by Bebe Balocca
Hunter rolled off her, panting, and a puff of fresh air cooled her sweat-coated chest and stomach. She rotated her hips, relishing the slippery, swollen sensitivity between her legs, and took a deep breath. “You’re making an animal of me, you know that?” she told him. The ceiling fan spun above her, stirring the air pleasantly, and the bedroom window was a framed and star-spotted square of night sky. She felt that she’d been pounded and pummelled in the most deliciously satisfying way. “I’m gonna have one hell of a bangover,” she noted. “Not that I’m complaining.” She stretched her arms overhead and exhaled. “Thank you, Hunter, for saving the sanctuary. This refuge means everything to me.”
Hunter took her hand in his and kissed her knuckles gently. “I couldn’t let Kat’s Crest go belly up,” he told her. He paused and pushed the wet tip of his tongue between her fingers. “And, thanks to you, I’m feeling much more positive about my situation.”
“You can certainly stay at Kat’s Crest when you’re in tiger form, and we’ll work something out for you on the other days,” Faline assured him, “but I think we can do better. I know someone who may be able to help, Hunter. Someone who knows a thing or two about Ute spirituality.”
Someone coughed softly in the hallway. “And that person would be me, right, Faline?” The bedroom door swung open.
Sabrina stood in the doorway, backlit by the light from the kitchen, and crossed her arms. “I’ve heard plenty,” she said, with an amused lilt in her voice, “but why don’t the two of you come in here and tell me everything?”
The sounds of Sabrina’s footsteps moved towards the kitchen. Faline rolled her eyes. “People who work with animals,” she grumbled, “seem to think that nothing is private. Sorry about that, Hunter.”
He chuckled as Faline rolled out of bed and swiped the sticky skin between her thighs with a bandanna. She yanked on a pair of jeans and a sweatshirt before joining Sabrina in the kitchen. Faline brewed a pot of coffee and soon the three of them were seated at her small Formica table with fragrant mugs in hand.
Hunter told his story to Sabrina, who listened with an expressionless face. “So, let me get this straight,” she asked when he was finished. “The way it stands now, you turn into a tiger every other day. When Abetzi had you caged at her place, you were a tiger twenty-four seven, but now it’s just a half-time gig.” Hunter gave his affirmation and sipped his coffee. “Included in her curse was a fail-safe clause that made it so you couldn’t hurt her, no matter what form you were in.”
“That pretty much sums it up,” Hunter said.
“And you buy all this?” Sabrina narrowed her eyes at Faline. “Seriously? A curse that turns a dude into a giant predatory cat?”
“Yeah, I hear you, Sabrina,” Faline sighed. “But there’s just no other way to explain the last couple of days.” She leaned towards her friend. “Look, I don’t know much about your Ute spiritual stuff, but maybe you could do something to help Hunter. Abetzi’s a witch, but doesn’t she believe in the same god that you do?”
Sabrina stared thoughtfully down at the steam rising from her coffee cup. “It’s true that Abetzi was born a Ute,” she answered soberly, “but she no longer worships the Great Spirit Manitou, who is the essence of all life.” Sabrina swallowed and stared out of Faline’s window at the waning moon. “It’s said that she worships an evil spirit she calls Nyeeah. In exchange for her loyalty, Nyeeah gives her certain powers and has lengthened her lifespan considerably.” Sabrina turned back to Hunter. “Manitou is all-powerful, but I am not a strong enough vessel of his power to remove a curse. I have some skills, and Manitou sometimes permits me to do certain tasks, but…” she shook her head. “The only one who can possibly remove a curse of this magnitude is the person who cast it in the first place.” She sipped her coffee and placed the cup back on the table. “Abetzi.”
“But—” Faline interjected.
Hunter placed his hand over hers. “It’s okay, Faline,” he told her. “It’s not so bad, really. Kat’s Crest is secure financially now, and that means that when I’m in tiger form I have a place to go. It’s not how I expected my life to be, but,” he half smiled, “it could be a hell of a lot worse.”
“But it’s not okay,” Faline protested. “It’s not. She doesn’t get to turn your whole life upside down just because she wants to. And she’s abusing animals, too.” She ground her jaw and looked at Sabrina. “There’s got to be something we can do.”
Sabrina shook her head. “Look, Faline,” she said, “we can’t fight Abetzi. My family has known about her evil ways for years, but it’s impossible to stop her. The witch will do nothing to aid anyone but herself, and she is a master of trickery. She wants nothing more than to keep proud, strong animals imprisoned and exert her power over them. Hunter certainly can’t go near her, because she will keep him captive in tiger form if she gets the chance. There is simply no reason for her to remove the curse.”
Faline took a long swallow of coffee. The hot liquid burned her throat, but the pain was bracing. She thought about Jonas’ dream and her own deep affection for the animals at Kat’s Crest. She pictured Khan, Taj, Sahib and the rest of the magnificent tigers at the refuge. Then she looked at Hunter, still hollow-eyed and rough-edged from his weeks of imprisonment. It wasn’t the kind of life that he deserved to have. It wasn’t the kind of life that any person or animal should have, damn it. Abetzi had to be stopped. If she didn’t have the brute force to do it, perhaps money would do the trick.
“Maybe I can give her a reason,” said Faline. “Kat’s Crest’s bank account has more money than it needs now,” she said. “Abetzi would be stupid to turn down a cash offer in exchange for lifting the curse and leaving tigers alone.”
Hunter clenched his jaw. “No,” he stated. “Absolutely not. That money shouldn’t go to that witch, and I won’t have you putting yourself in danger, Faline.”
“Don’t worry. I’ll leave plenty of money for the running of the refuge, okay?” she assured him. “It would be worth it to put her out of the tiger business. I want to go see her, Sabrina, but let’s wait until the day after tomorrow.” Faline took Hunter’s hand and squeezed it.
Grudgingly, Sabrina agreed to the plan. She left, with a promise to return late in the morning to check in. “I’m going to spend tomorrow fasting and praying to Manitou,” she told Faline, “because I’m going to need all the strength he can give me.”
As Sabrina’s truck pulled away, Hunter wrapped his arms around Faline’s shoulders. He nuzzled her neck, and goose bumps sprouted over Faline’s flesh at the scruffy contact. “You sleepy?” she asked.
Hunter ran his hands down to her waist and pulled her snug against him. Faline blushed to feel the growing bulge of his erection press against her lower back. “Nope,” he answered. “Wide awake.”
“Come on,” Faline told him. “I’ve got a great idea.”
Chapter Seven
Half an hour later, Hunter stood next to a pile of Faline’s discarded clothes and shook his head in disbelief. “That water’s got to be freezing,” he commented. “And you, lady, have got to be insane.”
“The creek is cold, sure,” Faline replied. “But there’s a hot spring right here, Hunter.” She stood and water sluiced from her blonde hair over her bare breasts. “It mixes with the running water and feels amazing.” The glow from the moonlight turned her wet skin into a gleaming, moving sculpture of slick perfection.
“You look,” Hunter noted appraisingly, “good enough to eat.”
Faline sucked in her stomach and thrust out her breasts enticingly at him. “Come on, Alabama boy,” she beckoned. “Let’s skinny dip.”
Hunter shucked off his clothes in two seconds flat and splashed into the water next to her. The mix of temperatures was irresistible. Next to the hot spring, the water was scalding, but it quickly became bathwater-hot, then tepid, and then bracingly cold in the middle of the stream. He ducked his head beneath the surface and stood, flipping water back from his forehead, on the g
ritty gravelled floor.
Faline approached him with a smile on her lips and stood on an underwater rock that increased her height by a few inches. She teased her nipples with her fingertips then rubbed her stiffened peaks against his chest. Hunter thought he would shrivel and die from an overload of pleasure. “You have no idea,” he murmured, “how amazing that feels, Faline, especially after weeks of solitary confinement.” He felt his cock begin to grow and slid it between Faline’s thighs, then groaned when Faline planted kisses as light as flower petals across the span of his pectorals.
Hunter stroked the creamy skin of her neck and ran one fingertip down her throat and between the thin bones of her clavicle. He lowered his face and pulled the taut peak into his mouth.
“Ah,” Faline sighed.
Hunter held her nipple between his teeth, bit lightly and heard her draw in a sharp breath. He released her breast and paused to grab a Trojan from his jeans pocket on the bank. After slipping it on, he nudged the tip of his erection between Faline’s legs.
Her eyes fluttered and her lips fell open. Hunter held still for a moment to admire her face in the moonlight before easing his cock a bit farther inside, groaning to feel her muscles tighten around it. Faline wrapped her legs around his waist, moving her hips against his in the water.
Hunter planted his feet firmly on the creek bed and cupped the curve of her ass in his hands. He pumped her body over his shaft and buried his nose in the fragrant dampness of her hair. He felt the buzzing nearness of his orgasm and fucked her faster.
Faline’s eyes were closed, concentrating, and her wet eyelashes lay on her skin like the rays of two stars. Her full lips were pursed and pouted, and Hunter’s mouth watered. He plunged his tongue between her lips at the same moment as his cum surged into her.
Minutes later, they lay stretched out on their dry clothes, naked beneath the star-dotted sky. “You know, I think the amount of sex I’ve had in the last forty-eight hours makes up for a dry spell of…” she chuckled, “well, longer than I like to consider.” The cool night breeze chilled her slightly, but she felt too glorious to complain. “I hope I’m more than just a pleasure fuck, Hunter,” she whispered. “This feels more special than that to me. Maybe it’s the whole tiger thing…” she smiled. “You can see how crazy I am about tigers.”
“I love them, too, you know,” Hunter replied. “Always have. That’s why I wanted to be part of Kat’s Crest from the first time I heard about it. I just never thought I’d get to learn about tigers quite this thoroughly.”
“We’ll get the curse removed,” Faline promised. “I really believe we can.”
“You know, the tiger curse is nothing I’d planned on, and it’s nothing I’d have asked for,” he admitted, “but it’s not all bad. Now that it’s not a full-time gig, there are parts of it I enjoy.”
In the shadows nearby, Faline heard the faint flutter of a bat’s wings. “Like what?” she wondered.
“Hunting is pretty great, actually,” he told her. “As a tiger, every sense is heightened, so tracking an animal is like being ravenous and having the most delectable food you can imagine waved in front of your nose. The chase itself is invigorating, but the real climax comes when you sink your claws into the back of your target. It smells amazing, and biting down into your prey is…pure heaven.”
“Of course, it’s not just the hunt,” continued Hunter. “Just being in tiger form is a thrill. I love feeling the power in my muscles. I feel like I could run for miles and miles and defeat anything and anyone that got in my way. It makes me feel invincible.” He traced one finger over the soft skin of her stomach. “You taught me something else, Faline,” he added. “Sex has been amazing. Even when in human form, I feel more aggressive, more passionate, more virile.” He chuckled. “I’ve come three times in as many hours. That’s a record for me, and I’m sure not going to complain about that.”
“Do you want to keep the curse then?” Faline asked. “Is it even something you want to be rid of?”
He considered for long moments. “It’s a thrill, Faline, I won’t lie, but it’s no way to live. Even after just a few weeks of it, I can tell that I’ll grow lonely being the only one of my kind. I don’t want to live half my life as an animal that’s not like other animals, and the other half as a man who doesn’t really fit in with other men. I want more than that, if I can have it.”
Faline rested quietly beside him and let the night breeze dry her bare skin. She took his hand and together they admired the dazzling display of stars. A ball of brilliant yellow light streaked across the sky and disappeared.
“Shooting star,” Hunter pointed out. “Did you see it, Faline?”
“Yeah, I did,” she answered. “Nice one, too. Don’t forget to make a wish.”
I’ve already made mine, she thought with a smile. Running Kat’s Crest with Hunter by my side would be my dream come true.
* * * *
Faline awoke in her bed and stretched out one hand to Hunter. His chest rose and fell peacefully with his breaths. Faline could hardly imagine the stress and exhaustion he’d been under at the hands of Abetzi. Sleep, she decided, was exactly what he needed. She slipped from her bed and headed for the bathroom.
A hot shower and several cups of hot coffee later, Faline saw Hunter emerge from her bedroom looking rumpled and rested. He accepted Faline’s invitation to breakfast and joined her on the back porch. Faline watched him eat the sausage and canned biscuits as though they were the most delicious things to ever fill a plate. He devoured two bananas with equal enthusiasm then leant back to drink his coffee and admire the view.
“So,” he noted, “we’ve got a day before us before the big showdown, huh?” He turned to face Faline and raised his eyebrows. “Did you have anything in mind, Miss Hopper, before your date with destiny?”
“You know, I did dream up something special,” Faline replied. “Sabrina came over to see me before she went off to commune with the spirits, and I worked out a little field trip with her help. You up for an adventure?” Hunter nodded. “I thought you might enjoy a taste of what makes our neck of the woods special,” Faline continued. “How are you in a canoe?”
* * * *
Not that great, it turned out. Who’d have expected that an Alabama boy didn’t know his way around self-propelled watercraft? Faline mused. It seemed that Hunter’s family was more into speed-boating on lakes, sail-boating in the Gulf and cruising on their private yacht. Rowing a canoe down a creek? Not so much.
He’d caught on fast, though, Faline had been pleased to see. The day had warmed magnificently, so he’d shucked off his shirt and Faline had stripped to a Lycra sport bra over her cut-offs. The Colorado countryside slipped by in luxuriant silence, broken only by the dip and swish of the paddles.
The shore of the creek was festooned with vibrant pink paintbrush flowers and muted rose and yellow columbines. Overhead, a red-tailed hawk dived towards the ground with deadly precision. It was a crucial move, Faline knew. It meant life for the hawk, in the form of needed nourishment, or life for its prey, which probably had no idea that it was in the hawk’s sights. The action was brutal, but it had its own balletic beauty. The robust purity of the wild and the savage innocence of nature—they were what had led to Jonas’ founding of Kat’s Crest Refuge, and they were what impelled Faline to meet with Abetzi tomorrow.
They ran the canoe ashore and shared the picnic lunch Faline had purchased from the outfitter. The turkey sandwich, chips, apple and chocolate chip cookie weren’t gourmet, but they were fresh and filling. With a cloud-speckled azure sky as their ceiling fresco and the blue spruces as their living wall art, she couldn’t imagine a more appealing dining room. And with Hunter next to her as her dining companion, the view was second to none.
“No matter what happens tomorrow,” Faline promised him, “you have a place at Kat’s Crest Refuge. If it goes how I hope it does—if you are free of the curse—then you can go where you like, of course, although I hope you keep in mind th
at I sure enjoy your company.” Hunter spread his T-shirt on the creek bank and stretched beside her. “But if it doesn’t work out, if I can’t get Abetzi to lift the curse, then of course you can live inside the sanctuary when you need to.”
“When I’m a tiger,” Hunter clarified.
“Yeah,” Faline nodded.
Hunter glanced at the sun, which was well past the midday point in the sky. “Thank you, Faline. That means a lot to me, and I don’t take it for granted.” He leaned towards her and lifted her chin. “You’re taking a terrible risk with Abetzi,” he said softly, “and I don’t approve. If it were just about me, I’d insist that you not do it. You know that, don’t you?”
Faline nodded miserably. “Believe me, I’ve heard enough about Abetzi to make me scared to death of the woman and what she’s capable of. I’m not looking forward to this encounter. But I can’t stand by and let her continue to operate now that I know what she’s up to. It was bad enough that she abused Khan and the cubs before they came to Kat’s Crest, but it’s unthinkable that she’s abducting people to stock her zoo. The police would never believe me if I went to them. I’m hopeful that she’ll see reason, though. Money talks, right?”
“You’re too brave for your own good,” Hunter grumbled, “and far too beautiful.” He kissed her, and her fears shrank, melted by the warmth of his touch and the softness of his lips. Faline wasn’t aware that she’d closed her eyes until she opened them and found him on his knees above her, cradling her head in his hand and lightly swirling the tip of his tongue against hers. She lay still as he left a shiver-inducing trail of kisses over her chin and across her bared neck. He drew her earlobe between his teeth for a gentle nibble and suck.