by Aliyah Burke
The sun had almost set when they made it back to her camp and where there were once a leopard and a wolf, two people stood.
“I have to call my Alpha,” Ranger said, pulling his cell from his back pocket.
Tora didn’t respond to that statement. He hadn’t asked a question and she wasn’t required to provide him with a response in her mind.
He moved away and she deliberately avoided listening in as she set up her small stove to heat up some water. In her vehicle, she had some food that she could eat if she got hungry later. Right now, she wanted a cup of tea.
Casting a glance across the open space, she allowed her gaze to linger once more over the backside of one Keane “Ranger” Patrick. His jeans should have been outlawed as the cupped his firm ass like a lover.
Like you did that one night you were with him.
She didn’t need to be throwing off any scent of being aroused. He may be relaxed about some things, but he damn sure didn’t take any prisoners when it came to sex. He had been very clear about that.
Even as she struggled to yank her focus from him and back to the boring kettle before her, she couldn’t help but recall that night she’d spent in his arms. How he’d made her feel. For the first time in her life, she’d felt more than just a tool. A commodity useful for her abilities.
Perhaps that wasn’t fair to say for she knew her Alpha loved her in the way an Alpha was supposed to love his Pack. But she had made her way to being one of his lieutenant’s not because he loved her but because of her abilities.
That one night with Keane Patrick had been different. He’d put her on a mantle and worshipped her. Made sure she had been pleased before he even began to worry about himself. The one and only time that had happened to her.
Her own phone rang and she answered before it could do so more than once.
“Yes, Alpha?”
“Are you okay?”
“Why wouldn’t I be?” She lifted the handle with the sleeve of her shirt.
“I am hearing you nearly killed a bear.” A door shut. “I will ask once more only. Are you okay?”
“Of course.”
“Have you finished your mission?”
“No, Alpha. I will head out tomorrow for the final leg of this journey and see what I can find.”
“Tell me what happened with the Western Clan.”
Stirring the honey into her tea, she crossed her legs after getting comfortable on her tailgate. This way, she could do what was required of her all without looking at the sexy male leopard who’d suddenly inserted himself into her life.
αβ
Ranger exhaled slowly and looked around. Tora sure had picked a gorgeous spot to camp. His Alpha wasn’t happy, but he would deal with the repercussions when he got back, he wouldn’t ever apologize for protecting his woman and siding with her.
“I have one more question for you, Keane.”
Even after so many years in this country, when his Alpha got really pissed off, a bit of his South American accent slipped through. And right now, it was blatant.
He waited for his Alpha to speak.
“Why would you jeopardize a meeting with someone because another shifter got into a fight with a bear?”
Part of him wondered if Juan didn’t already know what shifter it was, but he hadn’t mentioned her name so if he did, he was playing it cagy.
“Because it was a roomful of bears who felt they had the right to touch a woman.” He rubbed the back of his neck. “I didn’t fight but I did back her up when it came time to leave.”
“Why didn’t you?”
Okay, that question took him by surprise. “Why didn’t I what?”
“Defend your mate.”
His gaze flew up and he spied her sitting in the back of her truck, on the phone.
Either he’s fishing or the surly bastard knows far more than he is telling me.
“I would have defended her if she’d needed me too.”
“Does she know?”
Rendón’s mate had been killed years ago by a rival Clan and the man hadn’t been the same since. Or so that was the rumor, he’d not been there when it went down, only dealing with the aftermath and trying to get his Alpha through the numbing grief and unstoppable rage.
“No, she doesn’t.”
“I’m not going to tell you how or when to make sure she knows she is your mate, Keane but I wouldn’t wait to long. From what I hear of her and from what I recall when she was down here with us, is that she doesn’t view the world like we do.”
“Meaning?” It wasn’t a good thing if his Alpha had picked up on that as well.
“No one knows where she came from, she’s not had an easy life and what she has now is devoted to her Alpha. You’ve got a long battle ahead of you. Tell her, give her time to work it out in her mind. Don’t expect her to immediately accept it.”
“Then you’re not pissed I didn’t get to make my contact?”
“Of course I am, but I would never get in the way of a man protecting his mate and ensuring her safety. Never.”
His Alpha rarely showed his emotions but there wasn’t any way to ignore the raw pain lacing his tone. It broke Keane’s heart to know that his Alpha’s mate had been brutally taken from him.
“Are you able to finish what you initially went up there for?”
He didn’t want to leave his woman. “Yes Alpha. I will go retrieve my bike and go to the secondary spot for the meet.”
A brief but measured silence hovered along the line between them before his Alpha hung up leaving him with nothing more than the dial tone. That could have been a lot worse for me.
Remaining where he stood, he scrolled through his contact list for the name and number he needed. Then he pressed dial and waited while his phone reached out.
“You weren’t there,” the deep growled voice aid by way of greeting, if it was one at all.
“Ran into a bit of trouble. I can be to the secondary point soon.”
The voices reaching his sharp hearing were muffled, even to his feline senses. That alone bothered him.
“I’ll be there. And, cat, if there’s another delay, you can consider this potential deal over and done with.” Another click.
Keane exhaled and returned his phone to his pocket while he pushed a hand through his hair.
He chose that moment to glance up to where Tora sat on the tailgate of her Jimmy. She no longer spoke on the phone but instead had inched her way to the very edge of the tailgate, hands curved around the mug of tea. He could smell the black tea with hints of orange, bergamot, and lemon. Her head tipped back, like an offering to the setting sun, he took advantage to just stare at her.
His petite warrior woman. Right then and there looked delicate, almost, and peaceful. He could see the design she’d shaved into the left side of her head, he knew it blended with some of the scars she had from her past. A few other remnants of scarring crept up along her shoulder and neck. Those were hidden with more incredible art work she’d had inked onto her skin. Even now, he still wanted to peel away her clothing and stare at her, learn exactly what designs she had there and what the meanings were to her.
Sensing his focus, she lowered her head ad held his gaze. Even from the distance separating them, there wasn’t any doubt in how her pierced eyebrow rose in silent question.
Another deep breath and he began walking toward her. He thought about something other than the scars on her and how he had this insane urge to tell her they were mates. Instead, he focused on how she’d damn near gone swimming underwater as her wolf.
A smile turned up his lips and it remained there as he neared her. After the brief flash of questioning in her gaze, she was once again a clean slate, nothing there to show how she may feel about, well, anything.
He couldn’t even scent it on her. She was impressive at her control. Always was except for their one night.
“I have to get my bike.”
“Did you need a ride or are you using other means?”
Keane knew it would be of little consequence for him to shift and make his way back to get his bike, however, he was male and wanted to be selfish, spending as much time as he could with his mate.
“If you don’t mind taking me back.” He put it that way in case she didn’t really wish to go.
“No problem. You left it there because of me.” She unfolded her legs and hopped down, striding with her efficient walk to the fire. “Did you want anything to drink before I shut it down and pack it away?”
“I’m fine, thank you.”
She didn’t push, just grasped the small kettle and dumped the water on the ground dousing the fire, even as she turned off the stove and with minimal effort had her small camp once again packed up in the back of her vehicle. No sign that she’d been there at all, aside from the truck tracks that would be there when they left.
He climbed in the passenger seat when she shut up the back and headed for the driver’s side. Silence hung between them as she turned over the engine. He noticed again, how smoothly it did. She took care of her vehicle that was for sure.
“You can drop me off on the outskirts of town.”
“Your call. I will take you to the bar if you want.”
He grinned and stretched his legs out, moving the seat back a bit more. “You are one hell of a woman, canine. I love the attitude.”
“Not attitude. Fact. I highly doubt your bike will be there and if it is, they are using it to try and trap you. If it isn’t there, you’re going to be without a fast exit and a bunch of angry boars who want a chunk of your ass.”
Finally, some emotion from her. “My ass belongs to you, canine. No boar is touching it.”
The Jimmy swerved the tiniest of bits and he hid his smile. Wouldn’t do him a damn bit of good to be smirking over her reaction.
“If it’s not there? What are your plans?”
He closed his eyes, amazed by how soothed he was simply by being in her presence. “I will have to buy another one.”
“Just like that?”
“Just like that.”
He expected more questions, although he wasn’t sure why, this was the most she’d ever spoken to him at one time and that included all the time she’d been with his Clan. None were forthcoming however, and so he rolled his head slightly so he could see her as she drove.
“Don’t stop now, Tora. You haven’t said this much to me ever. Do you have any more questions for me?”
“No.”
One word. Decisive. Straightforward and honest, regardless of how brutal it was to his ego.
“Can I ask you some?”
“Sure.”
He knew what that meant. He could ask whatever the fuck he wanted but there wasn’t a shred of any guarantee she would respond.
“What are you doing up here?”
“Business.”
A low rumble of discontent rolled from him and he had no doubt she heard it. After a few more moments of silence, she continued with a more in-depth explanation.
“I was on business for my Alpha and swung through here on my way to my next destination.”
“But you weren’t here to meet with any bears.” He made it a statement.
“No.”
She downshifted as the corners on the road grew tighter.
“Where are you headed now?”
“Eastern Montana and Western Dakotas.”
“That’s open territory, no one has claimed it.” He ran over the map in his head. “Not officially yet. There are some warring factions fighting for the land. What are you doing heading there?”
“Following orders.”
There was enough of an edge in her tone to alert him to the fact she wasn’t divulging anything further on her business here.
“How is my Dyana doing?” Another smile flitted over his lips. “How is your Alpha doing with her being preggers?”
“I assume she is well, and he is protective.”
“Assume she is. Do you not see her?”
Even though Dyana was married to the Alpha of the feared Tatra Pack, she’d been his friend far long before they knew she’d been married, and he still had a need to protect her.
“Sheathe your claws, leopard. My Alpha knows how to keep her safe and if he for some unfathomable reason is unable to do so, no one is getting to her without getting through the lieutenants and the rest of the pack first. Not that she would need it. She can hold her own as either human or wolf.”
“Is that jealousy I hear in your tone, canine?” He settled his hand beside her leg, not touching her without permission but close enough that if she shifted the barest of inches, they would be connected once more.
She turned to look at him, eyes unblinking. “Yes.”
Chapter Three
Tora held his gaze until the road dictated she provide it a bit of attention before she drove them into the thick tree line framing their two lanes. The silence between them was thick with sizzling tension that bordered more on passion than anything else.
“Stop.”
It took her two seconds, if that, to recognize the danger in his tone. Immediately her wolf rose within her, ready to die defending herself if the need arose. She didn’t slam on the brakes but carefully pulled off the road and put her SUV in neutral, keeping one hand on the wheel and the other on the shifter.
“Shut off the motherfucking engine, Tora.”
His leopard so prevalent his words were more animalistic than anything. There wasn’t any denying that even though the interior of her vehicle vibrated with danger, she was far more turned on than anything. Regardless, she still didn’t let down her guard.
The bite of her claws at the tips of her fingers had the back of her jaw tingling. The change was right there, waiting for her to ask for it and embrace it. She’d learned at a young age how to control it and become the master, so the beast didn’t win. Yet, some days she still wondered if it wasn’t the other way around and her wolf simply allowed her to believe she held the reins of control.
Still she listened. While typically the only male she would take orders from was her Alpha or Kraven, there were times she made exceptions. This was one of them. Once the engine no longer rumbled, she remained still, feeling those sharp cat eyes on her, watching for any sign of fear, retreat, or hell, anything.
“Look at me.”
Her scars burned but she ignored that and slowly faced him. Keane’s eyes had gone completely leopard and she didn’t see any sign of the man lingering there. The tips of those incredibly sharp canines hung below his lip.
“Say that again.”
Reining in her wolf, or it reined her in, she didn’t blink. “Yes.”
“Why?” Still more leopard than human but the tips of his fangs vanished.
Well fuck. She’d not wanted to think about the reason for the response that had spilled from her mouth.
As she stared at him, the green of his eyes deepened further to the dark golden green leopard gaze he had in his shifted form. He teetered near the edge of his tenuous restraint.
“I don’t know,” she answered honestly. “I just was.”
As she watched him, the human element came back into those green eyes, taking them back to the vibrant green they had been the first time she’d met him. He lifted his hand and slid it into her hair, not asking for permission to touch her. If it wasn’t this man it would be a violation of her person, but with him, all he did was manage to set fire to her blood and make her skin sing.
Keane dwarfed her, made her feel the diminutive size she was. Made her feel like a woman who would be protected if she let him. Hell, maybe even without her permission.
“There is nothing between Dyana and myself, Tora. She is one of my best friends in the world, but she’s not my woman. I need you to tell me you understand that.”
It wasn’t just male compulsion lining his words, there was something else, something more. There was raw need barely peeking it’s head up, but she was far more astute than many gave her cred
it for.
“I understand.”
The bite of his claws scraped the back of her skull where his large hand rested against her, below her hair. He shook his head once, never dropping her gaze.
“No. I need the words. Give them to me, from your lips to my ears.”
“I understand you and my Alpha are only friends.”
He’d been across the interior at the start of her sentence, now somehow, she was free from her belt, straddling his lap. Both his hands were sunk in her short hair, anchoring her there. Sure, she could have fought, could have gouged out his throat as he exposed it to her, but she didn’t. Instead, she sat there, straddling his big lap, feeling his large cock between her legs with only their pants separating them.
“You and I need to have a talk, canine.”
The tension rolling through her ebbed slightly by his calling her canine, it was his way of teasing her. She’d learned this the few times they’d run into each other.
“Right now?”
His green eyes dropped to her lips then rose back to her waiting gaze. “No. But soon. Where can we meet and when?”
She didn’t want to talk. She wanted to touch, lick, bite. She wanted to fuck. The wall surrounding her emotions dropped like a hot rock and she noticed immediately that he could tell. His eyes glazed with raw hunger as his nose flared.
Tora reached out to touch his neck, allowing one claw to push through, she dragged it along the bronzed skin. Keane never blinked, just watched her, trust mixed with the hunger she witnessed.
“Are you planning on killing me?”
“Not today.”
Another drop to her lips and back before a low Spanish curse flew from his mouth. Seconds later he claimed her in a kiss that would have set fire to her blood if it’d not already been burning. It wasn’t tender or gentle.
It claimed. It branded. It stole the rest of her soul that could be possessed.
Tongues twining with one another, she purred low in her throat and squirmed closer to him. Needing his touch just a tiny bit more.
No, that wasn’t true. She needed so much more of him against her. Wrapping her arms around him, best she could, she locked her legs about his waist. There were times it helped being so tiny.