Heart's Sentinel

by PJ Schnyder

  Parts of her began to throb with desire. She wondered what those skilled hands could do in other places, imagined his firm grip on the muscles along the backs of her legs, on the curve of her behind, on the insides of her thighs.

  She didn't want to think on it. She didn't want the need to drive her to it. Instead, she focused on the deep, sweet ache the pressure of his fingertips caused around her shoulders, leaving behind released tension and supple muscles.

  She was aroused. She knew he could tell. But the touch he gave her was enough. Enough to take the edge off the craving, and let her relax, bracketed by his legs as his hands continued to feed her need.

  “Adam?”

  “Yes, Kitten?”

  She loved his voice, loved the things it did to her. “Nothing. I wanted to hear you.”

  A low chuckle floated over her head. “That's a new one.”

  “Mmm.”

  The hungry flames inside her banked for the moment, she drifted into sleep under his hands.

  Adam had almost lulled her into sleep. Another moment and he'd be able to settle her on the cushions and let her rest through at least some of the evening before the heat drove her into waking need again.

  The vid-screen chimed. At the same time, a roar rolled through the night.

  “Van!”

  Mackenzie literally leaped out of his hands, her fear cutting sharply through the air.

  It hadn't been the coughing roar of jaguars. The southern peninsula panther had gotten too close.

  Adam would have ignored the vid-screen, but it chimed again. This time, it was the specific signature indicating an emergency call from Marcus.

  “Easy, Kitten.” He let his dominance roll over her fear. He didn’t have the time to be subtle with her panic building and enraging his own beast. He gathered her in his arms first, gritting his teeth when she buried her head into the hollow of his shoulder and shuddered. Biting off a curse, he turned and answered the insistent vid-screen. “What?”

  “The stray is either a genius or insane,” Marcus stated, his image looking deadly grim.

  “You find him?”

  “Oh, we found him. On his terms, the bastard. You heard him. He's in the pride Circle. He's issued a formal Challenge.”

  Adam let the curses loose this time.

  “We can't kill him outright,” Marcus warned him. “According to Conservation guidance, we have to honor the formal Challenge. He's careful about the Challenge too. He didn't just issue a Challenge to the pride. He was specific. He's Challenged the right to claim Mackenzie.”

  “I'll kill him.” He tightened his grip on her. Such a short time and already she'd become so much to him. She’d slipped past his walls, and such an important part of his heart, he couldn't remember what life was like without her there.

  “He's a smart cat,” continued Marcus. “He couldn't know you'd staked a claim. If there had been no claim, then there was potentially no one from the pride to meet his Challenge at all.”

  Chapter 11

  Mackenzie's head shot up, her scent changing, not to fear. Anger.

  Adam clamped a hand over her mouth before she said something she'd regret.

  “I'll be at the circle in less than five,” He cut the call without waiting for an answer.

  When he let her loose, she launched ballistic, springing to her feet.

  “No one? No one could have met his Challenge? What kind of protection is that?”

  “We wouldn't have let him have you.” He circled her cautiously as she paced. Damn, but even in a rage, she moved with lithe grace. And especially now, he saw a different kind of beauty in her, lethal. In combination with the potential he'd seen during mixed martial arts class, she could take a fight and truly make it into a killing dance.

  “So what, just leave it at a stalemate? Or would we all sit in that freaking circle and play a game?”

  Adam growled. Aggression strained past his control, rising in response to her anger and the underlying distress. In combination with his arousal, triggered by her heat and her temper, it mixed into a dangerous state. “We would have declared a champion for you.”

  “Didn't sound like it to me.”

  “Some prides wouldn't have, but River Gap pride stands for those it gives sanctuary to. We would have declared a champion. But, it doesn't matter.”

  “It does!” She whipped around, her dark eyes snapping with temper.

  He met her face to face. “It doesn't. I claimed you. I will take on the Challenge. I will meet him in the Circle.”

  He saw it then, the worry in her eyes. The fear, not of him, but for him.

  She opened her sweet mouth to speak, but he covered it with his own. Taking instead of waiting for her invitation, he sent them both drowning in arousal as his hard, demanding kisses claimed her.

  “No buts, Kitten. No wavering.” He finally let her up for air. “I told you when you chose me there would be no halfway. You chose. This is it.”

  She trembled, her hands clutching at his arms as they held her. She shook her head, and his heart stopped.

  If she changed her mind it would tear him to pieces. Claim her? She already held the entirety of him in the palms of her hands.

  “Do you want to take back you choice?” His voice broke.

  Those big brown eyes snapped wide in panic. “No, no, no.”

  His heart started to beat again.

  “I just…” She released her grip on his arms and touched his bare skin below his sleeves with hesitant fingertips. Her feather-light touch drew at things deep inside him. She took a steadying breath. “I know what it feels like, those claws. I don't want those claws tearing into your skin. ”

  When she hesitated, he didn't let her finish. Instead, he tightened his arms, pulling her against his chest. “Mine. You're mine. I won't let him do this to you anymore.”

  She buried her face against him. There were no more words.

  Minutes later, Adam strode through the forest. He'd left Mackenzie at his aerie with Mack and two Sentinels to guard her. Already, his cat clawed at him to get back to her, to protect her himself.

  But, this protected her too.

  The pride Circle rested away from town, close to the edge of its territory and on the outermost edge of Adam's personal territory. It wasn't coincidence. Several Sentinels held territory adjacent to the pride Circle. They provided another layer of protection between the outside and the pride.

  He stepped out of the woods and into the Circle's clearing. The verdant carpet of grass and wildflowers covering other meadows nearby had been kept at bay in the Circle. Instead, it had been maintained as a perfect arena of deep sand, serving for formal, moderated fights. Blood spilled in the Circle, too many times to count, and as Adam stepped to the edge of the sand, energy pulsed against his skin. Places holding so much blood and death gathered a power of their own.

  The stray stood at the other side of the Circle. He stood inches shorter than Adam, ripcord thin. Sharp intelligence and burning madness blazed in black eyes sunken deep into the stray's gaunt, almost starved face. Muscles stood in sharp relief around his neck and shoulders, cording across his forearms as he stood with his arms folded over his chest.

  Fury burned through Adam slowly, turning his awareness colder and colder. Adam’s field of view tightened until he didn't see the girl, Stephie, shifting from one foot to another behind Van. He didn't see his pride brothers on either side of the Circle. He had eyes only for the stray.

  From the depths of cold rage, Adam gave him a grin, displaying his teeth.

  “Challenge.” Van's voice filled with triumph. “Challenge for the right to claim Mackenzie Sunton.”

  “Accepted.” In contrast, Adam’s voice sounded cold and neutral. “I'll be the one to meet your Challenge.”

  “You have a claim?” The arrogance in the other man's tone drew growls from the pride brothers all around the ring, but Adam simply smiled. He heard the frustrated undertone in the stalker's voice.

  “I d
o.”

  The dark man sneered, his face contorting. “Brave cat to be willing to die for a claim on a girl who might not choose him.”

  “Mackenzie Sunton has accepted my claim.” Adam widened his smile, allowing the whisper of warmth at the thought and pleased with the ugly hatred spreading across his opponent’s countenance. It was one thing to fight a champion to first blood for the right to claim. Instead, the stalker would be facing Adam, and it would be until one of them surrendered or died.

  “Sunset, tomorrow night,” the stalker spat. Visibly agitated, he shifted his weight from foot to foot and clenched his fists.

  Adam only nodded.

  “Safe passage for myself and my own.” Smart. Aaron didn’t stand with the soldiers positioned around the perimeter and Stephie shadowed the stray, meaning the man owed the pride Aaron’s life. There could be no other explanation. Aaron wouldn’t have left his post or allowed anyone outside the pride access to Stephie.

  Adam paused, looking to Marcus. Marcus gave a slight nod. Adam would kill his opponent anyway. “Safe passage until the time of the Challenge is granted.”

  Formalities concluded, Van snarled. “I will kill you, jaguar, and take back what is mine.”

  Big words, filled with hot arrogance.

  Cold, colder, Adam's rage deepened, his words steady and filled with real confidence. “She chose, stray. She chose me.”

  Adam waited until Van turned away. His opponent grabbed Stephie by the upper arm and led her away, stalking through the trees. Where they would stay the night, the pride didn't care, but the Sentinels would see they left pride territory.

  “How do we track him?” Adam asked as Marcus fell in beside him.

  “We won’t lose him now we have eyes on him.” His alpha assured him with grim determination. “We've increased patrols to watch for him, and we're doing a strategic analysis of the tactics he's used so far.”

  “Not enough.” He strode through the woods, working off his temper. “He got past Enforcers and Sentinels, not just the regular soldiers. Analyzing what he did only teaches us what we did wrong. There's no logic to his actions because he's insane. Studying won't help us predict what he'll do next. And how he’s gotten into and out of the territory over and over again, past our security, presents a real threat.”

  “He'll try to kill you,” Marcus stated the obvious, as if it were matter-of-fact. “Easiest, most efficient way to get Mackenzie back is to go through you in the Circle. He'll play by the rules for her.”

  “His game ends there.” Adam stopped then, clutching his fists and breathing deep as his cat raged to shred the stray right then and there. Instead, he focused on a future beyond the stray. “If he could get past us, so could others.”

  The alpha shrugged. “The stray was good, better than most. We'll have to step up training.”

  “We can't afford to let this happen again.”

  All of the prides and packs held security at topmost priority. The strange hunters on the planet, stalking shapeshifters and humans alike, had to be stopped. The Conservation put out warnings and provided informational updates as data came in, but retaliation waited until they gathered enough information to strike back.

  Thus far, the Enforcers and Sentinels of the pride proved too strong a shield for any of their own to be taken, but other shapeshifters in nearby territories had gone missing, as well as humans from the cities. The hunters took down other prey, easier to capture, non-predatory groups, and those with weaker defenses.

  While all the prides and packs tightened defenses on their territories, they sought more and more information on the mysterious hunters with their advanced technology and unsettling combination of cybernetics and mutations.

  The jetpack accident had been a part of such research.

  “You girl's stalker has done us a favor.” Marcus latched onto the practical aspect. “He's shown us holes in our defenses, and we'll be able to adapt and be stronger for it.”

  “Yeah, I'll remember to thank him after I extract payment for what he did to Mackenzie.”

  “And Aaron.” Marcus confirmed Adam's earlier guess. The stray killed the young soldier.

  “What do we do with the bitch?”

  “She's following the stray's lead. She made her decision and stepped across the line.” No pity lingered in Marcus' voice. “She took the refuge we offered her and twisted it to get to someone under our protection. The pride will take its price once the outcome of the Challenge is settled.”

  Adam nodded. There was nothing else to say.

  Marcus reached out and clapped Adam on the back. “Get back to your girl before she takes out Mac and the other two. She's threatening to come looking for you.”

  Chapter 12

  Mackenzie woke to early morning sun filtering through the canopy of leaves sheltering the aerie. Waking earlier in the morning seemed to be a trend but she could get used to the peaceful view. It was one of the changes in her life she didn't mind.

  The rich aroma of coffee wafted into the room, a banquet for her sensitive nose. Her mouth watered.

  “Morning, Sleepy,” Adam murmured as he entered the room with a steaming mug in each hand.

  “Mmm.” She kept her eyes on the cup even though the pleasure of seeing him first thing in the morning spread an almost idiotically broad smile on her face.

  His dark chuckle washed over her and ran shivers down her spine. Listening to it, so much richer than the light laugh he gave to others, made Mackenzie think of dark chocolate, melted smooth.

  “No doubt about it, you definitely need coffee in the morning to get the conversation flowing.” As he said it, she felt her heart flutter at the sight of the happy, molten amber of his eyes. “I decided to experiment this morning. We'll see if you like it.”

  Curiosity piqued, she took another experimental whiff of the aroma rising out of the mugs. It did smell different, engaging even the cat aspect of her and peaking her curiosity.

  As Adam's smile widened into a grin, Mackenzie found herself distracted again. He had taken care of her the night before, providing her with a delicious dinner of fresh caught trout lightly floured and pan fried with thin slices of lemon, served with rosemary grilled potatoes and fresh greens lightly touched with butter. Then he'd given her a long massage, coaxing her to trust him enough to let him take off her clothes piece by piece so his clever hands could find every knot in every muscle the entire length of her back and legs. The touch had been infinitely personal and yet not quite crossing the line.

  It fed her need and gave her relief from the intense sensitivity of her skin, but didn't raise the trauma hidden inside her following her attack. Every touch, every caress, had been slow and clear in intent. Even lying on her belly, not able to see him, his hands had let her know where he was at all times. He’d even been very careful to cover the parts of her he wasn't working on with his bed sheets.

  He’d lavished attention on her for hours, never demanding but always giving her the contact she craved. Even though she ached for a special touch deep inside, what he gave her banked it for the time being. Eventually, floating in a cloud of trust and relaxation, she’d fallen asleep for the night.

  “Not wondering enough to give it a try?” He brought her back from her thoughts with a raised eyebrow and a mug waving slowly underneath her nose. His eyes were mildly questioning.

  Well, it would do him good to be a bit curious himself. The way Adam knew to put her at ease, giving her just enough, unsettled her too. It'd be good to know he wasn't omniscient.

  She took the proffered mug as she stuck out her tongue at him, feeling impish.

  “Careful, it's hot,” he admonished, but his eyes lingered on her mouth. She hid behind the rim under the pretense of smelling the steam again. The look in his eyes hungered, but he hadn't demanded anything from her. He could have taken advantage of her heat and fed the flames for both of them. No. Instead he'd given her enough touch to stay sane and not do anything she wasn't ready to come to all on her
own.

  “Thank you,” she whispered to him, her heart thanking him for more than the morning drink.

  “She speaks! And before the first sip, too!”

  She wrinkled her nose and finally gave in to take a sip.

  “Ooooh.”

  Adam grinned like a boy who'd given a wonderful new toy to a playmate. “You like it?”

  “Mmm, mmm hmm.”

  “Back to no words again.”

  She ignored him and took another sip of heaven. He’d brought her the wonderful coffee, brewed strong and a bit spicy with the hint of the bitterness that made a good coffee so well-rounded. And it had a generous dose of real cream, adding an extra velvety smoothness. But the real surprise ingredient, the one causing her eyes to roll back under fluttering lids, was the decadent ribbon of dark chocolate melted into the coffee.

  Waking up in the morning had never been so wonderful.

  Adam waited patiently, sipping from his own coffee as he sat on the edge of the bed. Carelessly perfect, as rugged as the wilderness surrounding his territory and all gorgeously polished musculature. With his jester's mask tossed aside, Mackenzie found him not just attractive, but absolutely magnetic.

  Somehow, she really loved the morning when she could wake up and be near him. The coffee turned out to be a major bonus too.

  “So, what's the plan for today?” She asked, partly because she wanted to hear him speak and partly because she’d nearly run out of coffee. “Are you going to tell me more about the Challenge? Do you have to prepare or train or something?”

  “Nope.” He took her empty cup. “This morning we learn something new.”

  “But the Challenge…”

  “Will wait until sunset.” A firm dismissal. “I'm your instructor, and I'm going to take what time I've got to teach you the major things you need to know.”

  Mackenzie shook her head in disbelief. “How can you think about lessons when something this important is looming over us?”

  What if the worst happens? The unspoken question hung in the air between them.