by JF Holland
Sighing again he walked back to the bed and flopped back down. He was bone weary and needed sleep. Being tired on top of everything else was not going to help his temperament. He'd been edgy and snappy a lot lately, understandably so in the circumstances as it had been a long search. He also needed to get laid badly. Now that was the one thing he was really looking forward to once he finally caught up to his errant mate.
Turning over onto his front he closed his eyes and tried to clear his mind. Sleep soon claimed him, but not the pleasant oblivion he sought and so desperately needed. No, his dreams were filled with death and the smell of tinny blood, the scent suffocating, ripe and overpowering in his nostrils. This was the kind of dream that left him with the memory of a throat raw from screaming, and his chest tight from loss.
Chapter Three
Three weeks later in England:
Jaden felt giddy with elation. He'd found her, finally she was within his grasp after he'd landed in Lower Lunaton a few days ago. He'd rode around the small countryside town familiarising himself with the layout of the houses, streets and woods. Tonight he'd come in on foot from the back of the properties. A circuitous route, but the safest for this important reconnaissance mission.
Lying on his belly, in a prone position, he lifted his head and his whiskers twitched as the picked up on his surroundings. His ears moved in different directions as he checked for danger, trying to search out anything else close by. Mouth wide open, he took in all the scents on the wind. Breathing deeply to taste all the information and scents available to him.
A rumble pushed up his throat as he caught the specific one he'd been searching for. The smell of musk, sweet grass, sunshine and fresh air became a thick coating on his tongue making him purr. There she was, his mate. No heavy, cloying perfumes for his woman. Just her own naturally, evocative scent and his tail swished from side to side with approval. Interest evident as he lifted his top lip and gave another chuff, the sound deep and rumbling in the quiet of the night. The rest of the wildlife had gone into hiding as soon as he'd entered the woods, keeping clear of the predator now in their mist. They were safe for tonight though, he had other things to hunt. Tonight's target much more important than chasing a snack - not matter how exhilarating that could be at times.
Dropping lower to the floor, he slunk on his belly through the under bush as he tried to get closer to the back of her property. Head turning from side to side, whiskers constantly quivering as he processed all the information provided through his inbuilt warning system. He was on the lookout for a tree that would take his cats weight. He was large for a Jaguar so he had to find a tree with a good solid branch. One where he could lie and observe the mate fate had chosen for him. Curiosity may kill the cat, but this cat was too full of joy to worry overly much over that old saying at the moment. His nightmare and dry spell of nearly 5-years was coming to a close. After all this time he just wanted to finally get a good look at her. Not that it mattered overly much how she looked because his body would react to her no matter what, fate had ordained it. Although it would be nice to know that the man was attracted and didn't need his imagination to get it up, no matter what the cat, or fate thought.
A sound came to him from the left and he froze, getting even lower. His eyes scanning, ears and whiskers twitching as he held his breath and searched for the threat. A dormouse shot out from under a bush and dove under a tree root making him laugh. The sound coming out as a deeper chuff than normal as it came from the cat's throat. Turning he did another visual sweep before continuing on, his eyes now scanning the trees surrounding him near the edge of the wood. He spotted a large oak that was close to her properties boundaries, so close in fact that a branch overhung her back garden. Lifting his top lip off his canines in a parody of a grin he made his way towards it. Eyes still constantly scanning as he used a stop start motion, freezing after every step he took. A quick movement forward, then complete stillness while he again checked for enemies close by. Coming to the bottom of the tree he looked up, then checked around once more. Quickly he climbed, spine twisting as he made the jump from the lower branches to the one he wanted higher up. He then inched forward until he was as close to the edge as possible. He settled down on his belly, large head resting on his front paws and tail curled around the branch. He could be here a while as he observed what was going on. After a while he became frustrated, he could see a light on in a downstairs window in the house he was watching. His eyesight clear enough to see into the property, but it wasn't enough, nowhere near. He didn't want a vague visual he wanted to see every detail.
Maya, had had a shitty day, constant complaints from customers. Why the hell had she chosen to work in a call centre 2-days per week, what had she been thinking? Well obviously she was thinking she needed to pay her bills and eat, otherwise she'd be content with the 3-days she did at the coffee shop.
Climbing out of her bubble bath, she wrapped her hair in a towel and pulled on a towelling robe, tying the sash around her waist. After drying her legs and feet on another towel she hung it on the heated rail before going into the kitchen. A nice warm drink before bed would help her sleep. Opening the fridge she pulled out a carton of milk and poured it into a mug, then turned on the radio and stood humming along to a tune while she waited for it to warm in the microwave. Her hips swaying to the soft melody, letting out a heavy sigh she let her head drop back on her shoulders as he eyes closed. She continued swaying to the music and with her movement her towel fell, and her hair came loose. It dropped down her back in a riot of big wet curls. Ignoring the fallen towel she lifted her hands to her hair, running them through it as she continued to sway, eyes closed and head still back. A shiver ran down her spine and the hair on the back of her neck stood on end as she felt eyes on her. She straightened turned to check over her shoulder, but the dinging of the microwave interrupted her. The feeling dissipated, and she shrugged it off and continued on to retrieve her drink.
Leaning over counter she flipped off the radio, opened the microwave door and took out her now hot, full fat milk. She didn't care that it wasn't good for you, it had been her go to comfort drink for as long as she could remember. Now bedtime drink in hand she quietly moved towards the back door to check it was locked, jiggling the handle and removing the key. Glancing through the kitchen window, she tried to see what had set off the strange sensation of being watch, but nothing jumped out at her. Nothing was there that shouldn't be. No new shadows in the back garden, nothing at all out of the ordinary. She looked towards the trees, the big oak overhung her garden and she gave it a quick cursory check. Snorting at her own paranoia. Even if there'd been anything there she wouldn't be able to see as it was shrouded in heavy foliage. She was obviously just letting the anxiety of her day get to her. I mean that last customer had threatened to break her face for her if she didn't get him a working phone. She could understand his frustration, but all she did was take the calls not make the blasted phones. Sighing she let it go as she looked through the window. She loved that the tree was there, it had been one of the deciding factors in her renting the property when she'd moved here. She'd loved that from her bedroom window she had a view of fields and trees, so different from the view of her work window in the call centre. All she saw there was traffic, lots and lots of traffic, other businesses and concrete as far as she could see. The same view had come with her apartment near there too that she'd rented when she'd let her great aunts house. It had always left her feeling claustrophobic and trapped. Which was weird as she'd grown up in a big city and she'd loved it. Not that this was a big city, probably no more than around 7,000 residents here and she adored it.
As she'd hit her 21st birthday she'd began to feel that she needed something else and had begun the search for a house with some greenery around her. Space, lots and lots of space and she'd finally come across this one. Putting her cup on the sink unit she bent down for the dropped towel, then walked into the bathroom, folded it up and placed it on the heated towel rail to dry with
the other one. Returning she picked up her cup and made her way into the front room, dropping wearily into the big squashy armchair. It was positioned so she faced the French windows and gave her a view of the trees surrounding the property. They called to her, which again was weird. She had been having the weirdest urge to climb them for a while now, something she hadn't even done as a child. Well, from as far back as she could remember anyway.
Sitting back in the chair she sipped her drink and contemplated the scene through the glass. She loved the view and purposely kept the lights low so she could appreciate the clear night sky. It always made her feel small, the night sky vast, full of stars. A beautiful velvet canvas of colour that made her feel warm and safe. Cocooned within the safety of her own home, the only light source a lamp with a low-watt bulb placed on the side table beside her.
Her shoulders began to loosen as the effects of the warm milk and view began to take effect. She leaned back in the chair as she allowed the warmth from the milk and the dark but visible scenery to lull her. Her eyelids grew leaden as she placed the now empty cup on the side table. Pulling up her legs she tucked them beneath her as her eyes once again began to droop, now much too heavy to keep open. She let out a sigh as she drifted into a light sleep, the fatigue of the day finally catching up with her.
Jaden observed her from the branch he lay on. His breath had hitched as he'd watched how she moved so sensuously to the music. Her hips swaying provocatively as if she was performing a private dance for him alone, but he still hadn’t gotten a proper look at her, and he itched to do so. He contemplated his options, he had excellent vision in his cat form, but he wanted to see her through the eyes of a man. Could he risk shifting so he could get a little closer, take in more detail? His curiosity was definitely piqued from what he'd already seen. He'd watched those big, dark curls drop as her towel had fallen from her head. His hands had practically vibrated with the need to run through it, clench it as he tilted it further back and tasted the skin of her neck. He waited patiently as she settled into her chair, tucking her legs beneath her and watched as her eyes began to close.
Silently he dropped from the tree, landing on his paws and flattened himself against the grass. He didn't want to draw attention to himself so he slowly moved towards the house. Little stop start moves as he commando crawled closer to the window, keeping to the shadow of the fencing between her and her neighbours house.
'So female are you seeing anyone?' Jaden asked the woman as he slowly crept towards the French doors, slightly to one side to keep him in the shadows.
Maya, was drifting in the half awake, half asleep state when the dark voice entered her head and she frowned. He seemed closer somehow?
'I asked you a question female, are you seeing anyone?' Jaden asked again, as he began to shift to his human form. Bones crunching as he began to change shape, fur disappearing and skin once again taking its place. He slowly transformed and contorted from four to two legs, cracking his neck and stretching out his back. Crouching low to the ground again, balancing on the balls of his feet he closed his eyes for a moment and blinked as his vision changed from heat banding to human. He desperately wanted a good look at her as a man, he'd waited a long time for this.
'I don't think that has anything to do with you!' the female responded to his earlier question and Jaden grinned at the pique present in her voice.
'It has everything to do with me,' he replied calmly and heard her snort. He grinned at that one, a quick flash of his white teeth in the shadows. Then he thought of something else, the smile wiped from his face.
'Are you a virgin?' he growled not liking the thought that another man had touched what was his. Weird, he'd never worried about how many men a woman had slept with before, but he did now and it annoyed him. His reaction to her set him on edge and he became sharper with her than he intended.
'Answer me!' he snapped. 'I asked if you were a virgin.'
'Whether I am or I'm not, has absolutely nothing to you,' she snapped back, her own temper flaring at his sharp dictatorial tone.
'Oh, but it does matter. I want to make sure I don't hurt you,' he responded and heard her sharp intake of breath.
'Fuck you, you weirdo. What I do or don't do or even who I do, or don't sleep with - has absolutely nothing to do with you.'
'On the contrary it's I who shall be fucking you,' he told her. A growl rumbled from his chest and he had to clamp down on it, he didn't want to draw attention to himself.
'You arrogant prick. I wouldn't let you near me if you were the last man on earth,' Maya fumed.
'Oh, I'm much more than a man,' he replied. 'You'll find out exactly what that is soon enough.'
'Dream on you sicko. I don't know how you talk to me, or who you think you are? But I'll tell you one thing, you are delusional. You will not be coming anywhere near me.' She spat as her eyes flew open severing their connection.
Oh, things had just gotten interesting. His woman had spirit, and his chest rumbled with agreement. It had been a long time since anyone had defied him. Now if she was the same in the sack as she was in his head, this could prove to be fun. He'd only ever bedded human women, but as his woman had a sharp tongue, then just maybe cats were as volatile in bed as they were in nature. Now that could prove to be truly satisfying. He'd had to temper his bed sport with humans so as not to do them damage, but with her he wouldn't have to do so.
Just maybe he'd been looking at this whole situation wrong these last few years. Maybe he wouldn't just fuck her and fuck off, maybe he'd actually stick around for a while. Well, just for a short time anyway. Just enough time to work her out of his system, long enough to find out exactly what a cat could do in bed given the right motivation. He thought about just walking in there and taking her where she sat, it definitely held appeal. Maybe show her who was boss, but that was just his cat talking, he'd much rather have her willing. He grinned at the idea of cat's mating indoors though, they could do some real damage if either of them shifted. Then there was the noise, house cats were noisy when they mated, never mind big cats. The noise from big cats going at it in a residence would definitely rouse suspicion from the neighbours. He could just imagine the headlines. 'Big cats, snarl and roll around the lawn after coming through the French window,' he had to suppress a laugh at the thought. He could wait, not too much longer, but a few days wouldn't make a huge difference at this point. He now knew where she was, her scent now imprinted on his soul. There was nowhere she'd now be able to go where he wouldn't be able to locate her. After all this time he'd now be able to track her by scent, and he grinned at the knowledge, relief uppermost in his mind. He'd travelled all over searching for her, falling asleep at different hours as he'd tried to work out her location by the time, and time differences. Once he'd arrived back in England he'd known he was getting close as he could connect with her more easily in sleep. The realisation that his search was nearly over had been immense, then he frowned. He still didn't know her bloody name, how the hell had that happened? After all these years of telepathically linking to her in sleep time he'd spoken to her in dreams, spoken of a future together; she'd never once spoken back. He still didn't know the cadence of her voice. In thoughts she'd always seemed so sweet, but that definitely wasn't true.
It had begun years ago, nearly 5-years ago to be exact. First he'd tried wooing, trying to lull her into accepting him, to look on it as a good thing and make it easier on them both. His cat and frustration had gotten the better of him recently though, and he'd tried bullying. He wasn't particularly proud of that fact. He may be arrogant, but he wasn't a bully. He also always had control, but his cat had been getting the better of him lately and that wasn't a good sign for either of them. The thought of everything being out of his hands, having no say or choice in the matter hadn't helped. But he wasn't alone in that, she hadn't had a choice either. Common sense alone told him that, but frustration did strange things to people, made them irrational. He couldn’t believe he didn't know her name though, he shou
ld have found a way to slip it and pick it out. He should be able to call her by name by now. Maybe if he'd had a name it would have made the search easier. That would have to be addressed soon, but it should be fairly easy to find out, it was a small town. Sales men had their uses, and he had just found a new vocation. Then he turned his head to the house next door, or possibly a change of address.
Maya pushed up from the armchair she'd been dozing in and took a deep breath. The nerve of him, who the hell did he think he was? Then she stiffened, sniffing the air, what the hell was that? There was something different about the air, a different smell was present, something she'd not come across before. She didn't know why her sense of smell had improved, but it had. She'd noticed the improvement had come on gradually over the last couple of years. In fact it was now so good that she'd had to stop wearing perfume, or even using scented products. The smell had become rather sickly to her, some aromas unpleasant in the extreme. In fact it had gotten to the point of giving her a headache and making her feel nauseous. She'd had to start using neutral products, natural smells and body lotions because of it. This smell thought she'd definitely not come across before. It wasn't something that was normally in the air either, not in her home or the surrounding area. She took a deeper breath, sifting through the elements prevalent within it and tried to figure out what it was. A little musk, rain, testosterone, so it was a male. Now how the hell did she know that? Shit, was he here? Was that why he sounded so much clearer in her head?