Best Intentions: A Ghost Cats Story

by Mandy M. Roth

  He’d heard other shifters make the noise in the past. Not often but enough to know exactly what it signified.

  The starts of a verbal claiming.

  She couldn’t be his true life mate. He didn’t buy into that crap Running Elk was always going on about. How every supernatural had a perfect someone. A person who complemented their soul completely. A person they were meant to love and be with for life. Only one person who they could reproduce with. Sure shifter males were genetically prone to want to take a mate. There was a hell of a difference between a mate and a true life mate. One existed. The other did not.

  Lily caressed his arm gently and his conviction wavered. “Bray, are you okay? You’re burning up.”

  He took a calming breath. “I’m good, beautiful. Just excited about getting to be in you soon.”

  The edges of her lips slid upwards. “I’m excited too.”

  Damn he wanted to kiss her. Hell, he wanted to throw everything off the table and fuck her right there, for all to see she was totally and completely his and his alone. It was far from something he’d do and that was the only thing that allowed him to relax and even remain near her.

  Someone turned the jukebox on and Brayen nearly yelled for them to shut it off. Lily smiled and stood, her hand easing into his. “Let’s dance.”

  Dance?

  He lifted a brow. He didn’t dance. Ever.

  It was on the tip of his tongue to tell her no. He couldn’t. Brayen stood and pulled Lily in behind him as he walked towards the dance floor. The very empty dance floor. Most of the people in the bar knew him. Most feared and respected him. Seeing him trying to dance would shoot that respect and fear right in the ass.

  Stiffly, he turned and dragged Lily against his frame, unsure exactly what he was supposed to be doing. Thankfully, she seemed to understand and helped to guide him to start with. Her hands went up and to the back of his neck and her breasts pressed against his chest. His hands naturally found her hips and his erection dug at her lower stomach. He knew he could learn to like dancing with her right real quick.

  He moved slowly, their bodies fitting together perfectly, even with the height difference. Her head came to a rest on his chest and a fierce need to protect the tiny female in his arms was all consuming. He inhaled her scent.

  Peaches.

  As much as he wanted to fuck her, to know the feel of her sheath around his cock, he had to admit he enjoyed this—dancing with her. Simple yet still oddly erotic to him with a tenderness he wasn’t even aware he was capable of.

  The song ended and another began. They kept dancing, their bodies close. He could hear her heart beating and from the placement of her head on his chest, he knew she could hear his as well.

  He brought a hand up and traced the backs of his knuckles over her cheek. She attempted to lift her head to look up at him but he cradled her head to him, keeping her in place. He knew if Lily dared make eye contact with him at the moment, she’d see what he’d been trying to hide since the start of the second song—his eyes had shifted colors. He’d regain control of them soon enough. For now, he just wanted to hold his woman.

  He caught Mason’s scent and knew his friend had entered the bar. He wasn’t alone. Running Elk was next to him, a smug smile on the old man’s face as he watched Brayen with Lily. Mason didn’t share his grandfather’s outlook on the situation. Mason looked worried.

  Brayen couldn’t blame him. Hell, he was worried himself.

  “You look like you’re on the verge of claiming her where you stand.” Mason’s voice pushed into his mind, using the mental path they’d established long ago, when they were children.

  “I know.”

  Mason shook his head. “Bad idea, brother.”

  They weren’t related but often referred to themselves in such a manner.

  “I know.”

  “Yeah, if you fucking know so much then why are you still standing there with her?” Mason questioned. “You should be running in the other direction as far and as fast as you can.”

  “I know.”

  And he did know, but he didn’t care.

  Mason made a move to come towards them and Brayen’s cat nearly took control of him. His teeth lengthened, changing shape, morphing more towards a cougar than a human. He flashed them at Mason and knew that if it came down to it, he would kill his best friend, a man he considered a brother, for Lily. To protect her. To keep other unmated male shifters from her.

  “Mine,” he pushed down the mental path at Mason.

  Running Elk grabbed Mason’s arm, halting him.

  Mason’s eyes widened.

  “Fuck, Cougs.”

  The reality of it all hit him hard and he had to fight to regain control of himself. It took a moment for his mouth to ease and return to normal. His eyes went to blue once again. His control hinged on a thread and he wasn’t safe to be around. Lily was human. She’d never understand or accept what he was. To humans shifters were the stuff of legends and myths. In addition, her humanity presented another problem aside from rejection. Fragility. Mortality.

  If he lost total control around her and took her with the beast riding his actions, the likelihood he’d kill her during intercourse was great. Fear of harming her did what nothing else had—it forced him to separate from her.

  He stepped back fast, startling Lily. She glanced up at him with hypnotic eyes, looking as if she’d been lost in thought against him.

  “Bray?” she asked. “Are you ready now?”

  He knew she was asking if he was ready to go back to her room and fuck her. Yes. He was more than ready but she wasn’t and he wouldn’t risk hurting her. Already he could barely control his shifter side. The last thing he wanted was for the animal side of him to be what ripped Lily out of his life.

  He struggled for words that didn’t seem to want to come. “I’ve changed my mind.”

  She paused, her gaze narrowing. “Changed your mind?”

  He nodded.

  “You don’t want to spend the night with me?” she asked, her voice small.

  Fuck. He hated himself for what had to be said. Pushing her away and assuring she didn’t look back was the only thing that was going to save her from him.

  “No, baby,” he said, knowing the look he was giving her was one of a jackass. “My dick just isn’t as into it as it had been. The longer I spend with you, the more I realize you’re not really my type after all.”

  She flinched and he’d never hated himself more. He expected her to verbally lash back at him. Lily had a temper. He’d learned that the minute she’d entered his office.

  Lowering her head, she remained in place a second before looking up at him, moisture coating her dark lashes. Something inside him broke at the sight of her unshed tears. He wanted to reach out to her, to tell her the truth, that she was all he’d ever wanted in a woman. That she turned him on in a way no one ever had or ever would again.

  He held back, digging his fingernails into the palms of his hands. “I’ll walk you back to your cabin.”

  She licked her lower lip and shook her head. “No.”

  This time he did reach for her but she jerked back, a lone tear escaping down her cheek. “Lily.”

  “Hey, Cougs,” Mason said, suddenly next to them. “If you’re done here, how about we grab some beer and maybe play some pool?”

  He knew his friend was only trying to help. That Mason was aiding in giving him an out. His gaze locked on Lily’s. Again, he reached for her. Again, she backed away from his touch. “Lily, please. I freaked. I got nervous about the way I—”

  Mason grunted and gave him a hard shove.

  Brayen ignored him.

  Lily took a deep breath and squared her shoulders. “It’s fine. No. It’s better than fine actually. I promised myself no commitments. No feelings. No strings. Thank you for assuring I hold to that. Goodnight, Brayen. It was a pleasure meeting you and thank you for dinner.”

  He’d done it. He’d successfully managed to get her
to shut down on him. It’s what he’d wanted. It’s what was best for her. Why did it hurt so bad?

  Mason moved in then, pushing on Brayen, forcing him back from Lily. “Lillian,” Mason said. “You need to go now.”

  She nodded in understanding and looked up at Brayen one last time. She appeared to be on the verge of tears again. With a speed that surprised him, Lily pivoted and rushed out of the bar, her scent trailing behind her.

  Brayen lost control then, his eyes shifting as claws emerged from his fingertips. He snarled, trying to go after her. Mason and several other men were suddenly on him, knocking him to the ground, pinning him in place. They were only trying to help. To keep him from stalking after Lily and possibly harming her. The beast didn’t care or understand. It wanted Lily. So did he.

  Running Elk’s face appeared above him. The shaman whispered a chant and Brayen felt his beast caging so fast that it stunned him. He blinked, his mind in a slight haze. He stared around at people he considered family. “Lily?”

  “She’s gone, brother,” Mason said softly. “I think you know it’s for the best. You damn near did a full shift in the middle of the bar. She only just walked out of here when you did. If she’d have seen you, I don’t even want to think on it.”

  Running Elk nodded. “Guardian, return to your home.”

  The old man liked to call Brayen by his shifter job description rather than his name or breed as Mason did. He exhaled slowly, knowing they were all right. He nodded.

  Mason lifted his brows. “You’ll go straight to your place? You won’t try to make a pit stop at one hot little vixen’s cabin?”

  The breath went out of him as he realized how utterly helpless he was to Lily’s pull. He met his friend’s gaze. “Might be best if you make sure I don’t.”

  “Yeah, I was already planning on as much,” Mason returned, helping Brayen to stand.

  Running Elk crossed his arms over his chest. “You will know when it’s time.”

  “Time to what?” Brayen asked.

  The old man wandered off, his words a riddle hanging in the air between them. Mason chuckled. “Ignore him. I’m pretty sure he doesn’t even know what day it is. Just yesterday he told me he’d spent the night chatting it up with Sitting Bull and I think we all know Sitting Bull hasn’t been around for a while now.”

  Chapter Three

  Lily sat on the porch of her tiny cabin, her knees tucked up and under her chin as she sniffled more. She’d spent so long struggling with the idea of Brayen being the man to possibly give her what she craved more than anything in the world—for him to be the one who eased the ache of her empty arms—that having him be the one to reject her, to force her away, seemed fitting. It’s what she deserved.

  Regardless of how long she’d spent planning the weekend away and coming to terms with what she had to do, she couldn’t stay another minute. The idea of seeking out another man—a total stranger—to spend the night with her was laughable. The man she wanted didn’t want her and it was for the best. It was wrong. So very wrong.

  You have Jack, she reminded herself. You love Jack. He loves you. You’ll work things out. You’ll be happy again.

  The cold bite of the night air left her shivering. She wasn’t sure how long she’d been sitting there crying, but she knew it was a couple of hours at least. She’d run from Brayen and straight to the cabin, changing from the ridiculous get up she’d been in. She now wore a pair of silk pajama bottoms, a matching cami top and a thin robe. Her emotions had been high and she’d found herself out and on the porch, the night sky filled with moonlight.

  With a deep breath, Lily stood, knowing she had to repack her suitcase and leave. She took a step towards the cabin door and froze at the sound of something low growling to her right. Woods lined the edges of the cabin on the right side and the back. They weren’t as close on the front, set back so that a drive and grassy area were there, giving access to the cabins.

  The growl intensified and she tensed. Fear knotted her stomach. Whatever it was, it was big and it was close enough to attack her. From the sounds of it, she was about to be its next meal.

  Lily tried to calm herself. Tried to think clearly. She was well aware of the bear population in the area as well as wolves. Neither of which she wanted to have a face to face meeting with in the wild.

  Additional growls joined the other and it was then she realized whatever it was, it wasn’t alone.

  Brayen sat in his office, finishing up the end of month books. He hated the work, but it needed to be done. He ran a legitimate business, even if it did cater to the supernatural. No one had investigated how the seemingly abandoned old hotel turned such a profit yet and Brayen guessed they never would.

  His thoughts drifted back to Lily. He’d spent the last couple of hours thinking about her. It had taken everything in him not to take her, fuck her and claim her as his mate. She tested his control in a way no one else ever had. The very thought of her tear-filled green eyes twisted at his gut. He wanted to kiss away her doubt—tell her that he felt things for her that he shouldn’t.

  Damn her for showing up and ruining his perfectly uncluttered life. Damn her for being so fucking beautiful. Damn her for making him want her. Damn her for daring to be his life mate.

  Brayen put his head in his hands and exhaled. He dragged his hands down his face, shaking his head. If he was right, and she was his life mate, he’d pushed her away. Hell, he’d chased her away.

  It’s for the best.

  He snorted. “Keep telling yourself that, asshole.”

  Brayen logged his last entry and stopped when he heard the cry of a wolf. He knew that sound. It was one used before the wolf attacked its prey. He’d been charged with keeping the shifters in the area in line. He was their guardian, for lack of a better term, and he wasn’t about to let a rogue werewolf spoil it for the bunch. If the damn thing did manage to kill anything the police would be crawling all over the area looking for clues and Brayen couldn’t risk one of them being gifted enough to sense the shifter compound.

  He stripped off his shirt and shoes as he ran outside. If it came down to a fight, he didn’t want to ruin any more clothes than he had to. The cougar within him caught scent of the wolf and he ran in its direction. It was closer to the cabins than he would have liked to see. Normally, even the craziest of shifters would stay back from the cabin grounds. This one was bold or incredibly stupid. He couldn’t figure out which.

  Mason ran out of his cabin and looked at Brayen. “It’s not one of mine.”

  “Rogue?” Brayen didn’t want to hear the answer to his own question. If the wolf wasn’t part of Mason’s pack then they had trouble on their hands.

  “That’s my guess,” Mason supplied.

  “Shit!”

  “Yeah,” Mason said, stripping his shirt off as well. “Shit about covers it.”

  They ran towards the scent. Brayen stopped in mid-stride and Mason came close to knocking him over. “Hey, what the hell are we stopping for?”

  Brayen put his hand up and motioned towards Lily. She stood near the edge of the porch to her cabin staring at a pack of wolves.

  Mason sucked in a big breath.

  Brayen could feel her fear as if it were his own. “Don’t move, baby. Don’t move,” he said softy. She started to turn her head in their direction, but stopped. “That a girl. Don’t move. We’re coming up behind you. Once we’re there, run.”

  A large black wolf, no doubt the alpha, growled at Brayen and Mason. Brayen’s body burned for the change. He wanted to shift into a cougar and have at the wolves. He knew he was stronger than they were. It had always been so. Mason’s great-grandfather, the local shaman, had told him that he was born to be the guardian and that in the gift came great strength. He told him stories of his mother, Rose, showing up pregnant and alone. The people at the reservation had seen to her needs and when she’d died, they’d cared for him as if he were one of their own. And in a way, he was one of them. Different as his cougar DNA wa
s, he still was a shifter all the same. Mason was like his brother and Mason was head wolf around these parts. They were both powerful and could take on any other shifter. He hadn’t met an opponent who could hold a candle to him—at least not yet.

  A white wolf snapped at Lily and she screamed. The wolves took her fear and ran with it. They lunged forward, leaving Mason and Brayen no choice but to shift to defend her.

  Brayen’s body transformed in mid-air as he leapt over Lily. He landed on all fours at her feet and slashed out at the alpha wolf, catching its snout and ripping it wide open with his paw and claws. Mason, in wolf form, appeared next to Brayen. He looked over at his friend, all black and lethal, before setting his attentions back on the rogues.

  Lily stood frozen as she watched the events unfold before her. Her mind tried to make sense of the scene, but failed. A large tan cat, possibly a cougar, turned its amber eyes to her and snarled. She fought to get her feet to move.

  “Brayen?”

  She looked around but couldn’t find him anywhere. There was no doubt in her mind that he’d spoken to her right before the white wolf leapt at her but she couldn’t find him.

  “Brayen!” She yelled, frantic now that he may have been attacked as well.

  “Go into the bar, now!”

  Lily turned, still searching for Brayen. He sounded so close.

  “Go, Lily!”

  The command startled her and brought her back into the moment. Standing in the dark with a huge group of wild animals was insane. Brayen wasn’t out there. She must have hallucinated him. She ran towards the bar, her bare feet striking the unforgiving ground. She drew to a fast stop when another wolf appeared before her. It bared its teeth at her as it lunged off the ground. Lily screamed and attempted to jump out of its path. It dove past her and slid in the dirt.

  Lily’s scream caught Brayen’s attention and cost him dearly when the alpha rogue sunk its teeth into his neck. He slashed out at it and caught it across the face. It released him quickly and ran off in the other direction. Mason glanced over at him and Brayen knew he would go after the wolf so Brayen could go to Lily.