The vent under her made a creaking noise, and she froze.
That doesn’t sound good.
The loud pops that followed had her dropping the phone and frantically trying to find something to grab when she’d gone from lying flat, to sliding down at a sharp downward angle.
The vent walls were slick, and she kept sliding until there wasn’t anything under her anymore. That’s when the real fall happened.
Mary opened her mouth to scream but it never came out. She slammed into something that knocked the breath out of her.
Her face was planted against something squishy. It felt like artificial rubber. She opened her eyes and tried to figure out if she was hurt. Besides the startling landing, she seemed okay. She focused on something ahead of her and to the left.
What she saw made her gawk.
Beyond a rounded lip was a wall of rocks…with a waterfall flowing down the rough surface. Blue lights lit the structure, and the sound of running water reminded her of a forest stream.
It was beautiful. It was the biggest indoor fountain she’d ever seen. It had to be twenty-five feet high.
She looked down. Her hands were planted on a mat that reminded her of something from gym classes in high school. “What in the world?”
She took a better look around the vast room. The ceilings had to be forty feet from the floor, and dim lights shone from above. Large potted trees were spread around the room. It looked as if someone had made an indoor garden living space.
She lifted to her hands and knees, realizing just how large the mat was that she’d fallen on top of. She estimated it to be eight feet wide and about four feet off the floor. She knelt up and stared at the ceiling above her. A vent ran the length of the room, and part of it was now broken apart, one portion hanging down like a long slide. Clearly the part she’d fallen through.
She looked around her, hunting for her phone, but it wasn’t there. Nor was her purse. She looked up at the broken vent and had a bad feeling they hadn’t fallen with her. It left her with little choice but to climb off the mat and find a way out of what she guessed must be the basement of the hotel.
The floor was covered in what seemed to be artificial grass. She wiggled her bare toes. It felt like good-quality artificial turf. The massive water fountain couldn’t be ignored, and she approached it in awe. The lighting gave the waterfall a natural look. It was beautiful. Even the air around her stirred as if there was a breeze. The lip of the fountain turned out to be taller than Mary, reached by a gentle moss-covered slope.
One touch with her fingertip proved the moss wasn’t real, either. Curiosity had her touching the short green sprigs…and then climbing upward to the water’s edge. It was the size of a small pool. She dipped her fingers into the water and found herself in for another surprise. The temperature felt pleasantly warm.
She had a better view from at least six feet off the floor, and she looked around, searching for a lit exit sign, but didn’t spot any. The walls were dark, making it difficult to find the boundaries of the large space. She turned and scooted down the slope, deciding to just walk the perimeter to find a way out.
Something large dropped about six feet in front of her, and Mary gasped. It took her a few seconds to realize what it was.
She blinked, but the sight didn’t disappear or change.
Crouched before her was the biggest New Species she’d ever seen. Not big as in fat. Far from it. He was muscled and big boned.
If that wasn’t shocking enough, he had some seriously wild, long hair. It was a light rust color, with some orange streaks, and very fluffy. His chin lifted, making it possible for her to make out his face.
Pure terror struck.
He was a New Species—but more animal than man. His eyes were pure feline, the color a startling gold. His nose came out a bit, as did his jaw, making the bones in his face seem more animalistic. It reminded her of a mini muzzle. His lips were human, at least. They were also generous. But her gaze fixed on his hair. It reminded her of a lion’s mane.
Oh my God. Oh my God. Oh my God.
Those words kept repeating in her head.
He rose up from his crouch, and she was in for another surprise. He had hair on his naked chest, but it looked more like a patch of fur. It wasn’t a whole lot, but enough to freak her out even further.
That’s when she also noticed he wasn’t wearing pants. Mary simply stared. She’d never seen someone sporting an actual loincloth before.
He growled low, causing the hairs on the back of her neck and on her arms to raise. She knew she shouldn’t have come to Reservation. Mel said she’d be safe, but her bestie had been wrong. She was about to be killed by a lion man.
His lips parted, and he revealed scary fangs. They were shiny white and looked lethal.
Oh my God. Oh my God. Oh my God.
Mary wanted to faint but she wasn’t that fortunate.
He stepped closer, and she scrambled back, falling onto the slope of fake moss, praying she could dig her way under it. Her fingers even clawed at the material.
The man loudly sniffed, and she froze.
He lunged forward.
All Mary could do was twist her head to the side and squeeze her eyes closed. She didn’t want to watch her own death happen. It would be bad enough feeling it.
Chapter Two
The lion man didn’t slam into Mary, but she could hear him breathing. It sounded close—and then she felt his hot breath against her neck. Some of that fluffy hair on his head brushed her cheek. She whimpered.
He was probably picking the right spot to bite into so he could rip out her throat for maximum blood loss.
He sniffed at her again and growled deeper. It was more of a rumble, really.
Another whimper escaped. She couldn’t scream. Her body wasn’t functioning properly at this level of terror. She expected to piss herself before she remembered she’d just used the bathroom prior to her failed escape attempt.
The lion man lowered his head, that soft hair touching more her jaw.
Then it suddenly went away.
Long seconds ticked by…until she felt something grip the front of her dress.
Warm fingers brushed against the sides of her breasts.
That startled her enough to open her eyes and turn her head a little.
She wished she hadn’t. The lion man was crouched over her, yet only touching her with his way-too-large hands. He had a grip on each side of her bodice, where the vee revealed some cleavage. He wasn’t looking at her, but giving her chest a glare that wasn’t friendly.
He suddenly tore the dress open.
The buttons down the front gave way, and Mary almost managed to scream. Her mouth even opened, but his head jerked up and those golden eyes muted her. She stopped breathing.
He snarled and lowered his head. Then he scooted down a bit, and continued tearing open her dress.
Lions ripped out the bellies of their prey. She was pretty sure she’d read or seen that somewhere.
He bared her stomach and adjusted the position of his big body, until his face hovered over her middle.
His mouth opened and Mary whimpered, knowing it was going to be a horrible way to die. Slow. Him tearing out her throat would have been faster.
He sniffed at her again and released her dress with his freakishly large hands. They appeared normal, except there was enough light coming off the waterfall behind her to see that they weren’t totally human. Fine hairs covered the back of his fingers.
Fur. That’s fur. Oh my God. Oh my God. Oh my God!
He planted one open hand on her stomach, and Mary gasped. It didn’t hurt, but he did it with enough force that it wasn’t exactly gentle. His fingers curled, and she felt sharp fingernails press into her skin. They didn’t hurt, either, but she could distinctly feel the tip of each one.
He wasn’t going to bite into her. No. He was going to claw her skin open instead to reach her internal organs.
He lowered his head and sniffed h
er stomach. Mary figured he was probably deciding what would be the tastiest part of her to start with. He moved lower, and she realized that he’d ripped her dress completely open. She lie there with her underclothing exposed.
He dipped his head, sniffing at her white panties.
Not there! God. Kill me before you bite or use your sharp nails to rip me open there!
He leaned in closer, and all that wild fur/hair on his head touched her stomach. She whimpered again when he pressed his nose right up against her pelvic bone.
He growled in response. It was a mean sound, not happy. His chin lifted, and he glowered at her as he rose up a bit. He also adjusted his body higher over hers.
He’s part human.
She desperately tried to think past her fear. He looked human, but so…not. His body was human in shape, though, despite the mane of hair flowing to his shoulders, the patch of fur on his chest, the back of his fingers, and his facial traits. And Mary was desperate to live…
She reached up slowly. He noticed, and stared at her hand. It was trembling badly as she gently stoked his chest.
The hair was fur. The texture of it surprised her. She hadn’t petted many of her friends’ pets, since they tended to try to take a bite out of her. He probably would, too, but at this point, she was desperate.
Nice kitty. She would have said it out loud but was afraid the sound of her voice might set him off, and then the bleeding would begin. Hers.
His chest hair was super soft and short. She stroked it again. Nice kitty. Nice big freaking kitty.
She stopped though when a loud noise emanated from him. It took her a second to realize he was purring.
That gave her hope, and she started stroking him again.
Nice kitty. Please don’t kill me.
He wasn’t tearing her to shreds or biting into her. He just purred and watched her with golden eyes that were going to be in her nightmares forever if she managed to survive.
And she was already coming up with a plan. Mel had joked that the two things Snow loved most were food and sex.
Mary so didn’t want to be food…
She darted a look down his body and almost changed her mind. He really was the largest man she’d ever seen. He had to weigh three hundred pounds. At least. Her gaze lingered on the parts of his body that she could see. He didn’t have an ounce of fat on him. Just muscle, flesh, and big bones.
She kept stroking his chest. Not that it took much effort. Her hand shook enough that she could just hold it against him.
Could she make him more interested in her as a woman than his next meal? He was probably too lion-ish to see her as a woman. She was screwed if that were the case, and not in a sexual way. Though, he could probably kill her that way, too.
Currently, he just watched her, easing the grip on her skin with his sharp fingernails. That gave her slight hope she might live.
She swallowed hard and tried to speak. “Please don’t hurt me.”
The purring stopped, and he growled.
Shut up! Don’t talk.
There were people who’d been dubbed dog and cat whisperers. It was possible she was the reverse, and her voice sent animals into attack mode. She had an aunt who had the most annoying laugh on the planet. Every time that woman started to snort and choke—what it actually sounded like—Mary wanted to wring her neck just to make it stop.
She reached up and stroked his chest with both hands now. He watched, and the purring started up again. She figured that was a good sign. Maybe she could just keep petting him until Mel was ready to toss her bouquet. When she didn’t answer her phone, Mel would send Snow to find her, and he’d come to her rescue. She just had to stay alive until then.
Mary calmed just a bit, since he wasn’t killing her. She used her fingernails to lightly scratch his fur. He closed his eyes, and his harsh features seemed to smooth out a little, as if he enjoyed her touch.
Hope soared. Maybe she could put him to sleep and then run for her life. There had to be a way out of the basement.
She grew bolder, expanding the small area she touched. She accidently ran one fingernail across his nipple, and it puckered. His eyes opened as he locked gazes with her, continuing to purr. They watched each other closely.
Mary was tempted to beg for her life again, but she stayed silent instead. He didn’t appear to like her voice. She was a fast learner. Especially when her life was on the line. He enjoyed being petted, though. She could do that for as long as it took Mel to send Snow to find her.
There was only one problem with that plan. The lion man decided to move. She gingerly tried to stop him by pressing her hands to his chest, but he lowered his upper body, trapping her hands instead. And then she couldn’t see his face anymore—because he’d buried his face right against the center of her bra.
The sniffing started up again.
Mary closed her eyes and lifted her chin when the hair mane from his head brushed her face. It almost tickled, but she wasn’t in a mood to laugh.
The fear made it decidedly not funny when he opened his mouth and a wet, hot, roughly textured tongue licked the skin between her cleavage.
She wondered if he were tasting her to see if she’d make a good dinner and prayed that wasn’t the case. New Species did like their meals bloody. She was fresh meat for sure. There would be a lot of blood. And screaming.
He adjusted slightly, and she sucked in a sharp breath, closing her eyes when he closed his lips around the material that hooked her bra together in the center. He clamped down with his teeth and jerked his head back with impressive force.
Material snapped and ripped. Her eyes flew open and she looked down, but he had pressed his face against her once more, making it impossible to see anything but that wild hair of his. Then he twisted his head, nuzzling the cups away to expose her breasts.
Not there. God, don’t bite me there!
Terrifying images surfaced of him taking a chuck of her breast right off her body. It seemed about to happen when he opened his mouth wide and captured one breast in his mouth.
She felt his fangs dig into her sensitive flesh…but there was no pain. Just a jolt of sensation. His hot tongue licked at her, and then his lips sealed around her nipple.
Mary gasped as he sucked on her. She bit her lip and closed her eyes again. She’d had men play with her breasts before, but they’d always been gentle. He wasn’t. He was aggressive about it. She’d never felt anything like it.
It felt amazingly good.
His teeth nipped her slightly, and it sent another jolt of pleasure straight to her brain.
His lower body shifted and his leg nudged between her closed thighs. He pressed down with one knee, and she parted her legs, since it was that or have him crush them. He slid his thigh between hers.
His skin was warmer than her own. He gave her more of his weight to keep her pinned to the slanted slope of the waterfall base. The movement also gave her just enough room to slip her hands out from between them, and she gripped the top of his broad shoulders. He had warm, firm skin.
He released her breast and turned his head, going after the other. Mary expected it that time, and she smothered any sounds that might come from her mouth, afraid it would make him mad when he latched those sharp teeth onto delicate skin. There was no pain, but she was very aware of each tip of his fangs.
His lips sealed over her breast, and he licked at her nipple. The texture of his tongue was something new, too. It was a bit rough, not quite as much as sandpaper. He sucked hard then, and pleasure raced through her body.
She realized she was kneading his shoulders. Her grasp on him tightened when he sucked on her, relaxed when he licked. He kept doing both. Warmth and awareness spread through her body.
He rubbed his leg against hers, inching his knee higher and higher between her thighs, coming dangerously close to her panties. He legs was smooth. Most men had hairy legs, but not lion man. It vaguely struck her as odd, since he had a patch of fur on his chest.
&nb
sp; Even as his leg moved, he kept playing with her breasts, alternating between them, until she couldn’t hold back anymore. Mary moaned and released one of his shoulders. Her fingers sank into the hair at the back of his head. It was soft and felt a bit thicker in texture than human hair. She liked it, and he seemed to enjoy her touching him, since he didn’t snarl or hurt her…though pain was now the furthest thing from her mind.
He finally pulled away from her breasts and lowered down her body. Mary watched as he ran his face over her ribs. Her nipples were taut, wet from his tongue and completely bared. The breeze from the waterfall didn’t help, chilling them after his hot mouth, keeping the peaks stiff.
He continually sniffed at her as he moved, brushing his lips against her belly, then rubbing his face over her lower stomach.
He paused when he came to her panties…and Mary’s eyes widened when he gripped the waistband with his teeth.
She started to object but didn’t have time to get a word out. Once again, he just jerked hard, ripping them. The front tore but they didn’t come off. That seemed to make him mad, because he snarled. He gripped her thighs with his big hands and parted them farther. Mary released his hair, reaching up and grabbing the fake moss on the slope to avoid sliding down and hitting the artificial grass covering the basement floor.
He gripped more of the material with his teeth and jerked his head again. That time, the entire center of her panties gave way. He used one hand to snap the thin material over her hips and just threw what was left over his shoulder.
It left her pussy completely bare.
He slid down until he was crouched at the base of the slope, adjusting his hold and pinning her thighs wide open, his gaze locked between her legs.
Mary gasped, starting to protest when he snarled.
She sealed her lips. He could examine her if it meant he’d stop making that sound—or making Mary fear for her life.
He sniffed at her, and those golden eyes of his met her stare. He cocked his head a little and leaned even closer. She held her breath…then let it out when he just paused there, not moving.
Best Friends (New Species Book 15) Page 21