The Tiger's Mail Order Mate (Paranormal Shifter Romance) by Jade White Page B

hold and she danced backwards.
    “Look, I need to give you your medication or you’ll be like that forever and they will be sure to kill you then.” She tried to reason with him. “We need to be safe, the bad man is dead now, so let’s get going.”
    Russell growled at her once more, turned his back to her, curled up and put his massive head down to go to sleep.
    “Oh no you don’t.” She said as she sprang forward, pushing the button on his implant and ran off. Thanks to her lightning fast reflexes, the large tiger had no idea what just happened. She looked back and saw Russell lying naked on the ground breathing heavily and pressing his implant three more times.
    Sonja walked up to the prone man and extended her hand to help him up. He looked up at her with fear in his eyes and was surprised to be the recipient of a warm, loving stare. He clasped Sonja’s outstretched hand and hauled himself out of the dry dirt. “Thanks.” He said as he caught his breath. “And sorry about that. That guy was your friend, wasn’t he?”
    “Not anymore. The moment he betrayed my trust was the moment we ceased being friends. I was a fool to trust him.” She sighed. “Let’s get some clothes on you and head to the boat, we don’t want to miss the cruise ship tomorrow.” She said. “Not that I mind looking at you, but it might get a little chilly on the trip to Kauai.” She concluded with a smirk.
    Russell laughed as he opened his discarded backpack and pulled on some clothes. “You’re incorrigible, you know that?”
    “Yes, I do, but I don’t really care. We’re both about to fly free from all this bullshit and that’s making me feel kind of giddy.” She replied.
    They made their way back to the beach and found the boat still tied up to the pontoon pier. “So, what made you get into spying?” Russell asked as he started the boat up once more.
    “I had no choice, just like you had no choice but to be what you are. After Chernobyl, people started getting sick and dying. My mother developed cancer, but survived. My brothers they all died, as well as my father. We had the KGB over all the time during my childhood to keep an eye on me. One day, I was around twelve and one of the KGB agents threw a knife at me. I caught it in mid-air without looking at it. That was the last normal day of my life. I was sent to this place called the ballet school. All the girls there were gifted in one way or another. I had the reflexes so they put me in the physical training program. It was not pleasant.” She trailed off, looking towards the cruise ship lights. “So how was your childhood?
    “Not much different. My mom died, or was killed, after I was born. With the military, it could go either way to be honest. I was raised by nannies hired by the scientists. They were impersonal and they just did what they had to do to make sure I didn’t die. Never really had any warm contact. Bankes was the only one that had been a constant in my entire life, actually. I had painful experiments done on me. I was taught how to regulate my anger when I needed to. I think I killed a few of my nannies, to be honest. It sucks when you’re raised to be nothing but a weapon.” He said glumly. “They kind of forget we’re people as well.”
    “Tell me about it.” She said as she lounged on the deck. “I had to kill my first when I was twelve. Just a week after I got to the ballet school.” Sonja said quietly. “It still haunts me...”
    “I guess I’m lucky, I don’t remember my first. I think I was about the same age. Splicers start to be able to change...”
    “At puberty, I know.” She finished for him. “I was one of the people assigned to be a handler in Russia. My charge died after an unfortunate accident. So the KGB brought me back into espionage.”
    “Well at least I won’t be left unattended, so to speak.” He said. He knew deep down he couldn’t live his life as a normal human. He needed someone who could understand what