Protected Mate (Catamount Lion Shifters #1)

by J. H. Croix

  Jake’s phone buzzed in the quiet truck. He answered quickly. “Jake here.”

  “Uh huh, okay no movement then? Any other news?”

  Dane heard the muffled sounds of a response and waited until Jake hung up.

  “What’s up?” he asked sharply.

  “Liliana called like I asked to update us that the GPS signal for Chloe’s watch is still in the same place. She’s keeping herself busy trying to hack into Seth’s computer, or the computer she traced to the address listed on his driver’s license. She also pulled up his phone records and is seeing if she can trace his GPS signal too. That’s all assuming that what we traced to his legal name actually belongs to him.”

  Dane nodded. “Right, well based on the coordinates you gave me, we should be coming up on the location any minute now. You aware of any cabins out this way?”

  They’d headed out of Catamount, following the main highway that traveled through town and off onto a smaller highway and onto a dirt road he presumed was a logging road. There were miles and miles of logging roads crisscrossing the Maine woods, some in active use by logging companies, others mostly used by locals for travel into the woods. Having grown up in Catamount, Dane was familiar with the areas where families had camps and hunting cabins. This road was unknown to him.

  Jake checked his phone. “Stop for a sec and cut the lights” he said.

  Dane braked abruptly, flicking the lights off immediately. Jake checked the coordinates on his phone and those Liliana had texted him. He pointed ahead into the dark. The GPS locator should be no more than half a mile away. If someone’s out here, we need to slow down and move without your lights, so they don’t see us coming.”

  Dane nodded and waited in the dark for his eyes to adjust. Without the glare of headlights, it took a moment before he could see the road stretching ahead of them in the dark. As he looked ahead, he saw a flickering light through the trees that he likely wouldn’t have seen with the headlights on.

  He pointed without a word. Jake nodded as soon as he saw the light through the trees. “Get as close as you can staying on the main road here. Looks like the cabin is off another road. We don’t want to get blocked in, so let’s park and walk.”

  Dane rolled the truck along slowly until they reached what appeared to be a driveway leading to the small cabin they could barely see through the trees. With only the light flickering in the windows, they walked silently through the woods, circling around to the back of the cabin. The light they saw came from a fire in a woodstove. Otherwise, not a single light was on. Dane had never seen this cabin. It was on the newer side, likely built within the last few years. The Maine woods were filled with family hunting cabins, many old and weathered. The newness of the cabin gave him pause. He couldn’t help but wonder how Seth knew of this place and what it meant about who might be helping him. It had to be someone from Catamount to have guided him to a cabin in an undisclosed location in the well-traveled woods of this area. The vein of forest threaded by the Appalachian Trail was a heavily trafficked area of wilderness. Somehow they’d managed to find a location outside the radar of the commonly traversed areas.

  Dane hated the sense of distrust he felt ever since Jake had broken the news about Callen. Much as he wanted to believe Callen had acted alone, his gut told him otherwise.

  He and Jake had agreed they wouldn’t shift before they entered the cabin. They both strongly suspected Seth was a shifter himself, but they didn’t want to reveal themselves unless it was necessary. They walked quietly toward the cabin. When they reached the back wall and could access a window, Dane moved with silence and precision, carefully checking the window and sliding it open. A whisper of sound came with the flow of cold air entering the room.

  They waited in the quiet dark, voices filtering out to them. Two men were speaking. Dane and Jake glanced at each other when they simultaneously recognized one of the voices. Dane’s mind grasped for whose it was. He knew the voice without a doubt, but he couldn’t say whom it belonged to. Jake shook his head and shrugged. Jake climbed through the window first. Only after he was inside and held still for a long moment did he gesture for Dane to move around to the front. They’d agreed one would enter from the back and the other the front. Dane moved swiftly, waiting quietly by the front door. He would punch through an adjacent window to open it if it turned out to be locked. He didn’t plan to test the knob in case they saw it move. As soon as he heard a chair scrape across the floor, he plunged through the door.

  As he did, his eyes landed on Chloe seated in a chair in the corner, her hands free and her eyes wide. Any plans to stay calm flew out of his mind, primal instinct taking over. His fierce desire to protect her welled, and he let his cat loose, shifting instantly. As his eyes scanned the room, he saw Callen’s youngest brother, Randall, who shifted the moment he saw Dane. In the span of a breath, all four men shifted into lion form.

  Chapter 12

  Chloe saw Jake before Seth and the other man did. He held a finger to his lips, his eyes coasting over her in the shadowy room, appearing to check if she was okay. She didn’t dare nod, but tried to convey with her eyes that she was okay. She was okay in the basic sense of the word, but she was wired and exhausted at once. Angry and frightened, her anxiety driven higher by the hours of near silent tension in the cabin. The moment she saw Jake, she knew Dane had to be nearby. Her breath caught, the sense of relief was so immense. She’d known he would be looking for her, but she hadn’t known how afraid she was that he might not find her. She still hadn’t been able to get much information from the snippets of conversations she’d overheard. When the two men were in the front room with her, they spoke casually if they spoke at all, of nothing related to why they needed leverage against Dane.

  Suddenly, the man with Seth stiffened. Without a word, he stood abruptly, his chair scraping loudly against the floor. The front door flung open in a blur. For a split second, Chloe saw Dane, his blue-gray eyes caressing her. In another second, all four men shifted. She was surrounded by mountain lions, all with hair raised on their backs and tails swishing. Dane hissed, baring his teeth. He and Jake were roughly equal in size, both larger than Seth and Callen’s brother. Chloe knew she should be more frightened, but the sight was so stunning, she was in awe. Seeing Dane in his glory as a lion was breathtaking. He ignored Callen’s brother completely, his dominance apparent over the other lion. Dane and Jake met eyes, the air fairly crackling between them. Jake turned to Callen’s brother and with a snarl, swiped at him, chasing him out of the cabin.

  Dane turned to Seth, who was much slighter than Dane. Dane was all muscle and sinewy motion. He leapt across the room, backing Seth into a corner, snarling and roaring. Seth evaded Dane’s swipes and managed to slide over by the door and slip out. Dane’s haunches bunched in a leap as he followed Seth out the door. Chloe flew out of her chair and raced to the door, flicking on the outside light.

  The lions were a blur of motion, gold flashing in and out of the light. Jake and Callen’s brother alternated with swipes and snarling. Seth dashed into the woods, Dane following, his motion near silent though its power was stunning. He stalked Seth through the trees, winding in between them and leaping off of them. He climbed into the branches of an oak tree, waiting silently while Seth glanced over his shoulder to find him. When Seth circled under the tree, Dane leapt onto his back. They rolled into the clearing again, a bundle of claws and fur.

  Chloe’s heart raced, fear nearly choking her, when Callen’s brother broke away from Jake and joined Seth in his battle with Dane. Before Jake could reach them, Callen’s brother and Seth, whom Chloe could only identify by size, managed to pin Dane to the ground. Blood streaked his fur where they tore at him. Without thinking, Chloe moved toward them, thinking she had to find a way to help, only to freeze when Dane roared in her direction.

  Chloe had lost sight of Jake and worried he’d gone, only to see that he’d circled behind the cluster. He waited silently in the trees, his eyes locked on th
e other cats. When the moment was right, he leapt forward with a snarl and knocked Callen’s brother away. This afforded Dane the opportunity to regain control over Seth. With a swipe, Dane flung Seth against a tree, stunning him momentarily. Seth fell to the ground. Dane stood above him and roared, the sound echoing through the dark woods. Dane leaned forward and bit into Seth’s neck, the fur streaking with blood under the grip of Dane’s teeth. Seth struggled against Dane’s grip before going limp and rolling over in submission. Dane gave a shake with his teeth before slowly releasing him. Jake had pinned Callen’s brother under his paw, leaving him close to limp at this point.

  Chloe’s heart was galloping. The wild, primal sight of these lions fighting and establishing who had the most power was unlike anything she’d ever witnessed, or even imagined witnessing. Watching Dane standing silent in the woods, her fear subsided and intense desire rose within her. She didn’t realize she’d been holding her breath until she saw Seth and Callen’s brother shift into human form again. Their bodies retained the scratches and bite marks from the skirmish with Jake and Dane. The men remained where they’d been pinned, naked and injured. Jake and Dane waited a beat and shifted back into human form themselves.

  Chloe suddenly realized she was staring at four naked men. She glanced behind her into the cabin and saw four sets of clothes in rumpled piles on the floor where they’d shifted. She gathered them up, noticing most of the clothes were torn. She figured they’d have to make do. She carried the clothes out to them, her heart thudding. Adrenaline raced through her from the fear of the afternoon and evening, along with the thrill of watching Dane and Jake subdue the two men who’d intended to use her for leverage. Dane didn’t move from where he stood by Seth. He turned his head and met her eyes, his blue-gray eyes glowing, intense and otherworldly, in the dark woods. He silently accepted the clothes she offered and threw some on top of Seth.

  Chloe walked over to Jake and handed him the other pairs of clothes. Moments later, all four men were clothed, albeit in tattered outfits. Dane and Jake escorted the two men back into the cabin. Chloe wondered if it was safe not to tie them up, but she sensed Dane and Jake had it in hand. Dane dragged another chair beside the one where she’d been sitting and gestured for the two men to sit.

  Jake stood at Dane’s side, both men bristling with energy and fury. Dane ignored Seth and looked at Callen’s brother. “So Randall, looks like you were in cahoots with Callen?”

  Randall whipped his head up, clearly taken off guard at Dane’s question. His eyes bounced between Jake and Dane. They remained silent. “Don’t know what you’re talking about,” Randall said flatly.

  Dane leaned forward, his face inches from Randall’s. “I think you do. If you were hoping to use Chloe against me, you miscalculated how much leverage we have against you. We won’t fill you in, we’ll let you wonder about that. But know this: we are well aware Callen planned to sell Catamount shifters out. We have no problem bringing shame down on your entire family. And this…” Dane gestured around the room. “This little hidden cabin and your kidnapping plan of my fiancée…this won’t fly. You’ll pay and fast.”

  Chloe’s heart hammered against her ribs. The way Dane spoke about her, his fierceness and intensity, sent a thrill humming through her body. His eyes met hers briefly, electricity snapped between them. Had they been alone, Chloe would have fallen into his arms. She forced herself to stay still though her body practically vibrated.

  Randall’s face went white, but he remained silent, his expression sullen. Dane glanced to Chloe again, his eyes briefly caressing her. Without even touching her, she felt a wave of comfort wash from him. He looked back at Randall and over to Seth.

  “So here’s the deal. Half the town’s out looking for Chloe. We’ve already arranged for the police to head our way once Jake signaled Liliana that we located the cabin. They shouldn’t be more than a few minutes behind us. In the meantime, you can sit tight and shut up, or consider whether you want to tell us what you can to see if you might earn a lesser punishment.”

  Randall looked at Seth, his eyes traveling to Jake and landing on Dane. He shook his head. “Fuck you.”

  Lights flashed through the trees as a car turned down the road leading to the cabin, more lights following behind. The next few hours were a jumble in Chloe’s mind. The Catamount police arrived and promptly arrested Randall and Seth. Chloe rode back into town with Dane and Jake, held snug against Dane’s side. They hadn’t had even a second of privacy, so Chloe made do with a quick kiss and Dane’s strong arm around her while adrenaline and emotion surged through her. Between the fear she’d experienced for her own circumstances, she’d been terrified Dane would be hurt during the altercation with Randall. Watching four shifters in lion form had been thrilling and ethereal, but it was frightening to know that Dane or Jake could have been hurt.

  A number of residents were waiting at the police station when they arrived. Word had traveled like brushfire. Chloe was taken aside for questioning, along with Dane and Jake. When she was waiting outside for Dane to finish up, she was pestered with questions from residents. People were shocked and confused about Randall’s involvement. Roxanne arrived and waved everyone away from Chloe. “For God’s sake people, give her some space. I know we’re all scared and concerned, but give it some time. The police will give us more information once they’ve sorted everything out.”

  Chloe breathed a sigh of relief when the pressure of questions was eased. “Thank you,” she said under her breath.

  Roxanne shrugged. “No problem. People are flat freaking out. I get it. I am too, but badgering you for answers isn’t going to help. You okay?”

  Chloe nodded. She was tired, weary, and crashing from the after-effects of hours of fear and adrenaline pumping through her body. “I’m okay. Tired and ready to go home though.”

  She felt a hand on her shoulder and knew it was Dane’s the moment he touched her. His palm slid down her back in a smooth caress, coming to rest at her waist. Warmth stole through her, his touch soothing and electrifying at once. “Well, that’s good then because that’s where we’re going.”

  He stepped to her side, smiling down at her, his blue-gray eyes coasting over her.

  “Hey Roxanne, thanks for waiting with Chloe,” he added.

  Roxanne looked at him, her expression somber. “Of course. I won’t bother you about it now, but I don’t suppose you could fill me in tomorrow?”

  Dane nodded. “You got it. I’ll stop by in the morning.”

  Chapter 13

  Dane walked beside Chloe into the house, his hand on her back. He couldn’t keep from touching her on the way home. It was as if he needed to reassure himself she was physically here with him. The events of the afternoon and evening were fresh in his mind. The pounding fear he’d felt had barely abated. The thought of what could have happened if they hadn’t found her terrified him. Anger at Randall, Seth, and whoever else lay behind her kidnapping simmered inside. There was a lot left to deal with, but for now, he simply needed to be with Chloe.

  As soon as the door closed behind them, he picked her up in his arms and walked upstairs. Her mossy green eyes met his in the shadowed hall, intent and focused. He carried her through the bedroom and into the bathroom before setting her down. “We’re washing today off of you,” he said as he reached in and turned on the shower.

  In seconds, steam began to filter through the room. Chloe had immediately begun taking her clothes off. Dane stripped his tattered clothes off, following her into the shower. Soft light fell through the haze of water and steam. The glass blue tiles created a surreal space around them. He pulled her into his arms and simply held her, the heat of the water rushing over them. He had to force himself to step back. Lust streaked through him, its force primal. He soaped her, savoring the feel of her soft skin and curves under his hands. While she rinsed off under the water and lathered her hair with shampoo, he washed himself quickly. Bubbles ran over her body as she rinsed her hair. His cock throbbed
at the sight of her.

  He reached for her again when she opened her eyes, her lashes spiked with water, the green of her eyes bright. Her tongue darted out, licking a drop of water. He couldn’t hold back and took her mouth in a deep kiss, instantly delving in with his tongue. She met him stroke for stroke, their kiss wild, hot and deep. The coils of want tightened in him. After the fight tonight and his shift, he’d barely been able to keep his primal desire for her in check. To have her here, naked in his arms, unleashed everything he’d been holding back.

  ***

  Dane’s kiss was fierce, his energy potent. A frisson of awareness unrolled in a stretch through Chloe’s body. Desire raged inside of her. He lifted her against him, cupping her bottom in his strong hands. Her legs went around his waist as he stepped to the wall of the shower, bringing her back against it. He pressed against her, his arousal resting in the cradle of her hips, directly against her cleft. Pleasure pin-wheeled through her when he rocked into her, nestling against the nub of her desire.

  The afternoon of pulses of fear, hours of dread and waiting, and then the crash of adrenaline when Dane and Jake fought Seth and Randall culminated in this. The primal beauty of witnessing Dane shift into his lion and be who and what he was had been so intense, she’d barely held it together since then. The emotional intensity of feeling safe and so protected by him was unlike anything she’d ever experienced, or could have imagined. She needed to slake the depth of her feelings against the flint of the conflagration between them.

  He tore his lips away, murmuring her name as he kissed his way down her neck, his lips closing over a nipple. She arched into him with a cry when he bit her softly and swirled his tongue around. He did the same with her other nipple. She shifted restlessly against him, grinding her hips into the warm length of his cock. She needed him inside of her.