Cat's Lair

by Christine Feehan

  "I've got to take him down," Eli said. "If I don't, my woman will never rest easy again."

  "You can't keep a shifter locked up," Jake said, watching him close.

  "I have no intentions of locking him up, Jake," Eli said, knowing his eyes had gone cool and watchful. His cat surged close. He'd been close all along, but the thought of meeting Cordeau and taking him out permanently had his cat raking for freedom.

  "Do you want extra patrols over there? More eyes on your woman?" Jake offered.

  Immediately his leopard roared a challenge and he had to fight to keep him under control. "Her female hasn't emerged yet and my male is difficult at the best of times. I wouldn't want to vouch for him right now. She's close though."

  "Once she emerges," Jake said, "bring her over to meet Emma."

  "Jake." Both Eli and Elijah spoke his name at the exact same time in the same warning voice.

  "He kills entire families. Anyone befriending Catarina," Eli said. "I thank you for your offer, but I don't want to put Emma in danger, especially now. I've heard you're expecting again."

  A muscle ticked in Jake's jaw. "Emma could use a friend. We're set up for anything and my men will have no problems protecting a woman. Bring her over. I'll show you my setup. Your woman can get comfortable with us and if things go wrong, she'll know she has a place to go."

  Eli studied Jake's face for a long time. He meant every word. Eli nodded. "I appreciate it. The only shifter she's ever encountered was Cordeau, and he terrified her. Marked her with scars, and he did it on purpose. He killed a woman, a friend of hers, and forced her hands into the blood. She was a kid. This man, he likes to hurt people, Jake. He gets off on it."

  "I've met a few of those, Eli. We can't have your woman thinking that's what all shifters are. Bring her over. We'll close ranks here. She'll know she's protected."

  11

  CATARINA stood in the police station staring in horror at Eli. He stood with his friends, laughing, telling them how easy it was to manipulate her--how she was so hot for him she'd do anything for him. Laughter surrounded her, horrible male amusement at how weak and stupid she was to fall for him again.

  She tried to run, but her feet were frozen. She couldn't move, locked there listening. Eli turned his head and saw her standing there, listening to every word. He sent her a cocky grin and turned back to his friends.

  She fought to move, to throw off the frozen horror so she could run. She even opened her mouth to scream, but no sound emerged. When she looked again, instead of Eli, a giant black panther stood where he'd been. She whirled to run and came face-to-face with a large leopard, his lips drawn back in a snarl, already advancing on her.

  She stood helplessly in the middle of the hallway, helpless prey caught between the two leopards--and there was nowhere to go.

  Kitten. Wake up, now. It's just a bad dream. Wake up.

  She clung to the voice, anchoring her. Drawing her back from the edge of madness.

  "Baby." Eli's soft voice penetrated, and this time she heard him.

  She felt him then, his arms stealing around her, drawing her close to him. The terrible paralysis ended and she was able to fight. She used every trick she knew, everything both Malcom and Eli had taught her to free herself, but Eli knew them all as well. She fought silently, ferociously, dirty, using her teeth and fingernails. She knew she'd scored a couple of times when he swore.

  Then she was flat on her back, Eli on top of her, pinning her down, both wrists in one of his hands, her arms stretched above her head.

  "It was a nightmare, Kitten, that's all. Just a nightmare. You're safe here with me." His face was dark, lines etched deep. He looked hard and invincible and even a little frightening.

  She didn't relax under him, not even when she realized he was right. "Let me up." She whispered the demand, her heart pounding. She was such a fool. She wanted to believe him so she just ignored all the evidence.

  "I don't think so, babe. You need to tell me what's going on in that head of yours. I can see that nightmare had nothing to do with Cordeau and everything to do with me." With his free hand, he brushed strands of hair from her face.

  She tried not to let his touch get to her. It was that easy for him, one stroke on her skin with the pads of his fingers and she was lost. Her entire body shuddered. She didn't want to feel anything for him. She wanted to curl into a little fetal ball and just cry until the room flooded with tears and she drowned.

  "That's fucked up," he pointed out.

  "I didn't let Cordeau in," she whispered. "Only you. I let you in."

  His hand moved gently over her face. "I know you did, Kitten. I know I hurt you. I can't take that back. I can only tell you it won't happen again."

  "How do I know that? How do I know that you're not keeping me here so you can win my trust again and ask me to testify against Rafe?"

  He leaned down and brushed a gentle kiss across her lips. "You don't know that, but your leopard does. Your leopard knows a lie when she hears one. When she emerges, listen to her. She'll let you know if I say something she doesn't like."

  Eli studied her face. She looked so young, and very exhausted. He'd come back to his truck, half expecting it to be gone, but found her asleep on her seat, the keys clutched in her hand. His clothes had been folded neatly on the backseat. There had been something touching about the fact that she'd taken the time to retrieve his clothing and folded it before putting it into the warmth of the cab.

  They'd had a quiet evening together and she'd taken another long, hot bath before bed. He thought she'd settled, but clearly her dream had renewed her doubts.

  "Cat, I know you're scared. I did that to you and I have to own it, but you're going to have to get past it so we can work together. I need to teach you how to fight him, just in case I'm not with you when he shows up. My male needs to teach your female how to fight for the same reason. We have to be a team."

  He kissed her gently again, pushing back the long silky hair that had come out of the thick braid. He preferred it down, spilling all around them on the pillows. He always wanted white sheets now, just to see the contrast of her dark hair tumbling around them. Her body trembled again, a shiver he felt moving through him. Already they were connected in the way of the shifters. The bond wasn't strong yet, but he was forging it, binding them together with tiny threads she'd never be able to break.

  Her brilliant blue eyes searched his. He couldn't see one hint of her cat. She had exotic eyes, like most of their kind. He'd slowly begun learning to identify shifters by their eyes. Hers were gorgeous and very distinct in coloring and shape. Her leopard might have receded, hopefully resting up for the big event, but her eyes would always give her away. He should have known the moment he'd seen her. He'd been drawn to her, even reading her file, but he still hadn't gotten it. Drake would have scowled at him and shaken his head in irritation.

  "I'm so afraid." The admission came out softly. "I barely know who I am anymore. I feel lost and alone and I don't have anyone I can trust."

  Every word she said was a major body blow. He hated that he'd done that to her. Her voice shook with pain. It was impossible not to feel it. The worst part of it was he could tell she wanted to let go of what had happened and give him the same trust all over again, but she didn't know how.

  "I know, sweetheart. I know you are, but I'm not going anywhere. Not ever. If you want a fucking ring right now, we'll go get one and find someone to make it legal. I'd do anything to make you feel you have someone that's going to stay and fight for you." He nibbled on her chin. Her sweet chin that sometimes lifted defiantly and made him hard just watching the tiny little gesture. He loved her rebellious. He loved her sweet. He loved her when she gave him everything.

  "You know, Kitten, you do trust me a little bit. When I make love to you, you surrender totally to me. Always. You always give yourself to me."

  She shook her head, frowning a little. "That's you, or maybe her. That's not me."

  He kissed her neck. K
issed the fluttery pulse right there on her throat. He couldn't help himself, he had to feel it under his lips, the one little spot that confirmed she was alive, was his, lying there under him, looking up at him with her beautiful eyes.

  "That's all you, Catarina. Your body knows I'm here to stay. Let me back in, sweetheart. Take another chance on me."

  He kissed his way down the valley between her breasts, feeling her shiver again as the shadow on his face rasped against her sensitive skin.

  "This isn't okay, Eli." Her hands curled around his shoulders and she pushed, without really exerting much effort.

  "What, baby? What's not okay?"

  "This. You. This is different." Fear crept into her voice.

  He swept his hand down her body, his palm absorbing the warmth of her satin skin. Already there were dewdrops in the tight curls guarding treasure. He slipped his finger deep. She was tight. She was always tight. Sometimes, he thought he might not make it inside her she was so damn tight. But always, always, she was slick and hot and ready for him.

  He nuzzled her breast gently, using the rough hairs along his jaw to stimulate her more. He loved the way her body was so responsive. He was the one drowning. He'd been so busy trying to convince her to fall for him, he hadn't realized just how far he'd fallen. He couldn't help himself.

  He used both hands to shape her body, to slide over every lush curve and trace every rib along her narrow rib cage. She was his. All his. She might be afraid, and she might be on the verge of running, but when he had her under him, she belonged to him.

  He should have taken her gently the first time. Like this. Like she feared he was doing. The rough, hard sex she could blame on their cats, but this, this was all them. The man. The woman. And it terrified her. He didn't take his gaze from hers and her every emotion was there for him to see. Pain. Fear. Need. Even the beginnings of the love he'd seen before, there in the warehouse. That's what scared her. That's what had her hands pushing at his shoulders. She could take his orders. She could take his rough. She couldn't handle sweet or gentle.

  "Eli. This isn't right," she whispered again.

  "This is exactly right, Cat. This is what you deserve. Slow and easy and loving." He kissed his way back up to her mouth. A sweet, fantasy mouth that left him breathless and gave him one too many erotic images playing in his head all the time.

  Her eyes went wide with shock and fear. She shook her head frantically. "I don't want this."

  "Baby." Gentle male amusement. He couldn't help it. "You're already wet and hot for me. What kind of man would I be to leave you like that?"

  Panic spread in her eyes. She swallowed hard. "I know. It's just that you can't do it like this."

  He loved that about her too. Her soft little admission. "I know." She didn't think to deny her state to him. She simply admitted it without even blinking. And then her soft trembling. "You can't do it like this." It. She couldn't say fuck and she wouldn't say making love. And that was just it. He didn't want to fuck her. He wanted to make love to her.

  He kissed her. He loved her mouth and he loved kissing her. He poured love down her throat. His love. His rough, not so easy to live with, but all-encompassing love. He'd never given himself to a woman before and he never imagined he actually would. He had some stupid, lunatic idea that she would love him and he would cherish her. Care for her, but there would be some part of himself he would hold back. There was no holding back and he didn't even know when it happened. He didn't care. He kissed her with love. His love.

  He knew she tasted it because he did. She drank it down her throat, let it settle in around her heart. He doubted she knew what it meant, or what it was going to change between them, but that didn't matter either. He kissed her over and over, long, telling kisses that left him stripped bare, utterly naked and vulnerable to her. Showing her what she meant to him. Without words. He'd never been good talking, but he could use his mouth and his hands and his body to show her what she was to him.

  She was everything. Her mouth moved under his. Accepting. Catching fire. Letting him take her in a kind of surrender. He persisted. He didn't just want surrender. He wanted her. Catarina Benoit. The woman hiding inside a frightened girl. His little runaway. She'd been ripped from her childhood and exposed to a monster. And then when she'd taken a chance, opening herself up to him, Eli had betrayed her.

  Baby, I'm taking you back. I want your heart and this time, I'll safeguard it for you, I promise.

  He poured his promise down her throat and into her body as well, along with his love. He stopped being so gentle with his kisses the moment she responded, the moment she began actively participating in kissing him back. She'd never really kissed him back. Not like this, not moving her body deeper beneath his, her hands sliding around his neck, fingers finding his hair. Her tongue slid along his, danced and dueled, made her own demands.

  She lit up for him like a flame. He'd lit the match and she caught fire. Heat swept through his body, turning him rock hard. It wasn't just his cock she affected, it was his entire body. He could feel his need for her in every cell, each individual muscle. His heart pounded and thunder roared in his ears. He could feel the hot blood pumping through his veins, roaring like his leopard did when it was demanding his mate.

  This was all the man, not the feral cat. This was all Eli, needing Catarina. Loving her. He took his time, kissing her, making an art of it, feeding on the taste of her, committing the shape and feel of her to memory. Her lips were soft, warm, nearly indescribable for him. He was a tactile man and he loved running his tongue over her lips and tugging on her full lower lip. Little nips. Little bites. God she was gorgeous.

  He loved the soft little sounds that came from her throat. She would never be a silent lover. She made noise. Lots of it. Breathy little moans. Soft little pleas. A kind of purr that nearly drove him out of his mind, and when she came, she screamed, or chanted his name. She wasn't embarrassed about sex. She was more embarrassed that she didn't know a lot about it.

  He couldn't tell her what a turn-on it was for him to know that no other man had ever been inside her. Maybe that was macho of him, and very unfair, but it didn't matter, he loved that no one else had been in her mouth or her body. That he'd been her first kiss, her first everything. She belonged to him alone. No one else had even a tiny part of her. Not her heart. Not her soul. Just his.

  "I've never had anything that I wanted just for mine," he admitted softly against her throat. His hand swept down to her left breast. He loved that she more than filled his large palm. She had curves and he was a man to appreciate curves, especially hers.

  His fingers found her nipple and he tugged, catching her breath in his mouth. Catching her breathy little moan. Her nipples were sensitive. He liked that. He liked that she could take rough, but fell apart with gentle. He kissed his way to her right breast, flicking her nipple with his tongue before covering the dark, perfect treat with his mouth and suckling hard.

  Her body arched, pressing her breast deeper into his mouth, and when he rolled and tugged on her left nipple, he was so in tune with her, he felt the electricity himself, a straight line from breast to her hot, wet, channel. Her legs moved restlessly and she bucked her hips.

  "That's it, baby," he murmured softly, taking his fill of her breasts. He switched from one to the other, using the edge of his teeth and the flat of his tongue to drive her up. "Come to me, Kitten. All the way to me."

  She made a soft little mewling sound and the sharp little points of her nails dug into his back. He spent time on her breasts, just the way he had her mouth, sometimes rough and then back to gentle, never letting her find a rhythm. He kept it up until her breath came in soft little gasps. His hand slid between her legs, fingers pushing into her tight sheath.

  He lifted his head to watch her. She was sprawled out, her eyes on his face while his fingers stroked deep inside her.

  "I'm going to . . ." she broke off, her hips undulating, bucking, needing.

  "You're so fucking hot wh
en you come for me," he whispered, meaning it. He loved watching her come. "That's what I want, Cat. Give it to me. Give it all to me." It was always the moment she was the most honest with him because she did give it all to him. To him. Eli. No one else. She came for him.

  Her passage, slick and hot, clamped hard on his fingers, so hard he felt the bite right through his cock. She shuddered, cried out his name, her hands sliding down her own body from the sides of her breasts, along her ribs and belly to frame his hand with her own. All the while her eyes clung to his, while her body sucked at his fingers, pulsing around them, the tight muscles working to draw him deeper.

  He leaned down and sucked her nipple deep into his hot mouth just as her body was settling. Ever so gently he brought his teeth there, biting down just hard enough that she exploded again, her body becoming a vise while his fingers worked her through her second orgasm.

  He loved watching the dazed, helpless expression on her face. He loved the way she said his name, or sometimes, like now, couldn't say it. His name just formed there on her lips and stayed right through her climax. How beautiful and hot was that?

  He wouldn't mind using his mouth on her and tasting all the honey spilling from her body, but he couldn't wait. He needed to be inside of her, and she was ready for him. So hot. So slick. So ready.

  He pushed her knees up, laying each foot flat on the mattress, spreading her thighs. He'd only gotten into her fast and hard, forcing his way through those impossibly tight folds. This time he wanted her to feel him. To know he was inside of her. Eli was in her, not just his cock.

  He let the very crown of his cock nudge into her slick, wet inferno. His body shuddered at the tight squeeze. Her eyes flew to his, her body nearly vibrating with sensation. She tugged her lower lip between her teeth. He nearly groaned. He couldn't stop himself, he leaned down to use his tongue where her teeth had just been. The action pushed his cock just a tiny bit deeper, just enough to feel the ripples of her last orgasm calling to him, beckoning.

  "Can I have you, Kitten? Are you going to give yourself to me this time? I want all of you. Let me have you, baby."