by Lane, Soraya
Hunter flicked his tail across her, touching lightly up and down her back.
“You’re going to be fine. They’ll love you.”
Riley closed her eyes and focused on the slow inhale and exhale of her breath. Hmmm. The stroking thing was helping.
“It’s just some other couples,” he told her.
Her eyes popped open.
“No, ah, single males, if that’s what you’re worried about. They’re not around here today.”
She looked at him, stared through him to make sure he wasn’t lying. And he wasn’t. His gaze was too open, too soft. Besides, he’d never lied to her before, so why would he about this?
“Okay.”
He stopped stroking her and gave her a nudge instead. Riley growled at him. She should have held out for longer, then he might have kept pampering her.
Hunter inclined his head. “Ready?”
Riley nodded. This time he went slower, let her set the pace, like he was worried she was going to try skipping off again.
“What do I say to them? I mean, how do I introduce myself?” she asked.
Hunter didn’t slow down to talk. He just ran closer, his body moving next to hers so she could almost feel the pull and release of his muscles as easily as she could her own.
“They know who you are, Riley. Just be yourself.”
Did that mean they knew that…
He did the mind reading thing again. “Every leopard around knows who you are. They’ve all known you were coming. But the leopards you’re about to meet, they’re mated. That’s why they’re no threat to you.”
Right. She still squirmed when she heard the whole mate thing though. It just didn’t sound right. Especially when her name was used alongside it. Ick.
“So just be myself, huh?”
Hunter exchanged looks with her. “Yup.”
They slowed to a walk well before the lair came into view. Or not exactly into view. If Riley had been alone, she would have completely missed it. Aside from the big leopards stationed outside to guard the place, it was completely hidden from view.
“Stay close to me until we’re in there.” Hunter warned her.
Riley had no intention of doing anything other than sticking to him like glue. Hunter was one thing, but a whole lot of leopards? The thought terrified her.
She kept her eyes down as they passed the guards. Hunter let out a low, dangerous sounding growl that ended in a snarl when one of the guards moved. She had a feeling these two didn’t fall into the friend category.
There wasn’t a door, but then Riley guessed leopards didn’t need contraptions like that. They had guards and the lair was impossible to see.
It was like a cave, except it was man-made. Or at least that’s what it looked like. Hidden on the outside by expertly placed leaves, branches and other debris. Inside, it smelt earthy. The walls looked to be lined with mud and branches.
“Anybody home?”
Riley jumped. It was only Hunter, but he’d scared her.
She watched him, having been so transfixed on the passage they were travelling in, that she hadn’t noticed how relaxed his walk had become. Like he’d brought her into his home, away from danger, and he was finally able to chill out.
Every other moment they spent together as leopards, he was wired. Prepared for battle. Prepared to sacrifice himself to protect her. Here, he was different.
A rumble echoed ahead of them. A shiver hit Riley’s spine, sending her fur on end.
“Welcome, Riley.”
She still hadn’t seen any one. Hunter turned and gave her a sharp-toothed smile, before waiting for her to walk ahead.
Her heart stopped. It actually stuttered to a halt. At least ten leopards were staring back at her. Some standing, most lounging on the ground. But ten pairs of eyes were fixed on her.
Riley started to back away, fought the urge to run and couldn’t stop it.
But she only took one step before bumping straight into Hunter. He was taller than her, much bigger than her, so her backside hit his chest.
He didn’t say anything, but then if he had the whole room would have heard. Because all their voices were in her head too.
“We can’t stay for long, but everyone, meet Riley.”
A chorus of hellos rang out in her mind. Some loud and deep, others soft.
Riley looked at the group in front of her. Relief settled over her, calmed her. Especially with Hunter by her side. He’d stayed close, his body touching hers from the side now. Soothing her. Telling her it was okay.
One particular pair of eyes caught her attention. Soft, kind eyes, attached to a particularly small feline body. They were smiling at her, comforting her.
The leopard in question stood and stepped forward, giving Hunter a flick with her tail and encouraging Riley forward.
“I’m the newest around here. I know what it’s like facing this lot for the first time.”
A rumble of low growls echoed out, but Riley heard them for what they were– conversation. They meant her no harm.
Riley shot Hunter a look and saw that he wasn’t happy with her moving away, but he didn’t say anything. Didn’t try to stop her.
“I’m Imogen.”
Riley turned her attention back to the female leopard heading her away. She settled down beside her, lying on the soft dirt to mirror what her new friend was doing.
“Riley King.”
Imogen shook her head from side to side. “A.K.A. the girl who’s been keeping a certain leopard on his toes lately,” she said.
Riley would have been burning red with blushes head to toe if she’d been human. Instead, she looked away. But neither of them missed the snarl, the deep set growl as Hunter responded.
“Settle, Hunter. I’m just pointing out the facts,” Imogen told him.
Riley surveyed the room. Hunter was standing next to the largest leopard. She diverted her eyes, worried that she was being too bold looking at them so openly. But no one seemed to care. They all just lounged or spoke or snoozed, all paired up. It was kind of hard dealing with so many muffled voices in her head. So many conversations that she could tune into if she wanted to.
“Who is your, ah…”
“Mate?” Imogen finished the question for her. “That handsome cat over there.”
Riley followed her eyes. And saw a gleam and flash of excitement pass over the youngest male in the room. It was obvious he was younger. He had no grey around his muzzle. His eyes were kind of jumpy, his body rangy.
Not much younger than Hunter, she guessed.
She caught his eye again and he looked back, relaxed, no challenge in his gaze.
The moment passed faster than she could blink. One minute she was happily turning back to Imogen, the next a flurry of black surrounded her then disappeared. Fur flew and bodies heaved faster than she’d ever seen before.
Riley blinked. Then jumped up. Confused.
All the men had left the room, including Hunter. Suddenly she felt vulnerable. Scared. He’d promised he’d protect her and now she was alone.
Imogen must have sensed her concern, because she came closer, her body warm against Riley’s. She jumped closer to her as a loud thump and a series of crashes echoed outside.
The other females all rose, passing Riley before she had a chance to follow.
“Men.” She heard more than one of them mutter as they passed.
“A fight?” Riley questioned Imogen.
“Yep.” She turned to Riley. “And I’d say you’re the reason behind it.”
Riley hurried after them, desperate yet terrified to see what was going on. It had all happened so fast.
“We all have a good sense of smell, but those guys can sniff another male from a mile off.”
Riley was pleased Imogen could make some sense of this for her. “Which is why they all took off like that.”
Riley could smell blood then. She recoiled. Not so much from the smell as to what it might mean. She hoped it wasn’t Hunter’s.
“It won’t turn into much.” Imogen was trying to reassure her. It was nice she cared, but Riley’s heart was still beating in her mouth. “The guys you saw in there before? They’re the warriors. No young leopard would ever take them on. Ever.”
Warriors. Wow.
Her thoughts died then. If she hadn’t had Imogen beside her for support her body might have too.
They emerged to find the males from before in a half circle, watching a fight. A fight she didn’t want to see, but couldn’t draw her eyes away from. Because it was a fight with Hunter in the center of it. Taking on not one but two others.
Shit.
“Stop him! Do something to help him,” Riley pleaded.
Only one male turned. The large one from before that had terrified her more than all the others put together. “Don’t distract him.”
“But …” Riley was starting to panic.
“Let him focus. He’ll send then both home screaming to their mamas in less than a minute.”
Riley thought her brain was about to explode. If the huge male hadn’t been parked in front of her, she would have struggled not to launch forward and try to stop the fight herself.
“Men.” Imogen threw her a look, but Riley had a feeling she was enjoying the fight. “Got to do something with all that testosterone.”
Great.
Riley tried to close her eyes but that was even worse. Her pupils seemed drawn to the circling bodies, the clash of teeth and sharp claws as they pierced. But even she could tell that the two young leopards didn’t stand a chance against Hunter. He deserved his tag as strongest warrior. As the head soldier.
His body moved like it was performing a series of choreographed movements. His paws were light on the ground, muscles coiled as he strategically pounced and fought. Now that she had tuned in, she could hear his thoughts. Could hear what he was telling the young leopards.
“Walk away now and I’ll let you live.”
Their young male pride was obviously getting in the way, because every time Hunter gave them the opportunity, they came at him, tried to prove themselves, but he always evaded them. And it was then she realized he was trying hard not to hurt them.
Imogen gave her a nudge. “We don’t have enough trained soldiers for him to kill them.”
Riley hoped that Hunter actually didn’t want to kill them.
“She’s mine. Don’t you dare even think about her,” Hunter yelled.
Uh-oh. Riley was pleased she’d missed whatever the young leopard had thought about her, but Hunter’s voice rang through loud and clear.
And the guy he was fighting lost his concentration. Took a barely there second to glance over at her, to lock eyes with her. It was all Hunter needed to flatten him, to pin the leopard with his big body to the ground. Teeth at his neck.
“Surrender or I kill you now,” Hunter demanded.
The other leopard, the one who wasn’t on the ground, took his chance. He turned wild eyes to the gathered crowd, then sprinted off into the forest. The one beneath Hunter closed his eyes. She could see the panicked rise and fall of his chest. Could sense the terror he felt, the pain of having to give in. “Or die.”
The leopards around her seemed to buzz with the excitement. Almost like they wanted to see Hunter take him. Or maybe they’d just enjoyed the action.
“They need to be kept in check. Keep them on their toes.”
Riley looked over at Imogen as she spoke. “Is Hunter even that much older than them?”
“Not in years. But mentally and physically, he’s like one of our elders.”
Funny, that’s kind of how she thought about him. Young and cute, but mature too. Like a lot of responsibility weighed on his shoulders.
The crowd dispersed. Riley realized she’d been so busy daydreaming she’d stopped watching. The young leopard tried to proudly limp off. The others ignored him, turning their backs.
Hunter walked over, his eyes searching out hers. She sensed relief when he saw she was standing, unharmed. He looked away and back to the other males.
“Didn’t want to take any chances,” Hunter told them.
There were some mutterings, but Riley barely registered them. There was something powerful, thrilling, about knowing a guy had just fought for her. Taken on two others with his peers gathered around to watch, to show that she wasn’t available. That he wouldn't let any danger come to her.
“Take her home, before we have every male in the region sniffing around for a scrap with you.” Imogen’s mate gave her a sharp look as he spoke. Riley wished she could laugh, but knowing the fight was about her, she held her humor in check.
“He’s right.” Hunter’s voice hit her mind. His eyes were back on her again. “They were just kids. I don’t want a real fight today.”
Suddenly it didn’t seem so amusing anymore. Especially when she saw a streak of blood just beneath Hunter’s neck, slicing over his shoulder.
Riley moved forward to tuck in beside him. She gave Imogen what she hoped was a friendly look, but she was still getting the hang of trying out facial expressions as a cat.
“See you later for patrol,” someone called out.
Hunter turned, his tail guiding her with him, alongside him, as they left.
“Patrol?” Riley asked.
“We all take turns keeping an eye over the forest. Secure the perimeter, protect our own.”
Right. She still had a lot to learn about the actual workings of this place. “Hunter, that cut, is it…”
“Nothing.” He snapped at her, but she saw his eyes soften when they met her alarmed ones.
He slowed his walk and moved closer to her. “Sorry, not used to letting my guard down.”
“So what was that all about, anyway? Did you really have to defend me like that?”
Hunter grimaced. At least she thought that’s what he did.
“Just looking out for my girl.”
His girl. She liked the sound of that.
Riley kept her head down, but Hunter wasn’t going to let her evade his words. He bumped into her, shoulder to shoulder. Made her look up.
“You okay with that?”
She looked down again. “Yeah.”
“Yeah?”
“But you don’t have to go beating up on kids just to prove yourself,” she said.
They might not be able to laugh, but she could have sworn she heard his human, belly-deep rumble as they padded along, bodies touching as they moved through the forest.
CHAPTER FIFTEEN
“I’m going to beat you today, you know that?”
Hunter shook his head. “If you beat me, that’ll make you the fastest cat out here.”
Riley narrowed her eyes. “One day I’ll beat you, Hunter, and you’ll regret ever doubting me.”
“Kitty, you’re Sophia’s granddaughter. I know you’d like to be the alpha here, but racing is the one thing you’ll never beat me at.”
Anger boiled, simmered, in her bones. But she kept it in check. She was not giving in to his arrogance. Not going to let him know how much his teasing annoyed her. It was part of the game they played. He liked pushing her buttons, seemed to be part of the way they behaved before going leopard.
“Want to change here?” Hunter asked.
She stopped to slip her sandals off. She knew better now than to wear complicated footwear, but her feet didn’t hold up that well to barefoot through the forest. She knew that firsthand now, despite Sophia telling her that they’d eventually harden up.
“You really need to start wearing less clothes,” Hunter said as she peeled off her dress, out of sight. She knew he was grinning without even being able to see him.
“Don’t say a word, leopard. Not another word.”
“Or what?” he asked.
She focused on the change, willed her mind, then pounced at him, leopard before he was, springing from behind her tree. It only took him a split second to match her, but she enjoyed seeing his jeans shred as she forced him into shif
ting before he was ready. He was going to have to walk home naked later, or else stay a cat until he reached his place.
She liked getting her own back on him.
Hunter eyed her. She bared her teeth at him. Cat time meant play time, and she was starting to like it. He flicked her with his tail, kicked up his back paws to throw dirt at her as he sprang into life and pounded off. She shook the soil from her face and raced.
Now that she was faster, playing catch up was fun.
Riley hit Hunter hard, full force in the side, launching her body against his. She’d been chasing him, stalking him, for half the morning, and it had taken her until now to trick him.
And she had him.
Hunter hit the ground with a thud, but rolled expertly back into position, goading her into attacking again. She hated that he might have let her find him, after all these hours of them hiding from one another, but now she had him she wasn’t going to give up.
They might not be able to talk like usual, but she could feel him, hear him, smell him. Every sense was alert, her body arched, ready for more. Game for anything he threw her way.
Hunter’s eyes challenged her. He showed her two perfect, sharp white teeth as his lip curled. The sharp canine glinted at her, threatening her.
Come and get me. That’s what he was telling her with his body language. Knowing she wouldn’t be able to resist. And she was determined to do exactly that.
Riley rocked back on her haunches, felt the coil of her muscles as they contracted. She wanted to hurt him. To sink her teeth into him and hear him howl. But he was too fast. He’d seen the change in her posture. Known she was coiled like an exploding spring.
She ran, fast, paws hitting the grass in a rhythmic beat. Pounding against the earth. She lost sight of him again, but it only made her run faster. She was getting the hang of this and it felt good. Now she’d caught up to him once, she wasn’t going to let him escape her again.
Riley was about to turn, to glide around the tree and keep racing across the field when a blow hit her full force in the side. Knocked the wind from her. She saw red, thought she was about to change back, like something had gone wrong. Felt like she was falling into that burning red cave that she passed through each time before shifting.