Andromeda's Fall (Shadowcat Nation)

by Abigail Owen

  He turned and took her in, the colors and patterns of her coat so like his, covering her more delicate bone structure. After a long, breathless moment he gave her a wink. She shook her head and bit back a smile, not wanting to encourage him. Then he nodded toward the lockers and turned his back to give her some privacy. She wasted no time, shifting instantly back to her human form.

  The change came so fast that if you blinked too long, you’d miss it. There was no warning or sound. Just an instant, and suddenly where a mountain lion once stood, there was now a woman. Rising from her hands and knees, she moved to the locker she’d stored her clothes in and started dressing quickly.

  “None of your sentries challenged me,” she said as she slid on her jeans.

  “What do you mean?”

  Andie peeked over her shoulder at the sound of his voice and caught an eyeful of possibly the most gorgeous behind she’d ever seen on a man, taut and muscled, and… She whipped her head back around and concentrated on dressing and answering his question.

  “Carstairs encouraged his best guards to challenge each other. He felt it kept them in place.”

  “Yeah, well, the Keller Dare has strict rules about infighting. It’s self-destructive, and if we’re going to function as a group, we can’t encourage behavior like that.” A.J. sounded irritated.

  “Hey, I never agreed with the practice. I always felt that all of our defenders should work in harmony, and they’d never find that with internal challenges.”

  A.J. was silent for a long moment. “Did anyone ever challenge you?” he asked gruffly.

  “Sure,” Andie replied casually as she hooked her bra. “But I never let them win.”

  She heard him chuckle, and her shoulders relaxed a little. She didn’t feel like reliving the countless memories of the challenges that’d come her way. Especially at first. By the time she’d gained the position of Strategist, the challenges from her colleagues had become a thing of the past for the most part. She’d earned their respect. The hard way.

  After a few minutes of silence, Andie asked, “Are you decent?” When no answer came, she twitched her shoulders but didn’t look around. “A.J.?” she called.

  She felt his breath on her neck a split second before his low voice sounded in her ear. “You did a good job finding that spot on the rock for a watch point. I don’t think any of our sentries have tried it. Clear, wide range to view, and difficult to spot you. It took me quite some time to track you. Is it completely inappropriate to say that your skills are pretty hot?”

  Andie, already fighting the shivers his warm breath on her ear had caused, compressed her lips and forced herself to not react.

  “A.J.,” she warned.

  She felt his deep sigh as much as she heard it.

  “Inappropriate then,” he said, resignation in his voice. “Well, since I’m already across the line, I might as well add that I find it extremely sexy that your coloring matches mine.”

  She felt his lips feather over the line of her jaw, down her neck, and across her shoulder. Before she acted on the urge to turn and plaster her body against his, she stepped away. Folding her arms defensively over her chest, she turned and faced him.

  “I can’t,” she said.

  Instead of getting angry, he gave her a lopsided grin. “I’m telling you, we would work great together. You need a strong mate in his dare, and I—”

  “Only Keller could face off against Kyle. I need an Alpha.” She ignored his growl of irritation. “Besides, lust is just clouding your judgment right now.”

  He tipped his head to the side. “I’m man enough, Andie. And you think this is only lust? You don’t think I know you?”

  “Absolutely. To both.”

  “I know you, Andromeda Reynolds. I know you’re brave and strong and smart. I also know this isn’t just lust.”

  At her skeptical look, he held up his hands. “Don’t get me wrong. The need to touch you, every inch of you, is definitely riding me hard. But this connection between us goes deeper than that. And the fact that our marriage would protect you from Kyle Carstairs— well, that’s just a bonus. I’d still ask you even if he weren’t part of the picture.”

  Andie closed her eyes. He was just too compelling for her own good. But he wasn’t part of the plan. Jaxon Keller was still her best option, and she’d accepted that. As a stranger and as the leader, she’d have no qualms asking him for that honor. But despite A.J.’s words just now, she just couldn’t tie him down to someone he didn’t love. She wouldn’t do it. Not to him.

  She opened her eyes, and he read the resignation in them. “I can’t,” she whispered.

  “I’m not going to stop trying,” he said.

  “Why do you care so much?”

  “Ask me after we’re mated and married.”

  She chuckled. “You’re incorrigible.”

  “But irresistible, too, right?” He waggled his eyebrows.

  She choked out a laugh, and he held out his hand to her. “Come on, darlin’. I’ll walk you back to your room.”

  She headed toward him and then right past him without taking his hand. As he followed her out the door, he muttered, “Stubborn woman.” She could hear the grin in his voice.

  Chapter 10

  “You can’t keep going on this way,” Hannah said, as she barged into the room where Jaxon was holding his daily meeting with his Commanders and Protectors.

  Jaxon and the others immediately stood. Hannah waved them back to their seats with an impatient hand tempered by a quick smile. Jaxon demanded good, old-fashioned manners in his dare, and Hannah, at least, appreciated it.

  Jaxon sat back down. “This is a private meeting, you realize.”

  Hannah ignored him, unimpressed, and took her own seat. “These guys are all well aware of the situation.” Then she looked him directly in the eyes. “She’s going nuts, cooped up in my room for hours at a time.”

  Jaxon leaned forward and placed his elbows on the table. “She hasn’t mentioned anything to me.” He glanced around, and the others all shook their heads.

  “Well, she wouldn’t, would she?” Hannah said. Her tone implied quite clearly that she considered his not realizing this fact made him a bit dense.

  “Has she said so to you?” he asked.

  “Yes, we’ve talked about it. But more than that, I can see it. She’s changed. Even for Andie, she’s moodier and easier to rile.”

  Jaxon drummed his fingers on the table. He’d seen that as well. “You two have certainly gotten close in only ten days.”

  Hannah just shrugged.

  “So why wouldn’t she talk to me?” he continued.

  Hannah sighed. “She thinks she’s still being tested. That her confinement is part of the trials to join the dare.”

  Jaxon kept his thoughts carefully hidden while mentally he was smacking himself in the head. Of course, Andie would think that.

  “We aren’t testing her anymore,” Charlie insisted. “We’ve started using our training time to exchange ideas rather than check out her skills. And she’s alone on patrol every third night.”

  “But you confine her to my room any moment she’s not with you. She’s crawling out of her skin!”

  “You know why we have to do that,” Jaxon murmured.

  Hannah waved a hand in the air. “To make sure her presence here isn’t discovered. With only those in defender positions aware she exists, it’ll hide her from Carstairs longer. I get it. But I’m guessing keeping her cooped up is just as much about making sure she doesn’t discover who you really are.”

  Jaxon gave a noncommittal shrug.

  “It’s dangerous to keep a mountain lion confined too long. You know that,” Hannah said.

  That was certainly true. Cougars naturally had the widest roaming range of any of the cats and did not handle restriction well. Too much could result in aggression, or worse, she could snap completely, shift, and never come back.

  “We’ll discuss it,” he muttered.

 
“But—” Hannah paused, catching his expression, and bit her lip. She nodded. “All right. Thanks.”

  Gracefully she rose and exited the room. Jaxon watched her leave, frustrated with himself that he hadn’t realized earlier that this would happen. He turned to his men. “Suggestions?”

  “We can’t let her loose in the dare, yet,” William said. “Hiding her from Carstairs is critical, and the fewer that are aware of her presence here, the better.”

  “Agreed,” Pete said. “So we have to continue to keep her confined.”

  Jaxon had already reached that conclusion.

  “We could spend time with her in there.” All eyes turned on Dylan. He shrugged and explained. “If she has to be cooped up, let’s keep her company. And also clue her in as to why. She’ll accept it better if she knows it’s not a test.”

  “Cougars are solitary creatures. You think confinement plus companionship might not send her over the edge?” William asked. “Or us, for that matter?”

  Jaxon shook his head. “I can’t risk all of us like that. But I’ll try it out and keep her company myself.”

  “Seriously, boss, it’d be no prob— ouch!” Charlie turned to glare at Dylan, whose elbow had just landed in his ribs. “What the hell?”

  “You really want him to take your head off, don’t you?” Dylan muttered.

  Jaxon kept his usual enigmatic expression and said nothing. Truth was, he did think of Andie as his. There was the undeniable physical connection between them. But beside that, Jaxon had another reason he’d yet to reveal. One he wouldn’t bring up unless absolutely necessary.

  “Oh,” Charlie said, rubbing his side. “Sorry, boss.”

  Jaxon gave him a brief nod to show there were no hard feelings and then rose to his feet. “Unless there’s anything else to discuss?” When no one offered any other topics, he left the room.

  He stopped by his office to grab some paperwork and a spare, unused laptop. Then he returned to his room, where he showered and changed. Finally he stood in front of Hannah’s door. He raised his hand to knock and then hesitated. It was silly, but he felt a little jittery. He hadn’t been nervous about spending time with a girl since… well… ever.

  “You going to just stand there?” Andie’s voice made him jump. And then he heard her soft chuckle through the door.

  He gritted his teeth, trying not to laugh. “All right. Open up.”

  The locks clicked, and then the little spitfire was in front of him, eyebrows raised, hands on hips. “May I help you?”

  He held up the laptop. “I came to bring you this. You going to let me in, or are you just going to stand there?”

  Her lips twitched, but she stepped back and led him to the couch in Hannah’s sitting room. She took the proffered device, flipped open the lid, and then looked at him. “What’s this for?”

  He had to be careful. If he told her he was here to keep her company, she’d have him out in the hall on his ass in seconds. Andie was proud. She’d take his actions as a sign that he thought her weak, incapable of dealing with the captivity. That wasn’t the case.

  “I’d like you to start putting together some training programs as well as some defensive strategies for the dare,” he said. “Can you do that for me?”

  She narrowed her eyes, but after a moment she nodded. “Aren’t you afraid I’ll use this to communicate with Carstairs?”

  “I trust you.”

  She gave a little derisive laugh. “Since when?”

  “Since the day you met the Protectors and Commanders and walked us through all that info on Carstairs but refused to provide the defensive system details. You were protecting those who are still innocent in your old dare – loyalty is an admirable trait.”

  Her lips twisted skeptically, but she said nothing.

  “Andie, your tests stopped a long time ago,” he continued. “Or hadn’t you noticed?”

  She remained unconvinced, her mouth compressed, her eyes narrowed. “Then why am I still confined to quarters?”

  Jaxon sighed. Hannah had been right. He’d have to thank her later for speaking up. “We want to keep your exposure to the dare to a minimum. The fewer people who are aware of you, the less likely word will get back to Carstairs about your presence here.”

  Andie relaxed. The dropping of her shoulders was infinitesimal, but Jaxon was learning to read the little clues she gave about what she was thinking. Finally, she grimaced. “Makes sense.”

  “But you’re going stir crazy?” Jaxon guessed.

  “Kinda,” she muttered. She pulled her shoulders back. “But nothing I can’t handle.”

  “Well, the computer should help give you something to do at least. So let’s get you set up.”

  She nodded and hit the power button.

  “It takes a little bit, so I brought some work with me,” Jaxon mentioned casually.

  “Cool.”

  Andie stared at the screen and looked at him expectantly when it hummed and flickered to life.

  Setup took some time, particularly waiting for software to load. Rather than working during the down time, they talked. And for once it had nothing to do with Carstairs, Keller, or fighting. It started out light enough. He noticed the book she’d been reading, and they got to chatting about it.

  Once they had the computer set up, Andie gave him a smile. “Well, thanks. Guess I’ll get to work.”

  “Do you mind if I sit here. I haven’t even got started, but I’m already settled. And you can bounce any of your ideas off me if you want to.”

  She shrugged. “Suit yourself.”

  Jaxon hid his satisfaction and pulled out his paperwork and his own laptop. After about ten minutes, Andie relaxed, and they worked in quiet harmony the rest of the evening.

  Chapter 11

  A brief rap on the door had Andie looking up from the video of her training with A.J. and his men today.

  “Come in,” she called.

  A.J. popped his head around the door and grinned. “Hey.”

  Andie smiled back. A.J. had been making it a habit to drop by these last few weeks. She didn’t want to admit it, but she kinda liked his company. Kinda.

  Seeing that he didn’t come in all the way, she patted the seat beside her. “Don’t be shy.”

  A.J. chuckled. “I have something to show you.”

  “What?”

  He held out his hand. “You’ll see.”

  Andie narrowed her eyes as she slowly got up from her comfy spot on the couch. “I’m not much for surprises.”

  “What a shocker,” he said dryly. “But indulge me. You’ll like this one.”

  Andie sighed. “Okay.”

  She followed him from the room, down the hall a few doors to stop in front of one. A.J. pulled out a key, and, with a flourish, he opened the door and beckoned her inside. Andie looked around with interest. It looked like a nice, single-bedroom apartment, cozily done up in colors that appealed to her wild cougar’s heart – all browns and blues and greens.

  She turned to A.J. with eyebrows raised. “Nice. So?”

  “It’s for you,” he said, leaning casually against the kitchen counter.

  Andie tipped her head and then took a closer look around the space. “Really?”

  A.J. shook his head at her with a smirk. “Oh, ye of little faith.”

  Andie just regarded him, skepticism in every inch of her wary stance.

  “Nick gets back tomorrow. We need to stick you somewhere.”

  Andie’s mouth twitched. “Now that I believe. But why my own apartment?”

  A.J. shrugged. “With Nick coming home you can’t stay with Hannah. We’re trying to keep you a secret from most of the dare, and the only other cats you know are the guards.”

  Looking around, she nodded. “I could handle this.” She didn’t add that it would be nice to have her own space finally. Much as she loved Hannah, she could use some alone time. Andie turned and walked to the wall of windows that faced an inner courtyard. Out of sheer habit, she started
checking the alarm and safety measures.

  “Why do you do that?” A.J.’s voice at her side caused her to jump a little. Dang. Snuck up on her again.

  “Do what?”

  “You do it in every new room you enter, check everything – alarms, cameras, exits. You know you do. Are you afraid of Carstairs finding you here?”

  Andie chewed at the inside of her cheek. Sure, she’d gotten a little closer to A.J. these last weeks, but should she tell him? Andie moved to the couch and flopped down. “This started long before Carstairs,” she began.

  A.J. said nothing, just followed to sit beside her.

  “When I was six years old, my mother went on a diplomatic mission seeking other types of shifters for treaties either with the Carstairs Dare or the Shadowcat Nation. My father was occupied with a coyote attack on the Carstairs northern borders, so I went with Mom. They felt it was safer that way.”

  Andie paused and glanced at A.J., who appeared to be listening attentively. He nodded for her to continue.

  “My mother was a very charismatic and charming woman, but also very strategically smart. It made her excellent at diplomacy. The types of animals we were looking to find were similar to cougars – loners who would make good allies against the pack animals.”

  Andie swallowed. This next bit was the hard part.

  “We’d been gone about a month and were up in Northern Canada in a cabin with some other shifters – I was six so I don’t really remember the details of who or what.”

  She paused again, lost in thought about a dark-haired boy three or four years older than she was at the time. He’d played games with her. He’d grossed her out by making her sardine sandwiches. He’d watched her while her mother was busy. For a few days, it was like having an older brother.