by Rose Haven
All that mattered was that she follow this panther wherever it lead her.
It lead her eventually, to a large lake where a white sand played against her feet.
The cougar stopped directly in front of her and looked at her with bright green eyes.
Diana stared right back. She knew somehow instinctively not to come any closer.
The cougar turned from Diana back to the lake. As soon as she did, another form emerged from beneath the waves.
From beneath the almost impossibly glossy surface of the water, the figure of a tan mountain lion emerged.
Like the white cougar it stopped for a moment and stared directly at Diana. This new cougar’s eyes were dark and deep, almost jet black. She could not help but feel that there was something desperately familiar about them. They seemed to draw her in. They called to her in a way she had only felt once before.
The tan cougar walked slowly towards the white panther. Likewise, the white cougar moved towards the emerging figure. The two met at the water's edge.
They intertwined their necks in a kind of lover’s embrace. When they touched, the lake itself seemed to come alive. A bright, blinding light sprang up from the surface and shot into the heavens above.
It was so bright that, a small voice in the back of Diana’s mind told her to turn away from it for fear it would blind her all together. She tried to silence the voice but it grew louder and louder in the back of her mind.
‘Why are you standing here?’ it said, ‘you’ll go blind! Besides, you don’t have time! You have to know what’s going on. You have to know whether or not the rogue will find you!’
With this thought, the light went out completely as though it was a switch someone had turned off.
Now, she could not see the bright white panther or the tan cougar, she could not see the salt lake, she could not see the mist, nor could she see the hand held out in front of her. The world was pitch black.
Suddenly, as though the sun was rising, she saw light come up against a lone figure. A woman was walking towards her. She was far away but Diana could see her clearly. No mist covered her.
When she came closer, she recognized the woman.
‘Sandra?’ she swore she said this out loud, but the sound did not emerge from her mouth. None the less, Sandra smiled that fake receptionist smile.
Then, Sandra closed her eyes and in her place stood a large black cougar.
Diana’s heart began to beat a quick rhythm within her chest. She knew, with one look, that this was the panther that had attacked her at the apartment.
Diana tried to back away but she was rooted to the spot. She tried to scream but no sound emerged.
She stared down at the yellow eyed cougar in front of her. She watched as the animal dropped low to the ground and in one bound, leapt towards her.
This time, a scream did emerge from Diana’s throat as she closed her eyes. When she opened them, she was seated again on the stool.
She could still feel the old man’s hands resting gently on her shoulders. Her right hand was now clutching the fur of the reddish cougar.
She looked around wildly for the large black panther. It took her several moments to realize that it was not truly there. That none of it had really happened.
She took two deep breaths to calm herself before asking, “What...what was that? What happened to me?”
The old man said nothing, but simply took his hands off her shoulders and moved to the side. The reddish cougar likewise, moved from beneath Diana’s grasp, sat back on his hind legs and turned back into the young man, Luscio.
“The test is finished,” the old man told her, “you may join the others.”
Diana looked into his face to see if it would give a clue as to the outcome. What did any of it mean? Did her vision mean that she was the salt woman or not? However, the old man’s face was as neutral as ever.
He ushered her through the small, hidden door and into the room beyond.
Chapter Four
“Diana!” Cat said rushing to her as soon as she stepped out of the room. “Are you all right? What happened?”
Concern lined his face as he hurriedly grabbed her arm and rushed her to a chair as though fearing that she might topple over at any moment.
“I’m…” Diana was about to say that she was fine, that there was nothing to worry about, but she knew that wasn’t true. Her head felt light and dizzy. The image of that huge, black cougar still played horribly in her mind.
That was when she remembered...
“Cat,” she said urgently grabbing hold of his arm as he crouched next to her.
“What is it?” he asked, still wearing that concerned expression.
“The girl...the rouge...the one you told me about?”
“Yes?”
“I know who she is.”
Cat looked at her confused. Diana realized that she needed to clarify.
“I mean,” she said, “I know who she’s pretending to be...it’s Sandra.”
“Sandra?” Cat asked his brow furrowed at this. He looked very skeptical, but none the less, Diana was certain.
“I saw her!” she said. “When I went into that...that room, I saw her!”
“The black cougar,” the voice of the old man said, emerging from the far room, “only appeared when you allowed your fear to overcome you. You may have seen her true identity or the fear may have masked it from you.”
Diana turned to look at him. His face remained neutral and though he had answered her accusation about Sandra, he was clearly speaking to the room at large.
"The test is completed," he said loudly. "The girl has passed, but barely. She will need much training before she enters the salt lake."
"So, does that mean...?" Diana began slowly. She looked to Cat but his eyes were still focused on his grandfather.
"You saw the lake," the old man clarified, "you saw your mate. The one who was prophesied for you.”
Diana looked sharply to Cat who moved his eyes to the ground. A hint of deeper red filled his already tan cheeks. So that was what he didn’t want to tell her.
Diana knew, just as surely as she knew Sandra personified the large cougar who attacked her (no matter what Cat’s grandfather said), that the yellow mountain lion who had emerged from the lake was Cat.
“Did she transform?” Lonon asked Cat’s grandfather, almost suspiciously.
“No,” the old man answered, “but she saw the lake, she saw her cougar and she saw her mate. That is enough.”
“But,” Lonon continued, “If she didn’t shift how can we…”
“I said that is enough,” the old man said firmly. He gave Lonon a sharp glare. Lonon looked back at him defiantly for a moment but almost immediately, he put his head down and stepped back.
Apparently satisfied, the old man turned from Lonon to Cat.
“Catahassa,” he said, “will you please escort Diana to her quarters. Her training will begin in the morning.”
“Yes, Grandfather,” Cat said.
He stood up, placed a hand gently on Diana’s arm and led her out through the humid fog towards a back door.
This door lead outside where Diana immediately felt a welcome breeze waft over her. She nearly sighed with contentment upon being lead out of the suffocating, mist filled space.
Cat still held her arm in a firm but gentle grip as he led her to a small adobe home just across the way from the building they had started in.
They didn’t speak as they made their way to the small house. Diana told herself not to stare at Cat but she found that she couldn’t help it.
The strange thing is, she didn’t know if she wanted to glare at him angrily or smile at him. She was afraid the in between expression was more creepy than it was either intimidating or flattering.
Cat, for his part, looked sideways at her with an odd expression as well before looking away.
Finally, their awkward stroll ended when they reached the wooden door of the adobe dwelling. Cat opened it
and led Diana inside.
The room they stepped into looked, to Diana’s surprise, very utilitarian. The walls were plain white. The furniture was mostly brown and flavorless. The only spot of color in the room was a painting of a yellow mountain lion which stood above the couch in the sitting room.
“Your bedroom is just down the hall,” Cat said, “I’ll stay out here tonight.”
“You don’t need to,” Diana said. She knew she should be angry with him but she still wasn’t sure if she was. She did know that she was tired of him trying to protect her. It was flattering at first, but now, the more he treated her like a porcelain doll, the more annoying it got.
“Grandfather thinks it is,” Cat answered.
“Oh,” was all Diana could think to say. She didn’t know if the new fact that staying as a bodyguard not being Cat’s idea, made her feel worse or better.
They stood staring at each other for a moment. As Diana looked at him, she tried her best to remember that she was still supposed to be angry with Cat. After all, he had failed to mention several things about that prophecy to her. Namely that she and Cat were destined to be mated.
Still, as she looked at Cat’s deep, gorgeous eyes and that long, flowing hair, it was very difficult to remember why she should be upset about that information. Honestly, the idea that she was destined to be mated to a gorgeous billionaire was not what most people would consider bad news.
Cat, on the other hand, didn’t look entirely sure about the idea of being mated to her.
He shoved his hands into his pockets and, after looking at her a moment, began to look in as many different directions as possible. The way he refused to meet her eyes, the way a small blush could still be seen filling his tan cheeks, suggested that he was...ashamed of what had been revealed.
She wouldn’t blame him if he was not exactly thrilled at the idea of being destined for her. Diana knew she was no tribute to beauty.
Her body was curvy and lopsided, her eyes were too small and her hair was likewise not exceptional.
Still...Diana couldn’t reconcile his embarrassment in contrast to the way he had behaved towards her. All the hand holding, the arm touches, the way he spoke to her, not to mention that kiss...it didn’t make any sense.
Well, Diana decided she was not getting anywhere by staring at Cat and wondering about him. If she was going to take control of her own destiny, she might as well start by being direct.
“Why didn’t you tell me?” she asked him finally.
“Why didn’t I tell you what?” he asked still not looking at her. She rolled her eyes and heaved a dramatic sigh.
“What do you think?” she asked. “Why didn’t you tell me that you were part of the prophecy? That we’re supposed to…”
“...because I didn’t know,” he said quietly.
“Don’t give me that,” Diana said, “You knew. I know you did. You just…”
“No,” Cat said stopping her. “I don’t mean that I didn’t know about the prophecy. I mean, I didn’t know if it was you. Not for sure until you passed the test. And I…” finally, he looked up at her. Her eyes met his and Diana’s breath caught in her chest, “...I didn’t know whether or not I wanted it to be.”
Diana felt her heart sink in her chest. Now it was her turn to look away. It was stupid for her to feel hurt, she knew that. She had only just met the man after all. Despite that, she still felt tears prick at her eyes. She took a deep breath and forced them back.
“I see,” she said throwing her shoulders back and looking at him again. “Well, if you don’t want to be with me, I’m sure there’s some way around…”
“No,” Cat said stopping her again, “it’s not that, it’s…” he ran one hand over his face and moved towards the couch. Eventually, he sank down into it.
“What is it?” Diana asked quietly taking one step towards him.
“Diana,” he said gently looking up at her, “the prophecy, about us, is very vague. But the elders have certain rules about what can and cannot happen.”
“Rules?” Diana asked sitting down next to him on the couch. “What do you mean, rules?”
“That was why, I didn’t know if...I didn’t know if I could...control myself.”
He turned to her again and Diana could see a longing in his dark eyes that was so intense, she had to turn away. Now, it was her turn to blush.
“If you were the salt woman, then we couldn’t...we can’t…” he amended, “be mated until you’ve completed your training. And from the way grandfather talked, that might take a long time.”
“I see,” Diana said still not looking at him. All the same, she could not help a stupidly wide grin from spreading across her face.
“Diana,” Cat said to her. She felt a hand touch her chin and he moved her head so that her eyes met his once again. Diana looked at him not even attempting to hide her huge smile.
“I didn’t realize I was that irresistible,” she said, a joyful little giggle escaping her lips.
Cat’s smile seemed to mirror hers when he heard that. He moved closer to her on the couch.
“You have no idea,” he said softly.
He leaned forward and for the second time in twelve hours, met her lips with his.
Diana gasped as his tongue, once again, slid into her mouth. Cat began to press urgently, desperately towards her.
Diana threw her arms around him and with everything in her body and soul, welcomed him.
He pressed her back against the couch and she slid down until she was nearly lying on her back, opening herself completely as Cat straddled over her. He moved his lips from hers to kiss softly against the skin of her neck.
Diana heard a small sound somewhere between a sigh and a gasp rise up from the back of her throat. He nuzzled against her until his lips reached her ear.
“You really do have no idea how beautiful you are,” he whispered to her. “You have no idea how much I want you.”
Diana’s heart nearly stopped at that. It was rare when she was called beautiful. Boyfriend’s had called her cute, sweet or pretty but never beautiful.
That was enough to throw her over the edge.
This time, it was Diana who grasped Cat’s head and pulled his lips back to hers. She kissed him desperately, clinging as hard as she could to his neck, eventually moving her hands across his back and then forward to his chest.
Cat’s hands were not idle either. His hand moved to her hip and then to the skin of her bare leg beneath the hem of her skirt. Diana sighed into his mouth as his hand moved upward against her thigh then, just as she began to imagine where his hand would move next, his hand stopped.
He kissed her once more, but gently this time. He lifted his body from hers and stood from the sofa.
“You should sleep,” he said turning away from her and apparently, adjusting his pants as he did so. “There’s a change of clothes in the bedroom. I’ll stay out here.”
“Cat…” she said gently, “these rules. Are they really that…?”
“Yes,” Cat said almost fiercely, “they are that important. We don’t know what could happen if they’re not followed.”
“But, you said,” Diana said, refusing to give up that easily, “that the prophecy was vague.”
“Vague to most of us,” Cat said, “the elders know how best to interpret it.”
“How do they know?” Diana asked.
“It’s hard to explain,” Cat said. Diana opened her mouth to argue but Cat turned to her and caught her eyes again. That same longing was there as he took her hand.
“Please,” he said, “just trust me.”
“Ok,” Diana said standing up from the couch as well, “I guess I should go get ready for bed.”
With a disappointed half smile, she stepped forward to move past him.
He touched her arm to stop her as she did. And once more, he leaned forward and kissed her.
This kiss was not urgent or desperate; it was soft, tender.
“I’ll be right
out here,” he promised.
“I’ll see you in the morning then,” Diana said with a much less disappointed smile.
As she moved into the equally utilitarian bedroom she closed the door, stood against it and pressed her eyes closed.
She could not help but think that being in the same home with Cat, but not being able to give into the passion she felt for him, would be harder than any training.
********************************
“Diana? Diana!”
Diana blinked her eyes open and stared around the room for the source of the harsh voice that had awoken her.
She squinted as her eyes finally landed on a tall form.
“Cat?” she asked groggily.
“No,” the voice said, “it’s Charlie. I need to get you out of here now.”
“What?” Diana asked. Her eyes now adjusted, she could see Charlie’s face in the moonlight streaming in from her window. “Why? What’s happened? Is it Sandra, has she…?”
“I can explain on the way,” he said hurriedly. She had never seen him look so serious or so concerned before, “You just need to get dressed and I need to get you out of here.”
“Ok,” Diana said, still dazed and confused, she turned towards the closed door “just let me get Cat…”
“No!” Charlie said harshly grabbing her arm painfully to stop her.
“Why not?” she asked equally sharply, trying her best to shake him off of her.
“Because, Cat is the inside source,” Charlie said, “he’s the one who’s been selling you out…”
THE END
CHASE
The Unforgettable Billionaire Brothers
Book One
Violet Walker
The Unforgettable Billionaire Brothers: CHASE
Chapter One
“Dammit!” Chase slammed down the phone in his office and turned to look over the rain soaked city. His father had a way of ruining his plans without really trying. He needed to get the acquisition of Steele Tech complete by the end of the week, what he didn’t need was to drive two hours into the countryside for whatever new decree Vance Silver would make. Chase knew it would be a decree of some sort because his father Vance loved to make his boys dance, loved to tell them how to run the business even though they had been running it—successfully—for years with very little input from him.
