by Tate James
He peered down at me and raised a brow in a mocking sort of way. “Are you sure? You just swooned like you were in a silent movie and your corset was done up too tight.”
I glared back at him, not appreciating that he’d called me on my girly half-faint. To emphasize my point, I wriggled in his grip until he placed me back on my feet.
“Oh wow,” I coughed. “You really are naked.”
“Quit staring; you’ll give me a hard-on in a second,” Boden scolded me in a voice that only sounded half teasing. “And of course I’m naked. When is the last time you saw a lynx walking around in a pair of Levi’s?”
“Fair point,” I agreed, trying really hard to do as I was told and quit staring. But seriously, was it really my fault that he was easily the most perfect specimen I’d seen in, well, ever? Aside from Hunter and Raze, that was. But I hadn’t seen either of them naked yet.
Yet.
Yep, I was suffering a mental break for sure. My brain had just totally accepted that I’d be seeing the other two beautiful, magical men naked at some stage in the near future and was fully on board.
“You’re not going crazy, Cleo,” Boden interrupted my rambling brain and dragged me back to the present. He placed his warm palms either side of my face and captured my gaze with his own. “I promise you, you’re not going crazy. This is maybe not the way I would have liked to explain things to you, but you can blame Hunter for that.”
At his name, panic spiked through me, and I sucked in a sharp breath. “Hunter!” I blurted out. “Is he—?”
“He’s fine,” Boden assured me, still gripping my face between his hands and stroking my skin with his thumbs.
“And...” I trailed off, not totally sure why I really gave a crap about Raze, considering what a fucker he’d been toward me, yet totally unable not to ask.
Boden’s lips quirked into a half smile. “Raze’s fine too. They’re just doing a bit of cleanup and will catch up soon.”
His words reassured me way, way more than I should have needed for men I barely knew and had suspected of being serial killers until very recently. The depth of crazy emotion I was feeling toward these three was serious cause for concern, if I was totally honest. But it seemed unimportant in that moment, so I shoved it into the back of my mind to deal with later.
“What’s going on in your head right now, Cleo?” Boden murmured in a soft voice. “Your emotions are so conflicted I can’t get a clear reading on anything. You’re either about to kick me in the balls and run, or...”
My breath caught, and I could practically hear my heart beat, it was thundering so loudly. Boden was right; I was equally torn between running for my fucking life and jumping his freaking bones. Call it my fuck or flight reflex, I guess.
“I can’t risk you running right now, Cleo. My job is to keep you safe.” Boden’s voice was low and husky, his gaze steady and unblinking while his strong hands held my face captive.
His words barely had time to compute before his lips were on mine. Lightning zapped between us as he softly pressed against my mouth, tentative for a second, then bolder as he seemed to commit to what he’d just done.
I gasped at the electric sensation, my lips parting in surprise as warmth flooded through my whole body and made me groan. Boden wasted no time, seizing the opportunity and plunging into my mouth with a ferocity that set me reeling. All of a sudden it was like we couldn’t get enough of each other. We were all hands and lips, teeth and tongues as I gripped tight to his neck and hoisted myself up.
My legs wrapped around Boden’s waist, trapping his hardened length between us with only the thin fabric of my panties separating us. Through my lust-clouded brain, I shot out a quick, silent thanks to Meg for making me keep up my waxing appointments, despite the fact that I’d split from my deadbeat boyfriend months ago.
Boden moved a few steps, not seeming to struggle in the least with me pasted to his front like some sort of lust-drunk spider monkey. He pushed me against a particularly smooth tree trunk and ground his pelvis to mine in a way that made me cry out and rake my nails down his strong, tanned back.
The intensity of the whole situation had made me a little overeager, though, and I gasped when I saw my nails had drawn blood. How freaking sharp had my manicurist left those damn things?
“Shit, sorry,” I panted, biting my lip and showing Boden my blood-tipped nails. “I didn’t mean to.”
A sly smile crept over his face as his hands ran up my sides and fondled my breasts through my thin tank. “Didn’t mean to what, Cleo?” he teased. “Mark me?”
My eyes widened, and I sucked in a short gasp. Is that what I’d just done? Was this some... crazy, magical were-cat thing? Had my desperation to get laid just created a cultural faux-pas?
“Don’t look so worried,” he chuckled as his head dipped low to capture one of the nipples he’d just freed from my pathetic top. “I have every intention of returning the favor.”
His teeth closed over my hardened nipple, and I moaned, thrashing against him like... ugh, like a cat in heat. Jesus Christ Supercat.
The sound of something loud approaching through the trees made us both freeze, but there was no time to correct our compromising position before both Raze and Hunter appeared in the clearing we’d been about to fuck in.
“Fuck you, Boden,” Hunter cursed, his eyes wide as he took in his friend’s naked ass pinning me to a tree while his lips were glued to my breast.
Raze seemed even more pissed off than usual, which I hadn’t thought possible until that moment. “Job is done, General,” he snarled. “Safe house has been secured.”
Boden, the shithead, took his sweet-ass time separating from me, even going so far as to lay a lingering kiss on my mouth before setting my feet on the ground and turning to look at his companions.
“Good. Let’s get moving then. We want to erase our scent trail and be well out of the area before they call in reinforcements.” He threw a quick, sultry wink at me over his shoulder that seemed to scream “to be continued” before he accepted the pair of pants Raze was holding.
Come to think of it, both Raze and Hunter wore pants and T-shirts but no shoes, so they had to have changed somewhere. At least I wouldn’t be wandering the woods with three naked supermodels? There was simply no way I possessed the required self-control not to end up in a four way if the situation presented itself.
Boden headed out of the clearing, seeming confident in where he was going, and Raze stalked off behind him without sparing me a second glance.
Hunter was a different story, though, giving me a cryptic look as I stood there feeling confused as all fuck. Right when I was about to throw my hands up and start raving about needing meds, he grabbed my hand and tugged me closer to him.
“Don’t freak out, Cleo-babe,” he told me in a calm, soothing voice. “We’re sworn to protect you, remember? We won’t let anything happen.”
“Anything?” I asked in a breathless whisper, my mind still firmly on the something that had just almost happened between Boden and me. Had they interrupted deliberately? I had a hard time believing that magical cat-shifters wouldn’t have heard each other long before I did.
Hunter grinned then, showing off those damn dimples of his. Without warning, he swooped down and pressed a less than platonic kiss against my flushed lips and let out a small, frustrated groan.
“Anything bad that is. Everything else... well, all is fair in love and lust, am I right?” He winked then with the same sexual undertone as Boden had used and tugged on my hand to get me following him. “Come on, babe. It’s still a bit of a walk from here to the safe house. Let me tell you a story on the way.”
My curiosity peaked. “What sort of story?” I asked, letting the whole matter of him kissing me drop. He’d essentially just announced he was going to make a play for me, regardless of the near-sex situation I’d just been in with his friend.
He grinned playfully at me, knowing his suggestion of a story had caught my attention. “A stor
y of magic, gods, and destiny. Maybe this time you’ll be more receptive to the concept, hmm?”
I rolled my eyes and gave him a sarcastic smile. “Yeah, yeah, stupid Cleo thought you were joking. As if anyone would actually take that story at face value. Will you tell me what sort of cat you are? I’m not super well versed on my were-cat species.”
Hunter gasped and pulled up short, jerking me to a stop with his hand still wrapped around mine. “You take that back, Cleo Carroll. We are shifters, not were-beasts, and I’m a Tasmanian tiger, not a cat.” I wrinkled my nose at him, not totally understanding the point he was making. “Tasmanian tigers are technically marsupials, not felines, but you’d be forgiven for the assumption, seeing as we look a bit like a cougar. Except, you know, more badass.”
“Of course,” I snickered. “Hey, I never told you my last name! How did you know it?”
“Magic,” Hunter replied, his face totally serious.
I raised my eyebrows in surprise. “Seriously?”
“No, it was on your van rego. I saw it when I was fixing the engine last night.” He chuckled at his own dumb joke and gave my hand another tug to get me walking again. “Now, hush up and listen to my cool story.”
Chapter Five
As it turned out, Hunter’s “cool story” only served to create more questions than answers. Questions that he hedged and squirmed over until we reached our destination a short time later.
“How did you guys know this was here?” I frowned, peering up at the little hikers’ cabin. The lights were already on, and I assumed that Boden and Raze were already inside.
Fuck, I hoped they had some warm clothes in there. Now that the adrenaline from the crash had worn off, the cold had well and truly set in and my teeth were chattering. Admittedly, a tank top and panties weren’t exactly suitable clothes for the current weather.
“Magic,” Hunter answered again and waggled his brows at me. “Come on, you can harass Raze with your questions after you warm up. It’ll be fun for everyone.” He paused, tilting his head slightly to the side as though listening for something. “Okay, fun for everyone except Raze. But that just makes it more fun for the rest of us.” He gave a slightly evil laugh and led the way inside the cabin.
To my delight, a wall of warmth hit me when we stepped through the front door, and my body shuddered in relief.
“Thank the fucking cat gods,” I groaned, rubbing my arms with half-frozen fingers.
Boden stepped out of the kitchen then and gave me a smoldering look. “We’re not crazy about the cold, so Raze turned the heat up pretty high. Just let us know if it gets too hot.”
Why did I get the feeling there was a double meaning to his words? Except it was definitely Boden who’d turned the metaphorical heat up, not Raze.
“I have questions,” I blurted out, glaring at the sexy blond man whom I’d just recently played tonsil hockey with. “About... you know...” I waved a hand between him and Hunter, then mimed claws and hissed. Of course that just had to be the moment that Raze walked out of another room and frowned at me.
“Is Maggie having a stroke or something?”
Narrowing my eyes into what I hoped was a withering glare, I sighed. “Asshole. No, I was just... ugh, never mind.” I propped my fists on my hips and turned my attention back on Boden, who was clearly the one in charge. “You know what I meant.”
His serious face split with a small grin. “I do. But we have a bit of time, if you want to shower and get changed first? There are some spare sweats in the main bedroom, and Raze will get some food ready while you’re showering.”
“No, I won’t.” The darkly handsome dickhead muttered, then grunted when Hunter whacked him in the side of the head. “Fine, whatever, I was making food for myself anyway.”
He stalked back out of the foyer and into the kitchen, and I shook my head. What the fuck I’d done to piss him off so bad, I had no idea. Boden’s suggestion of a shower and sweats sounded freaking heavenly, though, so I took his offer and headed through to the bedroom he’d pointed out.
After spending way longer than I really needed to under the hot spray, I dragged my butt back out and dried off. The sweats that Boden had mentioned were made for a man, so they totally drowned me to the point that the pants wouldn’t stay up, no matter how many times I rolled the waistband.
“Fuck it,” I muttered to my reflection, giving up on the pants and dropping them altogether. The top was practically a dress on me anyway, so the only thing making me hesitate was my lack of underwear.
I glanced at the scrap of turquoise fabric on the floor and wrinkled my nose. Not only had I been wearing them for two full days now, I’d also been rubbing up all over Boden’s hard dick in them and walked for fuck knew how many miles. To say they were dirty was an understatement.
Nope, not putting those back on. No chance. I’d just have to risk it going commando and try not to flash my flaps at any of the guys.
The smell wafting from the kitchen made me haul ass a bit faster, too. My belly felt like it was practically eating itself, and I was starting to get that nauseous-hungry sensation, so here was hoping Raze hadn’t spit in my meal.
“Smells good,” I said as I entered the kitchen. Maybe if I complimented his cooking, he wouldn’t be such an ass-face. The sneer he tossed in my direction before turning back to the stove proved me wrong, though.
“Have a seat, Cleo,” Boden suggested, pushing out a chair at the table with his foot. He and Hunter were both already seated with open beers in their hands. “Dinner won’t be much longer.”
Sitting down, I accepted the beer that Hunter offered me with a smile. Yum.
“I understand Hunter told you a little about our history on the walk here?” The blond man prompted. “You must have lots to ask.”
I nodded. “I do. Lots.”
Raze dropped a plate onto the table in front of me with a clatter, and I jumped a little in my seat. How had he just snuck up on me so stealthily? Oh, right. Cat.
“Salmon,” he informed me. “If you don’t eat fish, you’re shit out of luck.”
Giving him a tight, sarcastic smile as he sat down in his own seat, I picked up my fork and took a huge bite. “I love salmon. Delicious.”
His dark lashes tightened around those piercing green eyes as he glared at me but, thankfully, didn’t respond. Exhaustion from the day was fast catching up with me, and I got the feeling I’d need all of my wits to win a verbal sparring match with Raze.
“Feel free to ask your questions, Cleo,” Boden encouraged. “We can answer anything now that we’re bound.”
I blinked at him, shoving his broody friend out of my mind. “Huh?”
Boden’s lips pursed. “Hunter didn’t get that far then?”
“Left that gem for you,” the playful Australian told him. “All I filled her in on was the origin story.”
Boden sighed and rubbed at his forehead like he had a headache. Actually, now that I thought about it, they all looked a bit the way I felt—totally exhausted.
“Okay, so Hunter told you about how Queen Hatshepsut was selected by Ra—king of the gods in ancient Egypt—to bear his Amulet of Light?” He arched a brow at me to check that this was not new information, and I nodded.
“Yes,” I agreed. “But we didn’t get much further than that, really.”
Boden frowned. “That’s it? That’s as far as you got?” He turned an incredulous look to the Aussie, who just shrugged.
“Don’t blame me,” Hunter replied with a grin. “Cleo knew nothing about Egyptian history. I spent the whole time trying to explain how a woman could be pharaoh.”
I opened my mouth to give a weak excuse, but all that came out was a heavy yawn. Fuck me, I was going to pass out with my head in my food if I wasn’t careful.
“Maybe just give me the CliffsNotes?” I suggested in a weak voice. “It’s been a long-ass day.”
Boden nodded in agreement. “For all of us. Shifting takes a bit of a toll on our energy.”
“Not a cat,” Hunter interjected, jerking a thumb at himself. “We went over this already.”
Boden rolled his eyes, and I hid a smile. Apparently I hadn’t been the only one to assume a Tasmanian tiger was a type of cat. “No, Cleo,” Boden assured me. “You’re not going to suddenly sprout fur and claws if you haven’t already. Shifters first discover their nature with puberty, and I’d say you’re well past that awkward stage of life.”
I cleared my throat and used a bite of food to distract myself from the memory of Boden’s hard dick rubbing between my legs. “So, what am I then if not one of you? Why do I have this amulet, and why did those people just try to kill us?”
“You’re human,” Raze answered my question like it was the dumbest thing he’d ever heard, “obviously.”
“Raze is right,” Boden agreed. “You’re human, but you’re descended directly from Queen Hatshepsut, so it is your destiny to carry the Amulet of Light. How it ended up in a junk store in Portland is a mystery, but the power of Ra is supreme and works in ways we couldn’t ever comprehend.” His gaze dropped to the golden amulet clutched between my fingers. I’d taken it out of the sweatshirt and had been rubbing it without even noticing. “As for why those people tried to kill you, it’s simply the age-old fight for power. You have it, and their mistress wants it.”
Raze made a growl under his breath and stabbed a piece of fish like he was picturing my face or something. “Fucking Bastites,” he swore. “Brainwashed idiots chasing a myth.”
Hunter grunted his agreement, and Boden sighed with a small nod himself.
“We can explain more on that tomorrow,” Boden told me. “For now, it’s enough to say that those people are the acolytes of Bast. She’s had a lady boner to get that amulet since the day it was given to humans; it’s why the guardians were created in the first place—to keep you alive and the amulet out of Bast’s greedy hands.”