by Milly Taiden
“Kasen, how much are we going to eat? This basket is getting heavy, even for a shifter.” She laughed.
He straightened from bending over for the fridge. “Sorry, I didn’t know what you liked, so I got it all. There’s more—“
“I think this will do quite nicely, unless the whole pack is stopping by.” A smile tugged at her lips.
He winked and her pussy reminded her she wanted sex. “Nope, just you and me, baby. Talking and sharing.”
* * *
Picnic blanket splayed under an old live oak tree, Andi lay back and moaned. “Kasen, I ate too much. I’m gonna die.”
“I’m right behind you, baby. But damn, the fillet was delicious. Second best thing I’ve ever eaten.” He rubbed his belly.
Curiosity wouldn’t kill this cat, so fuck not asking. “What’s the first?” His head turned toward her. The want and desire in his eyes made her girly parts tingle. “Oh,” was all she could say. He quickly looked away.
She had a feeling after his “off the menu” comment earlier, he’d got it in his head that they weren’t having sex tonight. We’ll see about that. In a little bit. She was too stuffed to move.
“More sharing time.” Andi grinned at him. He playfully groaned. “Okay, this is the lightning round. I say the item and you spit out the answers as fast as you can. Just back and forth. Got it?”
“Sure, have at it, beautiful.”
She scrunched her nose and her eyes suddenly lit. “Favorite color.”
He licked his lips, and she bit back a moan. “Blue.”
“Morning or night,” she mumbled.
“Night.” The word came out growly. Oh, lord. She needed to get laid.
“Favorite number.”
His right brow shot up as he looked at her. “I don’t have a favorite number. Who has a favorite number?”
She giggled. “Just say one, quick.”
“All right, twenty-two.”
“Twenty-two? Why that one?” she asked.
He threw his hands into the air. “You said pick a number, woman. And I did. Twenty-two happens to be a very popular number. Emmet Smith in football wore number twenty-two. Roger Clemens wore twenty-two. Amazing baseball pitcher.”
“All right, I get it, already. You ask me something now.”
He gazed over the slow moving water several yards from them. He really was playing hard to get—pretending not to pay attention to her. She’d fix that.
She turned toward the water, too. This was a wide section of the river, fairly slow flowing also. During summer, she imagined kids would come up to the little beach and splash around the rocky edge. With the slow current, it was probably safe to swim out a distance before needing to turn back. They had a similar spot in the pride’s river.
She cocked an ear to listen downstream. The current sounded like it picked up speed, which meant the channel probably narrowed. Farther down, splashing and fast flowing water hinted at becoming very rocky and dangerous. And…was that a waterfall? No way, that would be so cool to see. Their river didn’t even have white water, being too deep in their section.
He turned to her, finally coming up with his question for her. “Okay, dearest Andi, what do you do for fun? Any hobbies?”
Ah, perfect question. This was an opportunity to test his grit. His reaction to her “hobby” would show if he was a man she could live with or not. If he passed, which she seriously doubted, she’d give him a serious chance.
TWENTY-THREE
“I like to noodle.”
Kasen remained quiet for moment. Like she figured, he had no clue what she was talking about. He didn’t love the outdoors like she did. Nope, wouldn’t work between them.
He still didn’t look at her. “I caught a sixty-pound cat at last year’s state fair.”
She bolted straight up. “You so did not. I read that in the local paper.” She could not believe him. “No freaking way that was you!”
“Yes, freaking way.” He lifted his arm and rubbed a hand over it. “You should’ve seen how torn up my arm was from its teeth. Had to shift to heal it.”
“Oh,” she scrunched her nose, “you stick your arm down the catfish’s throat to catch them?”
“Of course. What’s your definition of noodling? Cooking gallons of spaghetti?”
She threw a piece of roll at him. “No, of course not. We cats have finesse and speed. We don’t have to choke the damn things.”
“So you think you can catch a bigger fish than I can? Are you up for a challenge?”
She rolled her eyes. “It’s always the biggest with you men. Noodling is an art form of patience, technique, and availability.”
“What’s availability got to do with it?”
She turned to face him, sitting with legs crossed. “It’s not how big or long the fish is, it’s how well you catch it. Can you get it to follow a lead, nibble on your finger thinking it’s food? Can you trick the thing into virtually catching itself? That, my friend, is noodling in its purest form.”
“That’s nice and all, but that wouldn’t win you the one hundred dollar first place prize.” She laughed and he smiled. A genuine Kasen Steel smile, no arrogance, no alpha machoism, no BS. Nothing but him and her.
Then Andi remembered what she said to herself before noodling came up. If he passed this test, she would give him a serious chance. Well, he passed with flying colors. But one more pop quiz, and if he succeeds, she’d date him. All or nothing.
With a sly smile, she leaned forward, closer to Kasen. Slowly, gliding toward him, her eyes never leaving his, letting the tension build. She ran her tongue across her bottom lip, perhaps a bit of a tease, just for fun. She smelled his want, his desire. Was she “still off the menu”?
Her cheek brushed his in a slow rub. He swallowed hard. Then she whispered into his ear, as sexily as she could, “Noodle with me, right now.” She jumped up and ran for the narrow beach entry to the river.
“Hey,” he sprang to his feet. “Wait for me!” Andi stopped on the sand and removed her shoes and sweater. She hiked her dress high on her thighs and headed for the water. “This looks like a good place to fish. Is it?”
Kasen slipped off his shoes and socks, both this time, not just the one, and hurried after her. “Actually, this is the best place to noodle in this area. The water is calm enough for the fish to mate and lay eggs. When the river’s low, you can see the holes they burrow into the bank.”
Andi squealed when her feet touched the water. It was cold enough to freeze your balls off. Her cat lent its heat, keeping her warm. Much better. Thank you. Kasen came up behind her. He didn’t shiver, so she assumed his wolf did the same as her cat with regulating body heat.
“Over here.” He led her to where a big tree was halfway unrooted by the river’s erosion. Moss and grass tangled in the roots, making a nice hidey-hole. The bank side for quite a distance each direction was entirely forest to the very edge of the water. She saw where other trees had fallen in from losing their root base or simply breaking.
The water wasn’t very deep, mid-thigh to Andi. She wondered if any fish were around. It was getting closer to sunset, about the right time for them to feed. A dark shadow floated by her legs.
“Kasen, there’s a fish. If it turns around, I might be able to catch it.” Ever so slowly, Andi dipped her hand into the water, only her index finger pointing down. The fish turned her direction. Again, with slow, conscious movement, Andi wiggled her finger, barely moving the water. When the fish was near enough, her cat sent fur down her finger to float in the water as she inched it forward. The goal was to make the tip look like possible food, not something foreign.
As she edged closer to where the fish circled, keeping its distance at first, it darted nearer and nearer. Soon, it followed her finger, trying to nibble on it. She led it to the perfect position, then using feline speed and accuracy, she plunged her other hand in and wrapped it around the fish.
She lifted it above her head in victory. “Woo-hoo! Score
one for beauty over brute.”
“All right, all right.” Kasen held a smirk as she released the fish into the water. “I’m impressed, hot stuff. It was very ballet-like.” His fingers wriggled in the air as his arms fluttered. She laughed. He was so cute when it was really him. He looked so much younger, so much happier. She’d make a point of coming here often when he was stressed. That was if they were together. Not when.
Kasen said, “Let’s see what I can do.”
To her delight, he slipped his shirt off and draped it on the roots hanging over the side. Shit. She wiped at her mouth to make sure she wasn’t drooling. Memories of his strong abs flexing and relaxing as he pumped in and out of her made her hot. The water carried away her scent, for the most part, so she was safe from embarrassment. Until she blushed, giving herself away at thinking dirty thoughts.
“I see those flushed cheeks, my sweets. In just one minute, I’ll show you what else I can do with my hands besides noodling.”
Oh, fuck. She needed her whole body dunked in the cold water. She slithered behind the mossy root curtain, to hide her face and watch him on the other side.
Kasen bent from the waist, his entire arm under the water. His shoulders and chest rolled smoothly, like a well-oiled machine. Sex machine. She chastised herself for always going back to sex. But damn, it was so freaking good with him.
His focus was intense, like he was listening for the fish, feeling the water for its presence.
A pin pricked the back of her neck and she slapped at it, figuring it to be a mosquito. Whatever it was, it was still embedded in her neck. She pulled it out and before she could look at it, her world turned dark.
TWENTY-FOUR
Kasen focused intensely on his task at hand. He was one with the water, one with nature. He felt each vibration in the water, each movement to hone in on his prey. A fish was here, a big one. Waiting for dinner to come by. He stretched out his being encasing the life around him.
His muscles tightened, preparing for the catch. Then a distant gasp barely registered in his brain. He chose to ignore it, but his wolf didn’t.
Danger and the need to protect drove through him so quickly, he almost subconsciously shifted. He jumped back and looked around, trying to figure out what happened to him. Then he saw Andi’s floating body headed downstream.
He kicked into a freestyle stroke, desperate to catch her before she reached the rough water and the falls. His insides were ready to explode with fear. He’d never been this scared in his life, and it wasn’t even about him dying. But he’d prefer to be the one to go. He wouldn’t want to live without Andi in his life.
The current flowed faster than he expected. Why did it seem so lazy when watching from the shore? As the channel narrowed, the water picked up speed. In an instant, she was farther away than before.
His wolf could do nothing to help. A four legged animal wasn’t any faster swimming than a human. Both felt helpless. Begging for strength from his wolf, Kasen was able to gain ground. He kicked furiously, driving forward. Time was running out. The rapids were approaching quickly. Hopefully a fallen tree would snag her before they got too close.
Andi slid over a shallow dip into a rockier section. No trees or logs were in the water to stop her advance. She slipped around boulders and eddies, stuck in the main current headed downstream.
He was getting closer, but with nothing to slow Andi down, he had no hope of reaching her in time. Ahead, water pushed her back onto a flat-top rock. But that wouldn’t last long with the sweeping movement dragging against her legs. But the delay let him get closer.
Reaching out, he snagged her fingers, but her hand was ripped away with a side current. He tried harder, pushing his body past physical limitations. His legs and knees smashed against boulders and debris in the water. His feet scraped and were cut from sharp rocks and sticks along the river bed shallows. He’d pay for it later, but if Andi survived, his pain would be well worth it.
The roar of water crashing at the bottom of the falls filled his ears. The water gained momentum, smoothly flowing toward the drop. He was so close to her. In one last effort, he thrust forward and tangled his hands in her hair. He pulled her to him and wrapped around her as he felt the bottom fall out from under them.
For eternity, they fell. Slamming into the pool below with such force, it took his breath away. That was fine for a second. It wasn’t like he could breathe underwater anyway. His wolf kept him from losing consciousness, driving the emotions to stay alive and save the love of his life. With Andi in his arms, he couldn’t fight the continuous press of the water coming from above. If he didn’t get out now, Andi would die.
Time passed slowly, yet in the blink of an eye. The whole terrifying journey couldn’t have been more than a couple minutes, but it took forever to live through. With determination, Kasen plowed through the water toward the bank and dragged Andi out.
He immediately began CPR, pumping her chest in a rhythmic daze. One and two and three and four and… “C’mon, cat. Don’t let her die. Bring her out of it.” He hoped her animal heard his plea, because there was nothing else he could do.
Andi’s body jerked. He rolled her onto her side and she coughed out water. Her eyes opened briefly, but rolled up after the water flowed from her mouth. He put his ear to her chest. Her heart beat and lungs expanded on their own.
Emotions so intense rocketed him, there was only one way to release. He dropped his head back and let out a howl that would carry for miles. Everyone who heard would drop what they were doing and hurry to the alpha house, including the shifter doctor.
TWENTY-FIVE
Kasen paced his bedroom, waiting for the doctor to give his diagnosis. In the living room, several of the pack had gathered to lend support and see what the alpha needed done. Even though whispers were low, he heard conversations discussing his mate.
Some were fine with having a lioness as an alpha mate. As long as Kasen was happy. Others, mostly mothers with single daughters, weren’t so welcoming. At the moment, he didn’t care what they thought. If they didn’t like his choice, they could leave the pack to live elsewhere.
The doctor pulled his stethoscope from his ears and sighed. “All her vitals are normal. Her heart sounds good and lungs are clear. No bumps on the head. I don’t know why she’s still unconscious, Kasen. There’s more going on here than I can see without tests.”
He nodded. “Thanks for coming so quickly, Doc. I appreciate it.”
“Not a problem. If she doesn’t wake before morning, I’d like to setup an IV to keep her from dehydrating.” Kasen paled. “No worries, son. Just precautionary. Want to keep her healthy for her body to heal itself.” Doc patted a hand on Kasen’s shoulder then walked out.
Kasen stepped out and called Spike into the room.
“Hey, what did the doctor say?” Spike asked.
Kasen shrugged. “She’s physically fine, but no reason for her to be out.”
“Have you tried talking to her cat yet?”
“No, that’s what I wanted to talk with you about. Can you keep everything under control while I shift? I’m mainly meaning my mother. I’m surprised she hasn’t shown yet. She must be in town shopping or something.”
“Yeah, sure. I’ll release everyone who’s here. I heard some of the ladies wanted to bring some food over to help out.”
“That’d be great. I’ll never turn down food.”
Spike grunted. “I know, right. I got it covered, alpha. Do what you need.”
“Thanks, man.” Kasen waited for Spike to close the door behind him before taking off his damp pants. He hadn’t taken the time to change from the river yet. He really wanted to crawl onto the bed and snuggle with his love. He needed to see if he could talk with her animal first.
Quickly morphing onto four legs, he padded up to the bed and laid his head on her arm. His tongue snaked out for a fast kiss on her hand. He took a deep breath and relaxed, opening himself to her. Her cat was there but sluggish. Images of Andi’
s last seconds flashed in his head: her slapping at a bug on her back, that wasn’t a bug. He saw fingers from her point of view pull out the cause of the sting. He glimpsed a little red feather before she blacked out. The little red feather of a tranq dart.
Anger and hatred coursed through him. Someone purposely endangered her. They intentionally wanted his mate to drown. He was going to explode if he didn’t get out of there. He let out another howl and Spike came running. When the door opened, Kasen ran out. One of the members on their way out the front door stepped back and held it open. He slashed past, almost a blur.
Run, run, more. He needed to wear himself down before the animal got it in his mind to kill everyone in the pack to make sure the person who attacked his mate was killed. He headed toward their picnic spot. Maybe he could sniff out the soon-to-be dead man.
Panting heavily, Kasen’s wolf slowed to a trot along the river’s side. He looked for the tree roots past the beach where they stood before Andi floated away. He sniffed the area for clues. Her scent with a touch of fear was all that remained. Either the culprit used block or had no smell, which wasn’t possible. Carefully searching the ground, he found a place where the leaves were particularly disturbed, like someone had stood and moved around the tree. It had a clear view to the roots.
Fuck. No smell. No way to ID the guy. Frustration mounted again. He wanted to tear something apart. Rip it from limb to limb until the anger in him faded. The wolf took off at high speed again. Run, run, more.
Finally wore down, the wolf dragged home through the backyard, around the pool and gardens to the front. The sun was almost down, bringing in cool night air. Spike jumped up from the porch swing and opened the unlocked front door. Kasen chuffed, remembering the fiasco only a few hours ago.
