by Unknown
“Lucky man. I’m waiting on my girl now. Your girl got a name?”
The man hesitated with the rim of the glass perched on his bottom lip. His eyes were bloodshot as hell and glazed over to the point that Kane wondered how the man could see in front of his face.
“Yeah—uhm—” He hesitated after every word.
“She does or she doesn’t?”
“Well, I’m sure she does, but for the life of me I can’t remember what it was.” He snorted as he tossed down the last of his tequila. His face screwed up at the taste and Kane wondered for a moment if he was going to throw up. Either way, he was prepared to move fast.
“Well, bud, I’m not sure whether that’s good or bad. Guess it depends on if you want to see her again. A woman doesn’t like a man who can’t remember her name.” Kane swallowed back his own urge to vomit at the sight of this lowlife who sure as hell didn’t deserve to even breathe the same air as Lara, let alone fuck her.
Whoa, where the hell did that come from?
His words must have hit home as the man turned away from him and called after the bartender again. He even turned to his other side and struck up a conversation with the man sitting there. Damn it!
This wasn’t going to work. Kane obviously couldn’t play nice, and the longer he sat there the stronger the urge became to kill him and put him out of everyone’s misery.
Kane threw down some bills and headed to the parking lot. He could either wait outside and take care of things the old-fashioned way or go next door and wait in the strip club. Either way, he was out of there.
***
Kane paced along the tree line that surrounded most of the bar parking lot. Two hours had passed and the little shit had yet to come outside. He had leaned against the building wishing for a cigarette, then sat in his Jeep listening to some rock music, and when he finally tired of doing nothing he hit the edge of the woods and shifted. The brush was dense and the parking lot not all that well lit, so it was easy for him to hide without losing sight of the entrance doors to both clubs.
More than once he’d considered the other club. He could slip in, find a nice girl to take him home, and maybe then he would finally stop having all those fucked up thoughts about a woman with a death wish. Strippers were usually a lot of fun, always willing to try new things. Not so uptight like most of the feline bitches in his clan.
A couple of times the door of the club opened and he’d gotten a glimpse of naked flesh wrapped around a silver pole, long dark hair that brushed the ground with every dip, and long, long legs that seemed to go on and on. He shook his muzzle. Yeah, he needed an outlet real bad.
A run would help; it wasn’t as if this idiot would be hard to track later. He wanted to talk to him now, though, while her scent was fresh. Kane would give him another ten minutes and then he was going in. He took a few more minutes to enjoy the cool grass underneath his paws, and even scratched at the tree, stretching his legs and sharpening his already lethally sharp claws.
He envisioned being back in human form and he thought of Lara. His body shifted from cougar to human and he looked at himself. It irked him to see his arousal jutting out from his hips. He couldn’t understand how thoughts of the woman he’d been sent to kill could make him harder than he’d ever experienced in his life. It wasn’t right to want to fuck the woman who’d been trying to kill his brother for weeks. The day Lucas had left the clan he’d received orders to hunt her down and eliminate her. The council didn’t like the idea of a witch on the loose who was not only willing and able to use black magic, but had made several attempts on the Enforcers. An offense punishable by death.
Yet, every time he closed his eyes he saw images of her. He couldn’t deny she was a beautiful woman, even with the constant scowl on her face when looking at him or his brothers. Her eyes, well, they haunted him day and night. She may have been a tough bitch, but if the eyes are supposed to be the windows to the soul, then she hid far more about her than what she allowed on the surface.
He’d seen flashes of anger, distrust, and pain, but there had been even more if he wasn’t mistaken, and his instincts usually weren’t. She hated them, and he wanted an answer to that. Hatred like he’d seen didn’t come from nowhere. There was a lot more to her story and he planned to get to it sooner or later. Once he captured her, the council could afford to wait a few days for him to carry out her sentence. He would have his answers first.
He crossed to the rock he’d stowed his clothes behind and donned his jeans, button-down shirt, and shit kickers. His patience had run out and it was time to go inside and drag the little fucker outside. He stormed across the parking lot once again and the door popped open, and the man Kane had been waiting for stumbled out. If Kane had thought the man was drunk a couple of hours ago, he was positively loaded now.
This wasn’t going to be any fun. While he’d been spoiling for a fight, the stumbling, bleary-eyed man could barely walk let alone take him on. Still, when Lara’s scent overpowered the reek of alcohol and sweat, rage bubbled in Kane’s blood. This man had done more than just touch her, and for that he should die. She was his.
Fuck! He couldn’t keep having stray thoughts like that. It wasn’t right. She was a dead woman.
But first...
He grabbed the man by the collar of his shirt and threw him back against the building like a rag doll. The sound of his body crashing might have been loud, but Kane heard nothing beyond the blood rushing in his head. He let out a cry before pouncing against the guy and pinning him to the wall.
“What the—” The man’s eyes widened to huge orbs. Shock glared from his face.
“Tell me about her.”
“Her? Her who? What the hell?”
Kane shoved his arm across the man’s throat and applied hard pressure against the windpipe, cutting off his air supply. “Do not fuck with me. Not if you want to wake up tomorrow to your pitiful existence in this shithole town.”
Hands frantically clawed at his forearm as the man struggled for breath, but Kane couldn’t be budged. It would be so easy, even in human form, to just kill him. Precious seconds ticked by and he removed his arm, the man falling unconscious to the ground at his feet.
Kane grabbed him by the scruff of his neck and dragged him to the woods. This conversation would be best had in private, and he didn’t want to have to take care of someone else who might exit the bar at a really bad time.
He didn’t have to walk far before he found a small clearing that even had some light from the near full moon above. He shook the man awake and had to restrain himself from laughing out loud at the fear written all over his face. Served the bastard right.
He took a few steps away. “Don’t even think about running. You could never move faster than me and you’ll just piss me off even more.”
“What do you want from me? I don’t have any money.”
Kane released a sigh of frustration. “Focus, you idiot. This is not me robbing you. The girl. I want to know everything about the girl.”
“What girl?”
Kane crossed back to the man in one big stride and slammed his fist into his face. The man cried out and stumbled back a few feet. His hand cradled his face as drops of blood ran from his nose.
“The girl whose scent is all over you. What do you know about her?” The man hesitated. He was probably afraid to say the wrong thing. “You mean the hot chick I met at Junior’s earlier this evening?” Kane glared, waiting for the man to go on.
“Why didn’t you just say so, dude? I’m more than happy to pass on her information. She was all over me earlier tonight.” When Kane made a move again towards him he raised his hands in resistance. “Whoa, hold on. It was the dance floor. We just danced. She your old lady or something?”
“Or something.”
“Well, you might want to have a chat with her, ’cause she was all over every man there. Flirting and rubbing up against them. Hard to resist such a fine, fine woman, you know?”
Kane wondered i
f this idiot had any brain cells at all. It should have been obvious to anyone by now that he was holding onto control by a thread, yet the asshole kept babbling on about Lara in a way that incited him.
“Where is she?”
“I don’t know. Last time I saw her was over at Junior’s before he kicked me out. Stupid bastard, I wasn’t even doing anything.
“Yeah, I just bet you weren’t. Did she say anything at all to you?
“Just that she wanted to fu—” The man’s few smarts must have finally kicked in, or maybe the warning snarl that had escaped Kane’s mouth unbidden woke him up.
“What else?”
“That’s it. Really, she wanted me to meet her at the Happy Hills Motel for some uhm—further discussion.”
“Yeah, I’ll just bet she did.”
Luckily Kane already knew where the motel was. It sat just a few miles outside the center of town secluded in the woods except for the blinking sign out on the roadside. Perfect.
“Leave.” The man stood frozen to the spot, looking confused. “Leave now or die here.” Kane’s words finally sank in when the man shuffled past him and headed for the parking lot. Kane waited until he heard a car screeching before he dug into his jeans and pulled out his keys.
He had a bitch to corral.
Chapter Two
Lara smiled to herself as the man stumbled to his car, wild fear evident on his face. His hands shook as he tried to fit his key into the lock, but instead he dropped them to the ground. He had no idea how lucky he was to be walking away from a confrontation with a black cougar. They weren’t exactly known for patience or respect for human life.
She curled her upper lip at the sheer brutality of their ways and, even worse, how they followed orders blindly. Just thinking of them disgusted her, especially the one who hunted her. She wondered if he’d figured out yet that the hunter had become the prey.
Tired of watching the nasty man who’d been one of many she had touched tonight in her effort to lure the cougar, she started up her car without the headlights. After a quick U-turn, Lara headed back to the motel to finish her final preparations. She imagined Kane had no trouble getting the information from the weak man and she wanted to be ready to welcome him when he arrived.
She’d set the trap up days ago after leaving a trail into this nothing little mountain town, and Kane had shown up as expected. She was going to have such a good time tonight.
Her chest tightened. If she wanted Kane dead, why in hell did she keep having pangs of regret when she thought about him too long? Not to mention the night sweats and aching arousal that left her panties wet every single day. There was no denying that danger and a dominant man got her going, but this was ridiculous. Normal people weren’t supposed to lust after someone they planned to kill. That would be twisted.
Lara shook her head to rid herself of all the crazy thoughts. It was too late to turn back now. Kane was one of the them and his turn was here...tonight.
She barreled into the parking lot of the motel, killed her lights once again, and pulled around back. She spotted a black van to park next to and drove into the spot smoothly, listening to her baby rumble. No point in trying to hide, he had her scent and nothing within a fifty-mile radius could conceal her, if that. No, she had laid the trap and all that was left to do was spring it.
She grabbed her shoulder bag and locked up the car before she headed to her room. Nestled in the corner underneath the stairs at the far end of the building, the room was chosen because of its privacy. There were only a few people staying here, so it was unlikely that anyone would interfere, but she did everything possible to avoid unnecessary chances. She had scoped out the town for three days before settling on the perfect location. She’d only get one chance at this, so it had to work. It was time for the cold and heartless cougars to cease existing.
She hurried inside and swung the door closed, purposely leaving it an inch ajar. She threw her bag into the corner of the dingy room as she hustled to check on her supplies. He would be right behind her.
She recited the spell she’d written in her head a few times to be sure she remembered every word, although she knew that wouldn’t be a problem. It was just an excuse to calm her nerves. While she didn’t believe in the legends involving the black cougars, she did know first hand how powerful they could be. Being called agents of death for centuries tended to keep people in line whether they could back it up or not. They were glorified killers, plain and simple. Innocent or not didn’t matter when it came to their victims. If the council ordered a kill, they killed.
She looked over at the bowl holding the necessary ingredients to work the spell, and the picture of her beloved mother propped behind it. A glance in the mirror and she saw the spitting image of her. The same raven black hair that always fell in her eyes, the dimpled chin she used to poke at when she was a child, and the high cheek bones men called striking in her mother. She still missed her every single day.
A slight creak of the railing outside her door alerted her to a presence. She jumped into place and quickly willed everything but him from her mind as she inhaled a slow, deep breath. Showtime.
The door nudged open inch by inch as he moved slowly forward. She stood in the corner across the room, so he wouldn’t be able to see her until he actually stepped inside. She sucked in a deep breath and held it as he approached.
One black-booted foot entered a few seconds before he peered around the door. When he didn’t see her he pushed inside a little bit more and took the final step into the room she needed. Without hesitation she started the chant. Quietly at first.
When in the circle that is mine
Safety’ gone and evil roams
Hold this being from within
So heed this call.
She whispered the words again and again, stronger each time until her voice was loud and clear and Kane stood in the doorway staring at her.
“What have you done?”
She glanced down at his feet and stared. He followed her gaze and a stream of curses flew from his mouth as he realized he’d stepped right into her circle and she’d just bound him to it.
“You bitch.”
Her lips spread into a grin she hoped was as wicked as she felt. “Don’t try foreplay with me, you’ll find yourself neutered faster than you can say that word again.”
“You can’t hold me here.”
His arrogance wiped the smile from her face as her brow arched in his direction. “Hmm, let’s see. You’re stuck there and I’m roaming free. In my book that means I do whatever the hell I want and you can’t do a thing about it.”
A low snarl sounded from his throat as sharp canines peeked from beneath a curled lip. “What do you want then? A chance to beg for your life?”
It would be a cold day in hell before she begged for anything from him, but she thought about his other question. What did she want? Just him dead, right? She looked at him, really looked at him. It had been weeks since she’d seen him last, and unfortunately he looked even better than she remembered. His spiked, short hair had grown out since then and it was messier and in desperate need of a comb, or maybe her fingers running through it.
His eyes, glaring at her, were dark, like coal in anger. She stood too far away to make out the flecks of gold she’d seen before. The grim line of his lips against the square, firm jaw made her want to laugh out loud. He was damned irresistible right now. It wasn’t right for him to look so—so sinful. He made her think of sex. Sex on the floor, sex on the wall, sex damn near any which way she could get it.
She let out a slow, unsteady breath. She had to stop thinking about him like that; the time for fun was long gone.
“I’m tired of playing with you, cat. It’s time to end this.”
“What exactly is this?” His hands gestured around them. “You’re a criminal, Lara. One who now has a death sentence against her.”
“I’m not the one who deserves to die.” Her anger fired hot and she practically spat at him.
“You and yours are the only criminals as far as I’m concerned. You’re just afraid for someone to finally expose you for what you really are.” She turned away from him. What she felt when she looked at him and what she knew were at odds, and it drove her crazy. Nerve endings sizzled as desire warred with the facts her brain wouldn’t let her forget.
“You aren’t making any sense. Make me understand what this is all about.”
She whirled back around and stalked across the room, careful not to get too close to the circle, which could weaken.
“Tell me something, Kane. Before you kill, do you even take the time to learn something about your victim?”
“What the hell kind of question is that? I don’t take lives because I enjoy it. I do it because it has to be done, it’s a duty—a job. Without order and rules our secrets can’t be maintained. And then people like you start hunting us, wanting to kill all of us because you fear the unknown. We aren’t evil, you know. Hell, I’m standing in a spell you created with black magic, talk about evil. You of all people should understand different. So what exactly is your damage?”
“My damage?” She wanted to reach through the barrier holding him and slap the crap out of him, maybe knock some sense into that pretty boy head of his. What had she been thinking? “How can you be sure you aren’t killing the innocent? Do you ever question the validity and integrity of your precious council?”
“Why should I? Every case is presented and voted on by unbiased members of our clan. It’s their duty to ensure everyone a fair trial and our system has worked well for a very long time.”
“Like with me?” His blind faith burned in her gut worse than a wicked case of indigestion that wouldn’t go away no matter how many antacids you popped.
“I witnessed your treachery with my own eyes. You tried to hurt my brother's mate.The evidence is pretty cut and dry.” His voice had lowered, and if she didn’t know better she could have sworn she detected a thread of sadness. In fact, now that she thought about it, he didn’t seem all that angry about being trapped. Did he not believe she would really kill him? Would she?