A Cat For All

by Crymsyn Hart

  “Why are you so worried?” she asked.

  He looked up at her. His pupils were slitted now, showing his combined desire along with the cat’s. “Because it’s been so long since I’ve been with a woman. It wasn’t until college that I realized I was attracted to men and decided to accept that. Does that bother you?”

  “No. And you’re doing just fine. Guess I have a partner to go shopping with, too.”

  He laughed. “Sorry. I couldn’t tell you the latest fashions if I tried. Ask me about football and hockey, and I can give you stats all day. It gets hairy in here during football season with me and Dallas going at it.”

  “As long as no one’s claws come out, I think we’re fine. Too bad on the shopping, though. You could give me a great opinion on what bras might look good on me.”

  A twinkle came to his eye. “I might be able to assist you with that.” Pierce pushed against her nub one final time, causing her to arch her back and move closer to him. He slipped his free hand from her breast, and around her back and began to undo her bra strap. Orianna wanted all the clothes gone between them, and this wasn’t happening fast enough. Now that Pierce had gotten a little bit more control of his cat, he was trying to take his time with her. She needed him now. All the heavy petting and kisses had brought her to the brink. If she waited any longer, she was going to explode. Her bra strap came off with a snap. The back of it dug into her flesh, but Pierce slid down the first strap over her left shoulder and kissed every place where the fabric had touched. His lips burned a trail along her flesh, warming her cold skin. Once he got one off, she held the lace triangle over her breast. He gazed at her and went for the other. He sucked in the skin of her right arm until he took the other strap off. He drew in her middle finger and wrapped his tongue around it. She gasped from the sudden wetness and grasped his cock rubbing it more until he released her and then backed away.

  “I need you,” Orianna cried out.

  Pierce stood up and took off the rest of his clothes. She did the same and stood before him in only her panties. Looking at him now, she saw the remaining scars on his well-formed calves, crisscrossed over all of his flesh. He was lucky that he hadn’t gotten the sickness that infected the cat. She bit her lip and then sat back on the bed. She trailed her fingers over her thighs. She glanced at him and beckoned him closer. His smile widened, which gave him a boyish appearance. The cat inside of her roared to life so much that she felt its presence filling her, riding down her arms, and eking into her legs, where it wanted to take form. But there was still something blocking it. She wasn’t sure if the transformation was ever going to happen again, but she did know that this match was good for her. It forced the cat in her to reawaken. Maybe it had because she had given up hope about it, and now that she believed in it again, it was coming back to life.

  Pierce sauntered over and slid his knee between her legs, opening them further. He pushed her down on the bed, and then pinned her between his hands. “You’re all mine now to do with whatever I want.”

  She wrapped a leg around his waist. “Promise?”

  He slipped his hand over her stomach, further down until he grabbed the fabric of her panties and then tugged on them, ripping them away from her body. She pulled him down to her body and held him above her chest. He clutched her breasts and squeezed until his grip hurt. But the pain felt good. It made her remember that she was alive. When he stopped, he bit her swollen nipple and then gave her another look. The devilish gleam in his eye only turned her on more. She reached for him, and a small noise of wanting slipped from her lips.

  His smiled widened. He slipped his hand between her already wet folds and found her core. He thrust his fingers deep inside of her pussy. He pumped them inside of her for a few strokes until she grabbed his wrist. Pierce brought the fingers to his lips and sucked off her juices. She wrapped her other leg around his waist and locked him to her. Pierce licked a line from her chest and up her neck until he tugged on the end of her earlobe.

  “You taste so good.”

  “So do you. I could eat you all up.”

  “I’d love to sample you, but I’ll save that until next time. Right now, I want my cock inside of you.”

  Orianna reached down and grabbed his dick. The fat shaft was engorged with blood and burned her palm. It stirred her hunger, but not for blood. She needed it inside of her. She had to have it before the lust drove her crazy. She hugged her knees tighter around him and then guided him into her pussy.

  Pierce moaned when he entered her. He clutched her shoulders and then pushed his lips into hers as he plunged inside her. Orianna felt the familiar tightening of her jaw as the hunger that coursed through her threatened that her fangs could pop out. She focused on the shared pleasure moving between them. Pierce’s mind was open to her, and the raw wanting and desire turned her on more than she could handle. It amped up their lovemaking because he was in a frenzy to claim her. Her nerves were on fire. It felt like she had blood rushing through her veins once again. He drove into her again and shoved his tongue into her mouth to taste her once more. She raked her nails down his back, feeling the skin underneath her fingers. Orianna closed her eyes and gave herself over to the building ecstasy inside of her. She ran the soles of her feet over Pierce’s hard ass. Her toes curled from the heights he was bringing her to.

  Each time he pushed back into her pussy, he hit her clit and the world crumbled. Pierce was losing himself to the act. His cat shared his pleasure. Hers was still trapped in the cage howling to get out, but she didn’t have a key. Orianna drew in another breath and cried out from the pleasure that shot through her. From the tips of her toes to her head it felt like she had been plugged into an electrical socket. She felt alive once more. Pierce plunged into her once last time, cried out, and came. Orianna clutched him to her, not wanting to let him go. He still remained buried inside of her and when he moved once more she came as well. Pierce rested his head on her chest and tried to catch his breath.

  The warmth of the orgasm swarmed through her body and made her seem like she had never died. She took in another breath, a gasp, as she tried to hold onto the air and the wonderful moment the two of them had experienced. Together, they lay in a shared second of harmony. Pierce breathed in heavily and held her. Orianna ran her fingers through his hair. Her mind lingered in the white bliss that surrounded her and allowed her feel alive. I can’t believe this is happening to me. I found a man who loves me. After all this running and Mason rejecting me, there is someone who cares. I never thought that would happen again. A smile played on her lips as Pierce lay with her. Everything seemed right in the world, until a pain started in her chest. It squeezed her ribs and burned. She cried out. Pierce bolted off her. Orianna held her chest, trying to figure out what was happening, and soon dropped to the floor. It felt like everything inside of her was on fire. Pierce knelt down beside her.

  “What’s the matter?”

  Orianna glanced at him, panic engulfing her. She tried to answer him, but another strangled cry left her lips. More pain clutched her. It felt like someone had stuck a red-hot iron in her chest. She raked her fingers through the carpet. Pierce screamed for Ryker. He touched her again, not sure what to do. His panic touched her mind.

  “Oh, God! What’s happening? What did I do? What’s going on?” Pierce asked.

  She was too engrossed in the agony of the moment to answer him. The vibration of pounding feet shook her, but she couldn’t concentrate. Pierce was there again, holding her to him. He rocked her back and forth, but all she could think of was the fire that blazed in her heart and spread outward forcing its way through her body. Other hands held her and tried to make her focus beyond the moment, but she was trapped. The burning finally touched every inch of her flesh and wiped across her mind, causing her to see nothing but darkness until she knew no more.

  Chapter Eight

  Ryker stared at Pierce while he held Orianna’s naked form close to him, rocking her back and forth. His mate’s cheeks were f
lushed and covered with tears. He’d never seen his mate so flustered and concerned about someone else besides them. Dallas stood in the doorway. It was obvious that Pierce and she had had sex from their nakedness and the smell that Ryker detected about them.

  “What’s wrong with her?” Pierce asked.

  Dallas came over and knelt next to them. He looked at Ryker and then placed a hand on her forehead. “She feels warmer than before. Did she feed on you while you were . . . together?”

  Pierce shook his head. “No. She needed blood when she woke up tonight because her hand hadn’t completely healed from being caught in the sun. After she fed from me, she didn’t react like this. We were relaxing on the bed and she started screaming. What did I do to her?” Pierce’s voice cracked, and his eyes burned with tears.

  Dallas yanked the sheet from the bed and wrapped Orianna up in the fabric, then took her from Pierce’s arms and laid her on the bed. Ryker wasn’t sure what to make of the vampire. As he examined her more closely, he saw her skin was slightly flushed. He listened and thought he heard something coming from her chest. That can’t be right. She didn’t have a heartbeat earlier. He listened harder, and after another minute he heard another thud. It was faint, but it was definitely a heartbeat.

  “What the hell?” Ryker placed two fingers on her neck, checking her pulse. After another minute, he felt the throbbing of her rhythm underneath his fingers. He waited and checked his watch. After five minutes there was another thump. It wasn’t getting any stronger, rather it seemed to be weakening. As he kept his hand on her, she was not so blushed. Her skin was growing colder again. Whatever was happening to her was fading away. He watched her again and saw her draw in a breath. The hollow echo of her lungs filled his ears. Pierce sat on the other side of the bed and looked between him and Orianna. The horrified expression on Pierce’s face had only grown worse, and it pinched his features.

  Ryker reached over and clutched Pierce’s hand. “She’ll be okay.”

  “How do you know that? What happens if this occurs again?” Pierce asked.

  “Maybe you shouldn’t be with her again,” he snarled and got off the bed. The jealously that choked him up wasn’t something he could help. His inner liger growled and began to pace in his mind. It was feeling something for her and restless for being cooped up. He couldn’t quite figure out what the cat was feeling, as it didn’t want to agree with him. Ryker found that difficult to understand when they were normally copasetic.

  A low rumble uttered came from across the bed. Ryker glanced up and saw Pierce’s eyes had grown amber. The bulges of his cheekbones pushed outward, and his face had taken on a more catlike appearance. His nails punched into the fabric of the mattress. Pierce leaned over Orianna’s immobile form with the grace of a hunter he hadn’t seen before with his mate. It seemed he was coming into his own. Maybe that was something Orianna was helping him to temper.

  “You will not say anything ill about my mate, Ryker. No matter how much I care about you, I’m here because she convinced me of it. You were the one who threw me aside because you were not able to deal with me loving her the same way that I loved you. I will not leave her. Now get out!” Pierce lunged at him.

  Ryker hissed and pulled back. His cat didn’t retaliate against his mate, but Ryker felt a shiver walk up his back at the confrontation. He tried to contain himself and not lash out against Pierce. “I will not leave you alone with her. Not again. Not until we figure out what’s happened to her. To discern—”

  “Both of you—enough,” Dallas snapped.

  Ryker and Pierce glanced up at him. He gestured toward Orianna. Ryker looked down and saw her eyes were open. Ryker touched her skin again and it was cold. He listened but didn’t hear the thunder of her heartbeat. He didn’t know how long she had been awake. A small smile turned up on her lips. When she looked at him, for a moment, it seemed she saw inside of him and something about that look made his heart turn. His cat responded to it, but then he remembered what she was and how she had charmed Pierce away from him.

  “Don’t fight over me. You can’t come apart,” she whispered. She reached out and took Ryker’s hand and placed it over Pierce’s. Her touch was soft, and then he looked at Pierce, whose appearance had stabilized some.

  “You’re awake. What happened?” Dallas asked.

  She looked at him and smiled. Pierce smoothed the hair from her face. “I’m okay. I’m not sure what happened. After we were together, my cat surged forward. I didn’t think that was possible, but it’s still there. For a minute it raged through my body. The pain was unexpected. The cat was locked away when I turned, and then it was there for a while.”

  “I caused this,” Pierce whispered.

  She tried to sit up, but couldn’t make it all the way and then fell back against the pillows. “No, Pierce. You didn’t cause this. It’s because of you that I realized that my cat isn’t truly dead. Maybe, one day, I’ll be able to tap into her completely and turn into the lioness that I once was. I apologize if I had scared you. I’ll be okay.” This time she sat up, but Ryker saw how she struggled. She wrapped her around arm Pierce and kissed him lightly on the lips. “Why don’t you go get something to eat? I can hear your stomach growling.”

  “I shouldn’t leave you.”

  “I’ll be fine. Go on.”

  He hesitated a moment and then grabbed his pants, slipped them on, and headed out of the room. Dallas followed leaving him and Orianna alone. She leaned against the headboard, closed her eyes, and took a moment to collect herself. Ryker watched her intently. She seemed fragile, a little girl in a big bed. It didn’t appear she was the fearsome vampire that he had seen before. Finally she opened her eyes and stared at him.

  “Will that happen again?”

  “I don’t know.”

  “It scared the hell out of Pierce.”

  “It scared the hell out of me, too. I haven’t had a heartbeat in five years. Then all of a sudden I do, and it feels like my body is on fire, burning from the inside out. Right before I blacked out, I connected with my cat. You know how it is part of your personality. She was right there, and I touched her for a few seconds.”

  Ryker sighed. He wasn’t sure what to make of the strange creature Pierce was so enamored with. One second he couldn’t stand her, and the next he was sympathizing with her. “As long as you’re better. The guesthouse will be ready tomorrow if we work on it through the day. I’m sure Pierce can set you up for the night in here.” He got up to leave, when she reached out and grabbed his arm. He glanced down, but she let go before he could comment.

  “Thank you, Ryker, for all of this. I know how I’m interrupting your life and that you don’t want me here. You may not realize how much it means to me to be around people. I’ve been alone for a long time and it’s nice to feel loved again. I won’t get in your way.”

  “It’s fine. Just get dressed and come downstairs when you’re ready. I’m sure Pierce will be wondering how you’re feeling.” He left the room and headed down to his other mates. He found Dallas standing by the stove heating up dinner. Pierce was shoulders-deep in the refrigerator rooting around for something to eat also. Seeing the round mounds of his ass, Ryker wanted to claim him right there. He couldn’t resist running his hand over the firm buttock and squeezing the bottom of it. Pierce jumped and pulled out of the fridge, dropping a loaf of bread and a package of cheddar cheese slices from the load of cold cuts and condiments in his arms.

  “Don’t do that, man!”

  “What; I can’t even touch you now because you’re with her?” Ryker growled.

  “No, you know it’s not like that.” He set the things down on the counter, took Ryker’s hand, and brought it to his cheek. Pierce rubbed his palm over the smooth skin and then kissed the inside of it. He flicked his tongue over Ryker’s middle finger, before drawing it between his lips.

  Ryker’s anger melted away. His cock stirred from the gesture with the sudden yearning to be with Pierce again. It wasn’t to claim
dominance or about wiping away the smell of Orianna. He still needed to know that Pierce hadn’t left him. He took Pierce’s face between his hands and pulled him to his lips. Ryker thrust his tongue between his mate’s lips, tasting a little of Orianna on him, but then it was wiped away leaving just the clove taste of his mate. His hands roved over the flat expanse of Pierce’s stomach and the mishmash of scars until he clutched his stiffening dick through the jeans. He undid the button and the zipper of the jeans and slipped them down around Pierce’s waist.

  The other man broke the kiss and moaned. The light of desire lit his eyes. Pierce was half-drunk with pleasure from the caresses. With the slightest nod, Ryker knew that Pierce wanted him, too. He wasn’t being pushed aside by the strange woman who had entered their house. Ryker clutched his mate’s cock and slid his hands over the fat shaft, pumping away. Pierce drew in a sharp breath and groaned. He gripped Ryker’s hips. Ryker kept his gaze locked on him while he manipulated his length and worked it until his fingers ringed the sensitive head. His mate’s hips bucked forward. His breathing quickened.