Stealing the Snow Leopard's Heart

by Zoe Chant

Lance brushed aside the meerkat shifter’s question. “Until someone reports him landing on our roof, I expect. Briers, meet Keeley. She’s—”

  His heart glowed as he introduced Briers to his mate. Even his snow leopard unwound from its huff, purring smugly as he showed off the wonderful woman he was going to share his life with.

  Briers’ pinched expression actually relaxed slightly as he shook Keeley’s hand.

  “A pleasure to meet you—Keeley Smith, was it?” Lance swore the meerkat shifter almost smiled as he turned back to him. “I want to double-check the arrangements for your call later this morning. We can’t afford any more mishaps.”

  “Agreed.” Lance hugged Keeley closer to his side as Briers scampered to the elevator. “You’re wonderful,” he whispered into her hair.

  “For managing to shake his hand without letting Maggie jump out of my arms and run off the side of the roof? That’s pretty wonderful, I guess.”

  “No, you’re—” Lance gazed into her eyes. “You’re incredible, and I want everyone to know.”

  Keeley looked away, biting down on her lower lip.

  Something’s wrong. Lance was about to ask if there was anything he could do for her, when the thwop-thwop-thwop of the helicopter blades outside finally slowed. Light glinted off the helicopter’s door as it swung open.

  “Ow!” Keeley yelped. “Maggie!”

  The tiny dragonling was struggling out of her arms, wings flapping madly. Keeley hissed as she clawed her way up onto her shoulders, and Lance grabbed the dragonling before she started clawing her way up Keeley’s head as well.

  Maggie chirped urgently. Emotions battered Lance’s mind, a frenzied, half-happy, half-worried storm.

  He glanced across to the helicopter. Of course.

  *It’s okay,* he whispered into Maggie’s mind, his psychic voice overlaid with as much soothing emotion as he could manage. *They’re here. You can see them soon.*

  NOW NOW NOW, Maggie thundered back, her tail whipping back and forth.

  Lance chuckled and tucked the little dragon under one arm. “She’s excited to see the other eggs,” he explained to Keeley.

  “She couldn’t be excited with less claws?” she replied, wincing as she checked her shoulders for scratch marks.

  He gave her one last squeeze and waved to Harley, who was stalking across the roof with a sturdy carryall in one hand and a winning smile on his face. Lance hit the button to open the foyer doors as he approached.

  “Harley!” he called as the cheetah shifter stepped inside. “You know this isn’t a helipad, right?”

  “Really? Shit, my bad.” Harley swept his light hair out of his eyes and grinned. “Good thing I know a nice old lady who can make any complaints go away, eh?”

  “One day, I’m going to not regret introducing you to my aunt,” Lance groaned. “Regret it more, I mean.”

  “Your aunt?” Keeley asked, and Lance rubbed his forehead.

  “Ex-military, like me. Unlike me…” He tried to find a way to describe his aunt that wouldn’t take all day. “Most people see retirement as a chance to catch up with their family and gardening. My aunt saw it as a way to start playing with all the toys she’d missed in her years behind a desk. And sharing them with friends, apparently.”

  Keeley went pale as she looked out at the helicopter. “That’s army issue?”

  “Retired, same as General MacInnis,” Harley said.

  “Oh.” A line formed between Keeley’s eyebrows. “Police, army—sounds like your agency has contacts everywhere,” she said quietly. Her hand slipped into her cardigan pocket.

  He took her hand gently. “Is everything alright?”

  “Yeah, it’s all good.” Keeley smiled unconvincingly, and the golden light that stretched between his heart and hers wobbled. “It’s—nice to meet more of your friends.”

  Lance’s heart dropped. Of course. He was introducing her to his people—friends, family, colleagues—but what did he know about her social circle? Only that she had a workplace that treated her like crap, and no one who would even notice she’d disappeared for two days.

  And a network of old scars on her fingers.

  He squeezed her hand. “They’re your friends now, too.”

  “Speaking of…” Harley cleared his throat. “Is this who I think it is?”

  Right. His friends might be her friends, but he still had to, for example, make sure she knew all of their names.

  “Keeley, meet Harley Ames. Ten years ago, I made the mistake of bringing him home for the holidays. He’s stuck to my family like hot tar ever since. Harley, this is—”

  “Keeley Smith. Beautiful. Charming. Your mate. Yes, Grant filled me in. Your aunt’s going to be thrilled. Hey, do you mind if I’m the one to break the news? It might sweeten the whole ‘airspace violation’ issue.” Harley flashed Keeley a grin, but otherwise stood completely frozen. “Lance, I was talking about her. Wings. Scales. Biting my hand off at the wrist.”

  Our kitten, Lance’s snow leopard said, and its smugness must have reached Harley’s cheetah as well, because the other man’s eyes went wide.

  “What?” he spluttered, his eyes flicking between Lance and Keeley. *She’s not—you’re not—what?*

  Lance disentangled Maggie from Harley’s hand but couldn’t convince her to let go of the bag.

  “Let’s get them all settled in my office,” he said, “And then I’ll explain everything.”

  Keeley

  Harley was nice, Keeley decided. Still a bit freaked out by the way Maggie had decided his hand was all that stood between her and her siblings’ eggs, but… nice. Just like Lance’s other friends were nice, and his colleagues. His aunt was probably nice, too.

  She felt sick.

  Lance kept asking her how she was. She couldn’t tell him, so she just kept lying, and now the hairs on her neck prickled every time she felt him looking at her.

  She looked across Lance’s desk to where she’d plugged her phone in to charge. Suddenly anxious, she checked it.

  Still dead. Useless piece of crap. As soon as it was charged, she was going to get in touch with Sean and make sure that he got the hell out of whatever shifter cartel he’d gotten involved with.

  She gritted her teeth. Ten years ago, she wouldn’t have had a clue how to convince Sean of anything. But that last job they’d done together was good for something, after all.

  He’s in over his head. He just doesn’t know it yet.

  And if there was anything that Sean liked better than money, it was keeping his own skin safe.

  Keeley double-checked that her phone was still plugged in and forced herself to stop staring at it. At least it had progressed from the lifeless brick stage to showing the little flashing battery symbol on the screen. Maybe, by lunchtime, it would have enough power for her to make a call.

  She clenched her fist in her pocket, then forced herself to relax. She would fix this. God damnit, for once in her life, she was going to fix things, not run away.

  It was the least she could do for Lance.

  She turned away from her phone to see Harley leaning over Lance’s desk. Maggie was perched right in the center of the desk, visibly and loudly enjoying being the center of attention.

  “It’s Maggie, right?”

  He seemed entranced by the dragonling—entranced, but keeping his distance. He flexed his scratched-up hand as Lance placed the carryall on his desk.

  “Short for Magpie,” Keeley explained, and blushed. The more she had to explain that, the stupider it seemed. “Um, except her uncle’s probably going to give her a better name.”

  “Magpie, huh? Can’t think of a better name for a flying menace who likes shiny stuff.” He took a tentative step closer to the desk, and then apparently decided that the far wall was a safer location.

  He flashed Keeley a smile from the other side of the room. “How are you holding up?”

  “What?”

  Harley shrugged. All of his movements were small and quick: his smi
les, his shrugs, even the way he glanced at Lance before focusing his hazel eyes on Keeley again.

  “I had the whole story from Grant last night. Explosions. Shootings. He said you seemed fine, but honestly? The guy can’t see past his mate right now.”

  “I…” Keeley broke off as her phone buzzed on the desk. The usual lie died on the tip of her tongue. I’m fine.

  One buzz. Two. Finally, her phone was charged enough to turn back on.

  Except now that the moment was finally here, why was her stomach filling with dread?

  Harley moved his weight from foot to foot. “Well. There’s something I should say while Lance is in earshot.”

  Lance lifted his head at the sound of his name, and Harley laughed softly and raised his voice.

  “We’re all damn happy you’ve turned up. Can’t tell you how long we’ve been waiting for someone to help Lance pull the stick out of his ass.”

  “I haven’t noticed any sticks,” Keeley retorted absently, and Harley snickered.

  Lance glared at them both. “Come over and help me with this, will you, Harley?”

  “Aye aye, cap’n.”

  Keeley watched as the two men unlocked the carryall. Maggie was almost beside herself, alternately chirping and hissing with impatience. Her claws left tiny chips in the desk’s polished surface as she jumped back and forth.

  “Looking forward to seeing them again, huh?” Keeley reached out one hand, and Maggie snuggled her head against her palm. Then she grabbed one of Keeley’s fingers with her stubby teeth and pulled her hand closer to the carryall.

  “You want me to open it?” Keeley exchanged a look with Lance. Maggie looked at him, too, cheeping what sounded like an order. Lance raised his eyebrows.

  “Both of us,” he said. “If you don’t mind, Harley?”

  Harley raised his hands. “Whatever the tiny monster says.”

  They’d already unlocked the carryall; all Keeley had to do was pull it open and lift out the rectangular case inside, with Lance’s help. Maggie watched them, her golden eyes intent.

  Harley made a noise that was half-amused, half-annoyed. “Your aunt’s going to be pissed. This case is meant to be water-proof, airtight, basically a portable, shifter-proof controlled environment. But Maggie saw through it before she even saw it.”

  Lance shrugged. “Dragons. The more I find out about them, the more I think they just don’t play by the same rules as the rest of us.”

  Keeley’s stomach clenched as she and Lance took hold of the case’s lid. It was so similar to the one she’d found Maggie’s egg in.

  The one she’d almost left her in.

  She swallowed hard and pulled open the lid. There was a moment’s resistance, and then the case opened with a soft hiss of air.

  A lump lodged in Keeley’s throat. The inside of the case was exactly like the box she’d freed Maggie from. It was lined with a black velvety fabric that was warm to the touch and split into three sections, each with an indented part for a dragon’s egg to nestle. Two were full, the eggs gleaming softly in the light streaming through the office windows. One was empty.

  Maggie climbed into the case, cheeping and pr-eeping as she sniffed the two eggs. Once she’d checked each of them over, she shot her neck out and chirped an order to Lance.

  “Yes, ma’am,” he said, pushing her hoard box over from where he’d placed it on the edge of the desk.

  He caught Keeley’s eye, and her heart flipped. He looked so… happy. Not that she hadn’t seen him happy before—certain window- and bed-related activities came to mind—but this was something more.

  He wasn’t just happy. He was confident, assured, utterly in his element. In power, and using that power to help people.

  Her heart ached. Lance was so… good. She had to live up to that.

  Her phone buzzed again, and again, and again. She grabbed at it and jabbed the volume button until it was on mute.

  “Sorry,” she muttered. “Must be work, telling me how fired I am.” She shoved the phone back in her pocket, where it sat like a burning coal.

  Lance leaned over and pressed his forehead against hers in a feline gesture that was, to her surprise, strangely comforting.

  “I have to call Maggie’s uncle and tell him the good news,” he murmured. “Will you look after Maggie and the eggs?”

  “Sure.”

  “And Harley—make sure no one’s going to bust down our front doors over that helicopter on the roof?”

  Harley gave a mock salute. “On it!”

  Keeley caught Lance’s arm as he turned to leave. She waited until Harley was out the door, and then tugged him closer.

  He pulled her into a hug, which hadn’t been her plan—and then kissed her. Which was, again, definitely not part of the plan.

  But still really, really nice.

  Lance’s lips were soft and gentle. He teased her lips with his tongue until she deepened the kiss, relaxing into his arms with a moan of surrender.

  “Prr-eep?”

  “Damn it,” Lance murmured into Keeley’s mouth. She giggled.

  “Not in front of the baby?”

  “The baby who’s got her claws in my—aargh.”

  Lance reached behind himself and unhooked Maggie from the seat of his pants. She chittered at him and then scurried back to the other eggs.

  Keeley snorted. “Someone doesn’t like not being the center of attention.” Her stomach went tight. If she was going to stick around, she had to do things right. Especially if she could convince Sean to double-cross his new business partner. “Lance—can we talk? Maybe after your call with Maggie’s uncle?”

  Oh, good one, Keeley. Put it off. Like an extra few minutes is going to make him hate you less when you tell him who you really are.

  She drew a shaky breath. “There’s—there’s a lot of things I think we should discuss.”

  “I know.” Lance grimaced, his eyes soft. “These last few days have been crazy. I promise you, as soon as Maggie is back with her uncle and we know who’s behind the kidnapping, we’ll have all the time in the world together to get to know each other properly.”

  He pulled her close again, nestling her head on his chest. His heartbeat thrummed against her cheek, a steady tattoo that made some of the worry ease from her own chest. “How would you like to go away somewhere together? Just us. We can get to know each other properly. Talk about all of the things that we would have been able to cover if we’d met under any other circumstances. I know this great place in the mountains. My snow leopard can’t wait to show it to you.”

  “I’d really like that.” Which was so true, it made Keeley’s heart ache. “But can we talk this morning, first?”

  “Of course.” Lance kissed her again and left for his meeting.

  Keeley waited until the door closed behind him, then collapsed into his desk chair. “Holy f—fudge,” she groaned, burying her face in her hands.

  Right. She’d done it. Step one. Or Step one-half, maybe. Tell Lance the truth, contact Sean, and… fix things. Fix all the shit she’d gotten wrong.

  Her hand went to her pocket. Her phone must be charged now, what with how much it had been buzzing as all the messages she’d missed while it was dead came through. Some of those must have been from work. She could only imagine the messages her manager would have left for her when she didn’t show for two shifts in a row.

  But—it had buzzed a lot. Even the hotel wouldn’t have called her that many times, would they?

  Her fingers twitched. What else? Notifications for the podcasts she subscribed to, sure. Maybe some app updates.

  Something in her gut told her that wasn’t all.

  Sean had found her workplace. He knew where she lived. How hard would it have been to find out her phone number?

  Keeley was about to pull her phone out of her pocket when someone knocked on the door. She snatched her hand away from her pocket like it was burning.

  “Um, hello?”

  A familiar face poked around
the edge of the door. Carol Zhang, the shark shifter with the strange, flat-looking eyes. Her lips curved oddly, and it took Keeley a moment to figure out that she was smiling.

  “Do you mind if I join you?”

  “No, sure, come in.” Keeley put her hands on the table, like she’d never even thought of pulling out her phone. Christ. If there was a message on it from Sean—well, it would have to wait. No way she was risking one of Lance’s agents seeing it.

  “How is the dragonling? Oh—the eggs are here, too?” Carol hesitated at the door, then seemed to flow into the room, stopping again a few feet from the desk. And when she stopped, she stopped. “They’re beautiful.”

  Maggie popped her head up and cheeped in protest. Carol quickly corrected herself. “But not as beautiful as you.”

  Maggie poked her tongue out at Carol and dove into her hoard box. When she emerged, she was trailing the sparkly scarf. Keeley and Carol watched as she dragged the scarf up to the closest of the eggs, dangled it in front of it, then yanked it away.

  “What is she doing?” Keeley wondered out loud as Maggie narrowed her eyes at the egg and chittered to herself. “Can you, um, understand her?”

  Carol shook her head. “She’s too young to mindspeak.”

  “Oh.” Keeley thought about the strange brushes of emotion that seemed to press against her mind sometimes when she was around the baby dragon.

  I must have been imagining it, she thought. Except—didn’t Lance feel them, too? And talk to her? She shook her head. She had far too much else to worry about without adding more questions.

  Carol stood as still as a store mannequin, her eyes fixed on Keeley. “I wanted to check some details about the night you and Lance rescued the dragonling,” she said, holding a tablet in front of herself like a shield. “Do you have a minute?”

  Keeley’s stomach turned over. “Sure.”

  Carol slid into a seat on the opposite side of the desk. “It says here you didn’t see any of the attackers at the station.”

  “No, like I said last night. Just—Maggie, and then the explosion, and then Lance grabbed me and took me outside.” That is what I said last night, isn’t it? Oh, shit. Why is she checking my story?