by Lia Davis
He counted to three in his mind. She knew these people, knew of this town, yet, she’d never once mentioned it to him. Nor had his brothers ever spoken of it. All his life she’d taught him about the shifter way of life and the importance of secrecy. Was that it? She didn’t trust him to keep the mountain town a secret?
“Yes, I met him, and he sends his best.” He didn’t keep the hurt out of his tone.
A soft sigh rushed through the phone. “The town is not of my people. It was not my secret to tell. Please don’t be angry.”
“What do you mean?”
“Please trust me. I can’t spill secrets of another pack.”
Pack? Was she serious? “I’m not understanding.”
Danica’s hand touched his knee, causing him to jump. Locking gazes, she whispered, “I’ll explain later.” The plea in her eyes made him want to hold her.
The annoyance drained from his body. “I’m sorry, Ma.”
“I know, baby. You’re one of my cubs, even if you can’t shift.”
That made him laugh. “Yeah, because I’m human.”
“Shh. We won’t talk about that,” she teased. “Look, the little bit of snow we got last night was only the start of the huge storm headed this way. Stay there until it passes.”
The way she could sense the weather change had always amazed him. “All right. Do you have everything you need?”
“Yes, Nev. We’ll be fine. I have my grandbabies.”
“What? Who?”
“Cale and Monica had a set of twins a couple of months ago. I thought I told you.”
He sighed. “Oh, yes, I’d almost forgotten Cale and Monica’s twins.” He’d been busy forgetting and burying his pain.
“Don’t worry about it. You’ll get to meet your nieces soon.”
He smiled and glanced at the females at the end of the couch, cuddled up like the pair of cats, listening to the conversation. Everything fell into place. The too-careful actions of everyone around him and the over protectiveness Blaine had shown the night before made sense. “I’ll see you when the storm passes. Love you, Mama.”
A choked sob came from Sarah before she responded. “It’s been too long since you called me that. Love you, too.”
Swallowing the lump in his throat, he disconnected the call and peered at Danica and Shay. Both women looked back at him as though they were about to cry. “What’s wrong?”
Danica smiled. “You called her mama. That’s so sweet.”
“And girly.”
Nevan clenched his jaw at the sound of Blaine’s voice. Before he could lash back, Shay reached out and hit the large shifter in the stomach hard enough that he took a step back. “Shut it, Blaine.”
A few seconds later, Shay squealed as he flipped her over his shoulder. The smile on his face read of the pure love a brother would have for his sister. “Watch it, kitty, or I’ll rearrange your potions, again.”
She kicked wildly. “Don’t you dare, leopard-boy!”
“Leopard?” Nevan studied Danica as she stiffened then dropped her shoulders.
“It was me. I’m the reason you’re stuck here instead of being with your family.”
Her guilt rushed out to him. “It was an accident.” He knew from his brothers that, when in animal form, they thought like the animal. The headlights mostly likely had startled her. “I was tired and not concentrating on the road.”
“But, your car.”
He chuckled. “It’s a rental, and I bought insurance.”
She laughed at his poor excuse of a joke and reach out to touch his cheek. Her pale green eyes brightened and seemed to dance. His gaze lowered to her lower lip she held between her teeth. Suddenly, he had the urge to kiss her. Keegan’s husky tone calling them to the dining room broke them from whatever trance they’d fallen under. Much too quickly, she stood and rushed away. All he could do was watch her follow her family into the other room.
Get a grip, Nev.
****
Back at the cabin, alone with Nevan, Danica thought she’d be more relaxed now that he knew what she was, but she’d been wrong. Her cat was hyper-aware of every movement and the heat of his stare. The more time she spent with him, the more intrigued she became.
To try to shake off some of the rising need, she turned toward the fireplace. Nevan stepped in her path and touched her lightly on the hand. Sparks of desire rippled on her skin, and startled her.
“What is it?”
She peered into his gray-blue eyes and smiled. “I felt that.”
“My touch?”
She laughed at the confusion that passed over his face. “My right hand…I usually don’t feel the light weight of others’ fingers. It must be working.” She turned toward the kitchen.
“What’s working?”
She lifted her head to peer at him across the island countertop. “Shay. She has…” She sucked her lip between her teeth, unsure of how much to tell him. However, he did have mountain lion shifters as his mother and four stepbrothers. He was already aware of their world. “She has a small amount of magick in her blood.”
He didn’t flinch or seemed a bit surprised at the news. She relaxed, but only a tiny bit.
“Is she part witch?”
She shook her head. “I don’t think so. It isn’t uncommon for shifters to possess magickal abilities. Blaine can teleport. Keegan is telepathic.”
“Oh, great. I’ll have to remember that. Sarah and my brothers don’t have any special gifts.”
“Not all weres have them. Some theories are that certain blood lines carry magick from the early ancestors.” She withdrew two stemless wine glasses from the cupboard. “Do you like red wine?”
His smile reached his eyes for the first time since he’d been there, and she had to press her hands on the counter to stay upright. “Yes.”
It took her several seconds before she found her voice. “Can you start the fire?”
With a short nod, he moved to do as she requested. “So, what does Shay have to do with the feeling in your hand?”
“Oh. For the last couple of weeks, I’ve agreed to let her stimulate the nerves in my right hand and arm.” After pouring the wine and returning the bottle to the mini-fridge, she carried both glasses to the living room.
“That’s what she was doing earlier? Before lunch.”
“She can send light currents of energy to my nerves by massaging my fingers and palm.”
He ignited the oak, and when satisfied with the flame, he returned the screen and faced her. “And, it’s helping?”
She smiled, handing him a glass. “It appears so.” She sat down on the sofa with one leg tucked under her.
He sat next to her. “How much can you tell me about Ashwood Falls? Sarah said to ask Keegan. I gathered from her tone it’s a Pack secret or something.”
“The lions had a treaty with our pack centuries ago. They are bound from speaking about the town or who lives here. Although, I’m not sure why she wouldn’t tell you since you’re her family.”
He looked out the glass door that overlooked the backyard. “She broke from her pack a couple of years before mating with my father. None of us kids know why. Or, if the others do, they’ve been forbidden to talk about it.”
“Oh. Some packs are more secretive than others. I don’t know much about the lions.”
He chuckled. “That makes two of us.”
She took a sip of her wine before speaking. “Ashwood Falls was formed on the land of two Packs: the wolves and the leopards. Both Packs lost over sixty percent of their people during a mass attack from a rogue shifter pack called the Onyx.”
Nevan made a noise of disgust. “How long ago?”
“It was over two hundred years ago. They came in like a storm. The weaker of the Packs surrendered and now work with the Onyx for their cause.”
He raised a brow. “You don’t know what that is, do you?”
“No. I suspect the Enforcers
have some leads or an idea. The given is they want control over all packs and territories.” Visions of the night she lost her parents came to mind. Her throat tightened and she fought to keep the tears from falling. Even after all these years, she still could recall their memories without crying. “I lost my parents in that attack.”
He twisted his body to sit sideway on the sofa and faced her. “Sorry.”
“I was ten years old at the time. My mom tucked me inside a hidden room in the basement. I heard everything. Their screams, the breaking glass, shouts from the rogues to kill everyone…” Lifting her gaze, she met Nevan’s gray stare. Fury darkened his eye color to the color of storm clouds. “Blaine found me. At the time it seemed like days. I already knew my parents were dead.”
Nodding, he reached over and covered her hand. “Sarah cried out in pain when my dad died. She felt the loss, and my brothers felt hers. I had no clue what was going on until they told me. It was the first time I ever felt like an outsider.”
She curled her fingers around his hand and squeezed. “They never meant…”
He peered at her, holding her completely captive.
“I know. But I had to leave after that. With Dad, everything was whole. We were family. We still are, but we’re missing a piece.”
The crackling from the fire filled the room. She understood what he described. The bond between Sarah and her mate being broken would have been painful. Keegan, in one of his very rare emotional moods, had described it to her. The Alpha had said it was as if someone had reached inside his chest and ripped his heart out with their bare hands. She figured it would be rude and inappropriate to ask how he knew what that felt like and considered he was being graphic to keep her from asking any more personal questions.
When she looked up again, it was to meet Nevan’s eyes. Desire swirled in them, awakening her leopard. He raised his hand to brush a stray hair from her face. Instead of dropping his hand, he slid it behind her neck and drew her closer. His earthy pine scent enveloped her. When his lips touched hers, she lost any hope of control.
She opened, allowing his tongue inside to dance with hers. Her skin tingled and warmed at the pleasure that consumed her. It’d been way too long since she had been kissed like this. Never in her two hundred twenty-three years of life did she remember a kiss being this good.
His fingers touched her belly, making her jump slightly. When his palm cupped her breast, she moaned and pressed into his touch. Then he brushed over a path of scars, and she stilled.
Palms flat on his chest, she gave a gentle push. He broke the kiss. “What…?”
Shaking, she said, “I can’t,” and ran out the back door with her inhuman speed.
Chapter Four
Danica fell to her knees in the snow about twenty yards from the cabin, her flesh still heated from Nevan’s kiss and the way he’d moved his hand over her skin. The need to bite him and claim him as hers had made her run away from him. Then there were the scars and the fear he would reject her after he saw how much of her body was ruined.
A tear dropped, forming a dent in the snow. She had spent the last couple of years living alone and coming to terms with the idea of never finding a mate. And she’d just run away from a potential mate. God, she was an idiot.
“Dani?”
Her head snapped up at Jared’s questioning tone. Great. She didn’t need him, or anyone, seeing her like this. “What do you want?”
“I came to talk to you. Why are you out here?” He paused and sniffed the air. “I see.”
She stood and brushed off her jeans. “See what?”
“I petitioned Keegan for your hand.”
Choking, she squeaked, “You did what?”
Extending his hand to caress her cheek, he grew more serious than she’d ever seen him. “You need someone to care for you, to provide you with the security you deserve.”
She swatted at his hand. “You don’t love me, and I’m not entering a loveless mating.”
“We’re friends, Dani. We could grow to love each other over time. My parents’ mating was arranged, as was your parents’, and they loved one another deeply.”
“My parents were in love from the day they met.” She whirled around, only to have him stop her with his hand wrapped around her bicep.
“I can give you everything you desire.”
Squaring her shoulders, she pulled free from his hold and locked gazes with him. “Could you ever make love to me with the lights on? Could you look at my scars without flinching? Without pity?”
His silence confirmed his answer. “I didn’t think so.”
He stepped closer to her and drew her into a hug. “I’ve seen the scars.”
Another tear rolled down her cheek. Yes, Jared had seen her after the fire and had been there, with Shay, during the painful healing. “You still look at me with sorrow. I don’t want people to dwell on those feelings anymore.”
He lifted her chin with his finger. “You don’t have to give me your answer now. Think about it.”
Stepping back, he moved his gaze past her before he shifted into a large jaguar and vanished deeper into the forest.
“Dani, what’s going on?”
She closed her eyes briefly before turning to face Nevan. Gut turning, she hated that hurt look on his face. “How long have you been here?”
“Long enough.” He stood staring at her for several moments before speaking again. “I’m just going to leave. It was a mistake to agree to stay with you.”
He pivoted around and marched back to the cabin. Cursing, she rushed after him. “Where will you go? It’s about to snow again. You’ll freeze…”
Stopping at the bottom step, he spoke without looking at her. “I’ll go into town and call my brother.”
Fear squeezed her heart. If he left, she’d never see him again. He could be her one, and maybe only, chance at have a true mate, and he was about to walk out of her life. He couldn’t leave, not now. “Don’t go. Please.” He shook his head and continued up the stairs and into the house. She followed him down the hall to the guest room. When she entered the room, her fear turned to nervous desperation to keep him.
“You can’t leave.”
He looked at her then. “I can’t?”
Her legs started to shake. She’d gone too long avoiding the male species; she wasn’t sure what to do. “I just found you. I can’t let you leave,” she whispered.
Standing stock-still, he studied her. “Who is Jared, really?”
Taking a shaky breath, she wrapped her arms around her middle. “He’s Ashwood Falls’ legal counsel.”
He stepped into her space, making her heart rate increase. “No, who is he to you?”
“A close friend. That’s it. He’s not my true mate.”
“Have you two ever…?”
“No.”
His expression hardened a little. “I heard him say he’d seen your scars.”
With a sigh, she sat on the bed. “Jared pulled me out of the fire and was there through my recovery.”
“Sounds like more than a friend.”
She focused back on his face. Her own fury started to rise. “Jared has a problem with thinking he knows what’s best for others. He also is known for chasing after weaker females.”
“You’re not weak.” He stalked toward her. The gleam in those grey eyes sent heat to her sex. “What did you mean by finding me and not letting me go?”
She swallowed. “I…you’re the one who’s my potential true mate.”
He stopped a couple of inches from her and cupped her face. She covered his hand with hers and watched shock, confusion, and hint of joy pass over his handsome features in a swirl of emotion. He opened his mouth to speak, but closed it.
She kissed his palm, stopping him from saying anything. Peering up at him through her thick lashes, she drew his index finger into her mouth. His sharp intake of breath and the increase in his pulse encouraged her to continue. Sh
e ran her hand up the inside of his leg, stopping inches below the growing bulge behind his zipper.
His fingers wrapped around hers and pulled her hand away. With their gazes locked, he withdrew his finger from her mouth so he could cup the back of her head. She watched the play of emotions on his face. There was a battle going on inside his mind.
“Relax, Doctor. Do what you want and stop analyzing the situation,” she challenged.
His gray eyes darkened as his scent intensified. He lowered his head to capture her lips. Like the first one had, this kiss ignited her from the inside out. She moaned and pressed into him, offering herself to him. What they both needed.
The internal debate was over. Maybe it was overridden by desire. Whatever the case, Danica didn’t care. He broke the kiss, drew back, and lifted the hem of her sweater.
A rush of fear shot through her, increasing her pulse and threatening to close off her airway. Pushing the garment back down, she was beginning to have a panic attack. “Turn the lights off.”
He stopped all movement and made eye contact. “No.”
She shook her head and tried to calm the raging fear. “I can’t…don’t want…”
With a sigh, he sat next to her and linked his fingers with hers. “I’ve seen burns before. Many of them far worse than yours.”
The anxiety eased and she looked away, embarrassed. He cupped her cheek, drawing her attention back to him. “I volunteer with the children’s burn unit at my local hospital. I learned quickly that the last thing those kids need is pity.”
She searched his face. “No one’s seen the scars besides Shay, Cameron, and Jared.”
A tic formed in his temple at the mention of Jared’s name. Her cat liked the spark of jealousy. “Who’s Cameron?”
“She’s one of the female Enforcers and Shay’s best friend.”
He smiled, sparking the desire up again. Her heart thumped irregularly, and she swallowed as he shifted closer. “If I am your true mate, then you’ll need to trust I won’t run at the sight of your body.”