Savage Kiss

by Milly Taiden

  “Couldn’t sleep?”

  She jumped, her heart thudding in her chest a million miles an hour. Feral. She glanced around but didn’t see him on the porch.

  “Down here,” he said from the darkness of the forest.

  “Are you out of your mind? How can you see down there?” She blinked at the steps, taking them slowly down until a hand appeared in front of her face.

  “Here, let me help you,” he offered.

  She gulped and grabbed his hand. An electric zing passed between them. She met his golden gaze, hoping he hadn’t noticed, but it was obvious he had. At the bottom of the steps, he continued holding her hand and walking toward the forest.

  “Where are we going?” she asked nervously from the strange energy coursing through her. There was no doubt he was attractive in his wild ways, but Sage wasn’t the type of woman who got involved with dangerous men. Just walking alone with him felt erotic.

  “Just a walk. You look like you need it,” he said with a low voice that made her wish she had more clothes on. She felt exposed and it scared her a little.

  She didn’t debate with him. A walk was exactly what she needed to help her energy calm down. The crazy bouncing her hormones were doing was new and she wasn’t sure how to stop it. Hand in hand, they walked down a stone walkway.

  “You are very protective of Ramsey, I noticed.”

  “She’s an innocent. Reysha thinks I can be ruthless,” he shrugged, “but I like to protect my people. Especially the children.”

  No blaming him for that. Just the thought of someone hurting little Ramsey made her see red. She could understand his reaction, but it still didn’t sit well that he did it to her. Not that he knew her from anyone so that also added to his treatment.

  He’s a shifter. Wild. Unpredictable. They don’t deal with people like humans would.

  Perhaps. Okay, yes. That was true. But she refused to let that change her mind. He wasn’t the type of man she needed in her life anyway.

  9

  Live a little. He’s hot as hell. When was the last time you got laid? Properly? Don’t question this so much. You’ve got to have some fun.

  Why was her mother’s voice playing in her head? Sage growled, mumbling to herself to stop.

  “Stop?”

  She pressed her lips together and gave him a confused look. “No, we can keep going.”

  “What do you do for a living?” she asked, then frowned. “I mean, shifting alone isn’t a full-time job, is it? Not that I know much about your kind. Reysha called you a pride leader, but I’m not sure what that entails.”

  “Pride leader. It means my people come to me for guidance. I handle issues with other prides and any problems within the pride. In your human world, you have a sheriff or police officer of high rank? I’m my pride’s sheriff position.”

  “Oh. I didn’t realize that. Do you have a salary?”

  His loud chuckle shocked her and made her stare at him. The sound was sexy as hell and she hadn’t expected it. “No. There’s no salary for pride leader. I also have a family business I handle. A lot of us have our own businesses or several of my pride members work for my ski resort on the other side of the mountain.”

  She glanced at him sharply, almost tripped on a rock, but he was there holding her steady. “A ski resort? I…wow.”

  He grinned. “I know. You didn’t expect me to own that type of business.”

  Heat flooded her cheeks. She turned to peer at the moonlit walkway. “Sorry. I know better than to assume things, but you just don’t give the people vibe. I took you for a guy that likes to work with an axe. Maybe taking down trees or something.”

  As they walked farther down the walkway, solar lamps illuminated the path until it opened to the edge of a cliff. They could see the city far below. Tiny lights from homes and buildings danced before them.

  “Want to sit?”

  She nodded and he helped her down. Then he was right there next to her, his arm brushing hers.

  “I am pretty solitary,” he started, his gaze on the city lights before them. “But the resort was built by my parents. After college, they liked all my ideas to expand and make it family friendly. It created more jobs for the pride members. It also allows me to live on the mountain.”

  She sighed, looking out at the view. “This is really nice. Quiet. Where did you go to college?”

  “New York.”

  She gasped. “Good god! That’s as far away from quiet as you’d ever get. Why there?”

  My father went to New York University. He wanted me to follow in his footsteps. I agreed, but didn’t realize how crazy busy the city is.”

  “I bet. I’ve been several times for work. It’s one of those places that gives me anxiety just walking down the street. I felt like I was late and needed to hurry. Even when I was just out for a walk,” she laughed. “Was it hard?” she asked. “I know tigers are solitary creatures. Did you miss being on the mountain when you were in college?”

  “It was very hard. I learned a lot, but I missed the tranquility and quiet of the mountain. It’s why the pride lives on this side of the mountain and most cabins are distanced from each other. We all need our space.”

  “My sister lives on a mountain now.” She missed Zuri, but she loved how happy Zuri was, so she didn’t begrudge her the distance.

  “You mentioned that at dinner. You and your family are close?”

  She grinned. “You could say that. I live with my mother.” Then she laughed. “According to Mom, I should be married with kids, or at least having a crazy amount of sex at this age.” Fire flamed her face. She pressed her lips together and closed her eyes, wishing the ground would open up and swallow her. “You didn’t just hear that.”

  He chuckled and cupped her chin, forcing her to look at him. “Do you want to be married with kids, or having crazy amounts of sex?”

  Yes, please. “Um, I’ve always wanted to get married and have kids. I just don’t want to settle for some half-assed relationship,” she told him, ignoring the sex part of the question.

  “What do you mean half-assed?”

  “I want the man I marry to love me not just with words. I want him to show me. I don’t want to wonder if I’m enough; I want to be sure I am. I want trust in my relationship and I want to feel cherished. My father loved my mother so much. All through my childhood, I saw them give all of themselves to make the other happy. I thought that was a perfect relationship. Oh, they argued and had disagreements, but they never lasted and soon they were back to being a team. I don’t know,” she shrugged. “I think I must want things that don’t exist, because I’ve yet to meet a man willing to go the distance to prove he cares.”

  He was quiet for a moment. “I don’t understand human males. Ensuring a mate feels loved is a need for shifters. For both the animal and human side.”

  “Shifter mates are lucky. Humans don’t know a lot of things,” she sighed. “Everything is a game of chance.”

  He curled his hand over hers, lifted it to his face and kissed her palm, giving her butterflies in her chest. “That’s the difference between shifters and humans. We don’t play games.”

  10

  Oh, good god. Sage gulped and pulled her hand out of his grasp. “Good to…uh, know.”

  “What do you do when you’re not traveling and dressing hotels?”

  She grinned at his description of her job. “I actually love to visit new places. My goal is to travel the world.”

  He raised a brow. “I have a feeling there’s more to you than traveling.”

  “I hold a play at our community theater with the children from the town. I like doing it for them and I get to play along. It’s fun for me.”

  “You like the theater then?”

  She nodded. “My wish was to get to see Cats on Broadway before they took it off. Sadly, I never got the chance. Next time I go to New York City, I’ll make sure to see a few shows. I love Broadway.”

  “I haven’t been to New York in a l
ong time,” he told her, his voice that churning gravel she kept trying to ignore but made her weak at the knees. “It would be nice to see a Broadway show, but without the people.”

  She laughed. “Good luck with that. The chairs are small, though.”

  “Tiny.”

  There was a long silence filled with expectation. Their gazes locked and her hand curled on her lap, making her super aware of his massive size pulling her in to his warmth.

  “I think I’m good now. A little air was all I needed.”

  His eyes glowed a gorgeous shade of gold that held her transfixed. “If you need more than air, let me know.”

  Lord have mercy. Her mind conjured up some crazy requests. She glanced away, afraid he might read her mind and realize she was a dirty girl and had perverted thoughts of a man she didn’t even know.

  They were already back at the door to her balcony when something possessed her to meet his gaze. “I’m going home in a few days, but if you’re ever in Full Moon Bay, maybe join me and my family for dinner?”

  A sexy grin transformed his face into wildly dangerous. “I don’t think I can.”

  Her smile fell. “Oh.”

  “I don’t think I can wait that long. I need to make up for being an ass to you.”

  She grinned wider. “You were just protecting your niece.”

  He nodded. “I didn’t have to be an asshole in the process. I have some business to handle tomorrow, but I want to see you.”

  She licked her bottom lip. “I don’t—”

  He moved so fast, she lost her breath. One second she was speaking and the next he was right in front of her with only millimeters between them. She raised her face to look into his eyes. There was determination in his gaze. Hunger. Need. A look of pure possession. A slow shiver ran down her spine.

  He raised big, calloused hands to cup her face. “I do. I need to.”

  Warmth pooled in the pit of her stomach. She couldn’t remember the last time a man had made her feel so nervous and aroused. “Need to?”

  He lowered his head. She stopped breathing. He was going to kiss her. Holy fuck. This big, sexy shifter gave her such a heated look, she wanted to fan herself. “Taste you.”

  There was no time to catch her breath. He swooped down, taking her lips in a harsh kiss. It was fast. It was hot. It was a-fucking-mazing. She moaned at the back of her throat and let him explore her mouth in every way he chose.

  It wasn’t every day a sexy shifter kissed her into a coma. Who was she kidding? A sexy shifter never kissed her, period. He pulled back much too fast, but that allowed her to gulp oxygen.

  She swore a purr vibrated from his chest. She stared at his pecs, watching them rise and fall with his ragged breathing, knowing she probably looked the same. Good god. She could still feel the heat of his lips on hers. The swipe of his tongue gliding over hers.

  “Thank you,” she cleared her throat, “for the walk.”

  A vein ticked on the side of his face. His look was intense, almost angry. But heat poured off him in waves. “Goodnight, Sage.”

  She nodded. “Goodnight.”

  Neither moved. Then the smile he’d given her before returned. “You’ll have to let go of me if you want to go inside.”

  Fuck! She glanced down and realized she was gripping his arms, nails digging into his very muscular biceps. Peeling her fingers off him, she grabbed the door behind her and pulled the handle. “Goodnight, Feral.”

  “Sleep well,” he said, the words soft, sexy, breathy. Like he was pouring chocolate over ice cream. Great. Now she was turning into Isaline and comparing everything to food.

  Inside her room, she threw herself in bed and punched the pillow several times, cursing the fact she wasn’t in her hotel room and her toys were miles away. That Lelo would be so helpful right now.

  11

  Feral glanced around at the pile of wood and took deep breaths. Sage had been right. He did like chopping wood. It helped him think. It helped his tiger calm down. Not today. Today, the animal wanted him to go back to Reysha and Hawk’s and take his mate home. His mate. There was no question about it now. She was the one.

  He’d woken early to solve a pride problem, only to return and find her gone. Hawk had asked one of the pride members to take her back to her hotel. Now, it was Feral’s turn to figure out how to get Sage to willingly come back to him. To be his.

  He wiped his brow with the back of his hand. His cell phone chirped, pulling his attention. He picked it up and saw Slate’s name on it.

  “We have a problem,” Slate started.

  “What’s going on?” He slammed the axe on the trunk he used to chop wood. It was a cold day, but being a shifter meant he was always warmer than a human. His internal temperature allowed him to be naked and not feel the bite in the air. The first sprinkles of snow had fallen that morning.

  It was only a matter of time before they had a blizzard and the ski resort would be packed with people looking to hit the slopes. During the summer months, the water park they had on the property kept the families pouring in, but the moment they had snow, the place was jammed with skiers.

  “I’m down by Lionel’s cabin. He’s gone for the winter, visiting his daughter. Someone lit his cabin on fire. Get down here.”

  Rushing inside, he grabbed the keys to his SUV and hopped in. The drive to the pride member’s cabin would normally be ten minutes down the rugged mountain road, but he made it in five.

  Several in the pride had an assembly line from the river next to Lionel’s place and passed back buckets of water. The firefighters would be there soon, but it would help save Lionel’s place if they could get the fire under control or stopped altogether.

  He hopped to the front of the line, tossing bucket after bucket of water, until they were able to slow the flames from taking over the rest of the cabin. The firefighters arrived and put the rest of the blaze out. Lionel had lost the living room, but the rest of the place had survived.

  As soon as the fire was out, he went inside, sniffing to see if he could catch someone’s scent. Nothing. The only thing he could scent was gasoline. Slate had been right. Someone had purposely lit the place on fire.

  Slate and Gunner came in behind him.

  “One of the kids said they were playing not far when the cabin first caught fire,” Slate started. “They said they saw some of the Behar pride leaving the area.”

  Feral growled, curling his arms into fists. “They shouldn’t be here. This is our land.”

  “They’re trying hard to push you,” Gunner sighed. “What do you want us to do?”

  “There are a few other cabins close to the division line,” Feral said. “Let’s check on them.”

  The three shifted into their tigers and rushed farther downriver toward the hill that divided Terai land from the Behar area.

  Something was off. The scent of danger made his tiger roar. They were surrounded. Six of the Behar pride members attacked. There was no time to think. Action was swift and ruthless. Four of the tigers targeted Feral, while both Gunner and Slate were fighting one-on-one with the other two.

  He bit and clawed, taking two down before the other two attacked him at once.

  Claws scraped across his side, leaving burns with each scratch. He bit one guy, shoved another, but a third jumped on his back, his claws deep in Feral’s side.

  He roared again, fury surging through him. He shook the guy off his back, but the fourth bit on his hind leg, the sound of bone breaking angering his tiger even more.

  Two of the Behar clawed at him incessantly. Blood poured from wounds all over his body. His hind leg was useless, but he fought. Feral would never back down. Even outnumbered. He shoved one of the tigers hard enough that he was able to grab him by the neck and break it.

  One down, three to go. More scrapes on his back made him howl in pain. These motherfuckers were trying hard to get rid of him. Shoving the tiger with his claws digging into Feral’s back was his next move. He slammed his side into a tree,
making the other tiger fall from the hit. Fuck, that shit hurt.

  Another tiger by the throat, he wasn’t letting go even though the other two were attacking his side and other hind leg.

  Gunner shoved one guy off and then Slate got the other. At that point, the one he had his jaws locked on lay lifeless.

  A massive, angry roar tore from his chest, before he turned to watch his men kill the last two attackers. He dropped to the ground, his breathing ragged and his vision spotty. He’d need to sleep a while to heal. The only person on his mind was Sage as his mind shut down and his healing began. He had to see her again. And he had to make it special.

  12

  “Sage!” Isaline called from the living room and then came into Sage’s bedroom when Sage didn’t reply. “Sage!”

  “What?” she snapped and then stopped, shaking her head and giving Isaline an apologetic smile. “I’m sorry, Isa. I’m a little tired.”

  Munching on veggie chips in a bag, Isaline hopped on Sage’s bed. “I’d say you are. You haven’t slept since you got back from your trip.” She glanced at the sewing table. “What are you doing anyway?”

  Sage smiled and cleared her throat. “I’m looking for a house.”

  Isaline’s eyes widened. “Why? Don’t you like living here with me and Mom?”

  Sage nodded and stood, moving to sit next to her sister on the bed. “Of course, I do. I love living here with you two, but Mom’s right. I’m at an age I should be doing new stuff. Dating. Other things.”

  “Getting laid,” her mother said, walking into the room with a tray of cold drinks. “Definitely getting laid.”

  “Isaline, I couldn’t live here and get, um, laid,” Sage laughed awkwardly. Man, her mom knew how to make her uncomfortable. “It would be weird.”

  Their mother laughed, placing the tray on the dresser. “She’s right, Isaline. I don’t think Sage would be okay with getting her groove on and hearing us cheering from the other side of the door to get some.”