Into the Heart 3: Into the Wild

by Caitlyn Willows

  Jeremy matched him and then some.

  “Stop it. Both of you,” Cristían hissed out from the hallway. “You can compare whose is bigger later. The police are here and headed up the walk. Hide those.” He jerked his hand toward the towels and walked away. The doorbell rang a second later.

  Jeremy sheathed his claws. “You might want to think twice before you conjure up any of your woo-woo mojo glamour and reproduce that wound.”

  “I'm suspicious, angry, and I don't trust any of you in any way, shape, or form, but I'm not stupid,” Steven replied. “I have as much at stake as the rest of you. Perhaps even more.” He shoved the bag under the sink cabinet, then motioned Jeremy to precede him. Jeremy took a step into the hallway and waved Steven forward.

  “Fair enough.” Steven tilted a nod and walked on.

  “We're responding to a nine-one-one call of shots fired in the neighborhood,” Jeremy heard the officer say. Both Hispanic males stood outside the door and tried to look beyond Cristían to see inside.

  “We didn't call,” Cristían replied.

  “Call came from a prepaid cell phone and gave this vicinity. We're doing a safety check of the area. Mind if we come in?”

  “We're good, Cristían,” Jeremy told him.

  “Not at all.” Cristían pushed the door open.

  The men entered without hesitation, gazes sweeping the scene. Lupe watched them from the perch of her chair, twirling a strand of hair around and around her finger.

  “We noticed what appears to be blood on your grass,” the first officer said. “Spots on your porch.” His partner studied the carpet and found nothing to suggest an injured person had come inside.

  “I don't know what to tell you.” Cristían turned his palms up. “We were busy and not paying much attention to anything else.”

  “Busy?” The second officer lifted an eyebrow.

  “Yes.” Lupe flicked her hair over her chin. “Busy.” A sensuous smile filled in any gaps the police might be having. Those pheromones of hers peppered the air, and he couldn't help wondering if she'd activated them on purpose to distract the cops.

  “Could be someone was shooting at a mountain lion,” Cristían told him. “With all the sightings since the fires last year, people are scared and do stupid things. The street and yard lights can only do so much. Shadows from the trees and bushes make great hiding places, and I swear there's times I worry some neighbors will shoot at anything that moves. They've done it before. We try to stay in.”

  “Smart idea. Wish others were as cautious.”

  “People are people.” Cristían shrugged and subtly maneuvered the policemen back toward the door.

  The officers followed his lead. Being alpha had its benefits. “We're going to be canvassing the area for a while. Call if you see or hear anything. We won't be far.”

  Cristían nodded. “Excellent.”

  Then they were out the door and gone. Footsteps tapped down the sidewalk, paused, then continued across the street.

  “This time of night, I doubt they'll take much more effort.” Cristían cracked his neck. “Our light drew them here. I don't see any houses lit up across the street.”

  “Good. The sooner they leave, the sooner I can get the hell out of here.” Steven started for the bathroom.

  “You're not leaving with those towels,” Cristían called out.

  Steven jerked around. His cat rippled just below the surface of his skin. Jeremy peeled off his shirt and unzipped his jeans. If there was going to be a fight, he was damn well going to be ready.

  “Rein in it, gentlemen.” Cristían took a stance between them. “There are cops right outside. They'll shoot first and ask questions later, especially if they see a jaguar and a mountain lion going at it in my living room. Then where will we all be?”

  Lupe slipped her hand into Jeremy's and tugged him into the chair with her. For someone so little, she was very strong.

  Cristían pulled in a breath. “They've seen you, Steven. What do you think they'll do if they find you walking out with a plastic bag of bloody towels? I suppose you could take on the appearance of someone else. That still won't keep you out of jail, and the towels will go into evidence. Besides, if I want a sample of your blood, I can go outside and get it off the grass. Still not convinced? Then park your ass on the couch for the night.”

  Steven tried to stare down his nose at Cristían. Their equal heights made that impossible. “And how the hell would I explain that to my people?”

  “You swore you were going to be up our asses 24-7; here's your chance.”

  Steven scrubbed a hand down his face.

  “You were going to lie in wait on the roof all night. What's the difference? Except comfort. You and I both know how close you hovered to death. If I'd wanted you dead, you'd be dead. One of us has to start trusting the other at some point.”

  “I trusted.” He splayed his fingers against his chest.

  Cristían stabbed a finger his way. “You lied. That treaty wasn't worth the paper it was printed on. Admit it, you withheld as much from us as we withheld from you. Maybe even more.”

  Steven's eyes flared gold, then dimmed to his normal green with his shrug. “What can I say? Our hoped-for collaboration was doomed from the start.”

  “Those loud voices again?” Cristían asked.

  “Something like that.” A beat of silence echoed through the room. No revelations filled it. “I think I'll be taking my chances with the police.” Steven whipped around and strode toward the bathroom.

  The biggest shock wasn't that Cristían let him go, but that Cristían did an opposite turn toward the kitchen and marched into the adjoining garage. The next noise was the sprinklers kicking on. The men met in the middle of the living room, two cats a whisker away from a full-on shifter face-off.

  “My show of trust.” Cristían jerked his thumb over his shoulder. “Clearly, saving your life wasn't enough. The sprinklers are washing away your blood as we stand here.”

  “Thanks. Someday I'll return the favor…but not tonight.” He sidestepped Cristían and headed for the patio door.

  Jeremy leaped from the chair and snagged his bicep. “Cristían risked everything to save you.”

  Steven's eyes turned cold. “Then Cristían is a fool.” He jerked free and walked toward the door.

  “You ungrateful bastard!” Jeremy charged after the other man. A snarling mountain lion whirled around in his place.

  Cristían jumped between them, lethal paws fully formed and armed. “Yes, a fool. By saving your life, I not only revealed my clan's secret but also my own. If you betray me now, you also betray yourself. How do you think your people will feel when they realize you can mindspeak with us, and they can't?”

  The air shimmered as Steven shifted back into human form. He looked beaten, weary…sad. He grabbed the bag from where it had fallen and clutched his fist around it. “All right. I'll trust you enough not to kill me in my sleep.”

  “Cat Scouts' honor.” Jeremy flicked him off.

  Steven didn't spare him a glance. “Any other surprises I can anticipate? Am I going to wake up in the morning and find a black jaguar staring back at me in the mirror?”

  “It'd be an improvement over your looks,” Cristían told him. “I'll get you a pillow and blanket. Try not to shed on my upholstery.”

  “And leave behind potential DNA?” he replied.

  “Silly me. What was I thinking?”

  Jeremy trailed after Cristían to the linen closet. “You can't be serious, letting him stay here.”

  “Considering what he knows about me, it's the best choice. It's the best choice for him too. His paranoid friends would kill him before he got the chance to explain his new ability.” He pulled a pillow from the top shelf and handed it to Jeremy. “And don't lecture me about having 'saved his life.' The phrases 'skinwalker,' 'you created a monster,' and 'kill them all now' run an ever-increasing circuit in my head. I'm second-guessing myself enough as it is, wondering what I might
have created. I don't need you doing it too.”

  Guilt burrowed into Jeremy's conscience. He cupped Cristían's shoulder and gave him a little shake. “You are not a skinwalker.”

  Cristían tucked the blanket under his arm and shut the closet. “Are you certain? Because that place beyond that we went to is telling me differently.”

  Jeremy couldn't answer, couldn't lie.

  “Yeah…me either.” Cristían slipped the pillow from his fingers and walked away.

  Chapter Thirteen

  Lupe eased from the bed. Sleep was impossible tonight. Tension put the men on edge. Jeremy hadn't bothered trying to sleep with her and Cristían in the too-small bed. He'd sequestered himself in the second bedroom to work on the computers. Cristían had tossed and turned, any dreams he had apparently laced with agony. Clearly the handful of pills he'd taken earlier did nothing to cut the pain. She thought of kissing his cheek before she left but didn't want to disturb what little sleep he was managing to get.

  On tiptoe, she slipped from the bedroom and peeked in on Jeremy. He slept too, his head on the desk, a small screwdriver clutched in his hand. Sleeping but hardly relaxed. She saw his eyes dart back and forth beneath the lids, telling her his sleep was troubled and not deep. His forehead was not smooth but rather crinkled with whatever problem worked through his subconscious in his sleep. Like Cristían, he was nude and ready to shift at a moment's notice. Lupe understood the need to be prepared to fight and defend, but how they could stand the cold without fur or clothing mystified her. With bedcovers and Cristían next to her, Lupe still needed thick socks and his sweatshirt to get her to that cozy temperature she loved. Between the two items, only her knees showed. She could live with that, and she loved the extra comfort of sleeping in his clothes.

  Again she resisted the need to care for Jeremy. Clearly her trying to coax him into a bed or a more comfortable chair would disturb him. He was asleep, and that's all that mattered. She left him alone and wandered into the living room.

  Steven's breaths were too deep and even. She almost called him on feigning sleep but decided it wasn't worth the effort. Any confrontation, no matter how subtle, would only stir the other two. They needed what rest they could get. Steven lay on top of the blanket, nude as well. Streetlights filtering in highlighted the golden hue of his skin and the blond hairs dusting it. Bodywise, he was Cristían's double, his muscles honed from a lifetime cut from nature and circumstance. Lupe couldn't help admiring him. She was a woman, after all. But though she appreciated his physique, the spark of fire she felt with Cristían and Jeremy didn't exist with him. Steven was merely something pretty to look at. He was also apparently well aware Lupe was looking. The long cock nesting in the golden thatch at his pubis filled and lifted.

  I knew he wasn't asleep. Ah…the power.

  She thought of blasting an extra something his way, like she'd done to the police officers earlier, but it would have been showing off. Instead she unlatched the patio door and stepped into the cool night. The smells of home surrounded her—crisp green grass, spicy roses, delicate gardenias, California pepper trees, eucalyptus trees, and the mix of what everyone had cooked for dinner. She'd missed this but hadn't realized how much until now.

  She doubted they'd stay at the small house long. Joaquin was concerned for their safety and wanted them in a secure location. Cristían agreed, although she could tell the decision weighed heavy on him. A female didn't live with a man for six months and not recognize his moods. She wondered if he feared his clan would discover he was changed as well, and how long he'd be able to keep that a secret.

  Lupe inhaled more of the night air. She and Cristían hadn't been here for a couple of months. They'd been staying at the Prentice estate with Jeremy while the men worked on their experiments in the basement lab. Though Lupe loved the roaming space, the grotto, and the garden, there was comfort and security being here. This had been her neighborhood the last several years. She knew every nook and cranny, every rock and tree, many of the neighbors, and most of the four-legged denizens.

  Now there was a source of good information. Little got past cats and dogs. One of them would know who had shot at Steven tonight. They knew everything. Odd that she hadn't heard Sport barking, Intruder alert. The shaggy mongrel was always the first line of defense against strangers. But then, barking was what brought little ChiChi to the mountain lion's attention. One gulp and the dog was gone. Four-leggeds weren't stupid. Well…most four-leggeds. Lupe'd met a few over the years that were a waste of fur. ChiChi fell into the category.

  She walked to the edge of the patio, then squatted next to the grass. Water drops clung to each blade of grass, glistening from the multitude of streetlights and yard security systems sprinkled throughout the area. Lupe brushed her fingers over the tops and watched the water trickle down. Would the grass still fell springy beneath her toes? Mute her steps as she hunted for prey?

  Lupe laughed at herself. Her days of defeating rodents, birds, and crickets were over. The skills would live on forever, though. As for feeling the grass beneath her bare toes, that required removing her socks. Cold and wet? No, thank you.

  Movement flashed in the corner of her eye. She slowly turned her head toward the pyracantha bushes defining Cristían's patio. Pale blue eyes stared at her from the depths. Lupe turned in that direction and moved closer.

  “Mittens?”

  The black-and-white cat crawled backward into the shadows. A low growl warned Lupe to keep her distance.

  “It's me”—she held her hand out—“Lupe.”

  Claws scored furrows over Lupe's palm. She sucked in a breath at the pain and watched the cat bolt off. Behind Lupe, the patio door opened. Cristían.

  “There you are.” The door clicked shut.

  “Sniff me out?” She clutched her hand to her stomach to hide the injury.

  “I did.” He squatted next to her, engulfing her with his warmth, his smell, his arms. He'd slipped on the matching pants to the sweatshirt she wore. “I've been sleeping with you for the last six months. Did you think I wouldn't realize you left the bed?”

  “You weren't exactly sleeping.”

  “More like thrashing? Sorry. Bad dreams, I suppose.”

  “And even worse pain?”

  “It comes and goes.” He pulled her hand into his and opened her fingers. “Friend of yours?”

  She managed a sad laugh. “Used to be. Mittens didn't recognize me. I frightened her and should have known better. She's not overly fond of strangers.”

  “I can't say I blame her.” He kissed the scratches. “She hurt more than your hand.”

  Yes, the rejection hurt. Lupe wouldn't deny that. But she'd known from the start she couldn't live in both worlds. She'd made her choice. “I knew there would be sacrifices with the rewards. I know I have a lot to learn, but it feels like every second that ticks away, I get further away from what I was and nearer to what I want to be.”

  “Then you're already wiser than most people.”

  He licked the point of his tongue over one scratch. Tingles shot up her arm. Then again over the next, following it to the end of her thumb, around, and down the other side. Her nipples tightened, and that spot between her legs swelled. Moisture seeped into her silky panties. Her breath caught on the last swipe, a slow draw over the gouge that ended in a deep swirl in the center of her palm. A clear promise of the pleasure he could deliver to her clit.

  “There…all better.” He circled his thumb over her wrist.

  Lupe glanced down and saw the wound was gone. Cristían's magic.

  “Come…sit with me.”

  He cupped her elbow and molded his fingers against her ribs. They stood as one. She pressed her palm to his chest and rolled it over his pebbled nipple. His strong, steady heartbeat raced with hers. Nose pressed to the well of his throat, she inhaled his musk. She twirled her tongue into the shallow depression. Cristían's gasp speared pleasure through her. She crawled her lips lower, licking the salt from his skin. Her th
umb grazed his nipple, flicking over and around. His hips rolled his erection over her stomach with each circle. Lupe blew against his nipple when she reached it, then suckled the bead into her mouth. Cristían groaned and clutched her head against him. Her body tightened, pumping more juices into her already-sodden panties. She certainly wasn't cold anymore; anything but. She aimed for his other nipple.

  Gasping, Cristían captured her wrist and pulled her arm around his neck. His other hand anchored her to him. The heat of his breath sent surprising chills coursing down her spine. Hot lips nipped at hers until she whimpered with the need to feel his tongue inside her mouth, inside…everywhere.

  The earth moved beneath her toes. Lupe nearly laughed at her imagination; then she realized Cristían walked them backward to one of the lounge chairs. He sank down and pulled her astride him, his big hand kneading her buttocks into place over his erection. A chill curled up her back when he dived under the sweatshirt. Her hard nipples thrust into the fabric and were rewarded with the kiss of his thumb. A tiny moan rippled from her throat, and his tongue plundered her mouth.

  The words thoroughly kissed, heard so many times while watching TV, now meant something. Around and around he danced, missing nothing. Lupe couldn't keep up. She sagged into Cristían, writhing into his palm, rubbing his rigid cock, letting him thrust his tongue around her mouth until she couldn't think, much less breathe.

  The breeze rustled the overhanging tree. Cristían broke the kiss and rocked her back, one hand ripping her panties away. Lupe gasped at the chill on her crotch, then groaned when Cristían's thumb rolled over her clit.

  “Tug my sweatpants down. Release me.” The command whispered over her.

  She was so lost in a cocoon of bliss, it took a few seconds for the words to sink in. Once they did, she hooked the waistband and yanked the garment down. His erection sprang free. The head smeared moisture over her thigh. Lupe knelt up, grabbed the thick flesh in a tight grip, and speared it into her body.

  Cristían smacked his head against the chair and groaned. “Don't move.” Fingers nailed her hips in place. “You are so tight, so hot. It feels like your muscles are crawling over my dick.”