by Olivia Arran
Sunclaw Pack? I wracked my brain. Nope, never heard of them. But if Gary was leaving, now was my best chance. My pulse thundered out of control, adrenaline flooding me. Time was running out. I had to make a break for it soon — before this other pack showed up, or Eric got back. Then, my chances would rapidly go from slim to none.
Wiping my clammy hands on my filthy dress, I backed away from the door. My best chance was to shift, at least that way I had weapons. Lethal, sharp weapons.
I wiggled out of the dress, immediately feeling more vulnerable as the cool air chilled my skin. Pulling the shift to me, I dropped to the floor, fur sprouting and fangs elongating, as my bones curled then snapped into their feline shape. My jaguar raced to the front, purring and rubbing herself inside my mind with gratitude. She wanted to teach these stinkin’ wolves a lesson they wouldn’t forget.
I’m with you there, girl, I sent back, stretching my strong legs and scoring the hard floor with sharp claws. I opened my powerful jaws in a silent roar of scared bravado, then settled in to a crouch, listening for Gary to leave.
A twinge of awareness, a lurching tug in my chest. Luis! My ears pricked forward, eyes closing as I concentrated on the twin bond. He was near…somewhere. But, why? How did he know? Who could have? Hope bloomed in my chest — Sean! Then fizzled, as I remembered his last words to me. He wouldn’t be looking for me — I didn’t matter enough. And, he certainly wouldn’t have tracked down my family. No one knew ‘Lisa’ as ‘Luisa’, I had made sure of that, by covering my tracks and keeping on the down low, as per the agreement.
Until I had met Kara, that is. And, the damn Colstone Pack. And, Sean. I swatted the side of my head with a large paw. There he was again, invading my thoughts. But sheesh, what a man to have invade. My tail lifted, ears twitching. Hmm, my cat agreed…she thought he smelled tasty enough to lick…and paw…and—
Shocked, I accidentally let out a low purr, the sound rumbling up through my chest. She liked him, my jaguar liked his wolf — in a likey like way. Nah, he couldn’t be? Could he? But, I had been so closed off, living in and for the moment ever since…had I missed the signs? Sure, I thought he was hot — screw that — steaming hot. Like, want-to-lick-melted-ice-cream-off-his-chest kinda hot, but I’d always had a healthy appreciation for a good-looking male specimen. Especially bad boys. And sugar, you could tell Sean was all kinds of bad. His attitude, his swagger, his fuck-you-I-don’t-care view of the world — yup, panty melting hot.
And not interested, remember?
I huffed, the blast of air tickling my whiskers.
The outer door slammed shut, startling me. Gary. I started counting back from one thousand, just to make sure he wasn’t coming back. Yanking on the bond, just like I had when we were kids, I hoped he got the silent message…my time’s nearly up, Luis….
***
Sean
“One’s leaving, big motherfucker, too,” Luis hissed under his breath from his sprawled position next to me.
I watched through narrowed eyes as the wolf in question exited the shack and jumped into a battered 4x4. Luis was right; he was a big motherfucker. And, he had been with Lisa. A red haze misted across my eyes as my incisors lengthened, the shift threatening to erupt out of control.
“Uh, Sean, man? Could you…keep it down, maybe?”
His voice jolted me out of the trance, and I realized with a start that a feral snarl was rumbling out of my chest, echoing through the forest.
“It’s science, man,” he said, slapping me on the shoulder.
Huh? “What is?”
“Why you can’t smell me. Scent suppressor. My uncle, the one that’s on the Council — he has dealings with the government, and they’ve developed a scent suppressor for special ops, and shit like that. He brought some home to the pride, when he last visited.”
His obvious distraction had worked. “That explains something, at least.” I stored that nugget of information away to digest later.
“Shit, Luisa!”
“Lisa,” I corrected automatically, snapping alert at the urgency in his voice.
“No, I mean, yeah — whatever. She knows I’m here, she pinged me — opening up the bond. I can feel her now, and she’s scared, man. And pissed…” he explained, his face creased with worry.
A throaty roar sounded from the shack, sending a chill down my spine. Lisa. My beast surged to the surface, battering at my skin, his jaws snapping with rage.
“We’re going in,” I growled, snapping open my jeans and kicking out of them.
As soon as the denim hit the floor, I gave myself over to the beast, allowing the shift to rip through me. I had always shifted fast, not minding the pain it caused — better to accept the beast for what he is than to pretend.
Wrangling back a little control, I forced the need for silence upon him — blocking his furious howl — and driving my powerful hind legs into the spongy forest floor, leapt toward the shack. I could hear Luis shifting, back in the forest. He would just have to play catch up; I couldn’t wait.
Legs thundering, my heart clamped in a vice of worry, I streaked toward the building, eyeing the small window at the front thoughtfully. It looked big enough, I decided, and shifting my weight, threw myself at the small, glass opening.
Glass shattered, shards flying everywhere as I barreled into the room. Spotting my first target, I spun, tackling him by surprise, sending him smashing into the dilapidated wall.
He jumped up, spinning, his lips pulled back in a feral snarl, black fur puffed out and standing on end.
Fuck this, I don’t have time for bullshit. I have to find Lisa.
I leapt again, twisting in mid-air to cut off any possible evasion, and snapped my powerful jaws around his neck. He slumped to the floor, blood pooling.
One down.
Swinging around, I saw that Luis had finally joined me, the jaguar nimbly dancing around a larger raging wolf, swiping out with lethally-tipped paws. Seeing me, he bore his teeth in approximation of a feral grin, and, flicking his tail, dug his claws deep into his opponent’s throat.
He’d manage.
I nodded, racing toward the only other door in the building, guided by ear piercing snarls and growls. I skidded to a halt, taking in the scene. Lisa was there. Backed up into a corner, she was holding her ground, spitting and snarling at the wolf that had her cornered. She didn’t cower, tension thrumming through her entire body, ready to deflect and attack. Damn, she was beautiful, her cat sleek furred and black as midnight.
The wolf lurched at her, his bigger frame smashing her against the wall as he tried to pin her, his paws batting her claws away.
Snarling, I threw myself at him, pushing my body between him and Lisa and pressing her safely back against the wall. I could feel fine tremors running through her body, her heart beating a scatter shot rhythm of fear…
I finally lost control.
Rage erupted inside me, seeping into every corner of my mind and wiping away any thoughts of mercy. In a lethal mass of teeth and claws, I slammed into Lisa’s kidnapper, blood gushing and flesh ripping as I attacked in a frenzy.
He had to die. He was going to die.
Snarls and growls filled the air as we fought tooth and claw for victory. I snapped out, snagging and tearing his ear, the salty taste flooding my throat like a drug. More, the thought floated through my mind — mine or the beast’s? I didn’t know. Pinning him, I thrust my claws at his chest, my hind legs slamming his to the floor, breaking bones and rendering them useless. He whined, a pitiful plea, his eyes filled with pain and terror. And then he tilted his neck — the sign of submission, of surrender. I hesitated. I should— No! It was too late. He had to pay for what he had done. Drawing back, a howl spilled from my lips, a warning for anyone who dared to—
The breath was knocked from my chest as a large, black shape crashed into me, tearing me away from finishing the kill.
Shit, where had he come from?
Lurching to my feet, I snapped at him, saliva and bl
ood dripping from my fangs. He was the biggest so far, and fresh with not a mark on him. Shit!
I dodged around an out swept paw, snapping my teeth at his hind legs, hoping to slow him down. Glancing over at Lisa, I saw that she had tackled the fallen wolf, trying to keep him pinned, her ears and lips peeled back as she snarled down at him. But she was losing the battle, the larger wolf trying to shake her off even as she dug her claws in, trying to hold on.
Distracted, I felt a slash of pain across my chest, then another, as the wolf jabbed at me, trying to pin me.
Hurling myself around, I shoved at his muscular frame, coming up onto my back legs, meeting his snapping jaws with my own. Teeth clashing, we snapped and tore at each other, each trying to find a weakness, a way in to lunge and tear at the soft throat.
I panted erratically, my muscles aching with fatigue and abuse. Blood matted my fur, multiple gashes oozing sticky and wet.
If he wins, Lisa will suffer…
That I could not allow.
With a surge, I ducked, avoiding his next blow, opening up my neck…
Taking the bait, he lurched forward, going for the kill—
Twisting my neck, I slashed a paw at his head. His head snapped back with the force of the blow, and I lunged, biting down into soft skin, ripping until I felt bone.
Two down, I thought, as he lifelessly hit the floor with a thud.
Lurching around, my only thought Lisa, I watched in amazement as two jaguars worked in perfect synchronization, cornering a snarling and spitting wolf, taking turns to jab at him from each side. The larger of the two, Luis, roared, his tail flicking back and forth, then he lunged, claws flashing. The wolf hadn’t stood a chance.
I watched dispassionately as the third of Eric’s lieutenants fell to the floor in a heap, his life ebbing away.
I barked at Luis, flicking my head toward the door.
He nodded once, a grin on his feline face.
Four, then.
Luis started to shift, his fur receding and bones reshaping, until he stood, naked and covered in blood. “That’s all of them, that I know of. Four — is that right, Luisa?” He reached down, smoothing his hand gently over his sister’s regally shaped head.
She nodded, snaking her tongue out to swipe at her brother’s hand, and then seemed to slump to the floor.
Shit! I grabbed my beast, throwing him back in his mental cage, forcing the shift back to human. In record time, I was kneeling beside her, running my hands over her smooth, silky body, searching for any sign of injury. My hands came away with blood, and I started frantically digging into her fur, fingers probing—
A loud purr rumbled through her chest and Luis coughed loudly behind us. “Should I get you a room?” he said laughing, a smirk on his face. Grabbing a sheet off the bed, he wrinkled his nose in disgust. “Better than the blood I suppose,” he muttered, starting to rub at his skin. “She’s fine,” he added, “better than fine, if you keep on petting her like that…”
My hands stilled, a flush flooding my cheeks.
Lisa turned her head, meeting my eyes. Then she stretched, rubbing her cheek against my leg.
My naked leg.
“Throw me one of those sheets will you?” I called to Luis, suddenly hyperaware of how close Lisa was to getting an eyeful of—. I gulped. If she shifted, then we’d both be naked. I forced my mind away from the lustful path it was trying to take.
Luis grabbed a sheet, holding it out tauntingly. “For you, or for her? Personally, I quite like the view…” He winked, wiggling his eyebrows comically while leering at my ass.
Ah, so it’s like that? I grinned at him, unabashed by his blatant admiration. “Well, it was for me…and now it’s definitely for me.”
He laughed, throwing me the sheet. “Spoilsport! Luisa attracts all the best men…”
“She hasn’t—”
“Sure, sure. Whatever, man. You keep telling yourself that. Although, you know that she—”
He was cut off by a loud snarl from Lisa.
“Okay, sis. Got it.” He turned with a jaunty swagger, leaving the room. “Stop checking out my ass, Sean,” he called over his shoulder.
Chuckling, I glanced down at Lisa, who showed no signs of moving. “I like your brother,” I said, grabbing the sheet, and turning my back to her, secured it around my hips. She stared at me, an emotion I couldn’t name in her eyes. I coughed, pulling myself together.
“Now, come on then, shift and let me double check you’re okay. You’ve got a lot of people worried about you.” The words came out clipped and cold, but it was for the best.
Grabbing a blanket off the bed, I laid it down next to her and turned my back. No sense in seeing what I’d self-declared was off limits. Although I ached to see her — to discover her luscious curves in exquisite detail, to see the dips and mounds that my tongue could explore, leisurely…for hours…
I swallowed hard, my cock starting to tent the thin sheet.
There was the sounds of shifting, the rustle of fabric, then, “Sean?” Her voice was hoarse, timid — not like the Lisa I had gotten to know.
“Yeah?” I said, turning around — then my mouth went dry, hanging open in shock.
She stood naked, near as dammit, the blanket clutched to her chest, but not wrapped around. Not one bit. And the bits I could see…well, they were as perfect as I had imagined they would be. Soft, rounded hips curved from behind the blanket, the swell of her breasts spilling over the top. I wet my lips, unable to speak.
“This smells like them. I can’t…I’m not weak, I just don’t…Can I have yours? Your scent will mask—”
“Yes, sure,” I finally choked out, forcing myself to turn back around. Unwrapping the sheet, I held it out to her, keeping my eyes facing firmly front. My blood thundered through my veins, rushing straight to my groin as I heard her move across the floor.
Then a small hand gently touched me on the shoulder, and my control wavered.
CHAPTER FIVE
Lisa
Blood surrounded us, but all I could see was the man that stood in front of me. He had his back to me, his arm stretched out holding the sheet. He was so tall, broad through the shoulders, tapering in at the waist, then flaring out into a muscular, well-rounded ass. I bit back a sigh of pleasure.
A man with curves.
Though the rest of him was thickly muscled, cut with defined lines — his ass was a work of art. High and rounded, it was something a woman could grab a hold of and dig her nails into while he flexed and thrust…
I think I gasped out loud as my jaguar rolled around inside me, playing in the heat that was spreading through my body and pooling between my legs. He was exquisite. Through my cat’s eyes I had viewed his chest, the swirling of tattoos that snaked around his arms, merging and joining at his throat. The jagged scar that I had noticed when we first met, continued down his chest, cutting across a firm pec before stopping next to his heart. I had refrained from looking lower, though. It just hadn’t felt right, not as a cat, and now all I wanted was for him to turn around.
Walking forward, I gently placed a hand on his shoulder, ever so careful not to startle. He was tense, but oh so warm. Deliciously so. I wanted to snuggle up against him, wrap his strength around me and use his warmth to melt the ice walls that cocooned my heart. I could easily see myself surrendering to this man, my fierce protector. And I knew without a shadow of doubt, that when Sean eventually gave himself to a woman he would do so wholeheartedly, with the same passion I had seen him fight with.
I ached to be that woman, to have someone look at me like I was their world. Like no one else mattered.
He didn’t turn, standing rock still, his muscles locked. But, I could see the strain in his angular jaw, a slight twitch in his cheek.
He wasn’t unaffected by me.
I smoothed my hand down the sleek lines of his back, his skin jumping in reaction to my touch.
“What do you want, Lisa?” he asked, his voice hoarse and strained. He stil
l didn’t move, but his fingers curled into his palms.
I ignored the question, my fingers tracing a lazy path down his spine, skipping over the dimple above his buttocks and trailing down one cheek. I felt like I had stepped out of my own body, my actions taking on a life of their own. Heat continued to fill me in a tingling rush, luxuriously warm. As a cat, I loved the warm, the hotter the better.
He grabbed my wandering hand, twisting his head to look at me. Panic swam in his eyes. And lust. “Lisa…” A growled warning.
“I just want to share your warmth,” I whispered, my jaguar daring me to push the wolf. Preening inside of me, she purred her approval. I leaned forward, my nipples brushing lightly against his back, immediately hardening into tight nubs.
My head tilted back, a moan spilling from my lips, as more delicious warmth pooled deep inside me.
Muffling a groan, his hand released my wrist and thrust into my hair, gripping and pulling me flush against his body, his lips sealing with mine.
Naked skin met naked skin, my soft curves melding against his more powerful frame. This wasn’t a gentle kiss, one of lovers just meeting. No, this was like coming home — tongues tangling, lips fighting and fitting together in a duel of passion. My hands flitted over his body, smoothing and gripping as he devoured my mouth, swallowing my moans.
With large hands he cupped my ass, fitting me snugly against the length of him, thick and hard, trapped between us.
A purr rumbled in my chest, the vibrations traveling down and thrumming through our flush bodies.
His eyes opened with surprise, as he pulled away a fraction, his breathing labored. The panic I had seen earlier flitted back across his face, and I tried to drag him back down. Just another taste…
“Lisa…no…I can’t…” he murmured against my lips, his hands continuing their exploration of my body.
“Why not?” I gasped back, feathering his jaw with kisses.
His head tilted back on a groan as I kissed down his throat, following the same path as the scar. “Because, we can’t—Damn it, woman! I can’t think straight when you’re doing—”