Belong To The Night

by Shelly Laurenston

  She was so fucking beautiful. Liam stared up at Sadie, at her glowing eyes and red lips, and his cock swelled even more within her slick depths.

  Oh, damn, but her climax was milking him. Squeezing him so tightly in her warm, wet sex.

  But he didn’t want to come yet. Not yet.

  She let go of his hands. Smiled at him, the smile that always made his mouth go dry and his cock twitch.

  “I want a bite,” she said, her voice husky. Pure damn temptation.

  He almost came. His heels dug into her sheets. He wasn’t going to last much longer. She was so hot and snug.

  Sadie bent over him, and her nipples pressed into his chest. Beautiful nipples. Red like cherries, with tight tips. He loved her breasts. Loved having them in his mouth. Sucking them until her face flushed and the scent of her arousal filled his nostrils.

  His hands caught her hips, urging her closer. His fingers locked on the round curves of her arse.

  Beautiful arse. Now he’d like to bite—

  Her lips brushed the curve of his neck. She kissed him, mouth open.

  Then his Sadie bit him and Liam’s control vanished with a roar.

  He came, exploding deep within her body. The release was savage. So strong his whole body shook and so good—oh, fuck, so good.

  Sadie.

  She kept riding him as he came. Kept lifting her hips, sweeping her sex over his sensitive flesh.

  The release wiped him out, hollowed him, and made him crave more.

  He shuddered and wanted her blood.

  Wanted his bite.

  How did I walk away from this? From her? The questions flashed through his mind.

  How the hell had he been strong enough to leave her before?

  She raised her head. Licked her plump lips and—he kissed her. And started thrusting again.

  Her sex was swollen and still so wonderfully wet. He moved slowly at first, as his cock began to grow within her.

  Then the thrusts became stronger. The kiss harder.

  She broke free from him. Pushed up on her knees. Sadie looked down, and he followed her gaze. The head of his cock was inside of her, shielded by the light covering of her blond curls.

  She took all of him inside.

  Liam pressed his lips together. A bite, just one—

  She was too far away from him. Fully on her knees. He pushed up, managing to shove even deeper into her.

  The pleasure on her face made him crazy.

  Bloodlust rose, so hot and powerful that he started to turn away from her.

  “No!”

  Her nails—no, too sharp for mere nails—dug into his shoulders. His gaze shot back to her face.

  He watched, stunned, as she tipped her head back and bared her throat. “Your turn.”

  His arms clamped around her. Liam’s right hand pulled back her hair, as his left stroked her throat.

  And his cock was still deep in her sheath.

  Her knees were on either side of his hips. Face to face now, they stared at each other. Black eyes to gold.

  Her sex rippled around him, a silken glide that had him groaning. Her pulse raced, he could hear the drumming, the soft whoosh of her blood.

  He would take it, as he took her.

  Liam pierced her flesh. Tasted the wild flavor of her blood.

  Her inner muscles clamped around, squeezing, tightening.

  He drank.

  They climaxed. An explosion of sensation that rocked between them both. Waves of fiery pleasure, consuming.

  Liam could feel Sadie, inside, out, her mind, spirit…

  All of her.

  In that one, blinding instant, when the world disappeared in a veil of red, she was completely his.

  And he was hers.

  His teeth withdrew.

  Liam pressed a kiss to her throat.

  His.

  Now they were both marked. Beyond flesh.

  How the hell did I let her go? The question rose again, and he knew, there would be no escape for Sadie this time.

  Beyond flesh.

  Chapter Six

  Staying in bed, having pillow talk—well, that really wasn’t an option for them.

  Sex with Liam had been necessary, as vital as breathing for Sadie. She’d had to feel his flesh within her.

  To make absolutely certain that Liam was all right—alive, or, at least still undead.

  But they had a killer to catch. As much as she would have liked to stay in that bed with him all night, a job waited.

  Sadie’s life wasn’t an easy one. Not a lot of down time for a leopard shifter who spent her nights tracking killers.

  There was fresh blood on the streets. She had to hunt, no, they had to hunt.

  So less than an hour later, she and Liam were scouring the streets of Miami. Her nostrils twitched as she fought to catch the scent of the other leopard. But she didn’t detect the deep, musky odor. Just caught the smell of cigarettes, car exhaust, whiskey, and too expensive perfume.

  “Anything?” Liam asked.

  Sadie shook her head. “Not yet.” But she’d find him. Her gut told her that the leopard hadn’t turned tail and fled the city. Not his style.

  He’d needed to heal, just as Liam had, and when his strength was back—could already be back—he’d hunt again.

  She wasn’t in the mood to find any more savaged human women. Women whose bodies had been tossed into trees and left for their blood to drip onto the ground.

  In the wild, leopards often stashed their prey in trees to keep other predators, like lions, from taking their precious food. The better to savor the meal.

  This was Miami, not the wild, and the leopard was leaving his kills in the trees for one reason: to make the humans afraid. To leave them a message.

  There’s something in the night you need to fear.

  Yet despite his taunting warning, the streets were packed this night.

  More prey, just waiting.

  “They don’t believe what they see,” Sadie whispered, feeling Liam come to a stop behind her. “They won’t know what’s coming for them until it’s too late.” A human would be no match for a full grown male leopard shifter. The leopards were so strong.

  “We’re going to find him.” Liam sounded certain. “The bastard can’t hide forever.”

  But he could kill again, before they found him. He could—

  The cell phone on her hip vibrated. Sadie had the phone out, open, and at her ear in two seconds time. “Miller?” He’d be the only one to contact her now.

  “Brently and Moore Street.” The special agent’s voice was thick with excitement. “Abandoned house. Got a phone tip—some guy swears he saw a jungle cat crawling into the house.”

  No, it couldn’t be this easy…could it?

  “He wants animal control,” Miller continued, “he’s getting us.”

  Sadie turned, her gaze meeting Liam’s. “On our way.”

  The FBI team wouldn’t go in without her. Miller understood what he was facing.

  She ended the call. Raised her brows. “Our hunt just got a hell of a lot easier.” Maybe. The leopard should have been too skilled at camouflage to be seen, but perhaps he’d been so badly hurt that he couldn’t properly cover himself.

  Perhaps.

  “Keep your guard up,” she told him.

  Leopards loved to lure their prey in close—close enough to kill.

  “Lance says the leopard’s smell is all over the damn house.” Miller stood behind an unmarked police car, his brown eyes glaring at the small house across the street. Boarded windows. Slumping roof. Overgrown yard.

  Sadie’s nostrils flared. “He’s right.” Her hands clenched into fists. The scent of the leopard was everywhere. So heavy.

  Too heavy?

  She could just make out claw marks along the top of the old porch. Embedded deep into the faded white wood that clung to the front of the house.

  “I’m going in—”

  “We are,” Liam corrected softly.


  She gave a grim nod. “Keep everyone else back. Let’s make sure there aren’t any surprises waiting for us.”

  “James.” Miller lifted his hand, palm up, and motioned toward the waiting house. “This show’s yours.”

  Because a charmer knew better than to tangle with the killer that waited.

  Sadie and Liam went in fast. Guns up and ready. She didn’t shift, couldn’t, with so many people around. So, this time, she was going to use cold bullets. The right aim, and the leopard would be out, permanently.

  They sidled up to the house. Swept to the left, keeping cover in the overgrown grass as much as possible. Sadie had her eyes on the second window on the left side, the one criss-crossed by two boards. One yank should have those down, then they’d be inside.

  “So much blood…” Liam’s voice was a breath of sound behind her.

  Her head moved in the slightest of nods. The coppery odor was even stronger now. And the blood smelled very, very fresh.

  What if he had another victim in there? She could smell the traces of a human’s presence. The faded whisp of perfume. A woman. Was another victim inside?

  Or was that just the scent memory of one of those poor women he’d killed?

  No time to waste.

  Sadie reached the window first. But Liam’s hands lifted before her. He had the boards down, ripped away without so much as a sound.

  Then it was her turn.

  Sadie dove through the window, landing in a crouch, gun ready, eyes searching the darkness to find—

  A large gold and black spotted leopard. On the ground. Covered in blood. Barely moving, gasping for breath.

  Thud. Thud…

  A weakening drum—his heart struggling to beat.

  “Search the rest of the house!” Her order was given instantly.

  Never let down your guard.

  She’d learned that lesson long ago.

  Liam moved like a shadow, drifting soundlessly through the small rooms.

  “Clear.” His gaze swept back to the leopard. “Looks like the bastard won’t be a problem much longer.” He unhooked the radio on his hip and called out to Miller.

  The rest of the cavalry would be inside the place in moments.

  Sadie couldn’t take her gaze off the leopard. Golden fur matted red. She stepped forward. “We’re with the FBI…” Why was she bothering with the whole spiel? Miller would order him dead the minute he walked into the house.

  Not that it looked like the leopard would live much longer anyway.

  A whimper rolled from his throat. A stark cry of pain and fear.

  Her nose twitched. The scent of the leopard—it wasn’t quite right.

  Not as musky as before.

  But maybe the blood was just too strong.

  Maybe.

  “Fuck, the bastard’s still alive.” Miller’s voice. He’d stepped into what amounted to the den in the house. Sadie turned her head and found him glaring at the trembling leopard. He’d come in alone, for the time being. As she watched, Miller pushed back his jacket and reached for his gun. “This one’s not going in—”

  “No!” The cry burst from her lips, instinct kicking into high gear.

  Miller’s eyes widened and an are-you-insane look covered his face.

  The scent should have been the same. “Don’t—don’t kill him yet.” Because dammit, something was off here.

  His eyebrows shot up. “James, you know what we have to do. That jerkoff’s been slicing women to bits. Rehabilitation is not gonna work for him.”

  Yeah, right, as if there were a monster rehabilitation program. The powers that be would just rather see her kind dead.

  “Why is he still in leopard form?” The fight between him and Liam had happened over fourteen hours before. The shift itself helped to speed healing for her kind. He should have transformed—

  Not crawled into the house to lick his wounds and die.

  “Maybe he couldn’t,” Miller groused. “Maybe he was hurt too bad from tangling with Sullivan.”

  Maybe.

  But shifting after injuries like this—it was second nature. No, more than that—survival instinct.

  “Sadie…” Liam’s voice now. Liam’s eyes met hers with worry lurking in his stare. “Don’t think because he’s one of yours that he can be saved.”

  One of yours. “Mine,” she gritted. “No, he’s not mine.” Her kind—her family—didn’t savage innocents. “Something feels wrong.” She shook her head, wishing she could put into words just why the scene made her feel so uneasy.

  The leopard she’d faced before had been so vicious. She’d almost smelled the evil and decay of the soul dripping from him.

  This leopard was different.

  Same overlying scent. Earth. Wild animal. But…not decay.

  She stepped in front of Miller’s gun. “Put it down.”

  His jaw dropped. “James, you’re stepping over the line—”

  “Put. It. Down.” He wasn’t killing the leopard, not until she figured out what was happening.

  Lines bracketed Miller’s mouth, but he slowly lowered his weapon. “You’ve got two minutes, then I’m putting a bullet in his head. No more women are dying on my watch.”

  Two minutes. Giving a quick nod, she spun around. She had to get closer to the shifter. The leopard’s head was turned away from her. She needed to look into his eyes.

  She stepped in his blood. No way to avoid it. Blood had pooled on the floor.

  He wouldn’t live much longer.

  She kept her gun out and her body ready. If this was a ploy, he wouldn’t catch her off guard.

  “Stop.” Liam’s voice. Vibrating with leashed control. “That’s close enough.”

  Less than two feet away. Her tongue licked desert dry lips. “Look at me.” She knew the leopard had heard every word spoken in that house. He’d heard, but hadn’t reacted.

  As he didn’t react now.

  Too far gone from pain?

  Or part of his plan?

  “If you don’t look at me now,” she raised her voice, injected steel, “then you’re going to die. Miller can fire that bullet into the back of your skull and—”

  The leopard’s head whipped toward her. His mouth opened in a snarl. His teeth glistened.

  But his eyes were too bright. Brighter than any shifter’s she’d ever seen. It almost hurt her to look into them. Chips of emerald ice.

  “Get the hell back!” Liam’s snarl as he grabbed her arm.

  She didn’t move. Just stared into those eyes and realized that the leopard wasn’t seeing her.

  Eyes as blank as glass.

  He wasn’t seeing anything.

  Blind.

  She shook Liam off and dove to her knees. Her hands went to the wounds, so many, and she tried to staunch the blood.

  “Don’t touch him! Sadie, what are you—”

  Her head snapped toward Liam. “Help me.” She’d never asked for his help before, but she needed him now. “This isn’t the same leopard.”

  “What?” Miller bellowed.

  “The eyes.” She swallowed. “They’re green—but his are different.” The leopard wasn’t attacking her, damn lucky that, but his body had stiffened. Hold on. “His stare’s too bright. Liam, he’s blind.” A blind shifter. He would have been born with the vision loss, because if the problem had developed later in life, the beast within would have been able to heal him. “He’s not the one who’s been killing those women.” But if they couldn’t help him soon, he would be the one to die that night.

  Liam fell to his knees beside her. Buried his hands in the matted fur. “Fuck. What happened to him?’

  She had a good look at his wounds. At the marks that could only have been made by claws. “The same thing—the same shifter—that happened to you last night.”

  “Christ.” Miller exhaled heavily. “How many damn shifters are running around this city?”

  Sadie didn’t answer because she didn’t think Miller really wanted the truth.
>
  She looked back into the beast’s blazing eyes. “Stay with me, okay? We’re gonna help you.” He had to shift to survive. “Miller, get him an ambulance—he’s gonna have to be sewn up at the hospital, because when he transforms, he’s not—”

  Fur began to melt away. Muscled, golden flesh appeared as bones snapped and reshaped.

  “Sonofabitch.” Miller’s breathless voice.

  Guess the guy had never seen a shift before.

  Good thing the rest of his team members, the humans, were still outside.

  The shifter lifted his head, no—tried to lift his head. Blond hair. Strong chin. High cheeks.

  Liam tensed beside her. “Sadie…are you sure?”

  She understood his doubt, because the man she saw now was an exact copy of the shifter she’d seen in the bar that first night.

  Same shaggy blond hair. Same strong chin. Cheeks. Nose.

  An exact copy.

  Exact for the eyes.

  If the leopard had been dead when they arrived, and those too bright eyes were closed, wouldn’t she have thought that she’d found her killer?

  Sneaky bastard.

  “Get the EMTs in here!” Her voice snapped like a whip. “He needs blood, stitches, and a hell of a lot of morphine!”

  Miller swore and hurried outside. She heard him shouting orders.

  The blond’s lips trembled. Cracked, caked with blood.

  No, his injuries were far too severe to heal with one transformation.

  Maybe they were too severe to heal at all.

  “In…no…cent…” So weak, but she heard him. Then his bright eyes closed.

  “No!”

  “It’s the same man.” Miller paced the hospital hallway. “He fits the description. He’s a leopard shifter—he’s the same damn man.”

  Sadie glanced up at him. The special agent was almost vibrating with tension.

  “Lance says the smell’s the same. Same scent, same man. We’ve got doctors in there trying to save a sadistic killer when—”

  “He’s innocent.” From Liam.

  Sadie turned to him in surprise.

  He gave her a rueful smile. “Hey, a guy doesn’t forget the man who tried to kill him.” He looked back at Miller. “It was a setup. We were supposed to find a dead body to satisfy us.”