by PJ Schnyder
He growled, his chest rumbling against hers. She looked up into his eyes turned golden as his cat loomed over her. Keeping her eyes open and locked on his, she licked along the line of his collar bone.
He shifted his hands again, sliding one down her shoulder to her waist and the other tightened on the back of her neck. Each became a cooling tease, leaving her burning for more of his touch. His eyes locked on her, holding her still even as she strained to meld herself against him. One more second and she thought she might snarl in frustration, then Adam's hand tightened on the back of her neck and he kissed her again. He didn't wait for her to open for him this time. He pressed his way into her mouth, his tongue darting in and invading in strong sweeps. The depth of his kiss, the way he thoroughly explored her mouth, was a kind of claim.
And then he scooped her back into his arms, and carried her away.
Chapter 10
“Damn.” Marcus scowled out of the vid panel as Adam finished his update. “Where is she now?”
“She's here, taking a shower.”
Marcus raised an eyebrow at Adam.
“I brought her here to be safe, Marcus.” He moved to explain quickly. “Not to take her where she stands. She's going to take this at her pace.”
“Easy there, pride brother.” Marcus held up his hands. “I know you won't hurt her, and I know you won't take advantage of her, but do you know?”
And his alpha wouldn’t hesitate to skin him alive if he did take advantage of her. Actually, Adam felt comforted by the knowledge. Miserable, he knew it showed in his eyes. “She's making the best of a crap situation.”
“Your girl has a good head on her shoulders. She knows how to make a decision.”
“I warned her,” he murmured. “She knew what it meant if I claimed her.”
Marcus nodded. “Noted. I'll let the pride know you've staked a claim. Do both of you a favor, Adam, and let the girl make her decision without fighting you any more than she already has.”
“I think the stray sent the bitch on purpose.” Marcus waited. Adam let his instinct guide his words as he continued. “She found Mackenzie too easily. The heat is too much of a coincidence.”
“Makes your girl easy to find and makes it easier to control her. She's too off balance. If he had her in the heat then she wouldn't have known she had a choice.” Marcus nodded in agreement. “Tough part will be figuring out the next move. If he manages to get Mackenzie away from the protection of the pride, her heat will drive her to accept him.”
“The bitch is a chaos factor. We don't know what she'll try next. She doesn't want the stray to find Mackenzie, but she wants proof he wasn't telling her lies.”
Marcus scowled. “She's a pain in the ass.”
Adam nodded, but he thought of Mackenzie's soft heart. “Mackenzie says the girl believes what she says. We can't take the easy route when she's misguided.”
Meaning the pride couldn't kill her for what she done thus far.
“She's a victim too.” Marcus allowed the point. “Just too convinced what she believes is the truth.”
They fell silent.
“All right.” Marcus had come to a decision. “We'll keep her contained for now. So long as she doesn't represent a danger to the pride anymore, we'll send her off the territory after we catch the stray. I'll make some calls to find someone who might take her and help her. In the meantime, you focus on your girl. Let the –the rest of us focus on the stray.”
Adam nodded. Given the choice, he might have made a different argument, but he had Mackenzie's heart to consider.
“But if the bitch poses a threat to any of the pride, Mackenzie included, she is dead.” Marcus ended the call with the final judgment. Harsh, but predators surviving with other predators had to be.
“So that's the plan?”
Adam turned at the sound of Mackenzie's voice. She stood inside the doorway, dressed in nothing but one of his white dress shirts.
His cat stretched at the sight, happy she wore his things. He inhaled the scent of her wrapped in his own and his cock swelled almost painfully in his jeans. With an effort, he addressed her question.
“It's the way the pride works, Kitten.”
Her expression solemn, she curled a lock of hair around one finger as she thought hard. “Stephie wasn't the person I used to know.”
He nodded.
“Did the Change do it to her, or was it always there behind a facade?”
He could only give her the truth he knew for certain. “Did the Change twist you?”
The sadness in those beautiful eyes made him ache, but the hint of doubt moved him across the room to fill in the lonely space around her.
“Here’s what I think, Kitten.” He ran his hands along the outside of her shoulders. “I think every person meets their beast in a different way. Her beast twisted her. You and yours are finding a more natural balance.”
She looked away from him, her gaze casting about for something to latch onto as she considered what he'd said. Her eyes fell on the kitchen and she padded into it.
Adam watched her, filled with too many emotions, concern at the forefront. Betrayal by a friend gouged the soul. She felt things deeply, passionately and he admired the strength she had to match it. When faced with awful choices, she turned to constructive actions while she gathered her thoughts and took the time to really accept what couldn't be changed.
And beyond it all, his eyes followed the line of her sensual silhouette inside his shirt. She smelled of clean soap, but her arousal had begun to warm the air.
“I was thinking about maybe cooking some lunch.” Mackenzie began to putter around the kitchen.
Aware of the restlessness growing inside her, she let it drive her to move and keep her hands busy. Despite the temporary relief of the shower, her skin felt hot and tight again.
“Food is good.” She jumped when Adam crossed the distance from the vid panel to the kitchen on silent feet. His voice purred, low and dark behind her.
“Any preferences?”
“I had some cold roast in the fridge.” He brushed her upper arm as he reached past her to look in the refrigerator.
She struggled for coherent thought as the coolness of his proximity invaded the hot haze surrounding her, ratcheting the heat up a few notches. “I could warm up a few slices and make a spread for sandwiches.”
“Sounds good.”
Adam stood close enough to calm the need driving her. As she stepped around him, he let his hand brush her upper arms or lower back to give her the touch she craved.
He loved the feeling, standing there in the kitchen watching her cook. She’d sliced crusty torpedo rolls and arranged slices of the roast in them. Then she'd diced and sautéed onions and celery and spices, creating a hot and savory sauce she spooned over the top. In minutes, she'd put together a mouthwatering and hearty lunch.
“Want to eat at the counter or over at the table?”She asked him in a quiet voice. He knew she hadn’t consciously leaned back into his shoulder. The heat from her skin seeped into his, stoking an inner fire, building steadily.
“Counter is fine.” He gave in a little to temptation, dropping a kiss on her neck.
He reached his arms around her to take the plates from her hands and turned with her in the circle of his arms to the counter. After another light kiss, he backed away enough for her to slip around to the other side and hop up onto the stool.
He bit into the crusty bread, savoring the flavors of the roast and her sauce as he chewed.
“Delicious, Kitten.”
She blushed. “It's a sandwich.”
“You make any food more than just food. It's more than sustenance, it's…pleasure.”
She bit her lower lip again and Adam reached out to run a thumb over the corner of her mouth.
“Crumbs?” Her eyes had begun to glaze, her voice a little breathless.
“Uh uh, a little sauce. I've got it.” Adam slid his hand lower to grasp her chin and leaned in, licking the co
rner of her mouth ever so lightly. Then his tongue moved to her lower lip. When her mouth opened in a gasp, he took the unspoken invitation and kissed her.
So soft. Her scent surrounded him, filled his nose with an irresistibly intoxicating spice.
Adam eased back, knowing her hunger grew with the teasing contact but also careful to give her only enough to satisfy the craving for touch. He wasn't going to rush her beyond what she needed until she told him what she wanted.
“Finish your sandwich, cuteness.”
She gave him a low growl before she tore into the rest of her sandwich.
Well, maybe the kiss had been a little more than she needed.
Aaron stood outside on the porch, listening to the cursing and hissing inside the cabin. The bitch was in a right smart snit over being shut inside with no outlet for the heat driving her. He might have pitied her if half of her ranting hadn't been pure, undiluted poison about Mackenzie in specific, and the pride in general.
A rustle came from somewhere nearby, and the sound of air being forced through some sort of engine, but before Aaron could look, something crashed inside the cabin.
He turned and opened the door, about to give her a verbal lashing for breaking things. Before he could speak, she gave an inhuman screech and charged him with claws fully extended from her hands.
Aaron had enough time to catch a wrist in each hand before searing pain struck him from behind and the world went dark.
“Van,” Stephie whispered, her chest heaving as she leaned into him.
Van stood over the Sentinel's dead body, his olive skin glistening in the lamp light. Built compact and efficient, a natural predator, he stood a few inches taller than Stephie. Jet black hair swept back from a chiseled face and glittering black eyes set deeply into sunken sockets.
“You came for me.” She pressed herself against him, her breasts aching.
Behind Van, the ominous shape of an armored humanoid moved up the steps and studied Aaron's corpse. "Specimen is a male, prime catch." The voice sounded metallic, as if digitized and projected through a speaker. "Trophy has been logged. You have five minutes to departure."
Van nodded acknowledgement and then focused onStephie. “I promised you I would come.” His knowing hands traveled over her, teasing and grasping. He owned her and his hands reaffirmed his claim.
“I knew it.” She cried out as his hands pressed her close. The hard ridge of his arousal pressed against her. “I knew you loved me. It's not her, it's me. Only me.”
“I love you.” Van's voice agreed, low and rough. His hands became more insistent, and he pushed her farther into the cabin then kicked the door closed.
Her skin burned for him. His touch only made her burn hotter, an excruciating pain and somehow, she needed it even more.
“Where is Mackenzie, love?” he asked as his lips trailed rough kisses across her neck.
Stephie frowned. “Why?”
His hands tightened on her, painful as she squirmed in his grip. One arm pinned her against him, his hips grinding into hers. He pinched a nipple between two fingers, twisting. Stephie gasped as hot, wet need gushed between her thighs.
“Where is Mackenzie?”
“Near,” Stephie gasped, thrusting her hips forward helplessly. “Near. This cabin is right on the edge of his territory.”
“The cat keeping watch over her?” Van asked. His grip eased a little and his mouth caressed her neck with hot kisses.
“Y-yes.” Stephie's eyes closed in pleasure. “Adam. His name's Adam.”
“Good girl,” Van murmured.
Groaning, Stephie begged.
Van tumbled her to the floor, ripping off her pants before flipping her on her belly. Kicking her legs apart, he entered her in a harsh thrust. Stephie cried out, but Van only drew back and slammed into her again.
"Is this what you wanted?"
"Yes." She whimpered. "Oh, yes."
Grabbing a handful of her hair, he tugged her head back as he proceeded to give her what she needed, hard and fast.
“Is it hot in here, or is it just me?” Mackenzie fluffed her dark hair off her neck as she sat curled on a couple of cushions to one side of the fireplace. It remained unlit, so the stones of the hearth were slightly cool. She'd curled up nearby during the afternoon in a conscious effort to quit pacing.
“While you're definitely hot, Kitten. You're also probably running a fever.”
She ignored the hint, too close to a pun. He'd been teasing her all afternoon, playing. When the heat had driven her to snap at him, he'd cooled her down with soft kisses and gentle touches until she’d quivered under his touch. Oh, his kisses were anything but distant, but somehow he managed to lull her into a calm relief from the driving need the heat seemed to ignite inside her.
And then they'd part, and she would step away to regroup.
“My skin feels too tight.” She fretted. “Maybe I need another shower.”
He raised an eyebrow in amusement. “You've taken two more showers since lunch. Maybe you're a seal instead of a cat.”
“Are there seal shifters?”
Adam nodded. “Sea lions, actually. There are leopard seals and grey seals, too.”
“Must be incredible, swimming in the ocean.”
“Well, Kitten.” He chuckled. “Cats like water. We usually swim the river nearby.”
“I've never seen the ocean though.” She screwed up her face at his amused expression. “I haven't really seen running water. There are pools and amusement facilities in the city, but they're expensive. My family never went on a regular basis.”
“Not the same.” He shook his head in dismay. “Even with the salt-water chlorination systems, those facilities smell like chemicals to shifters. Swimming in the rivers where the water runs clear is a hundred times better, and the real ocean is salty but clean. You'd never mistake one of those man-made facilities for the real ocean.”
“So you've been to the ocean?” She perked up, excited by the thought.
“It's not far.” He grinned, pouncing on a point of interest beyond surviving the immediate threats. It meant she intended to stay, even if she hadn’t consciously decided yet. “I could take you out there for a weekend trip with permission from the Sea Isle colony.”
“Colony?” She drew her brows together as she puzzled over the name. Oh. “Seals.”
Adam nodded. “Their territory reaches inland a little, but is mostly spread along the shores. They're more tolerant of other predators than most.”
“Why is that?”
He shrugged again. “Seals are predators, but there are bigger mammals preying on seals. They're not at the top of their food chain. Could have something to do with it.”
“So, are there shifters among those predators?” To Mackenzie, the idea chilled her. She couldn't imagine taking down and eating a sentient person, whatever form they could take.
“Not that I know of. There's no shifters registered with the Conservation that spend all of their time in the sea. The seal shifters split their time between land and sea.”
Mackenzie caught herself rubbing her hands against her upper arms as she considered the seals. She’d been snuggling her face into the cushions during their conversation too. Her skin not only felt too tight, it also craved the tactile sensation of soft things. Adam's cushions were covered in a soft micro-fiber, and she'd been trying for as much contact as she could get from them.
He had been watching her with knowing eyes, aware of it, too.
“Come here, Kitten.”
She gave him a long look before she gave up the safe spot on the cushion and sat on the floor as he'd indicated, in front of him. It surprised her, the effort it took to give him her back. The new awareness inside her, her cat, had to make the decision to give another predator her vulnerable side.
He waited for her to get comfortable. Of course, he understood what it cost her to give him the advantage of his position. After she had calmed a little, his hands settled gently on her shoulders.
A shiver of delicious sensation shot through her muscles and up her neck.
After another moment, his hands began to smooth gently over her shoulders, sending soft waves of pleasure through her. His fingertips and thumbs began to knead the tension away with a sure, firm touch, easing away soreness she hadn't realized had gathered.
“Oh…”
“Good?” The question ended in a husky purr, melting things inside her as she relaxed into his hands.
“Mmm.”
Those clever fingertips found spots of tension, gently rolling the knots in her muscles and stretching them until they released. Then his fingers were lightly gliding over her heated skin until they found another tense knot and work their magic again.
“Relax, Kitten.” His voice caressed her every bit as much as his hands. “Touch is a part of what we are. It's okay to enjoy it.”
And, it didn't have to be sexual. She let the unspoken message sink in, and something deep inside relaxed.
His thumbs gently stroked in circular patterns on either side of her neck travelling upward until they pressed firmly into the base of her skull. Tingling spread upwards over the back of her head in a wave across her scalp, releasing a soft moan from her throat as her head nodded forward. Moments later, those clever, clever fingers found another spot behind her ears as his palms cradled her head, taking most of the weight from her neck.
Awash in sensation and the sheer pleasure of touch, Mackenzie let herself float in the relaxing feel he gave her.
“Hands good,” she murmured.
“I'll take that as a compliment.” His voice still low and rich, but amused.
She didn't bother to open her eyes. “Mmm.”
“Touch is the cornerstone of how we bond as a pride. It takes trust, gives comfort. And at times like this, you need it.”
She gave a soft groan of agreement? as his hands traveled back down her neck and began working on her larger muscles again, giving particular care to the junctures of her shoulder and neck.