The Snow Leopard's Christmas Surprise

by Emilia Hartley

  “No one that I can think of,” she told Mac.

  “What about that guy who was dating your little sister? Kan or Kas or something?” Mac asked, indicating his thoughts went to Kal as well. “What ever happened to him?”

  As nonchalantly as she could pull off, Amara shrugged. “No idea. They split up because he was a real jerk, and he left town. We haven’t seen or heard from him sense.” It was almost true.

  “Hmm. Well, okay, we’ll keep thinking on it. Let’s get this report done so we can train you on the protocols for while you’re on patrol.”

  “Oh, joy.”

  Chapter 10

  Six hours later, Amara pushed through the glass doors of the station and out onto the street. She felt more exhausted after one shift with Mac than she did after a week at the bar. Her brain felt like mush. While there was no formal academy for cops in Strathford, Mac McDougal played by the rules. He told her he would teach her everything he knew about being a police officer, but she was going to have to learn the laws and how to enforce them. She wasn’t worried about the endurance test at all, but all that memorization? If she had known becoming a cop was going to be so much work, she never would have agreed to it.

  No, she conceded with a goofy grin, that wasn’t true. She knew she would have wanted to follow in her father’s footsteps. It was in her blood. Just as serving on the Town Council as an Elder was in her blood. Taking her grandfather’s place on the Council, following in her father’s footsteps on the force, those were not legacies she could turn away from. Still, her head hurt. Who knew learning about all those laws could give her such a headache?

  Reaching into her pocket, Amara retrieved her keys and started forward.

  Where she was promptly knocked backwards by a solid body.

  Startled, Amara glanced up. “Mitch?” she exclaimed, holding up one hand to block the sun. “What are you doing here?”

  Grinning, Mitch held up a large, brown paper sack. It was clearly laden down with a multitude of various containers. “I’m bringing Mac and the rest of them their dinner order. You do realize what time it is, don’t you?”

  Exasperated, she looked down at her watch. Was it really 6:30 already? Her stomach growled in answer.

  Mitch chuckled. “See? I knew you would be hungry. To be honest, I’m surprised you’re not in there with them. Are you going somewhere?”

  Amara nodded. “I have to meet Nova to go over wedding stuff.” Or complete the second Trial. Whatever. It was close enough.

  “Oh.” Disappointment coated Mitch’s voice. “I was hoping we could catch up a bit. Now that you’re only working part-time at the bar, I feel like I never see you.”

  Sympathy washed over her. Mitchell was her best friend. Less than six months ago, they did everything together. Somehow, their respective relationships changed everything. And he was right. Since she’d begun dating Nova she hadn’t made much time for him. Of course, it worked both ways and he was always with Zoe, but she did miss their time together.

  “I know,” she agreed, “but maybe we could get together for Chinese food and a movie or something sometime soon?”

  The difference in Mitch’s expression was instant. He brightened, and his entire face lit up. “Yeah?”

  “Sure. Say, Sunday? Seven o’clock?”

  “Absolutely.” The smile on his face made her feel guilty. How could she have let their friendship go neglected for so long? Just making plans put that goofy smile on his face, and yet to her, it was just to appease him. When had her life stopped including Mitch? And why was she okay with it?

  Since she got involved with the top-secret wolf pack that protected the town, that’s when. Since she stopped being able to tell him everything—or anything, really—about her life. And since she had bonded with Nova over their shared experiences and wasn’t able to include Mitch in any way.

  Wow. She was a horrible friend. So she would make it up to him, she decided. She would make sure they didn’t lose a friendship that had been so important to both of them for years. She would make it right.

  “Well, good luck with the wedding stuff.” Mitch smirked. “I can’t say I envy Nova for that.”

  Amara laughed, pleased this was something they could talk about. “Yeah, I suppose not. I keep telling him we should just run off to Las Vegas and elope to avoid all of the hassle, but he insists on going through with it, the jerk.” She wrinkled her nose. “Something about how our families would kill us if we didn’t have an actual wedding, blah, blah, blah.”

  “Your mom would be pretty upset,” he agreed.

  “Please,” Amara scoffed. “It’s Sadie I’m worried about. She and Nova’s sister-in-law, Ivanah, are pretty much handling the whole thing. If we eloped, they would have us buried six feet under before we even get around to the honeymoon.”

  Mitch frowned. “You’re not serious.”

  Amara laughed, raising a brow. “Well no, of course I’m not serious,” she said. “But you know Sadie. She can get pretty intense when it comes to planning parties.”

  “That is true,” he admitted with a chuckle, and she was pleased to see he’d relaxed. “I’ll let you get to it. Tell Nova I said ‘hi.’” He said it like a joke, but she could see it wasn’t sincere. She wondered if he and Nova were ever going to become friends or if she’d have to walk the line between the two of them for the rest of her life. She sure hoped not.

  Leaning in, she brushed a kiss against his cheek and gave him a half hug. “I’ll see you tomorrow, okay? I’ll be in at six.” She spoke while walking backwards to her car, still shading her eyes from the sun. “And hey, pick out that movie for Sunday. None of that stupid horror movie crap that you love so much.”

  “Some of those were good,” Mitch shot back with a grin. “Just not the last one. Or the one before that. Or…”

  “The one before that,” Amara said. “Yeah, I remember. You know what? On second thought, maybe I should pick the movie? I’m not sure I trust your judgment anymore.”

  “Yeah, yeah, yeah. Go meet your boy toy, Amara. I’ll see you tomorrow.”

  The drive to the compound didn’t take too long. It was only twenty minutes out of town, if that. And the drive was becoming more familiar each time she made it. Only this time, she wasn’t looking forward to what was coming once she got there. She knew that the second she went under, she would be back in that dank underground room, handcuffed to a chair. At Kal Vann’s mercy. She wasn’t eager to go back there, for any reason. But she knew she had to.

  Amara waved to the guys at the gate when she drove through into the compound, then she made her way down the narrow road until it became gravel and she knew she had reached the community. Most of the pack lived in small, quaint cottages in the same area of the compound. Each of them had cute little porches with hanging baskets and overflowing flower beds.

  She always loved the feel of the neighborhood. No one had fenced yards and the woods were the only backyards to speak of, but they were wolves. The wild was what came natural to them. But even though it was a community of ancient people that could turn into wolves, there was nothing threatening about them. In fact, watching the children run around the yards riding tricycles, bikes, or throwing a ball, she wondered if they would be dangerous towards humans if the rival packs weren’t involved.

  Parking in front of Nova’s house, she got out of her jeep and walked up to his door, calling out greetings to members of the Pack who raised their hands to wave. His door was locked. Amara went to pull out her key, when she saw the note tacked to the door.

  “Hello Gorgeous,” Nova’s note said, “I had some things to arrange for patrol this evening, so I will meet you there. Love you, baby.”

  A slow, warm smile crept across her lips and she felt the familiar beat of her heart racing at the thought of Nova’s touch. God, she loved that man.

  Well, she thought, she might as well walk and enjoy the evening. It didn’t take her long to reach the Council Chambers.

  Nova was waiti
ng outside the door when she arrived. His face lit up when he saw her and he wrapped her in a tight hug. “Hey there, beautiful. How’d things go today?”

  “They went,” she murmured, her face buried against his chest. “Mac’s on it. He seemed pretty worried, though he tried not to show it. He’s a good guy, and I know he’s looking out for me, but it was still unnerving.” For just a moment, her breath caught in her throat. She glanced up at Nova. “Nova, should I be scared of this guy?”

  She thought she would be comforted by his answer, but she could see the stress and just the hint of fear in his eyes. That was worse than if he had just come out and said yes.

  “I don’t know, Mara. He could be harmless.”

  “But you don’t think so.”

  Nova shook his eyes, his face washed with sympathy. “No, I don’t think so.”

  That was not what she wanted to hear. In fact, there was probably no good answer to that question. She was being stalked. The guy had put a rock through Nova’s window. Of course she should have been scared. And she was. But that was a problem for another day.

  “So, should we do this?” she asked, stepping back and taking a deep breath.

  Nova nodded. “Can’t say I’m looking forward to it.”

  “Oh thank God,” she said. “Me either. I mean, I know we’re required to complete the Trials for the Pack so we can get married, and I know they aren’t supposed to be easy, but I really hated going through that. I didn’t know where you were. I didn’t know if we would make it, and I absolutely hated to go through all of that with Kal being in charge.”

  Nova pressed a kiss into her hair. “I know. But it isn’t real. It’s all part of the spirit quest. And as much as I wish there were, unfortunately, there’s no way around it. The only way is through.”

  They kissed softly before joining hands. Nova held the door open for her and the two of them went inside. The entire Council was waiting for them once again. She could already smell the aroma coming off the spirit potion.

  She and Nova took their seats on the pillows. Without ceremony or introduction, the Shaman handed them both a cup. Amara hesitantly put it to her lips. Then, steeling herself, she downed it all in one swallow.

  Immediately, the potion began to take effect. Drowsy, Amara leaned back against the pillows and closed her eyes. Already, she was beginning to feel heavy. Her whole body tingled, almost as if she wasn’t connected to it anymore. Giving in, she surrendered to the feeling and let the Spirit Quest take her under.

  Chapter 11

  Nova stood in the doorway, his chest heaving hard. Amara, handcuffed to the metal chair, gaped at him. She was sweating and covered in blood, her face pale from the pain. And yet, it was Kal Vann who captured his attention. Kal stood next to Amara, a knife in hand, a cocky sneer etched across his face. “Well, well, well,” Kal said, “look what we have here. Come to save the princess, Lowery? Does the whole damsel in distress scenario turn you on?”

  Nova smirked. “Well look at that,” he said, forcing his voice to remain steady. “‘Scenario’ that’s a big word for a man like you. Let her go, Kal. Then you and I can fight this out like men. Or are you too afraid to face me on your own without a bunch of your goons around?”

  Kal’s eyes narrowed in a glare. Amara looked a question at him, but Nova gave his head a tiny shake and stayed quiet.

  “Nice try, Lowery,” Kal crooned. His voice shook with rage. “But the girl is mine. If you remember right, I had her first. You remember that night, right? Ten years ago, in Strathford? I had her right where I wanted her. On the ground, on her back.” He spat the last word for impact. “My teeth ripping into her throat.” Kal licked his lips. “I can still feel her blood spilling down my chin. Mmm, mmm, mmm. Salty and sweet on my tongue. But you, Lowery, you just couldn’t let me have her. You just had to be a hero. To please daddy. Well, who’s pleasing daddy now?”

  Despite the fear spilling down his trembling spine, Nova laughed. It came out more manic than he intended, but he figured that only worked to his advantage. “Is that what all of this is about? You keep trying to please the father that can’t stand you? To prove your worth to a man who couldn’t care less about your existence? You’re just a pawn to him, Kal. You know it, I know it. Hell, all the Clans around know it. You’re a joke. You’re daddy’s little liability. You’re unstable, impulsive. You screw up more than you succeed, and to top it all off, you can’t even kill one little human girl. How long has it been since you first tried? Ten years, you said? Man, that’s got to piss you off, not being able to show Daddy that you can finish the job you started more than a decade ago. I mean, sure, I know what it’s like to be second-best in my father’s eyes, but to be nothing at all except a disappointment? Damn, that’s got to eat at you.”

  A vein at Kal’s temple pulsed, but Nova didn’t care. He needed Kal to come at him, to forget about Amara. He needed to get the key from Kal and get her out of those cuffs, which meant he needed to get close to Kal to do it.

  Only Vann didn’t seem too inclined to play along. Instead, he leered at Nova, malice in his sneer, and ran the pad of his thumb up and down the blade. From his vantage point, Nova couldn’t tell if Kal was pressing hard enough to slice into his finger, but it sure was one hell of an intimidation tactic. Nova didn’t even want to consider what Kal wanted to do to Amara with that knife. From the looks of it, he had already gotten a taste of her pain, and Nova wasn’t about to let him get any more.

  Kal caught the direction of his gaze and grinned. To spite him, Nova was sure, Kal put the blade back up against Amara’s body and slid it down her chest. A thin line of red blossomed against the light brown hue of her skin. She bit her lip hard enough to draw blood to avoid screaming. Kal’s eyes didn’t leave Nova’s the entire time.

  Nova saw red. Without another thought, he rushed forward, charging at Kal. Then, something sharp dug into his back, almost as if he had been shot with a knife, and his body spasmed uncontrollably. Electricity pulsed through his veins, shaking him to his core. His blood rushed in his ears, his heart racing from the Taser, until there was nothing left for him to do but go under.

  Amara screamed. Nova lay face down on the cement floor. His body trembled, and from the looks of things, he was unconscious. Every twenty seconds or so, he would jerk, his arms flailing at his sides, as another blast of electricity shot through him. The man holding the Taser watched the display with an uncaring, callous expression.

  Beside her, Kal laughed wickedly, as he called for a couple of his lackeys. Two big, burly men came at his call. They stood in the doorway, waiting for instruction. Kal waved a careless hand. “Take him back to his cell,” he commanded. The two men each grabbed an arm and hoisted Nova to his feet. His legs were still twitching. Turning, they carried Nova into the hall and out of sight.

  Kal turned back to Amara. “Don’t worry,” he told her. “Your boy toy will be safe. Nobody gets to him except me.” He held up an electronic key that no doubt went to some kind of sophisticated computer system. “Which means nobody can get him out either, Princess.” Still laughing at his cleverness, he shoved it back in his pocket.

  It took everything she had not to spit in his face. But that wasn’t what was going to help Nova. She needed to get to that key. She’d learned something from their little exchange. Kal had a weakness. He needed admiration. He needed to be accepted, wanted, desired, revered. He wanted his father to see him as worthy. He wanted Nova to respect him as a worthy adversary, and he wanted Amara to desire him the way she desired Nova.

  Staring at the place Nova had just been, Amara began to laugh. It was throaty and self-satisfied with just a hint of hysteria.

  Kal stopped and stared at her. “Shut up, bitch,” he spat, rolling his eyes. “Your precious Prince Charming isn’t here anymore.”

  “I know,” Amara said, and her laugh turned into a seductive leer. “But I’m not sure I want him to be here anymore.” Kal’s eyes narrowed and she giggled. “Did you see how fast he went
down? Beta of the Mountain Clan and he just collapsed. Doesn’t that sound weak to you?”

  “What’s your point?” Kal asked, not bothering to hide his skepticism.

  “My point, Kal, is that I’m looking for a real man, not just someone who can protect me when it’s convenient. I need someone strong, ruthless, and who is willing to do whatever it takes to meet all of my…needs.” Slowly, Amara ran her tongue over the length of her bottom lip. She dropped to voice to a husky whisper. “Do you know where I can find a man like that, Kal?” she asked, pleased to see his throat convulse in a nervous gulp.

  “What exactly are you saying.”

  She smiled. “Uncuff me and you’ll find out.”

  For a moment or two, he just stared at her and Amara worried that he wasn’t taking her seriously. Then suddenly, his face relaxed, and he began to laugh and holstered the knife at his hip. “I knew you couldn’t be serious about that weak bastard. You want a real man, baby? I’ll give you a real man.” Fishing the key from his pocket, Kal knelt beside her and went to work on unlocking the metal wring around her wrist. He took her fingers into his mouth and kissed the tip of each one before unlocking the cuff on her other hand. His hand slid smoothly across her lap, just daring to venture up her thigh.

  Amara massaged the red welts on her arms caused by the metal rubbing on her skin. She looked up at him from beneath her lashes. Kal took that as an invitation and pressed his lips to hers. His hand continued up her leg until it reached the place where her thighs conjoined. He dipped his thumb between her legs, caressing the center of her over her jeans. His other hand snaked up her shirt and cupped her breast. His breath mingled against her cheek, her lips, her jaw, and she fought against the rising nausea in her throat. She needed to get away, to get to Nova, and she would do whatever it took to succeed.