Prey & Prejudice: Cougar Falls, Book 7

by Marie Harte

  She grinned. “You mean, a man pretty enough to hang off my arm.”

  They both glanced at the panther inked into her upper bicep and smiled at each other. “Yeah, we really were made for each other,” he agreed.

  With Miles on her side, Zoe couldn’t lose. So caught up in their mutual admiration society, she mentioned her plans for the extension on the House. Only to find that he disagreed with where the addition should go. The argument lasted a good twenty minutes, until Miles decided he’d had enough and wanted something sweet to eat. Like Candy.

  A week later, Miles grinned as he sat on the plane. From the updates Quince had been texting him all week, Zoe seemed to have everyone in hand. Danville and Sims had been close and pestering while they watched, critiqued and documented everything she said and did.

  Yet apparently her taking over the pride was less important news than the fact that he’d mated her. Or so Joy took great pride in sharing via an assortment of texts and well wishes from the pride. Even better, Quince told him how much that annoyed Zoe, to realize once again a man in the pride had top billing.

  Miles couldn’t help laughing. She really was perfect for him. Her arrogance had no bounds.

  God, he loved arguing with her. Having an intelligent opponent made all the difference. Looking back on his past relationships, he now understood why none had lasted. None of his old girlfriends had ever argued with him. They catered to him, accepting his ideas as gold. Frankly, they’d bored him. Zoe could never be less than interesting. Her personality aside, she had Quince and Esmie to keep her on her toes.

  According to Esmie, he was the best thing that had ever happened to her. Quince started every message by welcoming him to the family, as well as adding that they didn’t accept returns. Zoe was now officially his.

  He had Esmie in his corner. Zoe had claimed she loved him. And she had a tenuous hold on the pride. Life was good. But it could get better. He’d been thinking about it, and he’d made up his mind. After he officially turned over the pride to his mate and got back to business, he intended to slow down his travelling. He’d open up a few more boutiques in downtown and put the focus on Miami. Maybe join in that venture Alissa had proposed. Roberto Towers had promise.

  Then he’d propose to his woman.

  Marriage. A commitment he hadn’t expected to make, if ever. Yet he knew to his soul that he and Zoe belonged together. He didn’t like being without her.

  His week had been productive, though. Going away had given her the space she needed as well. He wanted to see how they’d interact after a week of being apart and having her in charge.

  Zoe was living the dream, the lucky cat. She had the pride, a handsome mate and someday, maybe even children. The notion startled him, because he’d never imagined having children. Oh, he’d known he’d someday procreate, but dwelling on the prospect had never occurred to him.

  The plane landed, and he left with the other passengers, heading for the restroom. After taking care of business, he continued to fantasize about Zoe’s and his future children. Boys with her mischief and his coloring. Or little girls with her eyes and his charm. But no matter the gender, he’d make sure they had his eye for style, God willing.

  He felt warm and fuzzy about his future, so he wasn’t paying attention when the lock to the restroom snicked shut. He saw a familiar face and sighed. He’d pegged it. The raptors hadn’t gone home yet because they still intended to make a play for Miami.

  Damn birds.

  He finished drying his hands and turned to the largest of his foes. “We going to do this the easy way or the hard way, Bill? Personally, I’m all for keeping it easy.” He’d just had his suit cleaned. He had no intention of destroying a Polvino original.

  The large raptor looked disappointed. “You aren’t going to fight?”

  “In an airport? Are you crazy? National security is something they take seriously. Guns and tasers? Intense scrutiny we can do without?” Perhaps he should be using smaller words…

  Bill and his buddies frowned. “Good point.”

  Miles sighed. “Can we go?”

  “Uh, okay. I guess.” Bill preceded him out the door, and Miles walked with the small group out of the airport into a waiting limo.

  He entered, gave his guards a last frown before the door shut, then turned to face the enemy. Lisette sat between a paunchy raptor and another male who looked enough like her to be her brother.

  Her brother chuckled. “So. Now we have the pride’s great leader. Easiest capture I’ve ever made.”

  “Lisette’s relation, I presume?”

  “Yes. I’m Brian, and that’s her mate, Oscar.” Brian had broad shoulders, and from the bend in his knee to the top of his head, Miles would put him at an inch or two under six feet. Not an unattractive man, unlike Oscar.

  Still… Miles cocked his head. “You know, you have your sister’s bone structure. Somewhat good-looking, but you’d be better off accepting the eventual hair loss. Don’t fight it. That cut and the comb-over I envision heading your way will be a detriment. I recommend going bald. Women like bald. Bad hair? Not so much. But hey, at least you have better style sense than your sister.”

  Brian frowned while Lisette tried to go for Miles’s eyes. Oscar held her back, barely.

  “Now what?” Miles asked and crossed his ankle over one knee. He pulled a piece of lint from his trouser leg and waited, hoping like hell Zoe had her shit together. She hadn’t trusted the raptors and she was familiar with their tactics. He had to believe that she could handle herself, when his every instinct was to put himself between her and any threat.

  “Do you understand the danger you’re in?” Brian asked.

  “Do you?” Miles snorted. “I’m not the one you need to worry about. Our new pride leader is.” He recalled Zoe’s image—the tough chick riding a Harley, wearing leather and her share of tattoos. Those bright gold predatory eyes. The wrestling matches—as a feline and as a human—in which she’d trumped the stronger felines in the pride without breaking a sweat. His mate could kick serious ass, and she was smart as a whip. She could more than handle a few scraggly birds.

  Brian scowled and turned to Lisette. “I thought you said he was in charge.”

  “He is. He’s lying.”

  “Actually, I’m not. Zoe Castille is our new pride leader. The official announcement is forthcoming. When I tell you she doesn’t like surprises, I’m not kidding. But then, you’d know that from your time together up North, wouldn’t you?”

  Oscar paled. Lisette seemed nervous.

  But Brian scoffed. “Let the bitch bring it. A female in charge? No wonder you cats can’t hold on to your territory.”

  Miles grinned, anticipating the furor his mate would create. Zoe, you wanted action, this is it. He studied the raptors, actually looking forward to his mate’s first big battle to protect their territory. Knowing how competitive she could be, he wouldn’t bet against her with these morons. “This is going to be so much fun. And to make this interesting, what say we lay odds on the outcome? Put your money where your mouth is.”

  Chapter Twelve

  Zoe glared at Alan Danville. She didn’t know how Miles hadn’t buried the old man’s body in a shallow grave already. Or better yet, fed him to the gators in the Everglades.

  “Do you really think allowing Julian to recruit more miscreants into his growing gang is a reasonable punishment for what he’s done?”

  Behind him, Quince’s grin threatened to overtake his face. The jerk.

  “Alan, Julian has more than made up for egging Miles’s car and breaking a window.” Across the estate, the boy waved to her, giving a shy grin, before turning back to his new buddies. A half dozen of them were picking up trash around the pool and the surrounding grounds.

  “I’m not talking about Miles’s car,” Alan snapped. “I’m talking about the stuffed animals I keep finding in my hallway. I know he’s behind it. Tons of stuffed cartoon cats taped with messages about some stupid something-matata I
don’t understand.”

  She blinked, confused, until Quince murmured, “The Lion King. Great movie. Hakuna Matata? You know, no worries?”

  Considering Alan had been nothing but stress central since Miles had stepped foot on that airplane, she understood the reference better than Danville would.

  She sighed. “I’ll talk to him.”

  He snorted. “You do that. And what about your mating ceremony? When is that happening?”

  “Why? Afraid that without Miles, I’ll be too hard to handle?”

  Next to him, Sims coughed but didn’t quite hide his laughter. He’d been better about having her in charge, though, like Alan, he still liked to pretend that once Miles returned, Miles would assume control.

  “Let’s be honest. Your methods leave much to be desired,” Alan said.

  Quince nodded. “True.”

  She glared at her brother, not appreciating his weird sense of humor. The idiot agreed with everything Alan said. He did it to annoy Zoe, but Alan thought Quince truly agreed with his stance on everything from mandatory birth control to a new European alliance with the French lions. Who, for the record, were complete assholes. They’d treated her like crap on her last visit, so she had no intention of welcoming Pierre back with open arms. After copping a feel, he’d tried to feed her snails, like that was something to make up for his oily hands. Double gross.

  Alan wouldn’t stop talking. “You threatened to shave Nicole bald. Malcolm is convinced you’ll really geld him if he steps out on Nancy again. His right, by the by.”

  “What, to be a serial cheater? Michael used to check out the males before allowing them to marry. We didn’t have issues with fidelity when he was here. And Nicole bitches too much. If she doesn’t like the way Wanda does her hair, she should go elsewhere. Bad-mouthing a single mom who did exactly what Nicole told her to do with her hair—despite being warned—isn’t fair and it hurts the members who need extra help.”

  Alan scowled. “Well, be that as it may. You’re overstepping yourself.”

  “Am I?”

  Quince didn’t bother to hide his grin. “Yep, apparently you are.”

  She swallowed a swear. “This is about the foxes. I know it.”

  Danville turned red. “You can’t threaten to fornicate with other Ac-taw, Zoe. That’s not how we do things around here. We stick with cats, period. I overheard you talking to their clan leader. You showed not only a lack of decorum, but a lack of respect toward your mate.” He looked totally disappointed in her.

  “What the hell?” She had no idea what he was talking about, but Sims, who’d been with her during their teleconference with those bastard foxes, looked ready to cry while he tried to contain his mirth. Her brother, who’d also been present, burst into uncontrollable laughter.

  Sims coughed and wiped his eyes. “Alan, she said she’d ‘fuck him up’ if he didn’t leave us alone. Not that she’d actually ‘fuck him’, and do excuse my language.” He paused, his smile still wide. “Oh, and ‘Eat me’ wasn’t intended to be an invitation, but rather an epithet.”

  Alan stood there with a frown, then he flushed a bright red. “I see. Well, that’s good. I’d actually thought she threatened to eat him, which I took as a form of cannibalism. You did spend years roaming with the tribal Ac-taw in the plains, and they have odd ideas about tradition.” He cleared his throat. “Good to know it was all a threat.”

  Quince continued laughing, until Alan barked at him to take himself away and give him privacy with Zoe. Sims left with him after winking at her. She’d won him over, at least.

  “I misunderstood, thank God,” Alan muttered. “But we don’t ‘fuck up’ our allies.”

  She snorted. “They’re only allies because they think they can lull us into letting them have more control in the city. They own too many tourist shops as it is. Just so you know, I told them to eat me, right before I mentioned I’d eat them if they didn’t leave us alone. As in, I will eat your young if you take one more step where you don’t belong. We’re top of the food chain, Alan. And if we start protecting what’s ours with a show of force—not actual force, a show—they’ll leave us alone. Preventing wars, not starting them. Trust me, it’s been working in China for years. And those cats are beyond territorial.”

  He blinked at her. “I forget that you spent a lot of time in other civilized Ac-taw places as well.”

  They walked together on the grounds, away from the main house. The day was a balmy eighty degrees, the sun shining bright in a cloudless sky. Miles was due back today, and the promise of his presence made everything brighter. Well, except for Alan.

  She sighed and stopped to confront him. After a week of dealing with him nitpicking her every decision, she’d had enough. “Look, Alan. Like everyone else in this pride, I respect you. You’ve been around longer than any of us. You know the pride, how it works, or at least, how it should work. But without change, we won’t grow.

  “Michael was a wonderful leader for years, but he’s gone. Lex was an ass. Quince and the others have told me the stories. But Quince wasn’t right to lead, and we both know Miles isn’t either.” She put her hand on her chest. “His heart isn’t in it, not like mine is. My mother took us away all those years ago to prepare me.”

  He gave her a slight grin. “To keep you out of trouble.”

  She laughed. “Maybe that too. But she knew I’d need exposure to real life outside Miami to learn what would stand me fast when my destiny came calling.” Zoe paused, pouring her heart and soul into her words. “That’s why I’m here. Why I was born. I’m supposed to help the pride evolve, to become more than we are. No longer cats who’ve become too human in our pursuit of possessions and fancy clothes.”

  “Oh?”

  “Yeah, yeah. I know. Miles is filthy rich, but he has his priorities in order. We are more than business and our own wants and needs. We’re pride. A tight family. And we’re cats, for God’s sake. We’re the top of the heap, and we need to maintain that aura of autonomy. We don’t bow to dogs or foxes or birds. We don’t need to bully, but we do need to set a precedent. Fuck with us, we’ll fuck you up.”

  Danville just studied her, weighing her words. He’d either accept her or he wouldn’t, but only he could make the decision. She planned to lead the pride, as Miles had said, and help where she could, regardless of those who couldn’t handle a female in charge.

  “Fuck them up, eh?” Hearing him swear discomfited her, because it sounded so odd. Then he laughed. “You really are something, aren’t you?”

  Not exactly a compliment, but she’d take what she could get. “Uh, I guess.”

  “Do you want to know what I’ve seen this past week?”

  She groaned and pinched the bridge of her nose. “Do I?”

  He gave her a frosty look before continuing. “I’ve seen you charm people who have no liking for anyone. The men are infatuated and think you walk on water. The women are impressed simply because you snagged Miles. Don’t glare at me. It’s true. But you seem to actually listen. You give sound advice, and you don’t disregard your brother’s or the other lieutenants’ counsel. You’ve also taken a keen interest in our females, which has shown me that we’ve been remiss by not appreciating how valuable all our pride members are.”

  She stared at him, shocked he seemed to be so positive. “So you think I rock, right?”

  He cut through her grin with a glare. “You’re also a very stubborn woman. You think you can charm everyone to your side, and when you can’t, you have a tendency to want to use brute force.”

  She just looked at him.

  “Fine,” he said with a sigh. “It seems to be working. The Cotton brothers don’t plan on seceding from the pride, and they’ve stopped strong-arming Hans and Mary on every little thing in the apartment complex they’ve claimed as their corporate headquarters.” He shook his head. “Eric hasn’t been bothering Shelly anymore, and the embroidery group thinks you can do no wrong.” He grumbled, “I’m still not sure how you manag
ed that.”

  “Please. Do you have any idea how much handmade quilts go for nowadays? I hooked them up with Sam Cotton, and they’re in business and making money. He’s a hell of a web designer. We can use him to better manage our properties too. Did you know he and his brothers aren’t just geeks, but actual hackers?” She grew excited thinking about it. The pride could finally enter the digital age. Hell, ten years late, but still…

  “You’re doing a good job,” he said grudgingly. “But you can’t expect everyone to blithely accept your policies. Change takes time and—”

  “We’ve had time, and Lex stepped in. Now’s the ideal opportunity to throw our past mistakes away and learn from them. Am I perfect? Believe it or not, no.”

  He snorted.

  “But I listen and I watch. I’ve seen how the panthers respond to blended authority, not one honcho and his thugs keeping the peace.”

  “Your brother is one of those thugs, missy.”

  She shrugged. She loved Quince, but he was a brute. “If the shoe fits… My point is Miles was doing great, but he’s better at business than caring about the details. Yeah, I’m going to delegate. I’m also going to start using more than a handful of the pride to run things. And I think opening up our voting privileges to everyone is still a good idea.”

  He scowled. Not a fan of giving up power, their Alan. “We tried that. Mass chaos ensued, and we had more pride wars on our hands. Why do you think we invented a senior council, young lady?”

  She blew out a breath. “You’re still not listening. I’m talking about a general vote on some things. The senior council would still have the ultimate say-so on important crap. Like inviting new pride members, business acquisitions, liaisons with other prides and clans. You know. Like when you went overseas. You should still head up our European faction. Those idiots seem to like you well enough. I didn’t get along with the French lions much. They eat snails. And goat cheese.” She shuddered.

  He glanced at her tattoos and the leather halter she wore and sighed. “I can see how your less-than-refined taste may have offended more than a few. But you make a good point. It’s time we had some change. I won’t lie. If you thought I was your biggest obstacle with the pride, you are sorely mistaken.”