by Kari Thomas
“Hello, baby.”
Leo gave her a glare and a chuff of displeasure.
“Yes, I know. You’re not a baby. And I’m late.” At least I made it before it got darker. “Let’s find something to eat. Reed said he wouldn’t be home until late.”
Leo followed her into the house and to the kitchen. The large house had been built ranch-style and Reed spared no expense. Every luxury she could have wanted was provided, even though she wasn’t one for needing or desiring those things. Reed had spoiled her and continued to do so.
For a split second she reminisced again about his request to be called Reed instead of Dad or Father. He had adopted her when she was five –right after the horrific nightmare of her family’s deaths–and even though he’d told her he was to be her adopted father, he didn’t want her to have to call him that. He let her chose what she was comfortable with.
She fixed a salad for herself and gave Leo a large chunk of defrosted meat, raw. He gulped it down before she had a chance to finish her own meal. “Pig,” she chided. “Now I have to go to the outside freezer and get you more. You’ll just have to wait until it defrosts.”
Leo followed her out the kitchen patio doors and around the corner to where Reed kept a huge outdoor freezer containing the meats from his hunting trips. She hated the thought of hunting, deplored it. Her motto was: when the animals can start shooting back, then maybe it will be a fair fight. She kept her mouth shut, though, whenever he went off on one of his trips and tried not to think of all the defenseless animals about to meet their maker.
She was retracing her steps back to the patio when Leo suddenly growled low and rough. He jumped in front of her and braced his legs apart. Her heart stuttered, and she peered hard into the surrounding darkness. Chills raced up her spine. Someone was there. Close. Watching. She was a Healer, not a psychic, but even that talent came with the territory sometimes. Like now. She couldn’t see the intruder, but she could feel him.
Leo glanced at her over his shoulder. She could almost hear his unspoken command: “Run for the door”. She didn’t hesitate. She knew he would stop whoever it was. Summer hissed, “Be careful!” and turned to race to the patio doors.
Before she made it, she heard Leo roar. She swung around to look just as he lunged forward into the shadows—shadows which now seemed very much alive and too close to her. She screamed and spun on her heels. She heard the impact as the big cat hit something. She slammed the doors closed and locked them. Trying to catch her breath and calm her racing heart she stared out into the night. It was too dark to see anything substantial. Where were Leo and the intruder? Keep him safe, she prayed and fought back choking tears. She hated feeling so helpless. She had to do something! What if Leo couldn’t handle whoever it was? What if the intruder had a gun?
She raced to the phone and punched in the preset number for the police station. A mere second later she realized the phone line was dead. “Oh stars, what next?”
Just as she turned to run to the hallway where Reed kept his hunting guns, she saw Leo coming toward the patio doors. Relief swamped her and she ran on shaky legs to let him in. “Leo, thank God!” She fell to her knees beside him as he staggered. Running her hands over his body she couldn’t find any injuries –but he was acting as though he’d been hurt. His eyes were glazed, his stance staggering as he tried to move. “What’s wrong? What happened?”
Leo slowly turned his head to look her in the eyes. His sorrowful gaze was mixed with something else. A warning? Or as though he was trying to imply “Sorry”? And then he abruptly collapsed, unconscious to the floor. Summer cried out.
Then screamed again as hard hands clasped her by the waist and pulled her to her feet.
Chapter Three
She may be scared out of her wits, but she wasn’t going down without a fight! She struck at the attacker with a backward kick toward his groin. Her heel connected, hard, with his upper thigh. I hope that hit something vital, she thought as rage pounded through her veins, overwhelming her fear. He grunted harshly but held on, his arms like bands of steel. She twisted and cried out when the move caused him to shift and pull both arms behind her back.
“Let me go!”
“Calm down, little vixen,” the man muttered. His voice was like velvet, smooth and deep. Just for an instant she reacted to it in the most feminine way, and she automatically relaxed a little. But only for a moment. “Let. Me. Go.”
“I’ll release you, Summer, as soon as I know you’re not going to aim for any vulnerable parts again.”
Whoa. He knew her name. Summer froze. “Who are you? Why did you break in here? My father is the chief of police, and he’ll be home any minute.”
“Yeah, I know.” He stiffened and then muttered a harsh, “Damn. No time for explanations.”
Before she could utter another scream, the stranger released her arms, bent and caught her at the knees. The next moment she found herself upside down over his shoulder, and he was moving across the wide expanse of kitchen with a speed that made her dizzy.
Crossing the floor in long strides, he slapped her butt with a hard swipe. “I’m warning you. Don’t make a sound. Your life depends on it.”
Dizzy, scared, worried about Leo, Summer decided the best plan was to keep quiet for the moment. She’d always heard you shouldn’t antagonize your enemy, and she’d already discovered how strong he was. She ground her teeth and bit back the barrage of words she wanted to say.
That is, until he stopped at the hall closet, pulled it open, dropped her to her feet and then slammed the door in her face! She heard the outer lock click. What!
“Hey, let me out of here! Help!” What the heck was he doing!
She banged on the door and yelled at the top of her lungs. Minutes passed and she became hoarse, and her hands hurt from the pounding. She finally leaned against the door and tried to calm her racing heart. Okay, she was scared, but she was angry too. Who was this jerk? He had acted so fast she hadn’t even got a glimpse of his face before he shut her in. Was he a burglar and that’s why he’d stuffed her in the closet—so that he could ransack the house without her interference? What about Leo? What had he done to him? Was he even alive?
“No, I won’t think about that. Leo is okay.” Just for good measure she hit the door again. “You’re not going to get away with this!” She cringed at her own words. Great, I just used the world’s oldest cliché. The intruder was probably laughing his head off at her antics even now as he stole stuff.
At least he wasn’t threatening her right now. Things could be worse. Maybe. She was trapped in a dark, small closet, completely defenseless. Summer tried but failed to hold back the sudden, harsh emotions and horrific memories that swamped her mind then. She couldn’t even think straight to remember to turn on the closet light. Closing her eyes tight, she held her hands over her ears…but couldn’t drown out the cries and screams of horror and death. No, not now! She couldn’t have a panic attack now.
The sickening scenes flashed behind her closed eyelids like a movie repeating itself over and over. Her body shook hard, terror and despair flowing through her. Nausea rolled in her stomach, hot and bitter bile rose up in her throat. She barely noticed the tears streaming down her cheeks as she wrapped her arms around her middle and moaned. Please stop. Go away. She knew if she didn’t get control right now, she was going to break.
With a superhuman strength of will, she somehow managed to push the memories back, stuffing them in the recesses of her mind where they continually dwelled. Some small part of her realized and accepted that no matter how strong she wanted to be, those memories would be with her forever—always waiting for the moment to resurface.
She realized she’d been crying and hastily wiped the tears off her face. She straightened her shoulders and lifted her head. Darn it, I’m never going to be a victim again. When she got out of here, she was going to fight. That idiot out there wouldn’t know what hit him.
* * * *
Slade didn’t kn
ow what hit him. Never in all his life had he ever been sucker-punched in the gut this hard just by seeing tears in a woman’s eyes. He lost his breath and actually reeled back for a moment.
When he’d finally given up chasing that damn elusive shadow across the estate and into the surrounding woods, he’d hurried back to the house. Along the way he quickly scouted the area to make sure the shadow–whatever the hell it was–hadn’t backtracked. His preternatural senses should have been able to pick up the scent, but he’d had to follow with his sight when that failed. That worried him. If this was the same perp from the case, it didn’t bode well. This wasn’t human. They were dealing with something supernatural–which made it all the more dangerous. That would explain why those of his Clan had been so easily victimized. Dragon shapeshifters–as well as all other shifters–weren’t easy prey to humans.
He hated that he’d lost sight of the thing and had to give up. Defeat wasn’t in his vocabulary. Worried there was a possibility the creature might circle back to the house and find Summer had him fighting the need to change to dragon and fly back as quickly as possible. As it was, his preternatural speed had him there in less than five minutes. He was still a little stiff and sore from the accident, but thankfully dragon shifters healed quickly. The last thing he needed to worry about was not being able to out-run an elusive shadow.
Once back at the house he stepped over the still unconscious mountain lion and hurried to the closet. He opened the door, unprepared to find her face mere inches from his and her gaze unerringly locked with his. Those beautiful violet eyes glistened with unshed tears. Double damn. Tears! In one split second he realized an undeniable truth: if he ever had to see her cry again, he’d probably lose a part of himself he’d never before been willing to part with. The thought shocked him to his core.
He didn’t even think. He reached out, grabbed her by the shoulders and pulled her straight into his arms. “Hell, I’m sorry. Summer, I’m sorry. I didn’t think.” Why hadn’t he remembered Reed’s warning that she hated the dark? He felt like the world’s biggest jerk.
For just one agonizingly sweet moment she cuddled into him. Her body was soft and warm, her tantalizing curves fitting against him like perfect pieces of a puzzle. Her scent hit his nostrils, and he inhaled deeply. Gardenia, his favorite flower. Just like the compellingly sweet perfume of the tropical gardenias that grew in abundance on his home island. He hadn’t realized how much he missed that fragrance until now.
His bemused thoughts were so confusing he missed the stiffening of her body. Just as he caught himself moving his hands over her slender back, down her curvy waist, straight to her derrière, she gave a hard push against his chest. Then, just as quick, she kicked him in the groin.
Slade went down, spitting out a string of curses and gasping for air as the pain nearly overwhelmed him. He couldn’t believe she’d just got the jump on him. Damn little vixen!
“That’s for hurting Leo.” She kicked him again, this time near the ribs. “That’s for scaring me to death and locking me in the closet.” One more kick was aimed for his face. “And this is for—”
Lightning fast, Slade grabbed her ankle and yanked. She tumbled to the ground, and before she could even cry out he was on top of her pinning her down. He threw her hands above her head and clasped them tight in one of his. Then he grabbed her chin with his other hand. He purposely made the grip painful.
“Do I have your attention now?” he grated still feeling painful shock waves roll through his groin and ribs. Who would have ever thought such a delicate-looking, small woman could pack such a punch? He had to admire her, for just a moment, anyway.
“If you move even an inch, I’m going to knock you out. Understood?” He wouldn’t, but she didn’t have to know that. He hated seeing the flash of fear in her eyes but instinct told him that if he didn’t get control of this situation immediately…
He didn’t even want to think about that. Having her delectable body beneath his was creating a fire storm of unwanted commotion deep inside him. He stopped short of leaning harder into her. Damn it, what was he thinking! She was human, and she was a Case. Nothing more. Too bad his body wasn’t listening to that logic. He hardened, his cock pushing painfully against the seam of his jeans zipper. He felt a primal growl rise from somewhere deep inside him. It took every ounce of control he had to swallow it down.
For long moments they stared, lost in each other’s eyes. He didn’t like the unbidden realization that he could willingly stay right there, like this, forever. He resolutely pushed the unwelcome thoughts away. She was a job. He wasn’t going to allow his primal-male reaction to a beautiful human woman, get out of control. Not in this lifetime. Yet, he couldn’t stop his gaze from caressing over every soft inch of her face now so close to his. She was almost ethereal, fey-looking, and for some reason that thought bothered him. He couldn’t explain it, but there was something about her beauty that tugged at his memory. He didn’t like the uncomfortable feeling and resolutely buried it with a disgusted groan.
Then, once again, she caught him off guard. She opened her soft lips, so temptingly close to his, and casually asked, “Are you afraid of cats?”
“What?” He blinked hard several times, trying to get past the persistent lust still riding him and make sense of the odd question.
She smiled sweetly. In between the moment his heart stuttered at the beauty of it and the moment he realized she was looking over his shoulder, it was already too late.
The mountain lion struck like a Mac truck. His last conscious thought was, Damnation! One more point in favor of the little vixen.
Chapter Four
Reed helped Summer move Slade to the sofa. “I told you that cat was going to be trouble,” he grumbled. “What the hell were you thinking?”
Summer stepped in front of a growling Leo. “Don’t cuss at me.” She chewed on her bottom lip and watched as Reed examined the bump on Slade’s head where the cat had knocked him sideways into an end table. “He was the one causing the trouble. Leo was only protecting me.”
“No, honey.” Reed sighed roughly. “He was the one protecting you. This is Slade Stryker, my top detective.”
“He broke into the house, grabbed me, and threw me in the closet! Where does the word protecting come in?”
Reed noticeably stiffened and turned to look at her. “Why did he throw you in the closet?” He rubbed his stubbled chin as realization sank in. “You kicked him, didn’t you?”
Disgusted, Summer echoed Leo’s growl. “And what part of he grabbed me and threw me in the closet did you not understand? I’m not sure what’s going on, but I can’t believe you would condone something like that.”
She watched his eyes darken, the brown shade almost black now. “Did anything happen right before Slade came in?”
She’d debated whether to tell him. She wasn’t sure what had really happened. She’d never actually seen anyone. Only a shadow. Yet, something had struck back at Leo too. Come to think of it, Slade had also noticed something. Maybe her imagination wasn’t playing overtime, and there was someone following her. But why? And who? Shivers raced over her skin, and Summer wrapped her arms around her waist. She briefly told Reed what had happened when she’d went outside to the freezer.
“I’ve asked Slade to look into this,” Reed explained. “I don’t want to take any chances with your safety.”
“You’re scaring me now,” she told him. The city had been experiencing attacks from some unknown assailant for several months now. Was she the intended next victim? “Why would anyone come after me?”
Reed gave her a hard stare. “Maybe to taunt me because the police haven’t found any clues yet. I don’t want you taking any chances, Summer. Keep your normal routine, but be very cautious. Slade is going to be around watching you, so I want you to cooperate with him.” He shook his head. “I’ll get something to wake him.”
Summer sat down on the sofa beside Slade. Leo prowled close, still growling. “Stop it,” sh
e told the big cat. “He’s supposed to be one of the good guys.”
He didn’t look like one of the good guys. Every inch of his hard, muscled body shouted out bad boy. His black jeans molded to his strong thighs and long legs. The black T-shirt caressed a wide chest, emphasizing a washboard stomach underneath. She studied his features. His shoulder length hair was a midnight black with deep red tints; and his slanted eyebrows matched. His long nose looked just the slightest crooked, as though he’d broken it sometime in the past. His lips were full and sensuous. She couldn’t help but wonder what he looked like when he smiled. She was betting it could melt a woman’s insides.
Despite his sensual handsomeness, it was the ragged scar across his right eyebrow and forehead that captured and held her attention. It looked like an old scar–thank goodness Leo hadn’t added anymore–but it was still very noticeable against the dark tan of his skin. Without thinking, she reached out and softly touched it.
Slade’s hand shot up and clasped her wrist in a tight grip. His eyes flew open and their gazes locked. Summer was instantly captivated by the dark, amber gold color. She’d never seen another eye color like that. The gleam in his gaze made her feel suddenly vulnerable…and all too feminine.
“Call off the cat, Summer.”
Oops. Leo was about to attack again. He had his face in Slade’s and was growling warningly. Just for a moment she wanted to let Slade worry. Small payback for what he’d done to her earlier. “Fine. Leo, stop. Go lie down.”
She grinned. “I can’t believe a grown man would be afraid of a cat.”
Slade’s sexy mouth turned up in a half snarl, half smile. “I’m just afraid of what you’d do if I had to hurt the mangy beast. You throw a mean kick.”
Never mind the sexy smile. His voice alone could melt anything! Deep, smooth as silk, and oh-so-sensual. Intently aware of him still holding her wrist, she pulled. “Okay, I promise not to kick you again. Anytime soon. Can I have my hand back?”
