Predator's Fire

by Rosanna Leo

“What are you doing?”

  “Trying to catch a scent.” He did the funny shifter smelling thing again, turning his head in a couple of different directions. “Okay. I know where to go.” With that, he grinned, handed her the blanket and began to unbuckle his jeans.

  “Uh, Killian, I really like you, but I am not having sex with you on your front stoop.”

  He chuckled. “You said you trusted me.”

  He kicked off his shoes, dropped his jeans and she saw he wore no underwear. As his cock was revealed this time, Nina didn’t bother to hide her eyes. To say Killian Moon had a large dick was a disservice to the incredible member. Large did not begin to describe the thick, pulsing evidence of his virility. As he tossed his shoes inside his cabin and picked up his jeans, her gaze followed his movements. Tight ass. Strong thighs, covered in a pleasing amount of blond hairs. And that amazing V-shaped pack of muscles at his hips, leading to the wonders of his crotch.

  He looked like a damned superhero. Although, for the life of her, she couldn’t recall Spidey walking around naked.

  He handed her his jeans, all the while grinning at her gob-smacked reaction. “Will you hold these for me, please?”

  She took them. “Um…”

  He leaned in and whispered. “This is the part where you have to trust me.” With that, his body shook and popped and orange hairs began to shroud his frame. As his jaguar came to prominence, he dropped to all fours in front of her, his throat rumbling with feline desire. He bumped his massive head against her hand and licked it. The tiny prickles on his tongue, like the papillae on domesticated cats, made her giggle. Only this was no tame house cat.

  Killian was as wild as they came.

  He showed her his back and a hoarse, stilted roar erupted from his throat. Clutching his jeans and the blanket to her chest, she realized he wanted her to climb atop his back. Nervous she might hurt him, she hesitated. When the strange roar issued again, she was spurred into action. Clambering onto him, her quivering thighs locked on his muscles with a vice-like grip. She tucked the jeans and blanket between their bodies so they wouldn’t fall. Leaning over so she could wrap her arms around his neck, she closed her eyes and sucked in a breath.

  He moved. Killian tore across the landscape, his large paws maneuvering with frightful ease. As they whipped past trees and cabins, the early spring air chilled her, as effectively as he heated her from below. So different from her nerve-wracking ride on Ryland, her journey with Killian proved exhilarating. She supposed it had a lot to do with the mode of transportation. His lush fur cushioned her legs and each movement set off a chain reaction of vibration in her pussy. When he leaped over a series of rocks, the most wonderful pressure exploded on her clit and she let out a moan.

  Jaguar Killian responded in kind, his urgent huffs sounding all around her.

  They seemed to travel forever, each step bringing her closer to what she knew would be an explosive communion with him. She hadn’t grasped the incredible size of Gemini Island, but as they plowed past caves and meadows and hills, she realized she could get lost there.

  And yet she felt so safe wrapped around Killian.

  They reached a quiet copse, a cluster of huge oaks in a field. Killian slowed his pace and meandered between the trees. When she saw how the space opened onto a bed of early violets, she gasped. The entire forest floor seemed covered in the tiny flowers, a rug of beautiful purple hues.

  His body shook underneath her and he shifted back to his human form, even as he carried her. Reaching behind to grip her so she didn’t fall, he turned, his eyes hooded in satisfaction. “Like the ride?”

  Unable to respond, she just buried her face in his shoulder and groaned.

  Killian carried her onto the bed of violets and deposited her gently under a massive oak tree, one whose branches stretched out to the sides like a great canopy. “See?” he said, looking around and then turning his affectionate gaze on her. “You brought the spring.”

  At a loss for words, startled by the beauty of the scene and his words, Nina bit her tongue so she wouldn’t cry.

  He spread the blanket out on the ground and reached a hand out to her. They took their places on the flannel cover and he pulled her into his arms. She squeezed her eyes shut, overcome, and breathed him in.

  She wasn’t sure if it was possible to fall in love so swiftly, but something weird and wonderful was happening to her, and it was because of him. She couldn’t see for him, couldn’t think straight, and she wanted him inside her so much.

  He cupped her cheek. “I want it, too.”

  She blinked. “Wait. How did you know…?”

  His green amber gaze seared her. “Mated shifters can hear each other’s thoughts. We wouldn’t be able to communicate telepathically until I mark you and mate with you, but I still feel like we’re on the same wavelength.”

  “Angus talked about marking. What does it mean?”

  He blushed. “A male shifter needs to put his mark on his woman to signal to other shifters she’s taken.”

  “What, like a token? A ring?”

  “Not really. It means I’d have to bite you with my jaguar teeth. I’d draw blood and leave a wound that scars. My mark on you.”

  “It sounds painful.” But far too intriguing for her to be worried about the pain. The idea of Killian biting her proved a turn on, not a discouragement.

  He ran his thumb over her mouth. “It does hurt for a moment, but the pain goes away. And you’d have my protection forever.”

  “Protection? Like a knight in shining armor?” She grinned.

  His eyebrows twitched as he worked them into a frown. “My armor’s tarnished, Nina, but everything I have is yours if you want it.”

  He was asking to mate with her, forever, like his friends’ relationships. She’d seen the ardor between Lia and Ryland and the other couples back at the lodge. Such a passion was irresistible, and she couldn’t deny she wanted it, too. But forever was a long time. What if Killian regretted his decision later? What if he tired of her? He’d been raised to hate humans. What if the sentiment finally kicked in?

  He lay his forehead against hers and looked her in the eye. “I could never tire of you, my mate.”

  My mate. Something inside her frazzled soul echoed his words but she couldn’t articulate it. It was just too much to absorb.

  As if understanding, he smiled and hugged her. “It’s okay. No marking for now. I just want to be with you.”

  “I want to be with you.”

  The warmth in his gaze heated, growing lusty. “But when you do beg me to bite you, and you will, I’m going to drive you out of your mind with pleasure.”

  Before she could respond, he kissed her, pushing the jean jacket off her shoulders and down her sleeves. As his tongue dallied with hers, invading any space she’d held sacred from dummy human dentists, he tugged at her spaghetti straps and eased her bodice down her torso. With a few flicks of his wrists, her dress floated to the ground around her. His fingers played at the back of her bra for a mere second and the garment fell away. Killian then stood back, gazed at her from top to toe, and let out a string of profanity.

  Nina laughed, her hand over her mouth, delighted with his reaction.

  He advanced, moving with the same cat-like stealth he’d demonstrated on their run, and lowered her to the blanket. He sat back on his haunches, watching with mouth open, as she lay back. Feeling the need to make him as insane as he’d made her, she played with her breasts and spread her legs, letting him see her wet pussy. As she writhed for him, violets cushioned her body from below the blanket and she could have sworn she floated on a cloud. His rapacious gaze took in every detail, from her erect nipples to her belly button to her gently-wiggling hips. His cock, so long and proud, stood out from his body, pulsing in a hungry rhythm.

  “Fuck, Nina,” he moaned. “Where did you come from?”

  “It doesn’t matter. I’m here now.”

  In a flash of go
lden skin, he was on her, his mouth on her neck, his cock throbbing against her belly. Nina wrapped her legs around him, holding him closer, closer still. Their mouths joined, eager and open, tasting one another, nipping. She closed her eyes as he trailed a line of gentle bites down her neck, wondering how it would feel to have him mark her. And each time she felt his teeth on her fevered skin, she hoped he would just disregard her reservations and chew the hell out of her.

  “Soon enough, sweet thing,” he vowed, reading her mind again. “I’ll try to be patient but…”

  His cock thumped against her hip, echoing his need.

  “Oh, God, Killian. Inside me, now.”

  His deep chuckle carried an animal reverberation. “Not yet.”

  He lowered himself on her body, licking and tasting her all the way. Her nipples, under her breasts, under her arms. No spot was safe from his greedy attentions. He gathered her breasts in his hands, plumping and squeezing, fondling and caressing. His mouth found her nipples and she gasped at the luscious sting of his teeth on the sensitive skin.

  So good.

  Her womb cried out for him. Her legs opened wider. She couldn’t hold him close enough, couldn’t satisfy her hunger.

  And then she felt his lips on her pussy and her vision faded to dreamy black. Soft licks gave way to hungry nips. Crazed suckling led to sweet penetration. She dug her fingers into his wavy hair and held on for dear life. She wanted to cry, but no sounds emerged. He speared her with three fingers, his movements deep and confident, and he sucked her clit. When Nina unraveled with an almost shameful delirium, it was Killian who shouted in triumph, his breath hot on her skin.

  “Jesus, Nina,” he whispered as he climbed back up her shaking frame. “You taste so good when you come.”

  Her head lolled to the side and her eyes closed again as she trembled with dozens of delightful aftershocks. Killian stroked her pussy, his wet fingers delving into her soul, bringing her to the brink of sensuous agony once again. She could forget the world when he touched her, and hoped she healed him as he awakened her.

  His thickness presented itself at her entrance. He prodded, feeling her moisture, grinning at the havoc he’d created in her body. She gazed at him as he penetrated her for the first time, stretching her in a way she’d never imagined, and he held her gaze. Moving slowly, he seated himself inside her, balls deep.

  “My Nina,” he murmured, and then he began to thrust.

  With each velvet glide, her world fell away in a violet haze. No one existed but her and Killian and nothing could equal the ecstasy he created for her. Each thrust seemed to penetrate deeper. Each touch incinerated her. His moans spoke to her in a new language only they understood. Each hushed cry from her lips declared he was her mate. The master of her body and soul.

  “Hold on,” he warned as he noticed her nearing orgasm again.

  Surprising her, he grabbed her by the bottom and hoisted them up, never breaking his connection to her. Somehow he walked a few steps, clutching her ass, and bent over to retrieve the blanket. He then shuffled over to the great oak tree and laid the blanket over its rough bark. Killian pinned her to the trunk and fucked her hard.

  “Dear God,” she yelled, giving thanks for his powerful quadriceps. “Oh, Killian.” His name a shattered prayer on her lips, Nina clenched, her fingernails scratching his shoulders.

  “My mate,” he whispered against her skin.

  It made no sense, and yet as he took her with such beautiful force, it all seemed clear. They were meant for each other. She’d known it when she heard his tragic history and she’d believed it when she wanted to make things better for him.

  He rotated his hips, devastating her common sense. One more thrust, and another, then…ah!

  Serenity and chaos all at once.

  He pumped a few more times and she realized he hadn’t come yet himself. Squeezing him harder, she aimed to give him a memorable orgasm. He grunted, clearly close, and then slipped out of her, lowering her to the ground. She watched as he jacked off, his face twisted in painful pleasure, and ejaculated into the grass.

  The sense of loneliness in that moment, being separated from his body, could not have been more profound. She wanted to jump his bones again and cling, like a frightened child to its teddy bear.

  She’d wanted him to come inside her. Not exactly safe sex, but she didn’t care.

  Besides, she felt safe with him.

  Even still, she supposed they shouldn’t try to create any jaguar babies on the first go.

  He finished what he was doing and then raised his face to her, his cheeks glowing from embarrassment or satisfaction. She couldn’t tell which. With a gentle hand, he turned her around to inspect her back for scratches from the tree trunk.

  “Did I hurt you?”

  “No.”

  “Good. Then come here.”

  Once again, she found herself enfolded in his strong arms, a willing victim to the best hugger in the world. Her body rioted with strange sensations. Her pussy throbbed, oddly primed for more action. Her teeth chattered, but not from cold. A headache presented itself with a distant pounding, growing closer with each jump of her pulse. And her heart pounded because she could swear his jaguar purred for her.

  He kissed her on the mouth, a soft press that made her want to cry with foreign need. “I hate to say it, but I need to get back. Will you join me for my mentoring session this afternoon?”

  “Yeah.” Of course. Her crazy heart wouldn’t allow her to leave his vicinity.

  He smiled, blond brow arched. “Care for another ride back to the cabin?”

  She nodded, wanting to cry and laugh at the same time. Oh, God help her with this one. This boy had done something to her.

  She gathered up their clothes and the blanket. He kissed her one more time, fell to his knees and shifted. Nina scrambled onto his back, more confident this time, and inhaled deeply.

  As he raced into the woods, a special spring in his step, she realized she was starting to like this shifter thing.

  Chapter 9

  KILLIAN sat in the security office that night, unable to get her off his mind. After spending an unbelievably happy day with Nina and the teens, he was dying to return to her. However, he had a meeting with the men from the resort, one he needed to attend. After leaving Nina with the other women for a girls’ dinner, he’d set off without her.

  She wasn’t out of his sight for five seconds before the fever set into his brain. The need to touch her again threw him for a loop. The desire to brand her with his kisses had him wiggling in his chair. Every shadow crossing the window made him start, and every female laugh outside the office made him wonder at her nearness.

  “Killian? Are you there?”

  He wondered how long the meeting would take. Maybe, if they got their work done quickly, he could join her for dessert…and then more dessert. A grin spread across his mug at the thought.

  “Killian!”

  Roused from his daydreams of a naked Nina, he looked at Soren, Ryland, and Bart. Connor and Lloyd from security were also in attendance. “Huh?”

  Soren hooted. “From the look on your goofy face, you totally did it with Nina.”

  He burst into flames from the neck up. “None of your business, asswipe.”

  Ryland reached over and patted him on the shoulder. “Good job. You finally realized she’s your mate. The rest of us have known for days. I was getting a little embarrassed for your sorry ass.”

  “Bugger off.” He tried to scowl at his chuckling friends, but it was hard to be mad. Damn, he felt like picking up an accordion and dancing a freaking polka around the office.

  “Shit,” said Connor, an unmated mountain lion shifter. “Yet another one bites the dust. How is it the men on this island keep dropping like flies? You dudes are pathetic. A pair of sexy legs walks by and you whip out a wedding ring.”

  Several balls of crumpled up paper launched across the table and met with his head.<
br />
  Bart leaned in. “Hey, Connor. Didn’t anyone ever tell you about mated sex?”

  “What about it, Mr. Charlotte?”

  Bart cocked a brow at him. “Off. The. Charts. Take the wildest orgasm of your single life and imagine it intensified a hundred times.”

  Killian had to laugh at Connor’s dumbstruck expression. Connor always fancied himself the man about town, or about the island, as the case may be. He did well with the ladies. Most shifter men did. Hell, a few days ago, Killian would have sympathized, but not anymore. He and Nina hadn’t even mated properly yet but the shocking lust he felt for her drove him around the bend. And it wasn’t even just the staggering sex, it was the baffling connection they shared. Each word from her, each seemingly-insignificant gesture fascinated him to no end now. He could stare at her for hours and keep finding new wonders in the shape of her eyes or the curl of her hair. Every comment she made resonated with him. Her sighs and laughter beguiled.

  His jaguar had never been happier. The moment he’d taken Nina up against the oak tree, the jaguar had chomped at the bit, straining to bite and mark her. It took turns rolling before her on the floor like a friendly kitten and stalking her as its natural prey.

  As staggering as the thought might be, he knew it wouldn’t be long before he was heads over heels in love with her. Hell, he might be already.

  Which was why he needed to focus here. The men had regrouped to plan a defense of Gemini Island. After Killian’s parents had departed, shouting threats to all and sundry, they’d known they could no longer take a lax stance on security. They’d never needed much security. With an island of shifters, humans naturally tended to stay away. However, the threat now came from other shifters and they needed to be prepared.

  “Seriously, though, dudes,” Connor interjected. “Sex with one woman for the rest of your lives? You all need your heads examined.”

  “What do you know?” Lloyd, a long-mated bear, chimed in. “Elaine and I have been together for years and it just gets better and better.”

  Connor grinned. “Oh yeah? Maybe I should lure the lovely Elaine away from you, old friend.”