by Ashlee Sinn
Copyright © 2017 Ashlee Sinn
http://www.ashleesinn.com
This is a work of fiction. The names, characters, places, and incidents are products of the author’s imagination or have been used fictitiously and are not to be construed as real. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, events, or locales is entirely coincidental. This is a work of fiction intended for mature audiences only. All sexual activities depicted occur between consenting characters 18 years or older who are not blood related.
All rights are reserved. No part of this book may be used or reproduced in any manner whatsoever without written permission from the author. If you’ve illegally downloaded this book for free, shame on you. Authors work too hard for you to be stealing their books.
Cover Design by Ashlee Sinn
CAUGHT BY THE COUGAR
Calvin Baptiste enjoys his solitary life. But now that he’s more involved with the shifter politics in Alaska, he’s trying to find a balance between his anonymity and his duties to his people. Buying a house in town and collaborating with the Callaghan Clan are just about all he can handle. Until he meets Trooper Lowe. There’s just something about the confident, strong, and bike-riding beauty that has his animal riled up and his human side wanting to spend more time with her.
Sutton Lowe has seen enough hate to last a lifetime. After a devastating experience as a Texas state trooper, Sutton decides it’s time for her to make a change and protect all types of life. Hired by the ISC to assist with shifter issues in Homer, she quickly finds herself wrapped up in their world—and falling in love with one particularly difficult cougar.
The shifters are still being hunted, only this time the enemy is unknown. The target on Calvin’s back grows with his fame and Sutton fears the worst when she gets a phone call from the grizzly clan. Now the shifters have to work together to fight this new threat and save those who have been captured—regardless of the political consequences.
Table of Contents
Chapter 1
Chapter 2
Chapter 3
Chapter 4
Chapter 5
Chapter 6
Chapter 7
Chapter 8
Chapter 9
Chapter 10
Chapter 11
Chapter 12
Lured by the Bear
Tempted by the Tiger
Obeying the Bear
Releasing the Bear
Catching the Bear
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About Ashlee Sinn
I really hated parties. I hated everything that involved being social. Not only did my cougar enjoy being alone, but the human side also craved silence more than conversation. Yet now that my world had changed, it was time for me to learn and adapt. So, I’d come here today, unsure of my place, but trying my best to find a way to fit in.
I stood in the far corner of the large living room watching members of the Callaghan clan and a few others speak gibberish to two tiny cubs. While they still had several years before their first shift, the little bear babies reeked of their animals and set off my cougar instincts. Not in a way that implied harm; more of a protective instinct to save them from all that they would face in the world.
This was a new feeling for me in my many decades on this earth, and I wasn’t sure I liked it. Ever since Bo and his mate, Kenzie, had crashed into my life, I’d found it harder and harder to stay hidden in the shadows. And when the ISC asked me to reveal myself to the world a few weeks after the big announcement, I did it to save our kind. The other cougars weren’t ready for the scrutiny, hate, and attention coming at us. They were so much younger, and more private, than me. It had been my duty to be the representative.
And I’d pretty much hated everything about it.
“Hiding in the corner again, huh?” Bo jogged over to my side, beer in one hand and mouth full of a cheeseburger slider.
With a grunt, I briefly acknowledged his presence.
“A man of few words,” he continued. “You know, you cost me twenty bucks today.”
Curious, I asked, “And why is that?”
Bo swallowed and took swig. “I didn’t think you’d show.”
“Huh.”
“And Zane said you would.”
“No shit.”
Bo laughed and clanked his beer against the one hanging from my hand. “No shit. Yet, here you are. Hanging out with grizzlies, tigers, and wolves. Who would’ve guessed we’d ever see the day.”
“Certainly not me,” I groaned. I scanned the crowd again wondering how I’d ended up here. By nature, cougars were solitary. By crappy attitude and scary appearance, human-Calvin was a loner too.
“Aren’t they awesome?” Bo asked.
I followed his gaze to Emma and Brandt’s new baby twins. Both mom and dad held one in their laps as they sat on the couch and showed off their accomplishments. Just a month old and already they had to weigh at least fifteen pounds a piece. A boy and a girl. And the future leaders of the longest-standing grizzly clan in North America.
“They’re okay,” I replied.
Bo chuckled and shook his head when he looked at me. “Can’t you even pretend?” he joked.
“Pretend?”
“To enjoy life?”
I rolled my eyes. “I’ve lived a long time, young Bo. And I’ve enjoyed life plenty.”
“Ever have kids?” He must have noticed the way I tensed next to him because he immediately stuttered, “Oh, sorry. Don’t answer that.”
I didn’t. It was way too personal of a question for him to ask a cougar. Especially this one. Emma laughed at something the little boy did and the whole roomed cooed with admiration for the cuteness. “Are you ready for that?” I asked Bo, jerking my chin toward the new parents.
He smiled and blew out a breath. “I have to be.”
“When is Kenzie due?”
“Three more months.” His eyes drifted across the room at his mate, her belly full and round and taking up most of her tiny body.
“Does she think it’s a bear?”
“She does.”
I nodded. “Well, she would know.” Not just a mother’s instinct here. Kenzie was a powerful witch who’d continued to impress me with her skills as I’d gotten to know her better. And if she said she was having a shifter, then I would wager she was correct.
“Everything is changing so fast,” Bo muttered as he took another sip of his beer.
I didn’t know if he was referring to his expanding family, the fact that there were tigers, wolves and cougars sharing this experience with him, or the way the world now knew about shifters. Everything was changing fast, especially in comparison to the exiled way I’d enjoyed living my life up to this point. But change didn’t always mean bad. It just meant extremely uncomfortable for a while.
“I didn’t even see you over here, blending with the wood.” Zane jumped forward to my side, nudging my shoulder and stirring up those angry feelings again. “You owe me twenty, Bo.”
Bo raised his beer bottle in acknowledgement and quickly left us to tend to his mate. She rubbed her belly while he kissed her cheek, the two of them beaming with happiness that couldn’t be matched. Not even by the two new parents doting over their babies. Bo’s energy was like that, and no one could ever bring him down.
“Here. Merry Christmas.” Zane dangled a small paper bag in front of me.
“What’s that?”
“A gift.”
“Why?”
With a laugh, Zane shrugged. “Because that’s what people do during the holidays.
”
“It’s not Christmas yet.”
He shrugged. “So?”
“So, if this is another dead mouse, you know I will deliver on my promise.” Zane thought it was hilarious that I turned into a cat and he had no shame in rubbing that in my face. Last week it was a dead rodent on my plate when we’d all met with Major and Danika to discuss some ISC plans.
“You’re not going to kill me,” he said.
I raised my brows.
“Seriously. It’s not what you think.”
I grabbed the bag, too heavy to be a mouse or even a rat. Maybe a groundhog? Zane’s devious grin worried me. “I will rip every red hair off your puny body if this is something dead.”
He swallowed hard but kept on laughing. “Sometimes dead things have value.” And when I growled and showed him my teeth, his voice squeaked. “Seriously. Open it up and you’ll see.”
Reluctantly, I lowered the bag and unrolled the top. As soon as the first crack opened, I knew what he’d done. And I instantly felt bad for giving him a hard time. Zane was kind of like me. Although technically a part of the grizzly clan, he’d been on the wrong side of Brandt’s alpha challenge and was still trying to find his place amongst the bears. And while I didn’t have a clan or a pack or anything like it, I was still learning exactly where I fit into this community of shifters in Alaska. Two outsiders tagging along. While we both knew the others would always fight with us, we still didn’t know what to do during the calm times.
I sniffed the bag and smiled. “Salmon jerky.”
Zane grinned, and I sensed a bit of pride seeping out of him. “Bo told me that was your favorite. And I have this friend who makes all of his own jerky. So, I just thought,” he shrugged, “I just thought I’d get you some.”
Shit. How dare he make me feel things.
“That was thoughtful,” I pushed out. “Thanks.”
Zane nudged me in the shoulder again. “You’re welcome.”
I wondered about him for a moment. No parents. No family other than Julia who wasn’t even blood-related to him. Trying to get in the good graces of his alpha again. Grizzlies like to have others. Even sub-dominant male grizzlies. Unfortunately, I’d learned through the years that if those males didn’t find their place, they’d often lose their minds and end up getting themselves killed. Usually by someone in their clan if they weren’t careful.
As Zane walked away and crossed the room to speak to Julia, I squashed down a small pang of guilt worrying for him. He was annoying but he had the personality of someone who would never give up working on those relationships that would ultimately keep him alive. He wasn’t a cougar who wanted to be left alone.
Fiona and Major made their way over to me next. It was like no one picked up on the fact that I was okay standing by myself. The aroma of dominant cats pricked at my nose, forcing me to push down my own animal. The two of them held hands, never leaving each other’s side for more than a few minutes at a time. I’d been watching. And so had my cougar.
“You’re looking good,” I said to Fiona when she gave me a quick kiss on the cheek.
“I feel wonderful,” she beamed.
After Major gave her his tiger in a rare but necessary situation a month ago, she’d turned into a confident shifter. Her photography business was growing like crazy and she’d settled something inside of Major that we could all sense. While he continued to work as a representative for all shifters, he had a persistent smile plastered on his face all of the time now.
My chest rumbled.
“Easy there, panther.” Major patted my arm and looked up at me.
He was fit but I was a giant compared to him. Even still, we certainly had a mutual respect for each other. And at this point I would venture to say it was straying past professional and teetering into that friendship category. Damn him for getting under my skin, too.
“Anything new?” I asked, wondering about the ISC.
He shook his head. “Uh uh. No shop talk at the baby shower.”
“It’s not technically a baby shower,” I groaned. “They’re already here.”
Major laughed. “Then not at their birthday party.”
Rolling my eyes, I turned my head to look out the large windows in the front of the house where Fiona had directed her attention. I saw her tense and asked, “What is it?”
She looked at me and then Major. “Cops.”
“What? The cops are here?” Zane shouted and the room full of mostly shifters with excellent hearing fell silent. “Who called the cops?”
Brandt stood and joined the three of us near the window. We watched two state police cars follow a sleek, black SUV down the winding driveway that led to Brandt and Emma’s and their clan’s gathering spot.
“Huh,” Brandt said.
“Who is it?” I asked.
“Danika.”
Zane bounded up behind me and almost knocked me over when he peered out the window too. “Danika’s here?” The excitement in his voice caused those of us who knew Danika to shake our heads.
“I told you to stay away from her,” Major warned. “She is way out of your league.”
Zane huffed and cleared his throat. “I’m not interested in her.”
“Sure,” a bunch of us said at the same time and then enjoyed a laugh at his expense.
Danika was a woman very few could handle, and Zane certainly wasn’t one of them.
“You all suck,” he mumbled before walking away.
We watched the cars come to a stop and then observed Danika as she strutted over to one of the cruisers and pointed up toward the house. Her eyes met Brandt’s and he let out a sigh. Passing his baby boy over to Fiona, he patted me on the shoulder. “Care to join me?”
Getting more and more involved, my cougar said. He still wasn’t sure how much he liked being involved in shifter politics and human issues. And neither did I. “Sure,” I mumbled.
“Major?” Brandt asked, wanting him by his side too.
The white tiger nodded and the two of us followed the Callaghan clan leader out the front door. I stepped out onto the porch and watched the two cops flank Danika as they approached us. In their state trooper uniforms with the hat and the tan pants, I wondered what had my animal so on edge. No, not on edge. He was interested.
I sniffed the air and immediately knew why. One of them was a woman. Oh no, I warned him. Do not even put that thought in your head.
Brandt led us down the steps and onto the wooden platform in front of the house. He nodded his head at the tall woman in a black trench coat and pointed high-heeled boots that were completely inappropriate for an Alaskan winter. “Danika,” he said.
“Mr. Callaghan.” She gestured at the two troopers behind her. “I hope I’m not interrupting, but I wanted to introduce you to two of our newest recruits.”
“Recruits?” I asked.
Danika flashed her reptilian eyes my way as though I wasn’t allowed to have a voice. “The ISC is funding the addition of professional security after the recent…episodes.” She glared at Major but he gave it right back to her. The “recent episode” she was referring to was when his mate, Fiona, was shot and left for dead by an ignorant human.
I caught their stare-off but only briefly as my attention was pulled to the tall woman standing behind Danika. She had her dark hair pulled up into a tight bun at the base of her neck and her jaw was tense with pressure. She smelled of fear and excitement and when I caught her staring at me, she immediately dropped her gaze to the ground.
She was looking at us, my cougar purred, suddenly interested in something other than getting back to our den. I tried to push him back down.
“Trooper Reid and Trooper Lowe will be stationed in Homer for the next several months while we work to get the media under control,” Danika continued.
“The media?” Brandt asked, a hint of disgust tainting his voice.
Danika snapped her head toward him. “Yes. The media.”
It wasn’t the media giving shifters a
hard time. It was the crazy humans who thought we should all be shot and killed on site. But if that’s the spin the ISC needed to put on it, so be it. I didn’t really care.
I just wanted to know more about Trooper Lowe standing before me.
“Anyway, they will be stationed in town near your fish plant but each of them will overlap rounds to cover a fifty-mile radius twenty-four hours a day.”
“Just the two of them?” Major asked. “That seems like a lot of territory.”
“We can handle it, sir,” Trooper Lowe said. Her voice oozed a type of confidence that riled up my cougar from the inside.
Major smiled at her the same way he did to reporters. “I’m sure you can.”
“Well, then,” Danika continued. “I must run but I will leave them here with you in case you have anything you want to add to the current situation.”
“Where are you going?’” Major asked.
Danika flashed him another annoyed glare. “If you must know, I’m preparing my office for my departure.”
“You’re leaving?” Zane had snuck up behind us and his voice sounded almost desperate.
Danika stared at him. Zane was a big guy with big muscles that stood at a formidable height. But Danika was a rare dragon shifter, which Zane didn’t know about, and she’d lived longer than anyone else I knew except for maybe a vampire or two. She had so many years on Zane, it was almost comical the way his school-boy crush couldn’t be contained.
“Yes, in two days,” she responded in a clipped tone.
Major slapped Zane on the shoulder with his condolences, but Zane immediately knocked away his hand and growled.
I noticed both of the troopers flinch at the sound. Oh boy, did they have a big learning curve in front of them if a little growl scared them.
“Major, I’ll talk to you tomorrow,” Danika said by way of goodbye as she climbed into her car. While she pulled away, I watched the strong woman in front of me. She hadn’t lifted her eyes off the ground yet and I wondered why she chose to help protect shifters if she was nervous around us.
