by Zoe Perdita
Suddenly, Danny’s breath blew across Nalin’s eager member. The warm air excited every nerve in his groin. Shots of electric lust traversing his veins like blood. Fuck yes!
“Are you going to suck it or just look at it?” he purred to the wolf.
Danny snorted, then the heat of his mouth engulfed the werecat whole.
Moaning, Nalin opened wide and took the wolf’s length into his mouth as well. The shaft beat against his thirsty tongue, and he lapped and suckled at the meaty length with all his strength. Danny tasted like a dream!
Below, the wolf’s tongue swirled around the werecat’s aching cock. Each suck and lick enticing his flesh that much further. Danny’s pursed lips, his ever moving tongue and- oh, Kamadeva, those delicious teeth! It was almost too much! Every nerve in Nalin’s body danced with desire, his twitching balls begging for release.
The snow leopard dug his fingers into Danny’s rounded ass, pulling the man’s hips down so the cock was buried in his throat. Then he ran a long finger up and down the wolf’s tender taint. Each stroke elicited a moan from the wolf- Danny’s body quivering in response to the touch.
As if in retaliation, the wolf wrapped his fingers around Nalin’s aching balls. Grasping and rubbing the sensitive scrotum in turn with his salacious sucking.
Fuck! No way in heaven or hell could he hold off much longer!
The werecat gripped Danny’s length and focused all his attention on the oversensitive head. Lick. Suck. Stroke. Lick. Suck. Stroke. Guiding the man’s body as close to the edge as his own. Their hearts joined the strange new rhythm, thudding in their chests like they were no longer two bodies but one connected at the soul.
A wave of hot pleasure engulfed Nalin, his seed bursting free as his body stiffened with the intensity of the orgasm. Waves of gratification drowned him. At the same moment, Danny spilt into the werecat’s mouth. The salty warmth dripped down the snow leopard’s throat and over his hungry tongue. No man ever tasted so good.
“Oh god,” Danny groaned and buried his face in Nalin’s muscular thigh, moving the weight of his body to the side of the bed.
Delight seeped over the snow leopard’s being, and he gasped for air in the warm room. “You liken our love making to god?”
The first time since they met, the wolf actually chuckled, and Nalin leaned up on his elbows just in time to see Danny’s smile. His brown eyes sparkled and the glorious expression lit up his whole face.
“What?” he asked and furrowed his brow, the smile fading like a tiger in the grass.
The werecat grinned and slipped his body around to cradle the smaller man in his arms. “Smile more often. It suits you,” he whispered into Danny’s neck.
To Nalin’s surprise, the wolf cuddled into him, gripping the werecat’s hands to his chest. “I don’t want to look like an idiot smiling all the time.”
“Don’t you have things to be happy about?” Unless the wolf had trouble with his pack or his job, Nalin couldn’t see why Danny didn’t want to smile. He’d always found reasons to smile, even in the darkest of situations. Like now- thousands of miles from his home country- he couldn’t manage a frown.
Danny took a deep breath, like he was going to speak, but instead the wolf said nothing.
Nalin glanced at the steady flakes of white building up outside the window, the silence of the snow surrounding the house. This moment couldn’t last forever, but he could relish it while it did.
Danny
The warmth of Nalin’s arms surrounded him, holding him safe and warm. Strange. Danny couldn’t ever remember feeling that comfortable with someone, not even his other pack mates. Especially since he’d only met the man the day before. For a moment, he wanted to be angry at the werecat for tempting him into another round of luscious sex. But how could he be mad about the best (and only) blowjob in his life?
He couldn’t, and that was only part of the problem. The feeling in his chest- the dull ache- was stronger than just attraction or lust. It meant something. Was the snow leopard really his life mate? But what if Nalin didn’t feel the same? Danny wasn’t an alpha. He didn’t have the power to force the werecat into joining their pack like Holden had with Jake. In fact, Nalin didn’t have to play by a wolf’s rules at all.
The gentle rising and falling of the snow leopard’s breath filled his ears. He napped just like a cat, a really big cat, and Danny smiled at the thought. Slowly, the wolf wiped the sleep from his eyes and glanced out the window. Still snowing. Great.
It could snow for days, effectively stranding them on the mountain. At least he could hunt. They’d need something for dinner and emptying the meat freezer before the other pack members got back didn’t seem fair. Plus, fresh meat always tasted best. Maybe the cold air would wipe some of the doubt from his mind as well.
Suddenly, Nalin’s fingers tightened on his chest. “You’re awake,” he said in his rich accent. Every time the werecat spoke little pricks of delight rose on Danny’s skin.
“Yeah. I was going to go hunting. I smelled some elk outside earlier.”
“Yes. I smelled it too. Shall I join you?” the werecat asked, his chest rumbling against Danny’s back with each word he spoke.
The wolf frowned. “With your leg still hurt I’m not sure it’s a good idea.”
Nalin chuckled. “Have you ever taken down an elk on your own, whelp?”
Danny turned around and scowled. “I know how to hunt!”
Nalin stretched gracefully and put his hands behind his head, a smirk on his full lips. “I didn’t say that. Wolves do hunt in packs, right?”
Well, the snow leopard had him there. He’d never hunted anything larger than a rabbit on his own. “Fine. But don’t do anything too strenuous. I can’t carry you all the way back here if you get hurt.”
The snow leopard flashed his sharp fangs. “I’ll do the best I can.”
Once they walked downstairs, Nalin transformed first so Danny could tighten the bandage on the snow leopard’s wounded leg. Unlike the night in the snow, the wolf finally had the chance to take in the beautiful creature before him- Nalin’s strong, muscular body and the grayish and white spotted coat. His huge paws, thick and perfect for trekking through the snow and the thick length of his tail.
The werecat looked up at him with intelligent golden eyes and yawned elegantly. Danny smiled and walked outside. The cold knocked the air from his lungs, and the young deputy bent and shifted as fast as he could into his wolf form. He wasn’t impressively large like Holden or Jake, and he knew it. At least his plain brown fur was better than being naked though.
Snow whipped in his face and he shook the flakes off as he walked down the driveway. There was no way in hell they could get out, considering the car was halfway buried by now. Maybe he should have shoveled earlier, but it was too late to think about that now.
Slowly, they made their way into the woods. Nalin walked along the top of the snow, his tail low, as he headed toward the elk scent. Danny followed, his ears pricked and his nose sniffing the freezing air for clues to their prey. What would his pack think if they saw him hunting with a cat? Well, it was the least of his worries, at the moment.
Suddenly, the air split with the boom of thunder and the hot smell of blood filled the air. Nalin glanced over his shoulder at Danny, the werecat’s eyes meeting the wolf in immediate understanding, and the two ran. Guns meant hunters, although Danny wondered what sort of idiot hunted in near blizzard conditions in the middle of nowhere.
Instead of turning back toward the house, Nalin ran toward the smell. What the hell was the snow leopard thinking? Growling, Danny looped through the snow after him. If a human saw a snow leopard on the mountain there’d be trouble in town for sure!
As the coppery scent grew stronger, Nalin slowed and lowered his rounded ears to his head. Danny crept beside him, watching the snow gather in the werecat’s whiskers as his heart pounded in his chest. A human odor tickled his nose, mixed with the smell of blood. Only, the blood wasn’t animal- it
too was human. Shit!
As a deputy sworn to protect the town, he had to find out what happened. But how was any evidence he got admissible in court? He couldn’t tell the judge he’d been in his wolf form at the time! Well, he’d find a way. Even if he resorted to pack law- he’d bring the killer to justice.
Peeking through the pine trees into a clearing, Danny spotted two men. One lay dead in the snow, although the wolf didn’t know him. The other, however, the deputy did recognize. Larry Smith, one of Tom Hardy’s deadbeat friends. Danny couldn’t really muster any surprise that the asshole just killed a man.
Even dressed for the weather in a cap and a thick orange parka, Larry’s greasy hair still spilled out of his hat. He sneered at the dead man, his yellow teeth offensive in the world of white. “That’s what you get for thinking I’m crazy. I know what I saw!” he spat and turned around.
Nalin narrowed his eyes and hunched low to the ground, his whole body poised to attack. What was he thinking now? Dammit! And how the hell was Danny supposed to stop him?
Slowly, the snow leopard crept across the icy ground, and the wolf followed. He couldn’t let the werecat kill a man, even if he just committed a crime. At least not until the pack met about it. They were the protectors of the town and the surrounding territory. Maybe vigilante justice was big in India, but it wasn’t around here!
Danny let out a low growl, deep in his throat, that only Nalin would be able to hear.
The snow leopard turned his unnerving eyes away from Larry for a moment, and the wolf wished he could read the cat’s mind. Was this one of the men who held Nalin captive? Even so, what could they do to Larry out here short of murder? Then they’d be no better than him!
Without warning one of the pine trees boughs bent and a large plop of snow landed on the ground next to Nalin. The sound rang through the quiet forest just like the boom of the gun.
Larry swung around, his gun aimed and ready to shoot at the great white cat.
“You!” he screamed and widened his eyes.
Danny’s heart stopped in his chest, and he leapt just as the thunder sounded.
Fire ripped through fur and flesh, blood sprinkling the freshly fallen snow like rose petals on a wedding bed. The wolf yelped and crumpled into the snow. Shit! Getting shot hurt like hell!
Larry grumbled and the click told the deputy he was reloading. No. They had to get out of there! If that bastard killed Nalin-
The wolf struggled to his feet, but his front leg wouldn’t hold his weight. Dammit!
The snow leopard glanced at Danny once, his golden eyes on fire. I’ll protect you, the werecat seemed to say. Then Nalin leapt at Larry with his fangs and teeth bared.
The man screamed as the snow leopard pounced. He tried to raise his gun, but a great white paw swept it away. The sick squelch of fangs ripping into flesh filled the air, and Larry’s lifeless body crumpled to the ground. Now the clearing smelt overwhelmingly of blood, and none of it was from an elk.
“Danny!” Nalin called and his voice shook as he tumbled into the snow next to the wolf.
Closing his eyes, the deputy urged his body to turn human although the pain in his arm made it nearly impossible to follow through. Please. I need to be human for Nalin to get me home.
Slowly, Danny’s wolf form faded away, and he transformed into a shivering, naked man.
“I’ll get you out of here,” Nalin said, gathering the wounded deputy into his arms.
Danny stared at the blood on the werecat’s chin- the look of determination in his eyes- and smiled.
“Why are you smiling?” Nalin asked as he trudged through the snow.
The wolf didn’t want to tell him his arm was all but numb. Did the bullet break the bone? Rip through the muscle? Oh well. That didn’t matter at the moment. Nalin had him. He’d be safe.
“It stopped snowing,” Danny said slowly. “And, I know the truth now- you are my mate.”
Chapter 10
I know the truth- you are my mate.
Danny's words spun around Nalin's mind as he trudged back to the lodge. Fortunately were-creatures resistance to cold was much higher than normal humans. If not they would both freeze to death in the icy forest before the werecat ever got them back to the warmth of Danny's home. Thick drifts of snow bunched around Nalin’s thighs. If only he could transform into a snow leopard he could move over the snow instead of through it!
But the wounded wolf wasn’t in any condition to hold on to a fast moving beast. The cold slowed the bleeding on Danny's injured arm, but his grip weakened with each step Nalin took and his large, round eyes fluttered as he slipped from consciousness.
Nalin’s heart pounded in his chest, a sick pit forming his stomach. Why? Why did the wolf jump in front of a bullet for him? Because they were life mates? Well, he wasn't about to let his newfound mate die like this. Not for him- he wasn't worth it.
Finally, the warm light of the lodge shone in the distance, and the snow leopard trudged as fast as he could toward it. Please, don’t die. He chanted the mantra over and over in his head until they stumbled inside the warm home.
"Danny?" Nalin said as he patted the deputy's cheeks and set the man down in the bathroom. "I need to tie up your arm and call for help. I'm no doctor." The werecat’s voice trembled as he spoke, his hands shaking. If Danny couldn't answer him what then? What was he supposed to do to save the deputy’s life?
Slowly, Danny blinked open his brown eyes and tight lines of pain surrounded them. Even in the fluorescent bathroom light the wolf’s pupils didn’t focus. "Are we back?" he mumbled.
Nalin tore through the bathroom drawers looking for medical supplies. He found a nice length of binding tape. Good. At least they had something stronger than gauze. The werecat needed to tend the deputy’s wound so he wouldn't bleed to death before help arrived.
"Yes. Do you have a cell phone? I need to call for help."
"My dresser," the wolf said.
The snow leopard nodded and dabbed Danny's wound clean. The bullet had ripped through the flesh of the deputy's arm deeper than Nalin's own injured leg. At least the bastard wasn't that good of a shot. The coppery taste of the man's foul blood lingered on Nalin’s tongue but washing his mouth out would have to wait until he took care of Danny.
He pressed a liberal amount of gauze onto the bullet hole and wrapped it tightly with the binding tape. Hopefully it would slow the bleeding. The wolf’s usually tan skin took on a pale hue and dark smudges formed under his eyes like smeared ink. If Danny lost too much blood- no. He couldn't think about that now!
The werecat carried the wolf out of the bathroom and laid him on the couch before rushing upstairs to grab the deputy's cell phone. "Who should I call?"
"Holden. He's on the contact list. He'll know what to do."
Fumbling with the phone, Nalin found the list of Danny's contacts and clicked Holden's name. Each ring took an eternity and wasted more and more precious time. “Come on!” he hissed.
"Danny?" a man grumbled on the other end, probably Holden.
"No, but I'm with him and he needs help. A hunter shot him in the arm. We are at the house in the woods, but we can't make it down the mountain with the snow," Nalin explained, surprised at how calm he sounded when every nerve in his body trembled with fear.
"Shit. Is he conscious?" Holden asked.
"Yes, but only just. He needs help now!"
"I know," the man said and sounded deadly serious. "Stay with him and help will arrive soon. I'll call you back."
"Of course," the werecat said and hung up the phone.
Carefully he cuddled next to Danny, taking the wolf in his strong naked arms and holding him close. Funny how things had worked out. The deputy was the one who found Nalin unconscious after being shot just a couple of days before. Now the snow leopard himself cared for the wounded wolf.
"I'm tired, and my arm hurts like a son of a bitch," Danny mumbled into Nalin's chest.
The werecat kissed his head. "I know. Help will
be here soon. You’re going to be fine, whelp, just fine." If he kept saying those words hopefully they would come true.
Almost an hour later the booming rush up a helicopter sounded outside the lodge. At least a large clearing stood next to the house so the chopper could land. Nalin, clothed and ready, carried Danny's unconscious body out to the paramedics.
Watching them strap the little wolf to a gurney and poke him with needles sent a stab through the snow leopard's heart. He should've been shot again- not Danny.
"You coming?" one of the paramedics asked after the deputy was situated inside.
Without a moment of hesitation, Nalin nodded and climbed in. No matter what happened now he needed to make sure Danny woke up.
When they finally arrived at the hospital, a medical team whisked Danny away and a nurse led Nalin to a waiting room. As the werecat walked inside, six wolves looked up at him, their eyes shining in a rainbow of different colors. Danny's entire pack came to the hospital to make sure he was all right? No one in Nalin's life would do such a thing for him- not even his father. And his mother, well, he hadn't seen her in fifteen long years. Maybe having a pack wasn't so troublesome after all.
A wolf with black hair and startling green eyes approached him. “You must be Nalin Mehra. I'm Jake Anderson. I was with Danny when he found you," Jake said and held out his hand.
The werecat shook it and nodded. He hadn't yet told anyone this whole mess was all his fault. He purposely went after the bastard who killed Peter, but he never imagined Danny would end up injured or dead because of it. The snow leopard’s only consolation at the moment was the greasy haired bastard's body dead in the snow, but that wasn't worth the deputy's life. Nothing was.
Jake introduced the other pack members, but Nalin only paid attention to Holden. The man's tan skin and even features reminded him of Danny- although Holden's eyes were blue instead of brown and not large and expressive like the deputy's. No way in heaven or hell he'd remember the other wolves' names at a time like that.