by Eve Langlais
Rather than listen to her aunt discuss her conquests and taunt her for her lack of acuity with men, she moved toward the house. She planned to return to her bed and stare at the ceiling, maybe bat at the mobiles she had suspended from the rafters. Only Aunt Marissa stopped her with a simple statement.
“Before you go, I should get to the real reason I came to find you. Do you want to join us for a hunt?”
For a brief moment, the idea of running through the woods appealed.
Yes. Run. Chase. Hunt. She could use a stretch of her legs and the fresh air of the forest.
But that would require dropping the mope. It seemed too soon. She wanted to mourn the loss of the thing she’d never had but wanted more than she’d realized. “No, thanks.”
“Probably for the best given you’ve gone soft.”
“What’s that supposed to mean?” Melly whirled.
“Had you taken care of that IRS fellow from the beginning, we wouldn’t be in this mess. Really, Melly, consorting outside your kind. What would your mother say?”
Plenty. But she was more interested in the rest of her aunt’s words. “What do you mean mess? Arik took care of Theo and his case.”
The fire for the physical evidence, a hacking team for the electronic stuff, cleaners for the IRS office, and a drug to make a man forget he’d almost made a lioness purr. Then there was the ridiculous charade to pass them off as furry lovers. They were free and clear.
“We all thought it was over, but lo and behold, your wily little human somehow found the ranch. Why, if I didn’t know better, I’d say someone had him brought here and dropped in the woods for sport.”
Her eyes widened. It was only two days out from a full moon and even less from a bloody rivalry between two predator groups. “Theo is here?”
“Like I said, a good thing you’re done with him.” Auntie walked away.
Melly jumped in front of her. “Where is he?”
An assessing gaze held hers. “Why do you care?”
“I don’t know,” she shouted. The honest truth. The only certainty she could claim was she had to find him.
Protect. Ours. Her feline paced and pushed.
“If you want him that badly, then you better get going. Your IRS fellow is in the woods.”
“Where in the woods?” Because they spanned hundreds of acres.
“As if I’m going to make it that easy. You’re a huntress. Find him yourself. But because you’re my favorite niece, here’s a bit of help.” From a pocket, Auntie pulled out a sealed plastic baggie. A second later she dangled Theo’s tie.
How had she gotten her paws on it?
Melly almost wasted time throttling her aunt for answers, but Auntie would never reveal his location. She was perverse that way. However, Melly knew these woods better than anyone. She’d spent her childhood here, hunting the forest, learning the scents and tracks of every living thing.
As a lioness.
She needed her other half, the speed, the uncanny perception. The clothes came off, shedding in a stream of items on the lawn as she bolted toward the tree line. Her lioness burst free in a shower of fur and fangs and claws. The elation of being in her other form brought forth a roar.
Let it act as a warning. The lioness did not sleep tonight.
Entering the woods, she dropped into tracking mode, filtering smell and sound, noting every breeze and the scents contained in it. She raced, faster than ever before, her heart pounding, driven by adrenaline and fear. What if she was too late? While the hunting of humans was against their laws, sometimes accidents did happen—and sometimes it wasn’t an accident, especially when it came to nosy humans who knew too much.
Why had her aunt brought him? Had Arik lied? Was Theo doomed no matter what?
She wouldn’t let him be killed. Couldn’t.
Because he’s ours.
Her lioness stated it as if it were fact. Surely not. Melly understood the problems it would cause. The fighting with her family. The difficulty in making cubs. The fact he wouldn’t be able to handle her secret.
The moment she found him all those doubts slipped away. Only one instinct remained. She had to save him, which might not be the easiest task given he was surrounded by bears. At least the man showed enough sense to climb a tree. He appeared a bit frazzled, his glasses askew, but then again, he had cause. He held tight as the tallest grizzly shook the trunk.
Did they not grasp the fact that if Theo fell, he would break?
They are trying to hurt him.
Rawr.
She bounded right into their midst with a loud roar that resulted in the five bears present standing on their back legs and chuffing.
Sassing her? On pride land? Oh hell no.
She approached the biggest one and snarled. Percy, recognizable by scent, backed off. At his retreat, the others gave her space, too. She cast a glance up at the tree. Theo gaped in astonishment. He’d be gaping a whole lot wider in a second because there was no avoiding what had to come next.
Melly shifted into her female shape, naked but unafraid as she faced off against the bears.
“Melly?” Theo sounded confused.
He knew her name? She glanced up at him. “Do you remember me?”
“Of course, I do.”
“Like how much do you remember? As in read my name in a file? Or face between my thighs?”
“What the hell are you yammering on about? I know you. How could I forget the woman that knocked me out?” he growled.
He did remember. “I did it for a good reason.”
“Care to explain?”
“In a minute. Let me deal with these imbeciles first.” Turning her attention back to the bears, she crossed her arms and tapped a foot.
Percy shifted. “I am not an imbecile.”
“Hunting a human on pride land?”
“We had permission.”
Of course, they did. Her damned aunt.
“We weren’t going to eat him,” declared a smaller fellow who cupped his groin. “The lady said we could screw with him for a bit and then run him off the property.”
“And I am here to tell you it’s not okay. Leave him alone.”
“Well now, maybe if you’d not interfered, we could have. But you know we can’t do that now,” Percy replied. “He saw us. He knows.” The only reason any shifter had to give to be justified in dealing a killing blow.
So she gave the only reply that would get them to leave Theo alone. “He’s my mate.”
Chapter Fourteen
If Theodore thought the strangest part of his day was getting kidnapped by Melly’s aunt and dropped in the middle of the woods, he was wrong. So very, very wrong.
He’d wandered around lost for about an hour before coming across the bears lying in a raspberry bush, looking drunk, their snouts smeared in mashed fruit. They’d snapped out of their stupor quick as he tried to retreat and stepped on a tiny branch. Who had ears good enough to hear the tiny crack?
Bears did!
Theodore hightailed it out of there. He thought he’d lost them, but next thing he knew, they were charging from the woods. He had to quickly climb something to get out of reach. Only in retrospect did he remember bears liked trees.
His future as raspberry-smeared bear shit seemed certain when the lion appeared. No mane, making it a female. Not just any female but Melly.
The lioness turned into the woman he’d been having sex with, which was when he knew this was obviously a dream. And a vivid one, too.
The odd thing about it was the strange fantasy element. Melly as a shapeshifter, the bears, too. Completely wacky given everyone knew only werewolves had that ability, if one believed in that kind of thing.
The realization this was a dream made it easy for him to shimmy down the tree. He had nothing to fear. The worst-case scenario? He’d wake up.
Melly eyed him cautiously. “Are you okay?”
He wanted to say all kinds of things to her, but they had an audience. Not to mention sh
e was naked and all he wanted to do was…
Fuck it. It was a dream. No one was actually watching, and she had called him her mate. He drew her into his arms, amazed at the way he felt her warm flesh in his dream, the soft pliancy of her mouth. The sharp nip of her teeth on his lip had him drawing in his breath, the pain fleeting, the coppery tang his own. The violence of it only fueled his desire. Made him want more and he bit her right back, mingling their blood, their breath, their passion.
This was why he’d gone to the condo. The way he felt around her. He liked the man he became in her presence.
He liked a lot less the whistling and bear-calling at his back.
“Hot damn, we are getting a live show,” someone declared.
“Think we can join in?” asked another.
That got Theodore snarling, “Go away. This is my dream.”
“Oh, Theo,” Melly sighed softly. “You’re not dreaming.”
“Of course, I am. Lions and bears, then you and your ex. It’s my subconscious screwing with me.”
“You’re awake, Poindexter. Everything you saw is real.”
“Impossible.” He took a step away from her.
“I assure you it is possible. I’m a shapeshifter. A lioness to be exact.”
He shook his head, the denial still strong. “Shapeshifters aren’t—”
He never did get to finish that sentence because someone slapped him on the back. It was the big, hairy man that he’d seen before at the restaurant, and he was naked.
“Congrats, mate. Never thought we’d see the day Melly would settle down. And with a human of all things.”
There was something kind of disparaging about being referred to in such a manner, but then again, given a moment ago Percy was a giant freaking bear, he wasn’t about to say anything about it.
“Shapeshifters are real,” Melly admitted, unashamed of her nudity.
Everyone but him was naked. Was it weird to feel overdressed? Then again, given the size of the men who’d gone from bear skin to giants in the flesh, perhaps he needed more layers. The intimidation factor was quite literally huge.
“You’re a lion shapeshifter,” he repeated. The truth slowly filtered in as things began to make sense. “You’re not the only one, meaning the Pride Group was never in the exotic animal trade. And they’re not Furries either.” At least not in the sense they needed a costume.
“Most of the people in that building are like me.”
“Lions?” He glanced at Percy. “But you’re bears.”
“And damned proud of it.” The big man flexed and grinned.
Melly grabbed Theodore’s cheeks and forced him to face her. “They’re a sleuth living the next state over.”
“How many of you are there?” he asked. Because if that whole condo was full of lions…that was a lot of freaking claws and teeth living free instead of in a cage at the zoo. A thought that shamed him the moment it occurred.
“Enough that you really don’t want to tell anyone.”
“Speaking of telling, how is he your mate if he only just found out?” The smaller guy bounced his gaze between them.
Melly chewed her lip. “I hadn’t gotten around to it.”
“You didn’t get around to a lot of things,” Theodore snapped. “Were you ever going to tell me?”
“Tell you how? Hey, Poindexter, I’m a lioness. How would that have gone?” She shook her head. “You weren’t ever supposed to know. The serum we injected you with was supposed to take care of your memories. Make you forget me, the case, everything. I guess my aunt kidnapping you ruined the effect.”
“What serum?” He rubbed his head. “You know what, I’d rather not know. I went to your condo to talk to you and apologize for hiding the truth from you and ask if you’d give me a chance to make things right. Only it turns out your secret is worse.”
“I wouldn’t call it worse.”
“You’re a giant cat.”
“I am.”
“I’m allergic to cats.”
“Are you sure about that? Because you’re not sneezing,” she pointed out.
“At the moment, but it will come. It always comes,” he repeated ominously.
“Don’t be so sure of that,” she muttered.
“What she means is mated humans often find themselves more resistant to infections. Allergies kind of fall under that umbrella.” The tidbit came from a guy who’d at least found a branch with leaves to hold in front of his junk.
“We can’t be mated since we’re not even dating,” he said firmly, in direct contrast to what he thought he wanted before he’d been kidnapped.
“Dating.” A big snort emerged from Percy. “You have lots to learn, bro.”
“And I will be the one to tell him all about it,” Melly declared, hooking his arm and trying to pull him away.
But he wasn’t ready for her. This.
He yanked free. “No, you won’t. If you’d wanted to tell me, you would have instead of ghosting me.”
“It was supposed to be for your own good. I was saving your life,” she hissed.
“I don’t need your help.”
“As a matter of fact, you do. Now that you know our secret, you’re kind of stuck with us.”
“Going to kill me if I don’t agree to become your obedient servant?” was his sarcastic retort.
“I won’t kill you,” she said.
“We will.” Percy flexed and punched a fist into his palm.
“Try it, big boy,” Theodore threatened, not in the mood for anyone’s crap.
“He’s feisty,” announced another of the naked men. “Pity he plays for the opposite team.”
“Touch my man and I will make you sing soprano, Derek,” she snarled.
“Children, children, and children all grown up,” Mrs. Vandercoop said, suddenly appearing and casting a lascivious eye over Percy, who turned red and tried to cover himself. “Must we bicker?”
“You did this!” Melly snapped, pointing her finger at her aunt.
“Because you were too stubborn to do anything about it yourself. Don’t tell me you’re actually mad,” Mrs. Vandercoop said slyly.
Melly’s lips flattened. She looked pissed, but she managed a gritted, “I am going to kill you.”
“You are so welcome. I’m glad this has all been cleared up. And just in time for the coin toss to see who gets the ball first for tomorrow’s game.” Her aunt clapped her hands.
“Last one there has to use the no name brand of toilet paper,” shouted Derek, who suddenly shifted in a dizzying display that saw flesh reshaped and turned into fur.
In under a minute, all the bears were gone, leaving him with Melly and a cougar in human clothes
“Now that they’re gone, feel free to thank me.” Mrs. Vandercoop smirked.
“You should have minded your business,” Melly grumbled.
“And missed the entertainment that’s about to erupt?” The older woman grinned. “Your mother is going to flip when she finds out.”
“You’ll be the one running to tell her I guess?” Melly’s brow arched.
“Perhaps you’d prefer to do it.”
Head bobbing between them, Theodore tried to make sense of the conversation and failed. Nothing was following any straight lines or the truth he thought he knew. He sat down, suddenly overwhelmed by it all.
Melly crouched before him. “I won’t let my mother hurt you.”
“How about I just don’t meet her?”
“As if that’s going to happen. You’re mated to her daughter, which is a bond that is until death do you part.”
“I never agreed to that.” Even as the very idea made his pulse pound. Now that he’d gotten over his initial shock, curiosity rose in its place. Melly wasn’t a criminal. The case no longer acted as a reason for them to be apart. There was now truth between them—and still so much passion.
“Let’s go back to the farm and I’ll try to explain everything.”
He rubbed his head. “I’d rather
we chatted elsewhere.” The idea of being surrounded by predators…
“I can’t go. Not before the football match tomorrow. It’s kind of a tradition.”
“Surely they don’t need you to be a cheerleader on the sidelines?”
She blinked at him. “Cheer? Oh, my silly Theo. I’m the pride’s star running back.”
Chapter Fifteen
Things didn’t entirely go as Melly had imagined. Theo wasn’t overjoyed to see her. He did, however, take the news of her being a shapeshifter better than expected. Until she actually shifted for the walk back to the house.
He yelped. “Holy jumping Jiminy Crickets.”
If she could have laughed, she would have. Instead she sat down and stared at him. Might as well get this part out of the way. It took him a long moment where he stood frozen and watching, and then he reached out a hesitant hand. Finding his nerve, he rubbed the top of her head, stroking her fur and ears, having a natural instinct for what she liked. Soon she was turning into his caress, almost tapping a paw on the ground in pleasure.
“You’re soft,” he said.
Soft all over.
“And you don’t smell bad.”
A remark that had her drag her teeth along his arm.
He stilled. “You’re pretty?”
She’d accept it even with the hesitancy. This was a lot for him to take in.
When she stood to walk, he kept one hand on her and spoke aloud, “I never had a chance to tell you, but I’ve missed you. Which is dumb. I know. I mean it’s been like what, forty-eight hours since we saw each other? And yet…it felt longer.”
Like an eternity.
“I went looking for you at the condo. To promise no more secrets and see if you wanted to maybe see each other.”
Her heart pounded, and she almost knocked him down for a head-to-toe lick, but the farm wasn’t too far now. She could wait a little bit longer.
“I guess I can understand why you avoided me.”
Not out of choice, but she couldn’t tell him that yet.
“So what happens now? I get the impression Percy and the others weren’t joking about killing me and burying my body somewhere no one would find it.”