sea, unaware of where she was or what had happened before. Fear knotted in her stomach trapped in this unfeeling space. Her thoughts were glazed and fuzzy from the drug induced coma. But soon she found herself lifting. A warmth was calling to her and she latched onto that only life line until the black sea dissolved to the waking world.

She relied on her senses slowly setting free from the grip of the drugs. She smelled coffee and honeyed mint tea. Vanilla and wool. Domestic and homey. She felt cool cotton sheets stroking her skin. Mostly bare skin.

"Ebbie..."

Her eyes crept open, slowly adjusting. Her head pounded. Ebony's senses absorbed the world around her desperately until it all became a spike in her still cotton brain.

"Easy, baby...," a hand gently caressed her forehead, coarse fingers moving her hair from her face and soothing her feverish skin. She turned her head to chase that loving hand until her body got used to feeling again. Saber...?

Sudden realization made her body start, trying to sit up. Huge mistake. Spots flashed before her eyes, the world wouldn't stop spinning making her sink back. She sighed in relief at the downy cool sheets and comforter that caught her fall.

"Slow down, Sugar."

That endearment in that gravelly voice made her stomach flutter. Ebony felt like smiling but her lips felt cracked and mouth was full of dry cotton.

"Water...," she rasped helplessly. Gently, Saber cradled her in his arm and allowed her some water. But he wouldn't let her drink all of it even though Ebony's throat cracked like a barren desert.

"Didn't I say to slow down, Sugar?" Saber soothed. Despite her feeling physically awful her mouth twitched into a smile. She loved the comfort and safeness that always came with that voice.

But... When did Saber get to her house? Was this still during her vacation; making what she last saw a terrible dream? Don't worry... This was all a dream... Ebony opened her eyes. The pounding in her head increased. How much did she drink at that party? All too soon Saber's loving touch left her as he mumbled something about getting her some tea.

Ebony regained some equilibrium by the time he came back. "Saber?" She turned over to see the male stripper's hulking form hunched over her, blocking the brutal morning sun. His mouth, usually curled in a sensual smirk was soft now, somber. There were shadows under his chocolate malt eyes. His bronzed skin was pale copper as he gave her the steaming cup of tea. Honey and mint. Ebony sat up slowly and took the cup giving him a grateful look. The mask of the cool, confident male seemed to have fallen away.

Instead of meeting her eyes he turned away then moved to sit in the chair beside the bed. Putting distance between them when Ebony needed him close. He looked so tired and run down. Ebony wanted to comfort him. Wrap him in a quilt and kiss his forehead telling him it was all going to be alright. "What time is it?"

"10:20 am," he rasped.

Realization hit her like a bucket of ice water. She was supposed to be at the bakery today. She tried to get out of bed again (despite the last time knocking her down) but again her body protested with a burst of aches in her muscles and her stomach lurched in rebellion. The room tilted forcing Ebony to lie back in bed. Saber watched her, his whole body tense and ready to hold her down but he was afraid that if he touched her more than necessary his resolve would crumble and he'd try to make love to her despite her post-drugged state.

"You never learn do you, Sugar," Saber said, his deep gravelly voice still made her pussy clench exquisitely. "This tranquilizer is a nasty bastard. The nausea's the worst part. Just drink your tea." Ebony choked, cold sweat forming on her brow at the effort not to puke anywhere near the sexy man. She took a big yet slow sip, allowing the sharp mint and velvety honey to sooth her parched throat and churning stomach. "Good girl."

They lapsed into an awkward silence. Both discomfited by the tension thick in the air between them. So many things unsaid that needed to breathe. "I'm supposed to be at the bakery today...," she said attempting at conversation. "There's a wedding cake I need to bake and several other..."

"I called out sick for you," he explained then smiled with light amusement. "Your friends told me you had enough unused sick days to last 3 years." They went quiet again.

Saber muttered, "I'll get you some toast. Afraid it's all I'm capable of doing."

Ebony caught at his wrist. He was surprised because he had put as much distance as he could between them and yet she still managed to catch him without barley leaving the bed. Yet his skin erupted in a wave of calm. Her touch was so reassuring it was a balm as much as her smiles and laughter. He would miss those.

"Wait... did you say tranquilizer?"

Her question made his body tighten again. Ebony watched him carefully trying to understand what was going through his mind. Saber looked so serious. No boyish charm to soften his hard features. His mouth, so quick to disarm with sensual charm, compressed into a taut line. Her nerves were set on edge as she swallowed hard expecting the worst.

"Saber... tell me what's wrong?" she gave the gentlest of tugs and the big man gave in, sitting next to her on the bed, the springs groaning at his weight. "What happened last night?"

Saber's eyes were clouded with nightmares she wanted to kiss away. There was something so vulnerable about him right now that made her think such things. She was naturally a person who wanted to comfort someone. Perhaps it was because her family was so cold and she inherited what little human warmth they had into her.

He didn't look at her but he didn't pull his wrist from her soft grip. He looked like a man waiting for the executioner. "Ebbie... we need to talk."

Ebony's stomach tightened again. Last night was break up sex. That was it. It was all coming back. They fought. Then Saber pushed her down and with erotic skill brought her to orgasm more than once. But then all the things he said came back too...

"I've missed you. Your smile. Your laughter. The way your lips pout and nose crinkles when you're deep in thought. The way you look at me with those warm gray eyes of yours. I want to kiss, touch, and taste every bit of you until you forget everyone who came before me. And I want to bury myself so deep inside you that I forget every nightmare that keeps me from a full night's sleep."

"What about...?" Ebony mumbled.

"What happened last night... what you saw... There are things about me you don't know. Things...," the words thickened on his tongue, like cement hardening his throat. Saber pressed his forehead to Ebony's, taking comfort in her flower and white chocolate scent. He wanted to put it off a little longer. But there was no help for it. Damia no doubt knew and would be asking him questions. His muscles coiled, readying himself to deal out the death blow. "It was all real. It wasn't a dream."

"What?"

Saber propelled himself off the bed and began to undress. This was the only way she would believe him. He was prepared to lose her. If this scared her off then she'd be safe. He could feel the intent of Ebony's gaze on him. She loved his body and there was a small flicker of masculine pride that his woman desired him. His woman? Why did he think that? His tattoos seemed to come alive at each ripple of movement.

Ebony's mouth dried and she downed more tea, scalding her tongue but all feeling numbed at what she witnessed next... Saber's taut skin darkened from a gleaming bronze to a flaming orange and black striped... fur? His body morphed and twisted, contorting his entire being from his body to his voice which took on a more primal growl. A blur of movement, a cacophony of bone cracking and inhuman sounds and what was once a man was now a giant tiger prowling towards her with eyes of smelted gold.

Ebony's body went cold. The tea cup slipped from her nerveless fingers making a small thud and staining the carpet with peppermint and honey. A cold hand clenched around her heart, sending a chill into her lungs. The room seemed to shrink around her. The tiger approached, stalked with his long tail swishing back and forth behind him, a smooth purr rumbling continually like a motor of a mustang.

"Shit!"

The tiger that was once Saber sat by her bedside, looking at her with deep soulful eyes. It was the eyes that caught her attention when her heart started to skitter in a panic. They were on an animal and yet they were so human. So full of pain, despair, anger, and loneliness. That loneliness reached out to her even as they returned to a dark chocolate brown. Saber had reverted to his human form, naked in all his masculine glory. His handsome face was carefully blank. He seemed to be waiting for her to scream. That would be the normal thing to do.

She didn't say anything. He morphed back into his human form, all the while keeping his animal gaze locked on her. Melting gold clashed with rainy gray, Saber knelt by her bedside, looking like some contrite lover, glorious in his nudity as always. "I understand if you throw me out and tell me never to see or talk to you again." He gave a humorless laugh. "Hell, it's what I would do. Who would want someone like me?" And it would be for the best. She would be safe from Damia. From the monsters of his world. From him when he eventually would lose control.

Ebony sat silently, her thoughts racing until she heard him say that last part. The way he said it sounded like someone who believed that nothing about them was worth loving. Ebony was suddenly reminded of her parents. They gave everything to her brother. He was their reason for living. Ebony just lived there in the shadows. Even after her brother's accident that left him crippled he was still their shining star. Ebony was a burden. Her body reacted naturally by enclosing the big cat man in a warm embrace. He stiffened at her touch.

"I would," she whispered, kissing his shoulder. Her throbbing head lessened and her nausea still churned her stomach but she pulled Saber up onto the bed. She wrapped herself around the stunned stripper, taking comfort in his cool skin. The man was at a loss but he hugged her closer. "I'll process more of this later... mmmmm you smell so good... Spicy cinnamon and winter mint."

She closed her eyes and settled next to him, falling asleep. Saber was stunned. He looked down at the curvy small woman that wrapped around him so completely. He should leave. He needed to leave. Ebony must still think she was dreaming or she was just in shock. When she woke up she would return to her senses and throw him out. Her dark curly hair tumbled over his arm and chest, dark chocolate tendrils softly caressing his skin. Her head resting peacefully at the center of his chest right above his heart.

He needed to leave. It was the only way to protect her. And yet the small neglected boy inside him took over again and wrapped his arms around her, holding her tight. He'll find a way to break it off later. Because he was so selfish he wanted to hold onto her just a bit longer. Just for the day then tomorrow... tomorrow he'll break her heart.

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Alvis groaned through his silk gag Damia had forced into his mouth to muffle his cries of pained passion, his mouth dry while his skin gleamed with perspiration. The gentle whirring of the anal toy increased, hitting his prostate just right to keep him on the edge of orgasm. The velvet heat devoured his cock as his mistress grunted in her efforts to please herself. Her thumb careful with the remote, dialing the vibrations back again to a steady buzz. Below her, Alvis was tied to the bed posts, his lean muscles stretched taut, covered in sweat and little red welts and balls ready to burst.

His eyes pleaded for mercy even as they greedily took in his mistress's full bouncing breasts. Despite her age they were as perky and soft as a young 25 year old. He hadn't come all day. She was cruelly edging him then pulling off. But she came. Dozens of times and she was still greedy for more. His body covered in sweat and elegant scratches made by his tormentor. His asshole was stretched by that damn anal toy she liked to use on her lovers. With her remote she controlled the frequency of its vibrations and even when he was allowed to go soft Damia would play with it. He was being punished for his stupidity at the bachelorette party.

The stunning red head chewed her lower lip, always lush ruby petals that had tasted every inch of the tiger shifter. Every part of him was sensitized to the point of pain. Damia growled. Her channel choked his dick in another of her dominating orgasms. She looked like an ancient pagan goddess; beautiful, darkly sensual and ruthless. Damia's wrath was to be avoided and yet until now Alvis never really understood the other males' fear of her. The muscles choking his dick and the anal toy had the young shifter lifting his hips trying to escape the exquisite torture in his ass while simultaneously trying to bury himself deeper into the evil heaven consuming him.

Damia leaned over him, her deep red hair dampened by her sweat. She panted with her lips split into an evil carnal grin. "So... has my little pet learned his lesson yet?" She slowly pulled out the gag in her dark purring voice. At the defeated look in his eyes hers were cold and filled with triumph. She took great pleasure in hearing her prey beg in his hoarse voice: "Please... Please, Mistress... I need to come..." Alvis never begged until recently. It was more humiliating.

Damia licked her lips, a cat with all the cream and the canaries. She swung her leg over him, her pussy directly over his mouth while hers was over his painfully erect cock, gleaming with her juices and his precum. "Alright, baby, you seem a little parched. I think I can go another round. Why don't you give mistress's pussy some tender licks while I suck you off." She brought out the remote for the anal vibrator and waved it tauntingly at him. "I'll even use this to speed it up."

Alvis nodded vigorously. He wouldn't have been surprised if his balls were actually blue they were so full. The cruel mistress straddled his face while casually turning the dial up. She heard the toy hum louder, her pet groaning in sensual torment. He set to work lapping at the dripping honey pot before him while his Queen B took him into her mouth. After two bobs of her mouth, a swirl of her tongue and the vigorous whirring of the anal toy the male exploded. He moaned into her pussy while cum shot from his dick like a fountain. She slurped at him leisurely as he drove his tongue into her snatch the way he knew she liked it, her juices dripping down his shaven chin.

"Damia."

Damia lifted her head to see her dutiful husband Richard standing in the doorway, a somber look on his handsome face. Always so sour until she granted him her favors. She climbed off her bound young lover who was still shooting strings of cum all over his pelvis. She made her way to her husband with that enticing sway of her hips. With her thumb she wiped away the stray line of cum from her swollen lips then gave her husband a swift, chaste kiss on the lips. She wondered, her body heating with ever rising arousal, if he could taste the other younger man on her lips. Later he would fuck her hard, to regain his manhood and authority over her; one of their many games.

"Hello, dear," she said poisonously sweet. "Do you have anything for me?"

Richard's face twisted into a full on grimace. Damia's eyes were the darkest green he had ever seen. Like cold precious emeralds. He handed her the manila file. "Her name is Ebony Miller. She runs a Pastry Restaurant uptown. Delice et Chocolat."

Damia snatched the file like a spoiled little girl swiping at a sweet. She almost ripped the file in her anticipation to discover if the woman Saber was with was a threat to her hold on him. She had worked too hard to let go any of her male strippers. And out of all of her conquests Saber had been the most delicious. No matter what she did she could not seem to break through his icy exterior. Whenever they had sex she noticed his face go blank. His chocolate malt eyes revealing nothing when he fucked her viciously the way she loved. No love. No hatred. Nothing for her. And Damia was the sort of woman whom you felt something for. She was unforgettable.

Just ask Declan. She left actual scars on his back. And that was when he was one of her beau's. He had been smiling at this other female shifter. Damia was one of those rare once in a blue moon children of shifters who had a recessive gene that prevented her from turning into her animal form. Her mother, Alexandria Black, was a gorgeous, sleek and rare snow leopard shifter. They were like royalty with their exotic looks and fetching high prices on the black market for they were aloof, elusive creatures just like their wild counterparts.

Alexandria was a cold woman to her daughter. If she couldn't transform then Damia was no better than a useless human. Since then the red headed girl had searched desperately for love and attention. Damia looked the photo over from the girl's website. She was pretty. Not a classic, vibrant beauty with dark hair and simple gray eyes. And she was fat. Damia herself had an hourglass figure. Perfect large pillowy breasts and enticing round hips that had a sensuous sway whenever she walked. But she could see the girl's warmth through her smile even in the photo. It was alluring without the slightest hint of a coquette.

"Has he been to see her?" Damia asked. Richard, who knew her so well, could hear the childish desperation in her voice.

"Maybe," he answered with a noncommittal shrug. "Someone had to make sure she didn't overdose from those tranquilizers you insist on using." Noting the censure in her husband's tone and her brow puckered in a defensive frown.

"They help with memory loss don't they?" she snapped coldly at him. "You're human, Richard, and don't understand the need we have for secrecy."

But you're human, Damia. Richard didn't say that out loud. He knew better.

"I think I want to meet this Ebony Miller," Damia said, drawing the name out as if it were venom on her tongue.

"Damia, please," Richard begged. "Can you just leave this alone? Saber won't break his contract despite your continuing to give him pennies for his earnings."

Damia's hand whistled through the air, connecting to Richard's cheek with a resounding SMACK! Even Alvis winced at the sound. Her dark eyes flashed with emerald fire, wild like a caged animal's. Her canines bared and her lips curled into a snarl.

"I'm the boss here!" she cried. "Before I came here no one would even touch this club! You were a low level employee. Practically a janitor before I found you while your brother lazed about in his office fucking half of his employees! I turned everything around with my idea and you dare question me?!" She clutched at the file, the folder tearing slightly in her punishing grip. She then muttered to herself. "Besides... I take care of his sister. Without me she'd be sucking dick on the street for quarters in her addled mind. He won't leave me. No one does."

To Richard his wife looked more like a petulant yet lonely child throwing a tantrum than a mature sensual woman. He reached out to hold her but she slapped his hands away in disgust. Damia despised pity.

"Yes, Damia, I'm sorry," he said in a practiced contrite tone. He did what he could to protect the men from her wrath but Saber was really pushing it with these disappearances. A few more and the police department might take notice. Or worse the FBI. Damia caressed his reddening cheek; the touch seemed only to aggravate the stinging burn. He held onto her wrist in a gentle grip. It was their usual ritual in their fights.