by Zoe Perdita
The werecat smiled at the memory of the whelp’s hand- the look in his eye- determination and desire mixing together into slurry of distilled excitement. But, in the end, Nalin couldn’t stay and pursue any cursory feelings he might have for the deputy. Cats and dogs didn’t mix.
Plus, Nalin didn’t have a lot of experience with wolves. He’d met a few, but most seemed to live in packs and have a strict code of behavior. Cats, like him, were more solitary creatures.
Holding his breath, the snow leopard listened to the stillness of the hospital and carefully removed the monitors and tubes before he climbed out of the bed. They’d put his clothes in a bag in the corner, so he limped over and pulled them on. Good. The money he stole was still there- he’d need that in his escape.
His leg ached, but not badly enough to keep him confined to a bed. Lucky for him the bullet had only torn through muscle and not bone as well. It’s not as if he had the means to afford the bill he’d get for his care to begin with. Disappearing was better all around- better for him and the whelp.
In the dead of night, the small hospital’s corridors were shadowed and silent. The werecat crept toward a side exit and pushed open the door. A flurry of snowflakes blew in, rustling his black hair and chilling his golden skin. Yes. Just like home.
Smiling, Nalin stepped into the blizzard.
After he got to the outskirts of town, he stripped off his clothes and tied them around his neck with the money tucked securely in the pocket. Then he bent and shifted, his lean, muscular body transforming into his great feline shape. White fur sprouting from his brown flesh, claws and fangs elongating, his senses sharpening. Then, with four massive paws, he padded into the forest.
The pain in his leg delayed his progress, and after only an hour, he stopped to lap at the blood dripping from his wound. That wasn’t good- it’d signal other predators in the area which wasn’t something he wanted to deal with at the moment.
Then the gentle sparkle of lights caught his attention. Wind bound snow obscured his vision so he hadn’t noticed the house until he was upon it. The huge structure looked over the valley below and seemed to be built almost into the very side of the gently sloped mountain. The rich scent of roasted venison tickled his nose, and Nalin sneaked closer. Maybe he could get into their garage and steal something or at least sleep someplace warm for the night.
A low growl sounded from the darkness, and the werecat hunched into the snow and perked up his small, rounded ears. Sniffing the air, he caught the smell of the wolf whelp. What was Kamadeva trying to tell him?
The form of a man stepped out of the swirling snow, his skin covered in goose bumps. “What are you doing here?” deputy McDonald asked suddenly.
Nalin closed his eyes and shifted back into his human shape as well. Whatever the gods had in store for him, it would do little good to fight it. “I needed to smell the night air.”
“In the middle of a blizzard? Come on,” the whelp huffed and started toward the house.
The werecat followed. He smelled the odors of other wolves, but only one car sat in the driveway. As they stepped inside, the warmth of the home engulfed Nalin, the mouthwatering fragrance of meat overwhelming all others.
“What about your pack?” Nalin asked and glanced around the huge living area. Did all Americans live in such splendor?
“They got stuck in town for the night because of the blizzard,” McDonald said and scowled. “I just came home to start dinner then the snow started up.”
Nalin smiled. He was almost a whole head taller than the wolf. “You cook for your pack, whelp?”
Narrowing his brown eyes, the wolf grumbled. “Our omega’s not here right now. He’s the one who cooks normally.”
What about the little deputy made Nalin want to push his buttons? Was it his intense reactions? The rich wolf musk? The tense, compact body, tight with muscles waiting to be caressed?
“You were supposed to stay in the hospital, by the way,” the wolf said and pulled a pair of sweat pants on over his toned thighs.
Nalin shrugged. Explaining his plan to escape wasn’t on the top of his priority list. “When can we eat?” he asked to change the subject. If wolves were anything like werecats, food was of great importance.
The whelp glared. “My name is Danny. Or deputy McDonald,” he said. Then he opened the oven and pulled out two large racks of meat, filling the entire kitchen with the rich aroma. “I think these are ready.”
It wasn’t tandoori, but it would do.
They didn’t talk as they ate, which suited Nalin just fine. His leg ached more than he wanted to let on, and the hospital’s rations were disappointingly small to say the least. The cooked venison, while tough, satisfied him.
Danny broke the bones in two, sucking the marrow out, then wiped his mouth on a napkin. “You should bandage your leg again,” he said with a frown on his thin lips. Did the whelp ever smile?
“I don’t have a bandage for it,” Nalin said.
Sighing, the wolf stood up and pointed up the stairs. “Come on. You’re going to have to stay here tonight anyway.”
The werecat followed him, watching the way the fabric clung to the wolf’s rounded ass as he moved. A strange tightness formed in his stomach, a far off ache different from the normal hunger or lust Nalin was used to.
Danny led him into a bathroom, the smooth white counter and wooden floor different from the dirty concrete he grew up with.
“Sit,” the wolf ordered.
Nalin did, lifting his leg for the deputy as the coolness of the countertop seeped into his bare ass. “It’s not bad.”
A shadow crossed the wolf’s eyes and he pulled out gauze, medical tape and some bottled of disinfectant. “Yeah, it could be a lot worse.”
The werecat hissed as Danny dabbed the wound, cleaning it off with a cotton ball before he bound and taped it. The wolf’s hair was mussed, his tan flesh smooth and chiseled like some living statue. The memory of the deputy’s hand on Nalin’s cock sent a surge of anticipation through the snow leopards body. Would they touch like that again? One last time wouldn’t hurt.
“What now?” the werecat asked and touched the wolf’s bent head. Danny’s hair fell through Nalin’s fingers like silk.
The deputy looked up at him like a startled pup, his eyes wide, his lips parted and oh-so inviting. “Sleep,” the wolf said in a husky voice.
“Disappointing. I thought you were a man of action- or are you just a whelp after all?”
A deep growl resonated from the wolf’s chest, and he narrowed his eyes at the werecat. The bulge in the man’s pants tightened, and Nalin smiled. Another perfect reaction.
“You want action, cat?”
Leaning back on the counter, Nalin shrugged. “I doubt you can repeat your performance from this afternoon.”
Waves of lust and fury radiated from the whelp, his eyes burning as they stared at each other. “I can top it,” Danny barked.
Nalin smirked. “I don’t think you can, wolf,” he said slowly, enunciating each word carefully. How would the man respond to that?
Danny lunged at Nalin, slamming the werecat’s body into the mirror so hard the glass nearly cracked. The flame of the wolf’s lips attacked, hot kisses ripe with furious hunger pressing into Nalin’s own plump mouth. The taste of meat, the scent of musk and blood, and the burning touch of the wolf’s powerful hands seeped into the werecat’s starved body.
Sharp fangs nipped at Nalin’s golden neck, and he gripped Danny’s biceps. The muscles tensed under the werecat’s touch- the wolf’s throbbing cock rubbing against Nalin’s own.
“So soon?” the snow leopard asked and rubbed Danny’s bulge.
The wolf’s eyes narrowed dangerously. “You’re one to talk,” he grumbled into Nalin’s mouth.
For a moment they simply looked into each other’s eyes, and Nalin took in the sharp cut of Danny’s jaw and the way his hair fell over his forehead. Something about the wolf excited him a way no one else ever had. Was it the ma
n’s scent? His innocent looks? That predicable temper? What?
“What are you going to do, whelp?” the werecat asked. If he said nothing the wolf might lose his urge to act- and Nalin didn’t need to think about his emotions at the moment. They wouldn’t matter in the long run.
Danny’s cheeks reddened and he gripped onto Nalin’s hips and flipped the man over. The sudden change in position knocked the breath from the werecat’s lungs, and he coughed.
“Better?” Danny barked as his irony erection pressed against the feline’s ass.
“Do you really think you can mate me?” the werecat asked, the throbbing length burning flesh into his veins like a brand.
“I don’t see you stopping me.”
The wolf had a point. Not only was Nalin wounded, but also captivity hadn’t helped his strength. But he wasn’t about to go down without a fight. The werecat tensed and shoved back into Danny, ramming the wolf into the wall. Unfortunately, the deputy didn’t let go. After the deputy slammed into the wall they both tumbled to the floor in a pile of golden limbs.
The werecat tried to scramble free. He pulled himself across the floor like a wet eel, but Danny’s death grip didn’t let up. The burning lust of each touch made it harder and harder for Nalin to resist. Plus, he’d started this whole thing, so he had no one to blame but himself.
Then a sudden pain erupted in his leg as the wolf swept the werecat off his feet. Nalin’s whole body pressed into the smooth wooden floor, the cool surface easing his fever hot skin with its touch.
“You’re not getting away,” Danny growled and yanked him back.
Nalin slid easily, his leg aching and his cock pounding for release. Why had he egged the little whelp on again? Some strange desire for abuse or an unfathomable attraction? Shit! He didn’t want to think about it.
A sudden touch erased the thought from his mind. A finger nudged into his ass, forcing open his puckered hole without reservations. Nalin squirmed under the harsh caress, his whole body singing and screaming all at once as prickly need build up in his stomach and balls. Stabs of fire shot up his back and down his thighs at the intrusion.
“Shit,” he hissed into the floor.
A drawer opened and closed, the squirt of a bottle, then the finger returned slick with lube.
Nalin groaned into the floor, his body too weak to fight any longer. Each nudge stretched him wider and wider, driving into his delicate hole at a ruthless pace as he writhed around it. This is what mating felt like? No wonder men enjoyed it so much!
A second finger joined the first, and Danny’s breath hitched in his throat. Nalin smiled. At least his hungry ass turned the wolf on.
“Are you just going to finger fuck me all night?” the werecat spat.
Another squirt of lube sounded behind him as Danny whispered something that like ‘cocky bastard.’ Then the thick head of the wolf’s cock spread Nalin’s tight entrance wide.
The werecat hissed, drawing air in quickly through his teeth at the ruthless assault. Oh, Kamadeva, what have I done?
The wolf had buried himself hilt deep, the throbbing length stretching Nalin’s ass wider than he thought it would ever go. Taking a deep breath, he relaxed around the shaft, his own turgid cock aching for release.
Without a word of prompting, Danny gripped Nalin’s hips and thrust inside. The werecat yelped, an undistinguished sound. But the force of the stabbing delight brought it to his lips unintentionally.
Another thrust, and spots of light danced across Nalin’s vision as his whole being gave into the passion of the moment. Hot kisses peppered his back between each intrusion- the juxtaposition between teasingly gentle and tortuously rough shaking his body to the core.
Danny huffed and growled behind him, the searing heat of their bodies melting together into an ocean of pleasure. Nalin’s sweat slick flesh slipped across the floor at each thrust, each throbbing delight. He gasped and groaned, pushing his ass into the glorious cock filling him like he’d never been filled.
All semblance of control seeped out of Nalin’s body. For a moment he even thanked the poachers who brought him across the sea, just for this moment of perfect passion. His whole body tingled, the edge of release closer with each plunge into his depths.
“Ah, fuck,” Danny growled as his swollen cock exploded inside the werecat. The wolf’s hot seed filled Nalin’s ass, nudging the snow leopard over the edge.
The snow leopard moaned, his body trembling as his cock emptied onto the bathroom floor. Each wave of pleasure engulfed him, drowning him in delight.
Then, Danny’s hot and heavy body pressed into his back. The wolf’s muscular chest smooth and succulent as he panted into Nalin’s neck.
“Still think I’m a whelp,” Danny grumbled, his voice thick with satisfaction.
For once, the werecat had nothing to say.
Chapter 9
Danny's eyes shot open in the morning. A thin band of light filtered through his dark curtains, dim and dreary. Either it was still snowing out or the sky was overcast. Beside him the bed was empty and the snow leopard gone. Danny felt the sheets. Still warm. He couldn't have gotten far.
The deputy jumped out of bed without bothering to slip on boxers. The rest of his pack wouldn't be home yet so it didn't matter if he walked around in the nude. No doubt they’d be stuck in Kellogg until the plows cleared the road up the mountain. Good. It’d give Danny time to think about his predicament.
What the hell had he done the night before? Claiming Nalin, a werecat, like that?
Holden would have the deputy's head or think the whole thing was hilarious; it was hard to tell. After what happened with Timothy and his two Eurasian mates maybe the alpha wouldn't mind so much. Shit! Danny didn't mean to claim the werecat! It's like his body moved on its own, and now his mind had to deal with the consequences.
Not only did he claim the snow leopard as a mate, however inadvertently, but the man was also a foreigner. In most instances that wouldn't be a problem, but Nalin didn't have any form of ID like a passport or even a green card. Since poachers brought him over in his animal form, the snow leopard was technically in the US illegally even if it wasn't his fault. That was a whole other mess they'd have to deal with.
But something about the man's sinuous, muscular limbs and his large, almond shaped eyes made him impossible to resist. Just thinking about Nalin's smooth golden brown skin and wavy black hair sent a jolt of desire through Danny's body. His stomach twisted into knots and did a series of acrobatic flips- at least that's what it felt like. Shit. He'd only met the werecat yesterday!
Frowning, the wolf walked downstairs.
The scent of the snow leopard reached Danny's nose, the rich feline musk mixing pleasantly with the lodge's wolf smells. Nalin stood in the kitchen, his naked ass facing the deputy as he pawed through the refrigerator. The knot in the wolf's stomach slowly unwound. The man hadn't run off- hadn't tried to escape. Danny fully expected to shift into his wolf form and track the snow leopard through the wintery weather. Maybe the werecat's leg ached more than he let on.
Turning around, Nalin grinned slyly. His black hair stood on end in stiff waves. "It’s still snowing," the man said as he leaned against the counter, favoring his good leg.
Danny swallowed the lump in his throat as he took in Nalin's gorgeous naked body. Even flaccid, the man's length was sizable and alluring. His smooth skin begged to be touched. The snow leopard was several inches taller than Danny although the way he stood made him seem amazingly light on his feet- just like a cat. Even his muscles, lean and tight, slinked under his skin in a feline manner.
Then Danny glanced outside. Sure enough, large flakes of snow still fluttered from the overcast sky. The pine trees hung heavy with white, like Christmas cookies. The whole world looked as if it had been bleached or turned into a black and white photo. No way in hell his other pack members could make it back from Kellogg with this weather, especially not in the SUV. Maybe in their wolf forms they could trudge all the way up the
mountain in a blizzard, but Danny knew they wouldn't attempt it. Getting lost in the snow was far more likely, and even werewolves could freeze to death.
That also meant he was stuck in the lodge with Nalin until the storm let up and he could take the man back to the hospital. Although, whether the werecat stayed or not would be another issue. Snow leopards could probably handle colder weather than wolves.
Danny took a deep breath and glanced at the werecat. Why did his body fill with a sick anticipatory excitement every time he looked at the man? And why did his blood turn into fire, his cheeks burning and his groin aching? Dammit! Did it really mean this infuriating werecat was his life mate? Whether Danny liked it or not, he had claimed Nalin the night before. Shit!
Nalin raised a black sculpted eyebrow. "Breakfast, whelp?"
Danny scowled. "Yes, and I'm not a whelp! You can cook breakfast," he grumbled and crossed his arms over his naked chest. Too bad he was shorter than the snow leopard. It was difficult to act dominant around a man a good four inches taller than he was. At least he wasn't as short as Timothy though, his pack's omega.
Nalin smirked, showing the hint of pearly white fangs. "As you wish. I think I can prepare something edible," he said and pulled out various ingredients from the refrigerator and cupboards. "Your pantry is remarkably well stocked. I usually don't keep this much food on hand."
In truth, Danny didn't know what they had in the kitchen since he never actually cooked. Sure, Timothy showed him how to roast and season meat but that was about it. However, the werecat seemed to know what he was doing even if the combination of ingredients he pulled from the cupboards was strange to the wolf. Whatever Nalin was making looked like a thick stew with rice on the side.
"Were you a cook in India?" Danny asked and leaned against the counter as Nalin cut the seasoned venison into chunks. He might as well get to know his mate.
