He wandered across the clearing, pausing here and there to offer thanks to those who’d brought food and helped.
On either side of Kateri, the two little girls animatedly exchanged the pros and cons of Ever After High dolls versus Littlest Pet Shop figurines. Personally, he didn’t have a clue what either reference meant, but every now and then they’d aim questions toward Kateri and wait as if she might chime in with an opinion as well.
While she might not have given the appearance to knowing where he was as he made his way toward her, Kateri lifted her head and blinked sleepy eyes as soon as he drew within ten feet. He crouched in front of her and the two little girls and balanced his forearms on his knees. “Time to go, mihara.”
With somewhere between a grumble and a groan, Kateri yawned then rested her chin on her big paws.
The dark-headed girl giggled and scratched Kateri behind one ear as though she could absolutely sympathize. The blonde, however, took it upon herself to champion Kateri with a more direct approach. “She’s happy with us.”
Priest couldn’t help it. He’d given Kateri space and watched while everyone fawned over her for the last half hour, but now it was his turn to pet and play with his mate. He smoothed his thumb along the sweet spot his panther loved just above and between Kateri’s eyes. “I see that. But her companion’s had enough time. I want my mate back.”
Kateri’s eyes drifted open and this time it was more of an irritated growl that rumbled up the back of her throat.
“See?” the dark-haired girl said. “Now you’ve made her all cranky.”
Oh, he hadn’t even begun to make her cranky. That part would come later. Especially once he pushed the envelope and finagled her into using her magic for the first time.
Fortunately, before he was forced to come up with some reasoning that might make sense to little girls, Naomi’s unflinching voice sounded behind him. “Shara. Annie. You two come help me and your mothers hand out dessert. Kateri’s had a long day and needs to shift back so she can rest.”
Both did as she asked, but not before giving Kateri warm goodbyes and aiming a few displeased frowns at Priest.
Apparently, Kateri was disgruntled, too, because her tail swished hard enough to send a handful of fallen leaves sideways.
He couldn’t blame her. With an animal’s form came an emotional respite unlike anything available to humans. A temporary pause button that allowed a person’s spirit to just be and find balance. Given all she’d been through since finding her parents murdered, the mental quiet was undoubtedly a potent drug. “You’re cute, kitten, but you forget I’ve been doing this awhile. I know it feels good, but you’re setting a bad precedent for your cat.”
She opened her mouth and let out an angry huff. Not quite a hiss, but close enough his panther bristled.
Seriously cute. So much so, his chuckle slipped out before he could check it. “Keep acting like that and I’ll let my panther out. I guarantee he’d give your kitten’s sass a run for her money.”
Pairing an indelicate snort with another snap of her tail, she pushed to her feet and padded toward the clearing, her chin lifted with the same universal defiance of pissed off females everywhere.
Oh, yeah. Totally cute. And chock full of attitude, to boot.
Still, she paused once out of the sight of their visitors and waited for him to lead the way through the woods. He leveraged his warrior strength and speed and took the most challenging route possible in human form. By the time they reached their private cove, both of them were breathing hard. A good thing considering he’d need her energy as low as possible if he had to force her transition. Not many things were tougher in the world than a man going head-to-head with a pissed off lioness.
He stripped his T-shirt off, tossed it to a nearby boulder and paced toward her. “All right. Just like last time. Focus on the connection between the two of you. It’s as simple as trading places. Show her your intent and assure her you’ll call on her again.”
As tired as she was from the run, the best she managed was a huff, but it was still a refusal.
Priest crouched in front of her and gentled his voice. “You can’t hide anymore, mihara. I know your cat feels safe. And she’ll be there for you whenever you need her, but now it’s time for you to come back to me.”
She looked away and sighed.
Fuck, but he wanted her to do this on her own. She’d already had too much forced on her too fast. Death. Her whole world turned on its head and a fated mate on top of it. Taking yet another thing from her control rubbed his sense of justice the wrong way.
“Do this for me, Kateri. Look me in the eye. I’m waiting for you.” He cupped her nape and rubbed his fingers through her thick pelt. The touch was comforting now, but if she kept refusing he’d have no choice but to hold her scruff and keep her in place for his magic. “Come back to me and let me show you how proud I am to have you as my mate.”
He waited, every second stretching with a weighted tension that made him itch to pace. He was just about to firm his grip and draw the Keeper’s influence to him when Kateri swiveled her massive head and met his gaze.
There she was. Shining from the depths of the lion’s eyes was his mate’s intelligence. Fear was there, too. Mingled with confusion and what looked like a plea.
“You can do this.” Taking his chances with the lion’s prickly attitude, he rubbed his temple against hers and murmured low, “I need you, Kateri. We all do.”
He felt it before he saw it—the crackling energy beneath the lion’s skin and the supercharged shift in the air around them. A second later, a soft lavender glow rippled to life. A pulsing vibration that deepened in color bit by bit.
“That’s it.” He backed away enough to meet her eyes. “Feel it. Take control and push through. Come to me.”
Deep purple flashed against the darkness followed by a muted clap of significant, yet untamed power.
And then she was standing in front of him, gloriously naked with nothing but the moon above to paint her flawless skin. She shivered and wrapped her arms around her torso. “Wh-wh-where are my cl-clothes?”
Conveniently missing in action.
Though that probably wasn’t the smartest answer to go with. Not after what it had taken for her to push through her cat’s stubborn will. He stood and snatched his shirt from the boulder. “Remembering your clothes on the return trip takes some time.”
“You mean they’re gone?”
Tempting as it was to use his own body heat to warm her, he guided his T over her head. Besides, in another minute or so, the backlash would hit and she’d have all the heat she needed. “I have no idea where they go. I have a secret suspicion the Keeper has the mother of all lost and founds from first-time shifters.”
Surprisingly, she let him guide her hands into each armhole and simply stared up at him with a mix of wonder and delight. “That’s why you wore a shirt today.”
He pulled the hem down, the size of it reaching halfway down her thighs, and cupped the side of her face. “I’ve never seen a shifter come back in anything more than their skin the first time. There’s no way I’d risk you walking home without something to cover you.”
Her gaze roved his face for all of two seconds, searching for what, he couldn’t guess.
And then she kissed him.
No finesse. No prelude or coy looks. Just the full-on, eager kiss of a woman at the height of a sexual surge.
He wanted to go with it. To take full advantage and finish the fantasy they’d started in her dreams that first night. To take her from behind and tease and prime her body until she screamed her release to the star-studded heavens.
But he couldn’t. Not yet. Yes, she was his mate and she needed release, but she needed her high priest more. To face her gifts and experience the wonder of their magic before her fears could wrangle more reasons to avoid her destiny.
Dra
gging his lips from hers, he gripped her forearms and unwound them from around his neck. “Easy, kitten. I know what you want and I’ll give it to you.”
She fought him and tried to regain what little distance he’d created. “Don’t tease me. Not right now.”
“No teasing.” He turned her around and banded his arms around her waist, keeping her back tight against his front. “Just postponing until we can cover one last thing.”
She wiggled her pert ass against his dick, every bit a cat in heat—right up until the word postpone finally registered. She tried to break free enough to turn, but he held her in place. “I’ve covered enough today. I shifted back. For you.”
Damn, but that stung. He’d earned it, though, and would likely earn even more before he gave her what she craved. “You did, and it was beautiful. But this will be, too. Just trust me.”
Groaning, she dropped her head against his shoulder and writhed as if the contact might somehow ease her ache. “Priest, you don’t understand. I need you. Please.”
Oh, he understood. The first shift back to human form always came with a nearly overriding heat, and not taking what she offered was tantamount to a starving man refusing a full buffet.
Holding her wrists firm at her waist, he pressed his aching cock against her ass. “I need you, too. Your scent is everywhere. Rich and thick.” He nuzzled the back of her neck, man, beast and darkness all clamoring for more. “I want to taste it. Lick and toy with you until you come on my tongue, then bury my cock inside your tight cunt.”
“Yes.” Desperate for relief, she tried to slip her hands between her thighs. “Let’s do that first. Then I’ll try.”
“No, mihara. You try first and then I’ll give you what you need.”
“I can’t.”
“You can. Just focus your thoughts.” Big words from a man who could barely think straight, especially with her sweet musk growing stronger by the second. “You want me to let you go? Then make me. Reach for your magic. Force it to happen.”
A low, guttural moan ripped up the back of her throat. She arched, pressing her pebbled nipples tight against the thin cotton that covered them. Her eyes were screwed shut and what looked like pain marked every feature on her face.
“Do it, Kateri. The magic is there. Use it. Free yourself. Make it happen.”
The sound that came from her mouth was somewhere between a plea and a shout, but an awesome surge of magic fired bold and bright, the power behind it so intense he nearly lost his grip from sheer surprise alone.
“That’s it. Feel it. Use it. Now.”
Her magic coalesced in one unstoppable shove and sent him hurling through the air. He slammed against an old oak at the cove’s edge before he could cushion the blow with his own powers. A second later he was facedown on the ground and aching from head to toe.
“Oh, my God.” Kateri crouched beside him and her trembling fingers stroked his back. “I didn’t mean to do that. I mean... I did, but I didn’t mean to hurt you.”
Funny. She’d just rattled him more thoroughly than anyone in the last fifty years and all he could think about was her scent. How his cock was still hard and willing to service her any and every way she wanted. For as long as she wanted.
“I’m not doing that again,” she whispered.
“Oh, yes you are.” He pushed to his knees and snatched her wrist. “In fact, now that you know how things work, I think some rough play is in order.”
“No.”
“Yes.” He tugged her off balance, caught her torso and rolled her to the ground, his hips cradled between her soft thighs. “Again. Now. Don’t overthink it.”
“I hurt you.”
He ground his pelvis against hers. “Does it feel like I’m hurt?”
She hissed and dug her nails into his shoulders, her words coming between heavy pants. “But it’s dangerous.”
“No, it’s not.” He pinned her hands to the ground and nipped her lower lip. “Trust me, kitten. You caught me off guard once. It won’t happen again and I can take everything you can dish out.”
She whimpered, but her face was flush, the need to fight or fuck escalating near the breaking point.
He skimmed his lips along the delicate place where her neck and shoulders met. “Play with me, Kateri. Let it out. Own who you are.” With that, he gave his panther what it wanted and bit the sensitive flesh beneath his lips.
Her shout was part human, part lion, but the purple force that jolted against him was pure sorcerer. One pushed and prodded to the edge of her control.
His body flew upward, but this time he was ready, counterbalancing the thrust with a flip that left him poised on the balls of his feet and ready to engage. “Again.”
Seamlessly, she surged upright, the force of her magic so strong she nearly lost her balance. Rather than hesitate, she threw a strike that would have knocked him out had he not dodged at the last second, a pulsing stream of power that singed the air as it streamed past him and blasted a hole in a wide tree trunk not three feet behind him. “There it is.”
Her voice was as soft and fragile as the smoke wafting around the point of impact. “Oh, my God.”
“Impressive, isn’t it?” He stalked toward her, taking full advantage of her dumbstruck wonder and the temporary sexual reprieve her release of power had created to move in close.
Despite the predator prowling toward her, her gaze never wavered from the damage she’d created. “I can’t believe I did that.”
“I can.” With a speed he’d never used with her before, he wrapped her up and tumbled her to the ground, catching the back of her head just before it made contact. “And I do believe it’s time I gave you that reward.”
Chapter Twenty-Five
Two feet. That was all that kept Katy from completing Priest’s latest challenge of piling ten moderate-sized rocks into one tidy mound. With her hands, it would have taken seconds.
Not so with magic.
For the last hour she’d painstakingly lifted, guided and carefully stacked each stone—a task she’d quickly learned was on par with lighting a candle with a blowtorch. When Priest had first given her the challenge five days ago, she’d laughed in his face. After all, she’d lasered a hole through a two-foot-thick tree trunk with barely a thought. Then she’d tried doing as he asked and realized the hardest part of being a sorcerer wasn’t calling the power, but controlling it.
A single bead of sweat trickled down her spine and sent shivers rippling along her skin.
The rock hovering midair shook as though her physical response had manifested through her magic.
“No,” she whispered, and the rock stilled.
Sprawled behind her in the Adirondack chair he’d easily levitated from the balcony to the ground in way of demonstration, Priest chuckled. “You know that was more about your mental thoughts than words actually saving your ass, right?”
Ignore him. Just focus on the freaking rock.
She slowly exhaled through her mouth and carefully guided the stone toward the others. No way was she blowing it when she was this close.
Two inches from the top of the pile, she opened her mental fingers—and the rock shot across the clearing. “Ugh!” She spun to Priest and stopped just short of stomping her foot. “You did that on purpose.”
To his credit, he at least tried to cover his grin by rubbing his fingers across his lips, but he kept his gray gaze locked to hers. “It’s my job to teach you, kitten. The real world won’t stay silent.”
“No, but you could at least let me finish once.”
He stood and stalked toward her. “You’re right.”
The admission alone was enough to leave her speechless. Paired with his bare torso on prime display and the way his pants accented the V at his hips all thoughts save getting him alone and feeling all of him next to her scattered. Which was utterly insane
given how intimate they’d been since their first night together. But soft and sweet, or hard and fast, she couldn’t get enough of him. Her power and how it felt to run and experience the world in lion form was addictive. But being with Priest? It was everything. And as much as it terrified her, she’d begun to understand what her grandmother meant by a mate being an extension of oneself. Except instead of going with the need to give in, she was fighting it. As if she desperately needed to run, but refused to use her legs. Or was parched for a drink of water, but turned her mouth away from the fountain.
“I’m pushing you harder than I would anyone else, but it’s because I see the potential in you.” He pulled her to him and cupped the side of her face. “You shifted in no time. Your power is massive, and your companion is nearly as dominant as my panther. You may not be a primo, but you will lead this clan beside me.”
Her magic prickled beneath her skin. A featherlight tickle that whispered of something more left unspoken. “That’s not the only reason you’re pushing me, is it?”
For the barest moment, fear flickered in his eyes. He banked it nearly as fast, but the vulnerability rocked her. “Until you let me mark you, Draven could track you. If you won’t let me do that much, then I want you to be able to hold your own against him.”
A flutter winged beneath her sternum and goose bumps lifted across her skin despite the warm noonday sun overhead. Since the day after her soul quest he’d been after her to let him work his magic into her skin. Part of her wanted it. Badly. But that last shred of independence saw it as the final link. A final step toward accepting their bond.
She smoothed her hands up his chest. “It’s not that I don’t want to. I just—”
“I need you safe, Kateri. Of all the people my brother could use against me, you’re the ultimate weapon. You have no idea how far I’d go to keep you safe. The depths the darkness inside me would sink to. Nothing would stop me. Nothing and no one.”
Heavy footsteps on the wood balcony above broke the tense moment. “Priest.” Alek poked his head over the ledge, hands gripping the rail tight and an urgency on his face Katy hadn’t seen since the day they’d found their parents murdered. “You need to come up here.”
Guardian’s Bond Page 23
