by Zoe Perdita
Patting his back, Jake led the werecat out of the room. Under normal circumstances Nalin wouldn't gone with the man so easily, but it was difficult to think straight when Danny was in such a dire situation. Not to mention the situation was all his fault. His stomach clenched, and Nalin balled his trembling hands into fists.
Once they were alone, Jake turn to him. "Look, I know this is probably awkward for you considering everything you've been through. But you don't have to worry. You did the right thing by calling us, and no one is going to ask what you and Danny were doing out there. But we would like to know who shot him, if you have that information."
"So, you are the good cop then?" Nalin asked and crossed his arms. His whole being prickled with the need to do something, but what could he do but wait? Nothing! After everything that happened he was totally useless!
Jake raised a dark eyebrow. "Do you want me to be the bad cop? You don't exactly have the best reputation back in India."
The snow leopard narrowed his eyes. Shit. This man was dangerous, and even if Nalin wanted to, running away no longer seemed like a viable option. Not until he'd seen Danny one last time. "What do you want, wolf?"
"Who shot Danny? That's all I'm asking at the moment."
"The same man who shot Peter the lynx. I don't know the hunter's name, but he's dead now too."
Jake studied him for a moment, and the werecat kept his face as impassive as possible. After years of standing up under police scrutiny it was easy.
"Was it you?" Jake asked.
Nalin nodded. No reason to deny it. When they found the body with its throat ripped out they'd know who killed the man. "Will I go to jail?"
Jake smirked. "Why would you go to jail? A cougar probably killed that man. You couldn't have anything to do with it, right?"
The snow leopard took a step back. He wasn’t going to be arrested? Or even get in trouble? Maybe America was like the Wild West. "No. Of course not."
"Well, now that we have that cleared up. Do you want to tell me why you ran off from the hospital to our lodge?"
Nalin sighed. It was such a long story. "Not really. But I can tell you that fate works in mysterious ways."
Jake frowned. "Fate?"
Nalin nodded. Even if Americans didn't believe in fate the snow leopard knew it had to be true. "Yes. It led me to Danny."
A look of comprehension dawned on the wolf’s face, and he nodded slowly. "Did it? Well, I think I know what you mean. Fate led me here too. You plan on staying?"
I know the truth- you’re my mate.
The werecat nodded. "For now."
Danny
Danny's arm hurt, but not as badly as he imagined it would. His mind felt fuzzy, like he’d been dreaming for too long. Blinking his eyes open the dim glow of fluorescent light bathed the room. Beeping monitors filled the still air, and the sterile odor of a hospital tickled the wolf's nose. Wait. A hospital? The last thing he remembered they were at the lodge. How the hell did they get to the hospital with the road blocked? And where was Nalin?
Suddenly, a hand squeezed his.
"Water," he croaked and turned his head.
Holden smiled and poured him a cup. Dark blue smudges lined the alpha wolf's eyes and his crow’s feet stood out stark and apparent. How long had it been since Holden last slept?
Danny sipped the water with his good arm and slowly glanced around the room. None of his other pack mates were there, but that's not who Danny was looking for.
"Where's Nalin?"
"That’s the first thing you ask?" Holden said and leaned back in his chair. Even though he looked weary his blue eyes sharpened as they studied the deputy's face.
Danny’s heart held still in his chest, and his stomach tied itself into a thousand knots. If the werecat left what would he do? Even if Danny couldn't remember everything that happened after the bullet ripped through his arm he still knew the snow leopard was his mate. That moment made everything perfectly clear. The annoyance- the strange nagging in his chest. They were meant to be together somehow.
"Where is he?" Danny asked again.
Holden ran his fingers through his mussed light brown hair and sighed. "With Jake. They just went to get something to eat."
Color flooded back into the world, and Danny took a deep breath. "Oh. Good."
"He told us what happened out there."
Danny rubbed his eyes and struggled to remember. They'd been hunting elk in their animal forms when they heard the gun shot. A hunter had killed another man in cold blood and aimed his weapon at the snow leopard. Out of instinct to protect his mate, Danny jumped in front of the bullet. Then Nalin ripped the man's throat out and carried Danny back to safety.
"Everything?"
Holden nodded slowly and leaned forward in his chair. "Far as I can tell. Jake thinks he's telling the truth too."
The deputy closed his eyes. "You didn't arrest him?"
"For what? Protecting my pack member?"
"I’m alive because of him," Danny said and glanced at his alpha.
Holden nodded, a smile playing at the corner of his lips. "He's been here the whole time- just like the rest of us."
Heat seeped over Danny's cheeks, and he chewed on his bottom lip. Dammit. Would Holden be angry when Danny told him a werecat was his life mate? The alpha had been pretty pissed off with Timothy, but this was an entirely different situation. Worse or better? The deputy didn't know.
"What about those big cats and the men who kept them captive?" the deputy asked to change the subject. He'd have to tell Holden eventually, but he didn't have to tell him right this minute!
"I turned the case over to Fish and Wildlife. That's their jurisdiction not ours, but they've already rescued the remaining cats."
The deputy nodded. Good. Nalin would be happy about that.
A moment later, the doctor walked in to explain Danny's injuries and give him a once over. The bullet missed the bone, but it had ripped through the wolf’s bicep muscle. While the deputy's arm was securely bandaged at least he could still move his fingers. Although the doctor did warn against strenuous activity.
"Guess you're going to be stuck at the desk when you get back to work'" Holden said and smiled as the doctor left.
"Aren’t I always?" He wanted adventure and he sure as hell got it, only not in the form he'd imagined. The next time someone held a gun up to him Danny hoped he had his own weapon as well.
Leaning forward, Holden ruffled Danny's hair. It's something he'd done ever since they first met. While infuriating, Danny knew it was a sign of affection from the alpha wolf. He never did it to anyone else, not even Timothy.
"You'll probably be in better shape when you actually get back to work. Are you going to invite the werecat home to nurse you back to health?" Holden’s eyes danced with barely disguised mirth.
"You would let me?" Danny asked and fiddled with the side of the hospital sheet. He felt like he was a teenager asking his parents if a friend could spend the night. Dammit. He wasn’t a kid anymore! But it was hard to feel grown-up around the alpha wolf.
"Do you want him to come home with us? That's the real question, Danny."
Holden's blue eyes held the deputy's brown ones, and Danny slowly nodded. Well, here it was. The truth. "Yeah. He's my mate."
To his surprise, the alpha wolf didn't laugh although the grin on his face looked somewhat out of place in the somber hospital room. "Well, you make it a hell of a lot easier than Timothy did. There’s not much Jake or I can do if your mate is a werecat and not another wolf. Do I have to build two cabins?"
Danny shrugged. Even if Nalin was his mate that didn't mean the snow leopard accepted it. "I don't know yet. It's complicated."
"It always is," Holden said and leaned back in his chair again, closing his eyes. "It always is."
Then, as if he’d been summoned, Nalin peeked into the room. His golden brown skin looked sallow in the fluorescent lights, his sharp cheeks hollow and his almond eyes smudged with black from lack of sl
eep. A wariness and urgency hung about him, just like a cat. How fitting, Danny thought.
Holden stood and nodded. "I'll leave you two alone," he said and winked at the deputy.
Danny's heart pounded in his chest and he fought to smile instead of frown. The werecat had stayed. That meant something, right?
As the door clicked shut, Nalin rushed to Danny's side. "I brought hamburgers," he said and held up a bag. The strong scent of cooked beef filled the air and the wolf's stomach grumbled in response. Shit. How long had it been since he'd eaten?
"Thanks," he said, his body tingling in response to the snow leopard's proximity. For the first time in his life, food could wait.
Nalin set the bag down and took Danny's hand in his own slender fingers. Without reservations the werecat kissed Danny's palm, and the deputy's cheeks flushed. "Why would you do such a stupid thing?"
Not exactly the kind of welcome the wolf expected. He yanked his hand free of Nalin’s grip. "Saving your life was stupid?"
Nalin slumped into the chair and ran his fingers through his wavy black mane. "I'm not worth your life, Danny.”
The wolf stared at the snow leopard. So much for a touching reunion. "How could you say that? You're my mate! Of course you're worth it. I don't care if you think so or not, but I think so and that's all that matters!"
The werecat's golden eyes shone with tears. "It’s my fault you're here. I led you to that bastard. How could you forgive me for that?"
Danny sat up in the hospital bed as best he could, ignoring the stabbing pain in his left arm. "It was my choice to follow you toward them, and it was my choice to jump in front of that bullet. And I'd do it again. I'd follow you anywhere, Nalin."
For a moment their eyes locked- the whole world laid bare before them. Then, without a word, the werecat leaned forward and smashed his lips against Danny's. The kiss calmed the wolf’s racing heart, easing his aching body into an ocean of tranquility. This was how waking up in the hospital should always be. Leaning forward, Nalin cupped Danny's face, the snow leopard's body pressed against his.
"My arm," Danny squeaked and the werecat jumped back as if bitten.
"Sorry," he breathed. "I'm so sorry for so many things."
The pain dulled slowly, and he gripped the snow leopard’s hand. "Self-deprecation doesn't suit you. You're a cat. You’re not supposed to be sorry for anything, got it?"
Nalin raised an eyebrow. Good. At least his expressions were getting back to normal. "I'm not sure I understand but fine, whelp," he said and smirked. His slender fingers burned against Danny’s own.
A grin crept across the deputy’s face. He couldn't help it- not anymore. Nalin had stayed. His mate. His love. And maybe, just maybe, the snow leopard felt the same way. "That's more like it. What kind of burgers did you get?”
Nalin’s shrugged as he opened the bag. “In truth, I don’t know. Jake bought them for you. He said they were your favorite.”
The knots in Danny’s stomach unwound as his hunger took over. No way in hell hospital food would be as good as a nice pile of hamburgers. “Do you want one?”
The werecat shook his head. “I don’t eat beef for religious reasons.”
The wolf raised as eyebrow as he took a bite. There was a lot he didn’t know about Nalin. “But you eat other kinds of meat.”
Nalin nodded. “Yes. Venison, chicken, goat and sheep are all fine. But in my religion the cow is sacred. I do drink milk, obviously, and eat cheese and butter.”
An image of the snow leopard sprawled on a couch with a glass of milk in his hand flashed through the wolf’s mind. It definitely suited the cat. “Do you care if I eat beef?” Danny asked after he swallowed a mouthful of his burger.
The werecat chuckled. “Why should I? You aren’t Hindu so it matters little to me what you eat.”
Questions filled Danny’s mind. Nalin came from a different world it seemed, but it was a world the wolf wanted to understand better. Would the werecat stay and let him? “What do you plan to do now? I mean-”
“Am I staying?” Nalin said, leaning back in the hospital chair as if it were a throne.
Wiping his mouth with the back of his hand, Danny nodded.
The werecat dropped his eyes to his lap and he rolled the edge of the fabric between his long fingers. Nalin wore some of Jake’s clothes, although they were slightly too baggy for him. He was tall, but his lithe frame was leaner than the alpha wolf’s.
“Do you want me to stay?”
Danny snorted. “That’s a stupid question! Didn’t you hear what I said? You’re my life mate. Either you stay here or I’ll follow you wherever. That’s just the way it is. You’re not getting rid of me!”
A slow smile spread over Nalin’s full lips, and he raised his eyes to the wolf. “You’d follow me back to India? Leave your pack for me?”
The deputy bit his bottom lip. It wasn’t ideal. He valued his pack- they protected him and provided for him, but his life mate was something more. “If I have to.”
The snow leopard unwrapped a second burger and slid it toward him. “I would never ask you to leave your pack. I know how much they mean to you and you to them. It must be nice to have a family like that,” he said, his voice sounded wistful instead of mocking.
“You can stay with us. If you’re my mate it’s almost like you’re a part of the pack anyway. But since you aren’t a wolf you don’t have to follow pack rules. I mean, you still have to follow the law, but you don’t have to prove yourself to the pack or listen to Jake or Holden like the rest of us.”
A slightly pained expression spread over Nalin’s gorgeous face, an old wound that never properly healed. “Do you think they would accept me? I’m not- you don’t know everything about me, Danny.”
His body ached to hold the werecat, kiss him again, but he settled for grabbing the man’s hands. “Yeah, they would. And if you want me to know more about you just tell me. It can’t be that bad.” At least, Danny hoped it wasn’t.
Nalin set his lips into a straight line and took a deep breath. “I was a thief in India.”
The wolf stared at the snow leopard, his mind racing. Things made more sense now, like how Nalin escaped from his captives. Of course, his mate would be some sort of criminal! It was just Danny’s luck! Why did Holden get a detective and he got a thief?
“What kind of a thief?”
“Pickpocket, burglar- whatever came up. I never hurt anyone unless they tried to hurt me first. I’m not going to excuse my decisions, but I need you to know the truth.”
“You’re a cat burglar?”
Nalin lowered his eyebrows over his almond eyes. “I suppose I was. Do you still want me to stay?”
Looking at the man, Danny couldn’t muster up the energy to be angry. What did he have to be angry about? Bad life choices? He’d made some. And Nalin came from a different part of the world- a broken home, a poor family- it didn’t excuse his actions but it might explain them. “You’re my mate no matter what. You can’t be a thief here though, or I’ll have to arrest you.”
“Agreed,” the werecat said, the strained lines about his eyes softening. “What now?”
The wolf picked up his second burger. “I finish eating and you tell me what happened while I was unconscious.”
“Of course,” Nalin said and started his tale.
Nalin
Looking at the lodge, surrounded by a blanket of pristine snow, Nalin couldn’t believe this was happening. He wasn’t a good man by his own standards- he hadn’t followed the way of Asteya at all. Back in India, he’d lied and stole and done whatever it took to survive. Yet fate had whisked him to the other side of the world and given him a much better man. A man with a family who loved him with wonderful home and a rich life. What had he done previously to deserve this? The snow leopard didn’t know.
The scent of a wolf caught the werecat’s nose and turned to see Alex, a dark haired man with pretty features. While good looking, he didn’t send an excited spark through Nalin’s
body at all. In fact, no one made the snow leopard feel like Danny did.
“They’ll be here soon,” the wolf grumbled and stood next to Nalin in the front yard.
When the snow stopped the plows finally got to the mountain road and cleared it for travel. To make matters even better, Danny had been released from the hospital and Holden was bringing the deputy home.
The snow leopard nodded, the freezing air chilling his lungs just like it did back home. “Yes. I can feel him getting close.”
“You feel him? Where?” Alex asked.
Nalin chuckled as he glanced at the look of disbelief on the wolf’s face. “In my heart, I suppose. It aches when we’re apart, and I don’t feel whole until I’m with him again. Is that strange?”
Alex shrugged and stared down the road, his hazel eyes squinted into the distance. “How am I supposed to know? I don’t have a mate.”
“But the little one, Timothy, has two? Is that common for a wolf?”
Alex snorted and shook his head. “First I’ve ever seen, but this is a small town. Maybe in bigger cities or in Europe.”
There was a lot about wolf culture Nalin had yet to understand, if he’d ever fully understand it to begin with. Jake and Holden had been helpful to him by offering him a place to stay, clothing and food. From what Nalin had seen of the small wolf (they called him the omega- whatever that was) he was also pleasant. The two European wolves seemed to have a joke about being nice to a werecat- but Nalin didn’t really understand it. Another cultural difference, he supposed.
“Is it strange for a wolf to have another were-creature as a mate?” he asked as a slight wind blew snowflakes into the air. Hopefully, another blizzard wasn’t coming.
“It’s not unheard of,” Alex said and pursed his lips.
Nalin smirked. “But it still strange, right? You are all very kind to me, but I don’t really deserve such treatment.”
The wolf growled, grabbed the werecat by the shoulders and spun him around. Good thing they stood in a drift of snow or the sudden movement might have tripped up Nalin and his healing leg. “You saved Danny’s life, and you killed a useless murderer. That’s not worth something?”
