by P. Jameson
Her clan.
She felt the rickety stairs rattle behind her and turned to find Skye and Janet with the same wide-eyed expression she had.
“What happened?” Skye whispered. But Vegas heard her over the roar.
“It’s Skittles.”
“He can’t have the Firecat yet,” Janet argued. “Right? Because Nyla isn’t here.”
Was that true? Vegas didn’t know. What, did Janet know of a study guide? Cliff notes? Firecats For Dummies.
Wouldn’t that be handy right now.
“We have to do something,” Skye said. “This place is going to burn down, and… I like it here.”
“Me too,” Janet agreed.
Home, her animal insisted.
She watched as the Firecat blew a blistering streak of fire right at Monster, and a growl rose up in her, crawling along her trachea until it rumbled from her mouth, followed by a vicious hiss.
Another first.
But the Firecat didn’t stop spitting fire at her mate, at the others. He wasn’t going to stop unless someone made him.
Let me out, her animal demanded. I can handle this.
And this time, Vegas listened.
With a snarl of her own, she flung herself over the rail and when she landed on the floor… she did it as something else entirely.
A blast of cool air engulfed her, threading through her veins like liquid nitrogen. And it didn’t scare her. It felt powerful. Just like Monster described it. She felt her body contort and twist into something new. Something with claws and fangs and acute senses like she’d never known. Everything had a scent. Fear, anxiety, surprise. Things she saw had details she never noticed before.
But…
But where was her fur?
She shook out her new mane and the tinkling sound it made surprised her. She wasn’t a panther like her father had been. Like Fang was.
She took a solid step forward and the ground beneath her snow-white paw froze.
She was…
Ice.
Finally, she understood what her animal was trying to tell her.
Fire can destroy or make new. It can scar, it can maim. Fire can burn a helluva lot of things.
But it can’t burn ice.
The Ice Cat bounded forward into the flames with an arctic roar that rattled the warehouse walls.
Fire… meet Ice.
***
Freezing air hit Monster’s blistering back at the same time an animal’s roar fell on his ears.
“What the…?”
As he turned to find whatever new threat was here for them, the room went quiet except for the flames that raged on.
Make mate safe.
But it was nothing like he thought. In fact, it was a miracle. There’d been so many of them lately, and they all revolved around Vegas.
Vegas.
The most breathtaking shifter he’d ever seen stood in the middle of Skittles’ fire. He’d spit so much of it that even Mama Kitty’s office was lighting up. If they didn’t get it contained, the city would be on them fast.
Shit.
But Vegas… what she’d become. He couldn’t catch his breath.
Mine.
She was the pure white form of a lion, mane and all. But instead of fur, she was covered in slivers of ice from head to paw. They glittered in the orange of the flames until she looked like she was glowing. Her blue eyes shone bright as she held her head high, meeting Monster’s gaze.
Inside, he felt her intention through their bond. She wasn’t letting anything hurt her new family, her new home, her… mate. Not fear, and not Skittles’s unwieldy beast.
Good girl.
She stepped closer to the disaster Skittles’s animal had made, and as she walked, the ground beneath her seemed to freeze instantly, ice crystals forming on the once blistering concrete, and spreading out from her body to cover the floor in a sheath of ice.
No one said a word. Nothing except the Firecat chuffing his confusion as smoke filled the air.
Careful, careful…
Monster’s animal pawed at him to watch Vegas’s back as she approached Skittles.
But the air stirred with new hostility. She was putting out the fire with each step closer, and Skittles’s beast didn’t like it.
Monster watched him, fists clenching.
This was too dangerous. His fragile mate was putting herself right in the line of fire.
“Female, don’t do it. He ain’t right. Stay back.” Fang warned, saying what Monster wanted to.
But he couldn’t take his attention from Skittles. One wrong move and the cat would die. His brother would die. The animal was already decided.
Already, Monster could feel flames licking at his fingertips. And they weren’t from the outside. They came from inside.
Burn for mate, his beast purred.
Vegas didn’t stop. She didn’t slow. She continued spreading her ice and chilling the air until frost started stretching up the walls, extinguishing flame as it went. The closer she got to Skittles, the more he hissed his smoky warning.
Goddamn it. She was almost too close.
And the Firecat knew it too because in the next breath, he reared back in an angry hunch and let out a streak of fire straight at Vegas.
Monster let ancient instinct take over, and with an angry roar, he burst into flames, his skin sparking into a strange combination of fur and fire. It engulfed him, burning so hot he wasn’t sure he would survive it. Power and heat and a rebuilding of his soul, all in one heartbeat. Maybe he’d be nothing but ashes when it was over.
But it didn’t matter. Only one thing mattered.
His vow to Vegas. The one he’d made back in the dingy hallway of Bastian’s dungeon.
Lunging for the crazed beast that threatened her, he intercepted the streak of fire, absorbing it into his inferno of a body. He tackled the enemy… friend… enemy… to the floor, rolling with him in a tangle of flame and snarls.
Defend mate.
But he didn’t get the chance to kill the cat like he wanted. Because he’d barely gotten his claws in Skittle’s fiery hide when a tidal wave of ice rolled over the two of them, dousing their fire better than any water could have.
Nearby, Vegas let off a horrible roar that rang the rafters until he thought his ears would explode. And with it came a vicious whirlwind of ice. It whipped around the room, extinguishing any hint of flame left, lifting hair and loose paper and anything not anchored.
“Fuck,” hissed Felix as he held his arm up to guard his face from flying ice shards.
Monster got to his feet, pulling his human form back to him in an instant, letting now damp fur become skin again, claws become fingers, letting his scars wrap all around him once more.
From the corner of his eye, he could see Skittles do the same, his colorful tattoos returning to cover skin.
Vegas’s icy roar cut off, and the frigid wind with it. She stared at Monster and he couldn’t help wanting to toss her frosty ass over his shoulder and take her to safety.
But… they were already safe weren’t they?
Ice Cat. She was the only living thing he knew of that could take down a Firecat. It meant none of his brothers could hurt her. Ever. Intentionally or not.
He went to her, slowly. Puffs of frozen breath danced between them as he reached forward to touch his favorite spot. Where her cheek would be. He pet his thumb over her frosty fur, looking into her eyes. Eyes that he knew well. Eyes that were hers.
“Mine,” he growled, forgetting that he was naked before his clan and the Dolls and everything else.
Vegas nuzzled his palm, and he felt the first threads of worry travel through their bond.
“Shift back, mate,” he whispered. “I’ll cover you. Just pull your animal back inside. You can do it.”
With one last gust of cool air, Vegas shifted, her ice-mane disappearing beneath her blond hair, her crystalized fur returning to smooth, pale skin.
When she was fully human again, Monster
pulled her naked body against his, shielding her from the eyes of his clan the best he could.
“Dear god. Fucking fuck,” Fang muttered, shrugging off his denim vest. “Here, take this before my eyes bleed. She’s my sister. I can’t be seeing that shit. Fuck hell and damn. And for fuck’s sake, ugly. I can never unsee that boner you’re sporting. Put it the hell away.”
Boner? Yeah it was about to be gone. In about five seconds…
Monster caught the vest and wrapped his mate up, buttoning what he could of it until the most important parts were covered.
“Someone…” Felix boomed, “Anyone want to tell me what the fuck all that was? Anyone.”
“Sure,” Monster mused, turning to Skittles. “We’ll settle all that after I beat his fucking ass for attacking my mate.”
And then he lunged, for the second time, at the man who’d put them all in danger.
Chapter Twenty Four
Monster’s fist connected with Skittles’s jaw but the cat didn’t go down like he thought he would. Skittles took the hit, absorbing it with an angry shrug of his shoulders.
“Deserved that, okay,” he snarled. “But you won’t be doing it again.”
“Fuck you,” Monster spat, pulling his fist back for a repeat.
“No! Please!” Vegas cried. And it was probably the only thing that could stop Monster from giving Skittles the pounding he deserved. “Enough. Please, mate.”
Calling him mate in front the males of his clan was the clincher. Claimed him. That’s what she did. Maybe she didn’t realize it, but her mouth just claimed him. And it felt so good he wanted to scream it from the top of a fucking mountain somewhere.
Monster lowered his fist.
“What the hell happened?” Ratchet asked Skittles.
“I shifted. The bastard Firecat just… fuck… erupted out of me. I had no control over it. None. Fuck, do you think I would have risked the only safe place for us right now? Risked this clan? The mates? I couldn’t stop it. The thing… it’s a beast. Fucking out of control beast.”
Ratchet shook his head. “Something had to ignite it. There’s a catalyst. You wouldn’t just—”
“Mine is in danger,” Skittles snarled, his eyes almost glowing.
“You’ve talked to Nyla?” Skye asked from the stairs… where Janet held her stomach.
“She says he’s going to kill her tomorrow if we don’t get her out. Dump her in the motherfucking river. Like hell. I’m going for her. Now. Tonight. Whether any of you help me or not.” He turned his gaze to Vegas. “I’m sorry,” he said roughly, and Monster knew what it took to say those words before the clan. “And thank you for making me stop.”
Skittles went to one knee, bowing his head, and waited.
Vegas looked surprised. “Uh… it’s fine. Really. I know how worried you are for Nyla.”
Skittles nodded, stood and faced Monster. “I need my girl. I don’t want to hurt anyone. Will you help me?”
Monster stared him down, still wanting a piece of him for putting Vegas in danger. But he could see the desperation in his eyes, and remembered what it felt like when Bastian put the hit on his own girl.
Monster nodded and looked to Ratchet. “No reason why we can’t free Nyla now. There’s three of us.”
“And me,” Vegas spoke up.
Monster shot her a glare. She wasn’t going back there. Not even to help Nyla. Three Firecats against a few humans were good enough odds.
“What do you think?” he asked Ratchet.
The man crossed his arms over his chest and tossed out that cruel snarl he was famous for. “I think three Firecats is enough to have Bastian pissing his pants and begging for mercy.”
Skittles nodded. Some of the others did too.
Felix watched, but his mouth curved into one mean-ass smirk.
“Wonderful,” he drawled. “Another rescue mission. And still, it’s the best action I’ve seen in years… Get this place cleaned up. We leave at midnight.”
Great. Because Monster and his girl had some unfinished business to tend to.
He turned, scooping her up and tossing her over one shoulder, just like he’d been wanting to. She yelped but didn’t squirm too much. Couldn’t. Fang’s vest was barely covering her ass as it was.
“Yeah…” Fang muttered. “You can just keep the vest. I don’t want it back. Ever. Consider it a used hankie.”
Ignoring him, Monster took the stairs, edging past Skye and Janet, past the lounge, until he reached his room. He shoved the door open and stepped inside, letting Vegas slide slowly down his body until they were face to face.
She held her breath, feet still not touching the ground.
“How do you feel?”
She seemed to think about it. “Relieved, mostly.”
“Mostly?”
He was fucking solid on the relieved side of things.
He had the Firecat to protect Vegas. And Vegas had her own animal to make her feel safe. There was only one thing he needed to be complete.
Claim mate. Mark mate.
He set her on the ground and started unbuttoning Fang’s vest.
“I just took down two Firecats on my own,” she murmured, looking dazed.
“Sure as fuck did.” Hottest thing he’d seen since the night he walked in on her straight from the shower.
“Doesn’t it worry you?”
He pushed the vest from her shoulders and let it fall to the floor before bringing her gaze up to his.
“Worry me? No. It makes me proud. Real damn proud, snowflake.” He didn’t need to tell her he was prone to boners when he was proud. She could see that for herself.
“But what if… what if I hurt someone?”
“Then they probably deserved it,” he said, pushing her backward to the bed.
“Like Skye or Janet. Marlee or… oh god, what if I hurt the baby.”
Through their bond, he could feel her panic spiraling out of control.
“What if I mess up and can’t control it. Like Skittles did. What if—”
He kissed her, pressing his lips hard to hers until she melted against him. Body to body, skin to skin. His tongue slipped against her lips and surged inside to taste the richness of her mouth.
When she was soft again and all the worry had drained from her, he pulled back.
“Did you feel scared when you were the Ice Cat?”
She shook her head. “Only scared that something would happen to my new home, my family…” Her face crumpled and tears rimmed her lids. “… to you. It’s what made me shift. The Firecat was hurting you. Hurting the others. And was going to burn down our home. I couldn’t let it happen. My animal just… came forward. I didn’t even have to try.”
Monster pressed her close. “That’s exactly as it should be. My fire came out the same way. To protect you.” He kissed the top of her head. “Didn’t know you could protect yourself.”
Vegas wrapped her arms around his waist and hugged tight.
“It’s what we do now, female. We protect. What’s ours, what’s right. These new cats emerged for a reason. Mine to protect you and our future. Yours…” He was working it out in his head, but he didn’t have answers yet. An Ice Cat…
“Mine is linked with yours,” she said quietly. “I’ve inherited the curse put on your… our clan. Fire and Ice. It’s a built-in safety. Fire can’t burn ice. No one can hurt the females of this clan again.”
Monster frowned. She was right. No werecat in this clan or any other could ever harm Vegas. Not physically. And he’d be around to guard her heart.
Her snowflake fragile heart. That had taken a chance on him. On them.
“But what will keep people safe from me?” she whispered, fear creeping in again. He wanted to demolish it. Once and for all.
He pulled back to look into her eyes.
“You. You are what will keep people safe. This is what you are, Vegas. A protector.”
Her expression lifted. “Can it really be that easy? Can I just… choose t
o be better? No matter that I was born to be something worse.”
Monster shook his head. “It’s not easy. It’s one decision after another. One step and then another. It’s moving forward instead of living in the past. And you’re already doing it.”
“Yeah,” she whispered, a little smile curving her sweet lips. He wanted to brand those lips with his, but he needed her solid first.
Rock solid. Because as soon as she was, he was going to take her. Make her fully his. Forever his.
Keep mate.
“Protect yourself. But not because you’re afraid. Do it because you can. And because you want to. And, woman… I will bow to that. But I won’t bow to fear. And neither should you. Not anymore.”
Her eyes went shiny. “You’re not afraid anymore?”
He pressed his forehead to hers. “No,” he husked. “I felt your heart. When you shifted, our bond strengthened, and I’m going to make it unbreakable very soon, but…” He bent to her ear to whisper the rest. He liked the secrets he shared with her. “I know. I know I’m worthy. That I’m not ruined, I’m transformed. That I’m good for you, perfect for you. And I know…” He swallowed down the lump of emotion in his throat. “… I know you love me.”
She found his eyes. “I do,” she agreed. “I really do. And I want to mate.”
“Yeah?” He squeezed her hip, running his other hand down her ass to press her closer.
“Yes.”
“You ready for my mark? It will hurt. I need to mark you with my claw and scent.”
Vegas bit her lip, nodding.
“Are you sure, mate? Be very sure, because this mark makes you all mine. It’s forever. I want you sure.”
She dropped a soft kiss to his scarred chest and looked up into his eyes. Icy blue to his jaded green.
“I’m the surest I’ve ever been. Be my first…”
“And your last.”
***
As Vegas let Monster take her down to the bed, she felt a sense of freedom that went deeper than even the night she was freed from the dungeon. This freedom was soul deep. Down where the scariest parts of her resided. She was opening all those secret places to her monster.
And she wasn’t afraid to do it.
She knew he would keep her safe. Knew she could trust him wholly. Her determined, devoted monster-mate. The fire to her ice.