“I’ll do that,” the man assured him and the guard left.
“Doctor Emily Hill.” Chances were slim that any of the cats would recognize her name, but she simplified it just in case, as she had done with Maddox earlier.
Rather than shake her hand, the newcomer moved closer, his gaze intense and assessing. She felt the storeroom door at her back and realized she’d mirrored his steps. Up close he was even more… everything, more sensual, more dangerous, more feline.
“You smell like a dog, but I’m pretty sure there’s a human under that stench.”
Despite his insulting words, his deep, smoky tone made her insides quiver. “Thank you for noticing.” All her life she’d longed for a lover bold enough to command her, to take control and free her from the worry and responsibility so prevalent in her life. It was way too easy to imagine this man in that role.
He stepped back, barely, and extended his hand. “Cruz.” Black synth-leather gloves covered both his hands.
“Nice to meet you.” The glove felt cool and soft against her skin, but his fingers were strong, his grip firm. What would that glove feel like gliding over her breasts or spreading her thighs? Would it mute the pleasure as he spanked her ass, or add a teasing quality to each swat? Would he take them off when he pushed his fingers inside her or… She had to stop thinking about sex! He’d smell her arousal and know exactly what she was imagining.
She tried to pull her hand back, but he drew her forward, as if he’d take her in his arms. Her heart fluttered, and she started to object. Then the door swung open behind her, and Maddox stood framed in the doorway. Snatching her hand out of Cruz’s grasp, she pivoted to his side, and faced their host.
Maddox had attempted to put on a pair of coveralls, but the garment couldn’t accommodate his height. The sleeves were tied around his lean waist and his muscular chest was bare. No one could deny these cats had amazing bodies.
“Feel better?” The genuine amusement in Cruz’s eyes softened his smirk.
“Not hardly.” Maddox narrowed his gaze and inhaled deeply. “Who are you?”
“Cruz.” Though Maddox was half a head taller, Cruz met his gaze directly, every bit as confident as the pride leader. “Your people are crawling all over my mountain. I want it stopped.”
Maddox crossed his arms over his chest, looking somewhat suspicious. “How’d you know I wanted to speak with you? To my knowledge, you’re not in contact with any of my people anymore.” Dyauna slipped past Maddox and joined them outside the storeroom.
“I had no idea you wanted to talk to me.” Cruz’s determined expression didn’t change. “I’ve tried to be patient. My land is off-limits for a reason.”
“Do you know why the search teams are out there?”
Emily watched the exchange in silent fascination.
Cruz shrugged in response to Maddox’s question, but cunning gleamed in his dark eyes. “I’m guessing it has something to do with the worthless tiger pair that was holed up in one of my caves.”
“‘Was holed up,’ as in they aren’t there anymore?” Maddox asked.
“I try to stay out of things as much as possible. I don’t bother anyone and no one bothers me, but this has been going on for far too long.”
“Did you take out Izak?” Dyauna didn’t sound upset by the possibility.
Cruz smiled, another subtle, menacing smile. “Not yet. I went to the cave this morning, intending to evict my unwanted guests. They’d already gone.”
“Then why are you here?” Dyauna persisted. “Go find them.”
“They couldn’t have gone far. Dog territory is beyond my canyon, and the dogs want this bastard even more than you do.” He turned back to Maddox and laid out his terms. “I’ll hunt Izak and his accomplice, and guarantee resolution, but you have to call off your men. I can’t track Izak if I’m tripping over half the colony.”
“For weeks no one gave a damn about Izak and Amara. Now suddenly everyone and their brother wants to join the hunt. Is DOMA broadcasting subliminal messages, or is someone offering a bounty?”
“I don’t know anything about a bounty. I just want everyone off my land.”
“Well, I’ve got a counter proposal for you.” Maddox stalked toward the smaller man. Most people would be intimidated by his towering height and piercing stare, but Cruz seemed unconcerned, almost bored.
“This is more of a notification than a negotiation.”
“I’ll call off my people, but I need you to work with someone from outside the colony.” Maddox went on as if Cruz hadn’t spoken. “The dogs are convinced Barbary pride was involved, and they’re going to need more than my word --”
“Excuse me.” Maddox looked at Emily, obviously annoyed by her interruption. “That’s what I was doing at the canine compound. Cassin knew the victim’s mate would never agree to an autopsy, so he had the pack’s medic take samples before the body was cremated. Holo-images would have been helpful as well, but I was thankful for any physical evidence.”
“You’ve had time to analyze the samples?” The hopeful catch in Dyauna’s voice was unmistakable.
“Barbary pride was framed by a male tiger. The sperm contained within the samples of lion semen was already dead at the victim’s time of death. All the other physical evidence points back to the same male tiger. Izak.”
“Just like that” -- Maddox snapped his finger --”you confirmed his identity and exonerated my pride?”
His hostility confused Emily. “You make it sound like you didn’t already know. Clearly you did.”
“That’s not the reason for his annoyance,” Dyauna told her. “Izak and Amara have been wreaking havoc all over the colony for almost a year. It’s just frustrating that you were able to accomplish in a matter of hours what it took us months to verify.”
“Technology has its advantages.” She needed to slow down. Milo had warned her that the cats would turn hostile at the first hint of condescension. She was a guest in their home, and she needed to act accordingly. Keeping her tone respectful, she asked, “Do you need the identities of the two lions who inadvertently participated in the tragedy?”
Maddox shook his head. “They confessed and were punished.”
“Which brings us back to Izak and Amara,” Dyauna concluded. She looked at her mate, her expression suddenly thoughtful. “I think these two should work together.”
“I was thinking exactly the same thing.” Maddox finally smiled.
Cruz crossed his arms over his chest and shook his head. “I work alone.”
“As do I.”
With an enigmatic smile still curving his lips, Maddox motioned Cruz toward her skimmer. “All right, Doctor Hill, tell us about your shiny new toy.”
“Go on,” Dyauna urged. “Amaze us.”
“Is the vehicle designed for speed or mobility?” Cruz prompted, bending over to look under the skimmer.
The position showcased his tight, round ass and Emily had to look away. All the cats were graceful and intriguing, but Cruz oozed sexual appeal. She cleared her throat and began her impromptu sales pitch. “It will skim across the most inhospitable terrain without jostling the passengers.”
“I’ve been in hover crafts before,” Cruz dismissed. “The ride is never that smooth.”
He was obviously more familiar with technology than the others. “A hover craft requires a relatively flat surface. This can follow the contour of the land regardless of how steep or rocky. It will basically climb the side of a mountain if you want it to.”
“Any of us can travel just as well in cat form. How will this help you find Izak?” Maddox sounded indifferent, but his gaze moved over the small ship with obvious fascination.
“It’s equipped with a network of scanners that detect and identify specific life forms. With a sample of Izak’s DNA -- which I have thanks to the dogs -- this ship will fly me right to him.”
“What’s its range?” Cruz seemed almost defensive now. She didn’t understand his reaction.
“Range is det
ermined by an assortment of variables.”
“What sort of variables?” His dark gaze focused on her face with a mixture of challenge and predatory awareness. She might not know him well enough to understand his expressions, but he was affected by her.
“Anything from weather to the mineral content in surrounding rock formations can decrease the range of the scanners, but I don’t foresee any complications.”
Dyauna moved to her side and leaned in to whisper, “Panthers are always moody. Don’t take it personally.”
“My people will accept the outcome more readily if a cat is involved in the process,” Maddox told Emily. “No one knows the area better than Cruz. I’m sorry, Dr. Hill, but like it or not you’ve got a passenger.”
Chapter Two
Cruz watched every move Emily made, carefully noting the location and purpose of each control. The skimmer really was impressive, but it was certainly not unique. Why would DOMA bother with such a generic technology? But then, the “prototype” was contained within the skimmer; it wasn’t the vehicle itself.
Emily monitored their course and speed, making occasional adjustments, but the skimmer wasn’t driven so much as supervised. “Is this model mass produced, or is it still under development?”
She looked directly at him for the first time since their departure. “Why do you ask?”
Her eyes were almost shockingly blue in contrast with her creamy skin and dark brown hair. Though casual, her clothes were neatly pressed and immaculate. He wanted to trace the dramatic arch of her brows and unfasten the clasp holding back her hair. She’d scowl and slap his hand away, which would only make him more determined to rattle her cage. Gods, she’d be fun to provoke, to muss and wrinkle until they were wrestling on the floor, flushed and breathless.
“We’re a little out of the loop at the colony. I was just wondering.” He focused on her mouth, and she licked her lips. Not the teasing gesture of a practiced flirt, but the nervous reaction of a woman who was undeniably aware of a man.
“The skimmer itself is standard issue. The bells and whistles, however, are… interesting.”
He started to ask for clarification, then changed his mind. The less she knew about his purpose, the better. “You know my motivation for joining the hunt.” He kept his tone casual, bland. “What brought you to our neck of the woods?”
“Friend of a friend asked me to help with the investigation. As you said earlier, this has been going on for far too long.”
“Then you don’t work for DOMA? I thought the handlers dispatched you.” He flinched inwardly, unable to escape the irony of that statement.
“I severed my connection with DOMA about six years ago.” Her tone grew tense and she turned back to the controls. “The parting was less than amicable.”
“They have that effect on a lot of people.”
They lapsed into silence as she fiddled with the controls. Only a human had the option of “severing their connection” with DOMA. No morph could simply walk away.
Desperate for a distraction, Cruz studied Emily’s profile and tried to picture her hair loose around her shoulders. The image formed all too readily, only his imagination didn’t stop with her face. He saw her naked and on her knees, hands bound behind her back. Her full breasts thrust forward, nipples tight and dark, ready for his lips and teeth.
Would she whisper denials while she grew wet and clinging around his fingers? The conflict was there in her eyes. She wanted him; if not him personally, she wanted a controlling hand, a man who would command her body, reach beyond her hesitation, and free her inner fire.
He knew how to handle fire. In fact, it’s what he did best.
With a self-mocking chuckle, he dragged his gaze away from his unsuspecting partner and stared into the distance. She was squeaky clean and almost painfully restrained. Why had his mind immediately gone toward submission?
Because that’s what he wanted, what he needed to find real satisfaction in any sexual encounter.
This part of the forest was so thick all he could see was an undulating sea of green with an occasional flash of blue sky. With his senses muted by the skimmer, he couldn’t determine their location. He tensed, uncomfortable with any vulnerability.
We’re only interested in the prototype, which means you can do whatever you want with the agent. Jack’s words echoed through Cruz’s mind, spreading temptation like a hungry virus. He had three days. Three days to “indulge his long-neglected animal nature.”
If she had been oblivious to him, the idea would have held no appeal. But awareness pulsed between them, hot and electric. She might not know what to do with her suppressed sexuality, but he was more than happy to teach her.
No witnesses. No loose ends.
His half-formed fantasy came screeching to a halt. How could he take the shuttle without leaving her as a witness? Did Jack expect him to kill her even if he didn’t enjoy her for a day or two? Gods, this was twisted!
No, he’d stage an attack. Make it look like they’d been robbed and then…
“You’re awfully quiet all of a sudden. Where’d you go?”
He manufactured a smile and turned his head. His gaze collided with hers and heat cascaded through his body. Those eyes! She had the most expressive eyes he’d ever seen, and right now they were expressing longing, hesitant and conflicted, but definitely longing.
Careful what you wish for, sweetheart. I’m just the man to give it to you.
Rather than answer her question, he said, “Have those fancy scanners locked on to our target? You seem to be taking the long way around.” She didn’t react to his complaint, so he looked out the side window, hoping to determine their exact location. They were no longer skimming the ground. In fact, they were no longer moving. She’d gradually increased altitude while he was lost in thought and found a cozy bower in the treetops. “Why are we --” She snapped a suppression collar against his throat as he turned his head back around. Shocked and infuriated to be duped so easily, he snarled and tugged on the metal band. “This better be a fucking joke!” The collar stung the side of his neck and reality swelled in and out of focus. “What did you --”
“Don’t fight it. If I trigger another injection, your headache will double when you wake up.”
His safety restraints gradually tightened, securing him snugly against his seat. “Karah will kill you for this!” Her shocked expression was almost worth the nauseating lethargy stealing over his mind and body.
“What does Karah have to do with this?”
He just sneered and let the darkness claim him.
Emily stared at the panther as chills ran down her spine. Tension gripped her belly and possibilities buzzed through her mind. Did he have a connection with Karah Balentine, or was he aware of hers? Emily had tried to end her war with Karah when she resigned from DOMA, but life was never that simple. Karah had felt betrayed by Emily’s “defection” and become all the more determined to destroy her.
Had her cousin sent Cruz to… to what? Seduce her? Kill her?
It didn’t matter. Milo had been one move ahead of Karah every step of the way. Despite the danger and Cruz’s hostility, Milo had deemed him worthy of liberation.
Though most commonly referred to as a panther, Cruz was the rarest of the rare, a black jaguar-morph, descended on both sides from black jaguar-morph parents. He was the last of his kind. A prize far too valuable for DOMA to squander and abuse!
“And this sedative is only going to last so long,” she muttered under her breath. After verifying that the ship was jamming all forms of communication, she pulled her medkit out from under her seat and went to work.
A quick scan of Cruz’s head revealed what she’d expected to find, a small transceiver embedded beneath his skull. She couldn’t remove it without surgical facilities, but she could permanently fuse its circuits. Cruz should attribute the headache to the sedative and not even know she’d severed his leash.
After scanning the rest of his body to verify he wasn�
��t bugged, Emily deactivated the jammer and contacted Milo. His warm smile soothed her frayed nerves and helped her relax. “Right on time. For a lab rat, you do remarkably well in the field.”
“Thank you, I think.” She rolled her shoulders, still feeling tense. “I fried his tracker chip, and he wasn’t bugged.”
“Great. Now get your ass back to the farm.”
A rustic farm sat atop Milo’s state-of-the-art research facility. Security clearance was required to access any of the belowground facilities, and the farm façade made aerial surveillance impossible. Milo didn’t hope to hide his location from the entire world, but a little subterfuge never hurt.
“I’m not sure that’s a good idea.” She glanced at Cruz and stopped herself a split second before she nibbled on her lower lip. Milo would spot her tell and realize she was rattled. She wasn’t sure what she felt for Cruz, but it was far more complex than what she’d felt for any of the other morphs they’d liberated. “As he faded out, he threatened me with Karah. If this one is Karah’s personal pet, he might not be worth rehabilitating.”
Milo chuckled and crossed his arms over his chest. “You can play with him when we’re done deprogramming him.”
“He’s sexy as hell, I admit it, but that’s not what this is about. If Karah --”
“Karah screws them all.” His tone hardened, became more autocratic. “It’s part of their training. Obedience to their mistress or whatever. Why is this an issue now?”
“Do you trust me, Milo?” She raised her chin, preparing for the inevitable fight. Milo’s instincts were excellent. He ran the organization with amazing foresight and compassion, but she had instincts too. She wasn’t comfortable taking Cruz to the farm.
“I know that look.” He shook his head. “Where do you want to take him?”
Milo wasn’t going to like this. “To the fallout shelter.” She rushed on before he could analyze the location too carefully. “If I can get him to admit he’s chipped and ask me to deactivate it, then I’ll know he trusts me. At least on some level.”
“And if he turns you to ash in the meantime?”
Uninhibited Fire Page 3