Tempt Not the Cat

by J. C. Wilder

  “Erihn.” Val shook his head. “We aren’t talking about telling someone about an engagement or a broken leg. You’re talking about an entire world most mortals can’t comprehend. What would you have said if Shai told you she was a vampire? What would you have said if Shai told you her lover was a vampire?”

  Tears stung her eyes as she gave in to her anger. “That isn’t the point,” she snapped. “All of you,” she waved her hand about as if to indicate the occupants of the house, “treated me as if I were a child. It wasn’t your decision to make. This is my life we’re talking about. None of you had the right to do this to me.”

  He nodded. “You’re right. We had no right to deceive you, but you have to put yourself in our shoes for a minute. This isn’t something easily explained. Things are happening that you know nothing about, and we all felt it was better to keep everyone in the dark. We were trying to keep you safe.”

  “We see how well that worked,” Erihn shot back.

  Val sighed. “I can see you aren’t in the mood to listen. However, after you think about it and decide you might want to forgive us, we’ll be waiting for you. We all love you very much and we’re sorry we lied to you.”

  She turned away as her tears spilled over. As far as she was concerned, there was no excuse for lying. None. They were her best friends in the world, now they were just the latest additions in a long line of people who’d betrayed her. She clenched her jaw and stared blindly into the darkness.

  He leaned over and kissed her temple. She refused to allow herself to acknowledge him. As he walked away, she heard the sound of Max’s childish voice in the downstairs hallway. Jennifer’s response sounded along with his, their laughter mingling as it trod upon her raw nerves.

  Fayne was awakened by the sound of Erihn’s voice as she argued with Val. Now he watched her as she stared out into the night. Leaning against the window frame, loneliness cloaked her body like a blanket as tears streamed down her cheeks. His heart ached at the sight of her pain.

  He could only hope he didn’t cause her any more pain and she didn’t hate him for turning her into a were-cat. Would she walk away from him? There was no way she couldn’t feel betrayed by both Jennifer and Shai. Erihn held both of them very close to her heart and to learn they’d deliberately kept her in the dark would be viewed as the ultimate betrayal of her friendship.

  He closed his eyes, quietly taking stock of his injuries. His neck ached. Vampire bites were difficult to heal, even for a were-cat blessed with the ability to heal quickly from most wounds. He raised a hand and rubbed the bandage lightly, resisting the urge to claw at the marks beneath it. His shoulder ached from the sword wound, but within twenty-four hours, that would heal.

  He heard Max’s voice as he laughed with Jennifer downstairs and he smiled. Luckily, Max had suffered no ill effects from his ordeal. At least none that they’d seen so far.

  “You should leave that alone.”

  Fayne’s eyes flew open at the soft words, his hand dropped from the bandages. Erihn stared at him, her gaze piercing him through the gloom of the room. Exhaustion battled with wariness in her damp gaze.

  He cleared his throat. “How do you feel?”

  “Shouldn’t I be asking you that question?” Her tone was wry. “I feel like I’ve been bitten by a were-cat.”

  He flinched. “I can’t begin to tell you how—”

  “If you’re going to tell me you’re sorry, don’t.” Her voice was sad and not a little bit unsure. “You can’t begin to understand how I feel.”

  “You’re right.”

  “Just answer one question. Is there any way to reverse this? Can I become human again?”

  “You’re still human.”

  “I don’t know many humans who get furry once a month.” Her tone turned sharp, angry.

  “True. But there are—”

  “Don’t you dare!” she snapped. “I—”

  Fayne blinked when Erihn suddenly evaporated into her cat form. Her jeans and simple cotton shirt looked ludicrous on her feline shape. He couldn’t prevent himself from smiling as she kicked the jeans off with a snarl.

  “You need to learn to control your abilities, or you’ll embarrass yourself in public.”

  Erihn-cat glared at him.

  He sighed. “I wish there were some magical explanation I could give you. I wish I could go back and start all over again, but I can’t.”

  He rolled out of bed, wincing as his wounds screamed in protest. “No one can make time reverse. The bottom line is that we have to move on from here.” He stretched warily, alert for new pains in his body.

  “I know you’re angry and you have every right to be. You could’ve been killed yesterday, not only by Ivan, but by Edward. It wasn’t fair to keep you in the dark, but what else could we have done?” He ran a hand through his hair, wincing as he pulled his shoulder again. He let his hand drop. “I tried to tell you what I was, but you didn’t believe me. What else was I supposed to do?”

  Erihn made a grumbling sound as if that wasn’t her concern. She hooked one claw through her shirt and tore it down the front.

  “I knew Edward was coming and I knew you were in danger, but I just couldn’t let you go. I couldn’t send you away. I found myself wanting just a few more minutes, just a few more hours.” He shook his head. “That need could have cost you your life.”

  Erihn sat, her eyes narrowed as she contemplated that bit of information.

  “I think I fell in love with you the moment I saw you.” Fayne lowered himself into a chair near her. “I saw you walk across the room at The Brew House and I knew that was it. I just didn’t know then it would be permanent.”

  Erihn made an odd sniffing sound and he could almost swear she was crying.

  “All my life I’ve been alone and I’ve liked it that way. I never had the desire to stay with a woman, to mate with her. Never have I wanted to take care of a woman, to hold her in my arms and remain faithful to her.” He paused, making sure he had her full attention. “Until now.”

  Erihn glanced away, but not before he saw her beautiful amber eyes shimmer with tears. She sniffed again and padded toward the bathroom, disappearing through the door.

  He sighed. “How long will you stay mad at me?”

  Silence.

  “A week?”

  More silence.

  “A month?”

  Nada.

  “I love you, Erihn. I want to marry you.”

  There was a thud as if something had hit the floor.

  “Say something. I know you heard me.”

  “I love you. I don’t know why, but I do.” Her voice drifted through the door, soft and unsure.

  His heart swelled. She loved him.

  “But I don’t want to marry you.”

  Fayne sat there, stunned. She didn’t want to marry him? How could she not want to marry him? He scowled.

  “Why don’t you want to marry me?” he demanded.

  “Why would I?” she shot back. “You lied to me. You neglected to tell me about your son. You were deliberately secretive, and you could have gotten me killed. Hmm…why should I want to marry you again?”

  “You love my son,” he snapped.

  Erihn’s voice softened. “Yes, I do, but I won’t marry to acquire a child.”

  “You love me,” he accused.

  She laughed. “Yeah, and look where that got me. I’ll turn furry every month for the rest of my life, however long that might be. I’ll have to battle fleas, and I can’t have any more catnip tea. I have to worry about hairballs, and did I mention that I’m allergic to cats? Not to mention the fact you accused me of using you for research.”

  Erihn sauntered into the doorway, naked as the day she was born. His words caught in his throat. Her hair, with its new cut, curled gently about her face, drawing attention away from her scars and to her eyes, filled with amber fire.

  Fayne swallowed audibly. “I know, I was wrong to do that. I should’ve known you wouldn’t use anyo
ne like that.”

  “You believe me?”

  He caught the tinge of relief in her tone. He nodded.

  “Good. Shame on you, then.” Erihn smiled. “Now, on to the next matter. Now that I’m a were-cat, I find I have certain desires I might want to explore.”

  Fayne froze. He knew exactly what desires she was talking about. Female were-cats were endowed with the same abilities as the male of the species, and the desire to mate was only one of them. Another trait was that the females, when prowling, were irresistible to human males. She could have any man she wanted.

  He growled. Over his dead body would he allow her to take another man to her heart. “You’ll marry me,” he ground out.

  “I think not,” she shot back.

  He leapt to his feet. “You’ll not marry any other man.”

  Her brow arched. “Who said anything about getting married? I just want really good sex and lots of it.”

  Rage built into a dull roar in his head as he yelled, “You will not have sex with anyone other than me, do you understand?”

  On the edge of his awareness, he heard the scrabbling of claws on carpeting as Renault ran up the steps to see what was going on. Through the open doorway, he saw his massive friend drop to his haunches on the landing, his expression changing from alarm to amusement. Fayne glanced from his friend to Erihn, relieved to see neither could see the other from their positions. He and Renault had shared a great deal in their lives, but the sight of Erihn naked wasn’t one he wanted to share ever again.

  The house was silent, waiting. Somewhere, his friends were down below waiting to hear what happened next. Damn them and their infernal curiosity.

  “Who in the world do you think you are?” Erihn was yelling. “I’m my own woman and I’ll make my own decisions.”

  “You’ll marry me.” He winced as his wounds gave a twinge and he grabbed the bedpost.

  “No, I won’t. I have no desire to marry. Possibly, if you ask me nicely, I just might choose to remain with you for a while as your lover.”

  Fayne wearily sank to the edge of the bed. His dousing in Vampire-Be-Gone had sapped his strength and arguing with her was like yelling at a wall. Pointless. His life was empty without her, and he couldn’t bear the thought of walking away.

  “I love you,” he sighed. “Losing you isn’t an option.” He rubbed the bandage again. His wounds ached abominably.

  “How badly does it hurt?”

  He caught the note of concern in her voice. He struck a pained expression as he rubbed, hoping for some sympathy. “A lot, it hurts a lot,” he muttered.

  “Hmm. It’s too bad you’re injured. I’ve made notes on the majority of the information the diary contained. While it read like stereo instructions, I do know that now that I’m a were-cat, I’ve been endowed with certain…” She paused. “Abilities.”

  He swallowed hard as a rush of lust hit his groin and his cock stirred in response. He knew exactly what abilities she’d acquired, and the thought of being the recipient of some of them was enough to make him groan.

  She continued. “Since you’re hurt, that might pose a problem.” She turned and presented him with a pert backside as she sauntered into the bathroom. “I guess I’ll have to explore on my own. Maybe you should take a nap or something.”

  Within moments, he heard the sound of the tap running and the faint scent of rose geranium oil wafted out the bathroom door.

  Fayne heard something suspiciously like heavy breathing. He turned to find Renault had moved into the bedroom and now was staring at the bathroom doorway, his eyes gleaming with a familiar wicked sheen he recognized all too well.

  “Oh, no, you don’t. She’s mine. Go get your own.”

  Renault made a sniffing noise.

  “I know, you’re a lone wolf.” He glanced at the empty doorway when the sound of Max’s laughter drifted up the stairs. He turned toward Renault. “How do you feel about babysitting for the next few weeks?”

  Let the games begin…

  About the Author

  J.C. Wilder left the world of big business to carry on conversations with the people who live in her mind, fictional characters that is. In her past she has worked as a software tester, traveled with an alternative rock band and currently volunteers for her local police department as a photographer. She lives in Central Ohio with 6,000 books and an impressive collection of dust bunnies.

  The award-winning author also writes as Dominique Adair.

  J.C. welcomes mail from readers. You can write to her c/o Ellora’s Cave Publishing at 1056 Home Avenue, Akron, OH 44310-3502.

  Also by J.C. Wilder

  Ellora’s Cavemen: Tales From the Temple II anthology

  In Moonlight anthology

  Men of SWAT: Tactical Maneuver

  Men of SWAT: Tactical Pleasure

  Shadow Dwellers 1: One With the Hunger

  Shadow Dwellers 2: Retribution

  Tactical Pleasure

  Things That Go Bump in the Night 2004 anthology

  ‘Twas the Knight Before Christmas

  Writing as Dominique Adair

  Holly

  Last Kiss

  Party Favors anthology

  R.S.V.P. anthology

  Tied With a Bow anthology

  Xanthra Chronicles: Blood Law

  Discover for yourself why readers can’t get enough of the multiple award-winning publisher Ellora’s Cave. Whether you prefer e-books or paperbacks, be sure to visit EC on the web at www.ellorascave.com for an erotic reading experience that will leave you breathless.

  www.ellorascave.com