by Dana Archer
“But I don’t want to and neither do you.”
Hands splayed on the wall, he shuddered as she skimmed her fingers over his back. The light hesitant touch assaulted his senses. Left him a little crazed.
“You’re playing with fire, baby.”
Mira nibbled on his jaw. “It’s only dangerous when you can’t handle the heat.” She tugged his shirt from his pants. “And I like feeling hot.”
She popped a few buttons on his shirt, then danced her fingertips over the ridges of his stomach. “There’s only one problem.”
Her breathless whisper whipped through him and sped his pulse. He panted, muscles straining with the effort it took not to take this further. No way would he rush her. He focused on the swoop of lashes lying like crescent moons on her sun-kissed skin. “What’s that?”
“I get hungry.” She tipped her head back, locking gazes with him. “Only you can satisfy me. You won’t deny me what I need. Will you, Josh?”
Without waiting for an answer, she slipped her tongue between his parted lips. Josh couldn’t get enough of her. He kissed her, loving how she matched him, stroke for stroke. She captured his tongue and sucked, the tug tightening his body.
“Aww, Mira.” The raw, guttural voice didn’t sound like his.
He wanted more—her tongue, fangs, claws, anything she’d give him. “More.”
Mira dragged her sharp fangs along his jaw, nicking his skin before licking the sting away. Her teasing nips along his throat tore sounds from his throat he’d never heard before. At the base of where his shoulder met his throat, she opened her mouth and clamped her dangerous teeth around his flesh. Then sucked. He groaned.
“Again, Mira.” More of the deep grumble. The unfamiliar sound echoed in his ears. He ignored it. “Do it again.”
She did. She teased him until he couldn’t take it anymore.
He pulled her away from where she nibbled on his shoulder, capturing her mouth in a hungry kiss.
Passion took over. He caressed her hips, her sides, the edges of her breasts. More. He needed more. All of her.
He roughly shoved at her shirt to reach bare skin. Urgency quickened his touches. He wanted to love her, keep her locked to his side. Forever. He couldn’t wait any longer. Possessiveness rose in him, stronger than before. He’d kill anyone who tried to take her away.
She was his.
Reality set in, like a splash of cold water in his face.
This was a mistake.
He shouldn’t have let the kiss turn into what it had. Tomorrow, he’d have to watch Mira with another man, a shifter male who could give her everything he couldn’t. He pulled back to look upon her face and tell her he was sorry. The sight of her swollen, moist lips taunted him.
One more kiss, then he’d let her go. He pressed his lips to hers, loving the way she opened for him, taking him in as if he was the man she wanted by her side, not Kade or Zach. Or worse yet, Aron. Not that it mattered what either Josh or Mira wanted. Fate had screwed them both.
Finally, he pulled back to study her face from inches away. Knowing she cared enough to come to him tonight would have to be enough. “Mira, you shouldn’t have kissed me like that.”
She brushed her lips back and forth over his jaw. Shivers raced across his skin. He ignored his instincts that urged him to carry her away and focused on enjoying the press of her soft curves to his hardness.
“You’re right. I should’ve kissed you like that months ago.”
“What will your suitors think?”
She massaged his scalp. His tension eased.
“I don’t care.” She skimmed her mouth over his cheek to his ear, her breath heating his skin in its wake. “I need you in my life. I don’t think I can live without you.”
The door banged open. The loud thump announcing his unwanted visitor doused his remaining desire. He didn’t want anyone to see Mira with a look of carnal lust on her face, only him.
“Yo, Josh. You here?”
A deep growl rumbled Mira’s chest, the sound not remotely human. He cursed and quickly buttoned his shirt. “Yeah, Zoe, I’m here, but I’m not alone. Give me a minute. Okay?”
“Oh geez, I’m sorry.” The sound of cloth brushing against itself echoed in his ears. “I can sleep in my car or something. I just couldn’t find the key to the apartment in the dark. All those stupid rocks look the same. Umm, so you can…you know, finish what you were doing. I mean, I know how focused you are when you’re getting it on with a woman and…”
Mira roared, the noise frighteningly disturbing coming from her throat. She didn’t stay human for long, though. Fur tickled his fingertips a moment before she leapt away from him. He stumbled backward, knocked by the force of her push.
Zoe screamed.
With a shove, he dived after the spotted jaguar. He wrapped his arms around the big cat’s chest. They crashed to the floor inches from Zoe’s scuffed boots.
Mira, still in her jaguar form, snarled and twisted in his arms. He rolled with her and slammed a hand between her shoulder blades. He knew his roughness wouldn’t hurt her. In her animal form, it took a lot to injure her. Besides, her cat would only respond to a more dominant person. He might not be a shifter, but he needed her to submit to him. Otherwise Zoe would suffer.
The three-hundred-pound cat bucked, nearly knocking him off. He dug his knees into her sides and did the only thing he could think of.
He clamped his teeth over the back of her neck and bit.
Mira stilled. Her sides heaved with rough pants. He flicked his gaze to Zoe. Wide-eyed, she stared at them, the look of panic clear. Thankfully, she stood frozen in place. Once assured she was safe, he turned his focus to the dangerous predator between his thighs. After a moment, he eased the tight grip on her torso. She took advantage of it and squirmed, knocking him off.
She swiped a paw at Zoe. A scream tore from Zoe’s throat before she crashed to the floor. Heart knocking against his rib cage, he dug his fingers into Mira’s fur and dragged her to him. She fought him, twisting and squirming, snapping, and snarling. Her flexing body slipped out of his grip.
She scrambled, claws scraping at the floor to get away from him. No way. That couldn’t happen. He threw himself on her back, flattening her body to the ground, and bit the flesh under his mouth. Sweet, decadently rich blood spilled over his tongue. He clamped down harder until she stopped moving.
Time stretched. Mira panted. Zoe whimpered. And he debated what he should do. He couldn’t make the same mistake by letting her go. Mira’s cat was in charge. He had to get through to the jaguar, not the woman.
He cursed inwardly, hating what he had to do, but he couldn’t come up with a better solution. He ground his teeth into her flesh, the sensation of fur on his tongue odd but not unpleasant, and waited. The lithe body under him remained tensed and coiled. She’d attack the minute he released her.
Come on, kitten. Submit.
He dug blunt nails into her muscles, tightening his grip in case she made another attempt to throw him off, then bit harder and repeated his silent urging. More blood filled his mouth. A lot of blood. How hard had he bitten her?
No, she’d be fine. She was a mature, immortal shifter.
As such, she wouldn’t scar. The only scar she carried—the bite on her shoulder—was the one she’d gotten as a teenager.
The rationalization eased him. He swallowed the blood down. Come on, kitten. Accept this. It’s the best thing for both of us.
Finally, a chuffing noise came from her throat. The sound encouraged him, but he held still until a shudder ran through her cat’s body. He eased back minutely, testing her. She remained limp. He released her shoulder, not the firm grip on her flank.
“Rein in your cat.”
The jaguar whined. She didn’t obey him.
“Now, Mira.” He dug his knees harder into her sides. “Shift back, now.”
Smooth, hot skin replaced the fur. Desire hit him with first brush of her naked body against him. Wrong time
, wrong place. He knew it, yet couldn’t deny what Mira did to him. All sorts of crazy urges rose. The desire to repeat the little dominance display now that she was in her human form being the biggest one. He wanted her to beg him to love her and prove he was hers. Stuff like that made him feel as if he was the animal, not Mira.
He pushed away the thoughts and let his gaze roam over her smooth skin. With gentle strokes, he swept her hair to the side, exposing her naked flesh. The slope of her back was beautiful. Unable to resist the temptation, he traced her spine from where he was straddled over her waist until he reached the base of her neck. Blood covered her shoulder where he’d bitten her.
“I’m sorry, kitten.” He lightly caressed the skin around the wound. She flinched. “I didn’t mean to hurt you.”
“You didn’t. Please, let me up.”
He yanked his shirt off and handed it to her. Eyes closed, he turned away before he got a full view of her gorgeous curves. He reacted too easily to her. A deep breath cooled his heated body.
He turned his attention to Zoe and cursed. Claw marks swept over her upper thighs. Blood ran steadily from the four deep lines. Perspiration beaded on her ashen forehead. With her lips pressed in a thin line and tears leaking from the corners of her eyes, she looked about two seconds away from passing out.
“Oh, no.” He dropped to the floor by her side. “Sweetheart, are you okay?”
“No, I’m not okay! I just got attacked by a…a cat!”
He leaned closer to examine the wounds and swallowed hard. They weren’t life threatening, but the deep cuts would scar.
“Mira, go get the first aid box from my office.”
Silence met him. He peered over his shoulder. The shirt he’d given her fluttered to the floor in shreds. Movement drew his eye. He swung his head and caught a flash of her lioness’ tawny fur as she ran out the door.
He cursed. Although he wanted to go after her, he didn’t. Soothing Mira had to come after taking care of Zoe. “You’re going to be fine, honey. Don’t worry.”
Zoe waved black-painted nails at him. “I’m not worried about me.” She pushed up on her elbows, an incredulous look stamped on her face. “I want to know where you found your freakish girlfriend.”
“Mira’s not my girlfriend.”
Zoe snorted. “You always were a little dense, but whatever. I don’t want to hear about your love life right now. I want to know about the werecat. Where did you find her?”
The excited twinkle in her dark-blue eyes made him grin. He shook his head. “Mira isn’t a werecat. She’s a shifter, and she sort of found me.”
He hefted Zoe’s slight frame into his arms. She winced. “Sorry about this.”
Zoe glanced at her legs and grimaced. She flicked her inquisitive gaze to his face, focusing on his scarred cheek. “Your girlfriend is a little careless with her claws.”
“She’s not my girlfriend.” He sighed. “And her brother actually did that.”
Her eyes widened as if she’d just remembered something. He had a feeling he knew what. A triumphant grin spread across her face, confirming his suspicion.
“So I was right all along, huh? You owe me fifty bucks.”
He laughed as he carried her back to his office. When Jazz had moved home five years ago, they’d made a bet. Zoe had been convinced Seth and Levi, Jazz’s sons, weren’t human. She’d sworn she’d seen their eyes glow. He’d told her she was full of it. He should’ve listened to her. Life might’ve taken a different path than the self-destructive one it had.
“Yeah, you were right. A boatload of shifters moved into town a couple of months back.”
He sat Zoe on the worn leather couch and moved to the desk. The first aid kit he pulled out held the basics—bandages, ointment, and a roll of tape, no gauze. He dropped the kit and slammed the drawer closed. Zoe’s cuts needed more than a couple of plastic adhesive strips.
He scanned the office. A discarded shirt that belonged to one of the shifters who always seemed to be hanging out in here caught his eye. He snatched it. The T-shirt smelled a little sweaty, but it would do.
He handed it to her. “Put some pressure on those cuts.”
She did, pushing hard on them. She flinched. After a moment, she lifted the bloody cloth. “I hate to say this, but we need to go to the hospital.”
“That can’t happen.”
He grabbed his cell from the desk and dialed. Kade mumbled an incoherent greeting.
“I need you to come back to the bar. I have a situation.”
“What’s wrong?”
“Mira shifted and attacked my baby sister.”
Chapter 8
Josh paced, his frustration mounting with every step. He hated how the night had turned out. No matter how he looked at the situation, it sucked. Not only had Zoe been hurt, his encounter with Mira would be forever tainted in his memory.
He slammed a balled fist into the cinderblock wall. The sting of his split skin barely registered. That wouldn’t do. Three more solid punches and numbness radiated up his arm. Zoe’s weary sigh only added to his irritation. He resisted the urge to turn around and snap at her. Instead, he planted his palms on the rough surface and hung his head.
“Are you ready to talk?”
He ground his teeth. If he could growl the same way the shifters living around here could, he would’ve. Giving in to the animalistic sound would’ve felt good. “There’s nothing to talk about.”
“Really?”
“Yeah, really.” He glanced over his shoulder and cursed. Zoe resembled a china doll with her waxy complexion and black hair. The only color on her face came from her eyes. “I’m so sorry. I don’t know what got into Mira. She’s never done anything like this before.”
Another weary sigh accompanied her eye roll. “Did the sex with your girlfriend leave you stupid?”
“We didn’t have sex, and she’s not—”
“Stop. Not in the mood. Got it?” Zoe waited until he nodded before re-balling the shirt so a dry section showed. With it pressed to her thighs, she peeked at him through the long choppy bangs hanging into her eyes. “You’ve got yourself involved with the woman somehow, no matter what label you slap on it. She’s obviously possessive of you. If she doesn’t normally attack people, it’s the only explanation.”
Possessive. The explanation fit. According to shifter law, he was Devin’s beloved human since Devin was Mira’s guardian, except Mira’s scent seeped from Josh’s pores, not her twin’s. That triggered her animals’ instincts. Actually, when Josh looked at it that way, he couldn’t help but wonder if her attraction was real or a result of her scent on him.
He scrubbed a hand down his face. No use thinking about the whys.
“Sure, possessive. Felines are like that.” He dropped his hand. “You want me to get you some aspirin or something?”
“No. I need stitches.” She motioned toward her bag with a tilt of her head. “Get me my purse.”
He raised a brow at her description. The duffel bag doubled as her suitcase. She lived out of the thing. How his sister could condense her life’s belongings into the single tote while most women couldn’t even pack for a weekend trip in one of those, he didn’t know. Zoe lived by her own standards, though. Typical would never be a word applied to her.
“Why?”
“Umm…bleeding.” She waved at her bare legs. Thankfully, she’d worn shorts tonight. Having to see his sister in her underwear would’ve scarred him for life. “Since you won’t let me go to the hospital, I figured I’d take care of myself.”
“I explained it to you. It’s too risky with all the shifters living around here. It’ll draw the attention of the wrong people.”
“Shifter Affairs, I remember, and you don’t want Mira punished.” She leaned her head against the back of the couch. “You know, it’s hard to believe there are so many people in the government who know about shifters, yet there haven’t been leaks to the general public.”
He glanced at Megan’s picture o
n his desk. Behind the photo, he kept one of Molly. It bothered him, keeping her image hidden, but he couldn’t exactly display a photo of a lion cub. For them, he followed the shifters’ rules, including the one that left Zoe bleeding on his couch when she should’ve been in the hospital.
He picked up the frame and pulled out Molly’s picture. “I thought the same thing.” He held the glossy print out to her. “This is the reason the government has worked so hard to keep the shifters’ existence secret.”
She frowned. “A lion cub?”
“That’s Megan’s twin, Molly. They were born in a facility that experiments on shifters. Megan, for the most part, is okay. Molly…well, Molly has embraced her cat form, a fate she might never recover from. She refuses to shift back. The longer she stays like that, the less likely she’ll ever return to us.”
Zoe’s shocked gasp reignited his anger. He focused on his nieces’ faces until the familiar determination returned. He’d protect them and never let anyone get their hands on them again.
He met Zoe’s horrified expression. “My opinion is that greed has kept those people who know about shifters from telling the world. Shifters are citizens who are protected by the government. Once it becomes known they exist, the…the humans who make money exploiting shifters will lose their profit margin.”
“In our high-tech society, it’s only a matter of time before the world finds out. Somebody is going to snap a pic on their smartphone, and it’ll be over the web in minutes.”
He carefully slid Molly’s picture into place, then replaced the frame and faced his sister. “I know. All we can do is stick together, protect our own, and hope for the best.”
“You talk as if you’re a shifter too.”
He shrugged. “Honorary member.”
“Okay, no hospitals, but I really need to take care of these cuts.”
He narrowed his eyes. “Take care of them how?”
“Just give me my bag.” He glared at her, and she huffed. “I’m going to give myself some home stitches.”
He repeated her words in his head and cursed some more. “No way. You are not freaking sewing yourself up.”