by A. C. Arthur
Then the man inhaled. She could actually hear him taking a deep breath and its exaggerated exhale.
“You got yourself a mate, FL? Weak-assed shadows,” he grumbled. “I’m gonna take pleasure in killing you both. Palermo’ll thank me later.”
“Or I’ll kill you now, take your choice,” Bas replied, his gun arm lifting, aiming.
“I’m gonna rip your throat out, FL!” the man shouted, then roared.
Yes, he roared, long and clear as those freshly painted walls that surrounded her. The sound was pure animal, killer animal, she corrected. She shook all over, her fingers grasping the material of Bas’s T-shirt, her teeth bearing down into her bottom lip to keep from screaming.
Bas fired, one, two, three … and more and more shots until Priya couldn’t hear anymore. She covered her ears, her mouth opened wide releasing a scream that was even silent to her. Then Priya did something she’d never, in all her life done before. As if she had that dingy cartoon damsel-in-distress female tattooed on her forehead, she fainted.
Chapter 18
“He’s gonna kill you for sure now,” announced the slow-talking shifter sitting across the table with his arms and legs shackled.
No, Bas thought, his temples still throbbing from the events of the night. Whoever “he” was, he would certainly kill this character before anyone else for the way he was running off at the mouth. Not that Bas was complaining, oh no, he was more than happy to sit across from him with Jacques standing to the right of them, listening to this idiot tell them everything he knew.
“Why does he want to kill me?” Bas asked.
Beside him Jacques growled, resting his hands on his hips, the right one closer to the gun he had holstered there.
Idiot Shifter’s nose had begun to run, right after he’d shed the first round of tears. Jacques and his team had found this one after he’d walked right through the front door of the resort. In human form, dressed in a golf outfit—complete with the most ridiculous hat ever—no warning bells had gone off with the security down there. Not until his scent sifted throughout the lower floors, but by then he’d disappeared down there and the cat that had traveled with him had been spotted. Then the alarm had gone off and they’d set out to catch the intruders.
“You took something he wants really bad.”
“The drugs,” Bas stated with a nod.
“Yeah, those too. They need to sell that, got lots of buyers chompin’ around for this hot new stuff. But that’s not all, there was something else down there in those caves, something he says is a big fuckin’ deal to some pretty dangerous humans.” He sneezed then and turned his head to his shoulder in an attempt to wipe his nose on the collar of his lemon drop-yellow shirt.
“Who is he?” was Bas’s next question even though—thanks to the cat he’d killed in the bunker—he had a pretty good idea who he was dealing with. He also had no doubt those pretty dangerous humans the rogue mentioned were connected to the Comastaz Labs.
Idiot golfing shifter sniffed and shrugged. “Goes by Mr. P.”
“Creative,” Jacques said with a smirk. “Who was the cat?”
“That’s Black. He came with Mr. P from the East Coast. They got a lot of plans for the operation here. I’m new, just started yesterday.”
That’s great, his resume would be short and sweet. Bas leaned forward, flattening his palms on the table. “I’ve got a message for you to take back to Mr. P,” Bas told him with a smirk.
The shifter shrugged again and Bas resisted the urge to punch him just for being the idiot snitch for these devious bastards. Instead, he was going to send Mr. P, also known as Palermo Greer, a nice little care package, one that would warn him in no uncertain terms not to fuck with Bas again.
Minutes later Bas was leaving the bunker with Jacques right behind him. “Burn that cat and put his ashes in a box with their signature mark on it. Send the box to Greer, with a message.”
Jacques nodded, probably reading Bas’s mind as to what the message should say.
“Tell him if he wants me, to grow some balls and come get me himself.” Bas stalked away, slamming his palm into the elevator button.
But as he waited he changed his mind. Upstairs was just one more issue for him to deal with and dammit, he was bone tired. The rush of adrenaline at hunting shifters combined with the general irritation with two of his soldiers then the surprise arrival of his sexy-as-hell, nosy little reporter.
His temples throbbed as he leaned backward to stretch his back. That action only fueled an already burning fire. He’d been trying like hell to ignore the persistent rustling at his spine, the pressure in his temples that was more than just tension. His shoulders burned, even though he’d tried rotating them a few times in search of release. The partial shift he’d allowed earlier in his office hadn’t helped. It wanted out and Bas was too damned tired to stop it any longer.
On a long curse, just as the elevator door opened, he turned away and headed for the double doors leading outside.
Down the small incline there was a path that Bas had purposely kept flanked by tall trees to provide much more than just shade. The path followed a winding uphill passage to the balcony of his room. In the opposite direction it led right into the forested area that was otherwise gated off from the resort guests. The walk was too long and the brush there too thick for any of them to ever try exploring even if they ignored the restricted area signs.
That’s where Bas was headed. And once he reached the fence he unlatched it and stripped. A box that looked like it held electrical wires and such opened at his touch and key-code entry and he placed his clothes in there. Then Bas dropped to his knees, lifted his head, and allowed his cat the freedom it requested.
The cracking of bones was a welcome sound as his spine expanded, his limbs thinning, yet growing even stronger. Like a shiver moving from head to toe, soft golden fur rippled through every pore. Night air reached its nose and there was a muted sneeze, then a brunt chuffing that announced the cat’s arrival. Remnants of the rogues that had invaded this area still lingered in the air, fueling the cat’s fire, so to speak. It took off into the darkness without further thought, running upward, upward over the red butte rocks it was accustomed to, through the trees and draped by the darkness of night. It ran free, ran long and hard all the while still yearning for more.
From her.
* * *
Priya awoke alone in the center of Bas’s bed surrounded by darkness. She sat straight up in the bed, looking around to no avail. He wasn’t here. She knew that without even getting out of the bed to inspect the rest of the rooms.
Folding her legs beneath her she rested her elbows on her thighs and replayed the events of the night. Bas’s touch was electrifying. His kisses were smoldering. The feel of his strength and experience between her legs was … well, mind-blowing. A gentle tugging at her center seconded that emotion.
But that wasn’t the part of the evening she wanted to replay. Priya had had questions before. Those questions had been the sole reason for her coming across the country. That original question was further corroborated by another glimpse of those strange eyes that night out in the desert. But tonight, tonight there had been so much more. By way of questions, that is. Why had Jewel been down in the basement and where had she gone to after they’d made it outside? And who had made that roaring sound? Priya was positive it had been a who and not a what, or quite possibly a what that could also be a who. The final question, or the most alarming realization of the night was that Sebastian Perry was a killer. He was gorgeous, rich, and one hell of a lover and he was also a coldhearted killer.
Closing her eyes, she jolted at the memory of him shooting that big man, shooting him so many times he could be nothing else but dead. And she was now a witness to that illegal act.
On a groan she fell back against the pillows, letting her arms drop over her eyes. She’d done it this time, she’d gone way beyond the boundaries of what she should have. And it was all to save her brother who
had never done anything in his life to save himself.
To say she’d failed dismally was an understatement.
All she had was an instant replay of a murder and a persistent ache at her center that she feared only one man would ever be able to soothe again. And if she stayed in this place a moment longer the situation would probably only worsen. She should have left earlier, she shouldn’t have been swayed by his smooth deep voice, his seductive eyes, or that goddamned pool.
Shaking her head she got out of the bed and fumbled until she found her purse and cell phone. Using the flashlight app she’d downloaded, she searched around until she found every piece of her clothing, stuffing them into her bag. Remembering how to open the door, she let herself out of the bedroom and moved into the living room. She was a few steps from the front door when she heard a sound coming from the balcony. The blinds were still drawn but the door they’d come through earlier this evening after their dinner and … well, after all that, was still revealed. Meaning the blinds to hide it hadn’t retracted so she had a glimpse of outside.
There was another sound, like furniture being moved and she stilled. Priya looked at the door to the balcony once more then turned to head toward the door that would take her out of here instead. And that’s when she heard the next weird sound. It wasn’t a growl, she instantly told herself, more like a muted gruff, or a really, really, deep-throated groan.
Go, Priya. Just turn around and go home, she told herself but “herself” obviously wasn’t listening as she moved to the balcony door instead.
Okay then, just take a peek then you can go. There’s nothing for you here, nobody that can help Malik but you, just like always.
Her words to herself really were falling on deaf ears when she looked down to her hand as it pushed at the glass on the door, searching for a way to open it. After pushing it all around the base with no success, she sighed.
See, it’s fate telling you to get out while the getting’s good.
But just as she took another step there was another sound. This, she knew without a second thought. It was a deep and painful sound and it was coming from the balcony. Fear was a funny thing. In the normal world, to normal people, it usually caused an instant fight-or-flight reaction. When it came to animals versus people the consensus rang true with flight. But not with Priya. Not tonight.
She banged on the glass so hard with her fists she thought she might actually break through it. Instead a slow beeping started on the wall and right beside her one of those control pads were revealed. Cursing, she pressed the green button so hard her finger burned. As soon as the glass door slid to the side she stepped outside. The sound was gone and she cursed.
Again, there was a part of her brain that said she should have chosen the flight response about three minutes ago, but alas, she ignored it. Following her instincts she walked around the balcony to where she remembered the stairs leading to the pool. Running up the few steps, she continued to survey the area, not really knowing why but looking for those ominous glowing eyes. What she found was so much more.
It came out of nowhere, teeth bared, a roar echoing in the night. A huge cat, cheetah or leopard or something. Even without a positive identification or introduction Priya could do nothing but scream. And when it charged at her she screamed again, backing up until she fell right into the pool. Priya fought her way to the surface, swimming to the opposite side of the pool as fast as she could. Then she climbed out because in the pool she was definitely a sitting duck—no pun intended.
Dripping wet, she looked around for the animal but didn’t see it. Good! she sighed to herself then headed back the way she’d come. She was getting the hell out of this place. Big cats, big men being shot to death, sexy men giving her more orgasms than she’d ever had in one night, it was all too damned much for one woman to take.
The minute she cleared those three steps and turned that corner, Priya’s thoughts immediately took another turn. The cat was sitting in front of the door and when it looked at her this time a spark of recognition soared through her body, resting immediately between her legs.
“No,” she whispered, her head shaking from side to side. “Bas?”
Chapter 19
Perryville
The cat took a step forward.
Priya swallowed hard, clenching and unclenching her fingers at her sides. Her mind whispered for her to take a step forward, but the message failed to be transmitted to her feet. She backed up instead. She was dripping wet, her heartbeat echoing in her ears as her conscience screamed, Run! Run! Run!
The cat came closer, its back hunching with every move. Its mouth was closed, a deep growling sound accompanying its movements. She tried to look at the eyes; they were golden, not glowing as she’d witnessed before, just gold and staring at her as it drew closer.
Yeah, it was coming closer.
Priya backed up again and remembered the last time she’d continued on this course it had ended with her falling into the pool. So this time she turned and ran, realizing too late that she had nowhere to go because she was on the balcony. But then how did this cat appear out of nowhere? If it could get onto the balcony, could she get off? She ran back up the steps and headed in the direction from which she’d seen the cat emerge.
The cat must have figured the same thing as it leaped past her, rounding in front of her once more. She came to an immediate stop, so immediate that it threw off her balance and she fell backward, landing on her butt with a loud smack against the concrete.
Priya cursed, crab-walking backward this time in an effort to get away. But there was no getting away, she thought dismally. The cat approached. More like stalked right in front of her. Not bothering with the swift kill, just taking its time, taunting her, watching her. That thought brought her gaze back to its eyes and she stopped moving entirely.
There was something there, something very familiar that she couldn’t outrun even if her feet were fast enough or there were some divine intervention strong enough to get her the hell out of here.
“It can’t be,” she whispered, knowing that the words were in direct contradiction to the reason she was here in the first place.
She closed her eyes, thought about counting to ten and hoping to wake up from this horrific dream. Instead, when she reopened them the cat was standing right beside her, its huge head only inches away from her face. Priya opened her mouth to scream for help. But instead, “Bas?” was the name that tumbled free.
A sound that could be construed as a hoarse sort of bark—if it were a dog, she thought with a mental kick to the clearly erroneous comparison—came from the animal. It was a cat, not a dog—a big-assed cat that was now towering over her. Her heartbeat was still fast and loud, signaling that at least some part of her realized she should be scared as hell right at this moment.
Other parts of her, the very female and totally traitorous parts, pushed her to reach out, to touch him—not it.
“No,” she whispered, shaking her head and moving back again. She stopped suddenly, had no choice really when the top of her head met the wall. She yelped and lifted a hand to her head.
The cat was there in an instant, moving so quietly she would have never known it moved at all had she not seen it. She hurried to sit up straight, to have both her hands free just in case.
But as she lowered her hand from her head the cat dipped its large crown so that her fingers brushed over its fur, its soft-as-silk fur. Priya gasped but she didn’t pull away, she let shaking fingers linger over the path downward to its nose. It sniffed her and she didn’t recoil. Instead, her nipples hardened.
“You’re Sebastian,” she stated.
There was no question in her voice, none in her mind as she continued to look down into those eyes. Lifting her other hand, she cupped the head of the big cat as if she were its trainer or something other than an enormously foolish person. But she wasn’t foolish and she—miraculously—wasn’t afraid.
The cat moved in closer, lowering its front legs,
resting its head on her thighs like a baby. It had been breathing heavily; she could see its flanks moving up and down in a rapid fashion that almost matched the beat of her heart. But now, as it rested on her lap, the heart rate slowed, both their heart rates slowed. She rubbed along its back, letting more of its fur ruffle through her fingers as the revelation truly hit her. There were cat people in this world and she’d had sex with one of them.
* * *
Bas’s shift back was slow so as not to startle Priya. Well, not to startle her any more than he already had. The fact that he was now a naked human laying his head in her lap didn’t really make things much better.
She gasped and jumped a little so that his head lolled and almost connected with the concrete. Then her hands went to his shoulders, stilling him instantly. Tentative fingers ran along his shoulder blades slowly, down farther. Warmth spread immediately, swirling at every inch of his skin that she touched. Inside his cat purred as her fingers moved over the tribal tat that occupied his entire back. It was a very large, artistic display of the tribe he’d dedicated his life to, the cat he wouldn’t be here without. And Priya was touching it, she was looking at it and wondering. There were questions in her mind and her eyes, but there was no fear.
Sure her heart beat rapidly, her breathing hitching as she looked at him completely naked, after seeing what he could become. But there was no fear, the scent she held was drastically different and his body instantly responded.
Giving up the warmth she’d been offering his cat and the exploration she took of the man, Bas rolled away, coming to a sitting position beside her. He lifted his knees so his obvious nudity wasn’t bursting onto the scene the way his cat had.
“Now you know,” he commented with a resigned sigh.
Beside him she grappled for words, opening and closing her mouth so loudly he heard her teeth clicking. He couldn’t help but chuckle.
“Ever since I first met you you’ve been asking one question after another, assuming one thing or something else. The only time you weren’t on your interrogation spree was…” He hesitated as his body warmed with the thought. “And now, you’re silent.”