by Ciana Stone
The life of a rancher wasn’t glamorous or prestigious and often the end of the day brought little more than chores accomplished and tired muscles. Still, there was something about it, working with animals, with the land and being part of it.
He’d been a child of the city for too long, he realized. And he’d been away from his son for too long. Michael had spent the day with him on Sunday and the time had gone far too quickly. John Luke was looking forward to summer when Michael would be staying with him until school started back.
He smelled it before he heard the sound and jerked out of his thoughts. A mountain lion. Two seconds later, he heard the low growl. Slowly he turned his head, his eyes scanning the landscape.
It was only a moment before the horse whinnied and pranced, clearly sensing the presence of the cat. John Luke looked around. He’d chosen the far paddock because there was less distraction there. At present, only he and the horse were within sight.
John Luke dismounted, climbed the fence, and hurried to a stand of nearby trees. Once he was free of his clothes, he crouched down and focused his mind.
The first pangs of transformation hit like being punched in the gut and spread quickly—a wave of pain that had every muscle and bone shrieking, consciousness threatening to flee.
And then it was over. The pain was gone. He raised his head and sniffed the air. There. One more whiff and he was in motion. On the silent feet of a predator, his movements smooth and fluid, he flew across the landscape.
Movement from off to the left had him suddenly turning. Then he saw it. A hundred yards away, ears laid back and waiting.
There was a split second of indecision. John Luke, the man, trapped inside the cat body was hesitant to attack, but the cat nature he’d shifted into demanded that he protect his territory.
No sooner did he leap forward than the other cat turned tail and ran. That was fine. The thrill of the chase was intoxicating. John Luke forgot about his clothes and the horse he’d left behind, about the chores on the ranch or the state of his human affairs. Nothing else mattered but the chase.
On and on they ran. John Luke realized how evenly matched they were. The lead the other cat had started with had not diminished by much. Much to his surprise, that changed abruptly. The other cat suddenly stopped and sniffed the air.
That was all the time it took. John Luke saw the arrow embed into the cat’s neck. He literally slid to a stop, crouched low in a crowd of bushes, and watched the cat try to shake free of the offending barb. It looked like the arrow was tipped with some kind of dart. Tranquilizer?
At almost the moment the question registered in his mind, he heard it. Footsteps. He turned to look and was stunned. Dressed in shorts and a tank top, with her hair pulled back in a long braid, Iliana James carried a bow as she ran in the direction of the cat she’d shot.
The man inside the cat couldn’t help but appreciate the sight. She looked like some Amazonian warrior woman, strong and sexy, her pace swift and her footsteps sure. He took the time to look for the other cat. It was on the move. There was no way she’d catch it. Drugs would take at least a minute, maybe a lot longer.
He’d have put money on the cat outrunning her. No human could move that fast. So how was it that she was gaining on the cat, flying over the terrain, legs and arms pumping like pistons?
John Luke started after her, following at a safe distance but determined to watch and see what happened. It was obvious that the drugs were working because the cat being pursued stumbled, weaved, and then bolted forward again on legs that seemed to have lost strength.
That’s when Iliana made her move. She tossed her bow aside and literally dived at the cat. They both went down, her on top, with the cat screaming and trying to turn its head to bite or twist its body to use its claws on her.
“Be still!” she commanded.
John Luke lost a step and literally fell on his face in shock when the cat obeyed. Iliana pushed it onto the ground and sat on its back. “Just relax. I won’t hurt you.”
The drugs had obviously taken hold because the cat’s body went limp. And then it started to change.
“What the—“ Iliana jumped up and backed away, her eyes on the cat as it shifted into the form of a very big man.
“Shit,” she muttered. “Not again.”
That’s when John Luke decided that the best course of action was to high-tail it back to the ranch. He was a little rattled. There was another shifter in the area. But who? It wasn’t anyone he knew.
But it could be someone his father knew. His dad had shown up this morning with three men in tow, a Vampire, a Daemon, and a Shifter. That sounded like a really bad fairy tale joke. Nevertheless, he’d lived it, so he knew it to be true.
They’d wanted his help to tell Iliana James who she really was. John Logan had almost scoffed at the tale. A Scythian Warrior, a Royal Guard for the King of the Fae? That went way beyond fantasy. And yet, it was by all accounts true.
He’d agreed to help, thinking that once she knew the truth about herself, she’d not find it so unbelievable or frightening that he was a Shifter. Now that he’d seen her chase that cat, he was a bit more eager to see her. John Luke had seen a lot of beautiful and sexy women and had bedded his fair share of them, but he’d never seen any woman who could compare to Iliana as he’d seen her today.
She was magnificent, appearing every bit the warrior, and even in cat form he was aroused. With a vision of her in his mind, he moved across the landscape as fast as his four legs would carry him, eager to get home and ready for his date.
Iliana looked at the face of her phone, hit the ignore button, and shoved the phone back into the holster hanging from her belt. She wasn’t dealing with anyone or anything until the man she had locked in the cage woke up, which should be any minute now.
She’d studied him as he lay unconscious. Steve Tyson. He’d shown up two days ago with papers to show his appointment as one of the park rangers assigned to her Center.
She had not questioned it. He was affable, very big and strong, and his work history was impressive. It had not, of course, included anything about being capable of changing into a cat.
What kind of creature was he, to be able to that? She’d watched it happen and aside from a healthy dose of fear, the change also provided a big helping of curiosity.
That curiosity had prompted her to examine him physically while he was unconscious. There was nothing to indicate he was anything other than human. She wanted to take a DNA swab and some blood but knew that would be a violation of his rights and so refrained.
Still, she watched and pondered and became more puzzled with each passing minute. Why was she not more freaked out? This was the second time in less than a week she’d seen an animal transform into a man. Well, to be honest, it was the first time she’d witnessed it. She had not seen the wolf transform into John Luke Legacy, but she knew it had happened.
But the question was, why was she not more terrified? People who transform into animals? Aside from myths and legends about Native American skinwalkers and horror tales about werewolves, such things were not supposed to exist.
Except in Gran’s tales. That inner voice had her mind traveling back in time to the darkness. That time when existence was little more than a sea of darkness and the sound of a voice. The stories that voice wove kept her from being lost in the darkness, alone and adrift. It gave her something to hold onto, something to anchor her to some semblance of reality. Without it, she surely would have fallen, silently screaming out her sanity into the eternal darkness.
They came here so long ago, there is no date that can be assigned. Humankind had not yet crawled from the primordial muck. At first, this world did not hold much fascination. There was little to be found here. They were disinterested for a millennium or more, and then a curious traveler decided to make another foray here.
This time things were different. People were beginning to build cities. They were of more interest and so the traveler returned home to r
eport. Before long, more of them came. Some visited only for a short time. Others decided to stay. Here they were like supermen or gods. Despite their status at home, here they could be more.
Here, they would become the stuff of legend and fantasy, inspiring dreams and desires of countless generations.
Iliana was so lost in remembering her Gran’s words that she jumped when she realized someone had spoken her name. It was Steve. He sat with his back against the wall.
“I’m guessing you have some questions,” he said.
“To say the least.”
“You think maybe you could get me a pair of pants from the ranger quarters?”
“I suppose I could.”
“But?”
“But your nakedness doesn’t bother me, so I’m not as interested in covering you up as I am in hearing what the hell you are.”
“I think I might be able to help with that.”
Iliana jumped to her feet and turned to face John Luke. “What are you doing here?”
“We had a date, remember?”
Damn. She had forgotten. “I’m sorry.” She wasn’t going to lie. “I got caught up in…” She cut a look at Steve. How the heck was she going to explain having a naked man caged up? No, hold on. He’d said he could help. “What do you mean, you can help?”
John Luke walked over to the cage and extended his hand through the bars. “John Luke Legacy. Who sent you?”
Steve smiled and stood to approach the bars and clasp John Luke’s hand. “Connor Rockbridge. Name’s Steve Tyson. Nice to meet you. Wish it was under more…dignified circumstances.”
John Luke withdrew his hand and looked at Iliana. “Could you please let him out? I promise you he’s no threat.”
“Oh, and you know that because?”
His next words were shocking simply by virtue of being so unexpected. “Because my father sent him and he would not do anything to hurt you and because we both know he’s just like me.”
She couldn’t believe he’d just out and out admitted that he was some kind of Were-creature, but she admired his honesty. And she did believe that if Senator Legacy had sent Steve, he must be safe. She trusted the Senator.
“Fine.” She keyed in the passcode on the digital lock and stepped back as Steve pushed the door open.
“Thank you.” He said and nodded to John Luke. “I’ll be at the station if you need me.”
Iliana turned her attention to John Luke. “So, you were the wolf I tranked.”
“Not an experience I’d care to repeat.”
“No, I don’t imagine so. I’m sorry. Had I known it was you…” She stopped and despite her best effort not to, laughed. It seemed so preposterous; it was comical. “Oh my God, if I had known…” She went back to laughing, ignoring the puzzled look on John Luke’s face.
“Sorry.” She tried to pull herself out of it. After all, it really wasn’t funny. “I’m sorry. Sincerely. For laughing and knocking you out.”
“I might have done the same thing if I were in your shoes,” he replied graciously. “And I guess it’s no worse than getting tranquilized with an arrow.”
“You mean Steve? Well, I’ve had reports of ranchers losing stock lately, and I had no way of—“ She felt shock initiate battle-ready tension in her body. “Hold on. How could you have known I tranked him?”
“Because I was chasing him.”
“You were…no, you weren’t. There was no one around.”
“I stopped when I saw you and then followed.”
“No, I would have noticed, or heard you if you were on horseback.”
“But I wasn’t”
“You were on foot?”
“All four of them.”
Iliana held up both hands, palm out, in front of her. Obviously, this was a discussion they needed to have, but she was nearly at overload. Hearing John Luke admit that he could take on the shape of an animal right after witnessing her employee Steve do that very thing was threatening her wavering hold on any semblance of normalcy.
Not to mention, rousing fear. Iliana hated fear and would do anything in her power to combat it, but there was too much coming at her all at once. She needed to step back, mentally regroup. “Okay, time out. I’m tired, dirty, and hungry and I can’t deal with this until I’m clean and fed.”
“Yeah, I know. That’s what you were wearing when you shot Steve. Like I said, I watched you.” He approached her, and she couldn’t help but notice that his gait was like that of a predator, silent, smooth, and powerful.
Damn but she both loved and hated the purely female reaction watching him elicited. He stopped just inches from her. “You were magnificent. Strong and sexy, like a warrior princess, racing over the landscape with steps so sure it was like you were in command of the very earth beneath your feet.”
“So you were there. That really doesn’t add to my comfort level, John Luke."
John Luke turned and walked to the door. For a moment, she thought he was going to leave. Then he surprised her. He locked the door and turned to look at her. She felt a twitch in her belly as he walked toward her again.
His pace was unhurried and his smile seductive. Her gaze moved down the length of him and she felt goose bumps on her arms. It was clear he was excited. Would it be quick? Iliana looked up and locked eyes with him and her intentions changed. To hell with the rest of it. What she really wanted was standing right in front of her.
The moment he was close enough she grabbed the front of his pants. He let her yank him close and then surprised her by leaning in close and nipping her along the jawline.
God almighty, it was like throwing gas on a fire. She couldn’t snatch his shirt up fast enough. And damn if he didn’t have on a belt. Her fingers fumbled to unfasten it so she could get into his jeans.
“In a hurry?” His voice was a low growl and his hands hard as he took her breasts in his hands and squeezed.
“Hmm.“ She lifted her face to give him a soft nip in repayment.
Her breath whooshed out when he suddenly took hold of her arms and backed her up rather abruptly against the wall. She recovered and found a growl emerging from her own throat as she slipped her hand inside his fly and took hold of him. Oh yes. Hot and hard.
John Luke pressed his chest against her and pinned her firmly against the wall. She didn’t protest, even when he entwined his fingers with hers and forced her free hand out and wide, trapping it against the wall.
She didn’t protest when he captured an earlobe between his teeth and growled something she didn’t understand. He released her ear and went for her neck. She shook him off. “Ease up on the neck, big boy. There are better things to suck on.”
He pulled back and grinned. “Lift your leg.”
When she complied, he grabbed the heel of her boot and yanked it off, sock included. He kept her pinned by the hand he’d ground against the wall as he snatched off the remaining boot and sock, then thumbed the button of her shorts and shoved his hand inside.
“Commando, huh?”
“Laundry day.”
“Guess you put the bra in the wash, too.” His hand worked up, and his fingers pinched lightly on her nipple as his knee nudged between her legs. “Make room for me.”
She’d never been one to be willingly submissive, and as a rule would have sent a man crawling home to mama with a set of sore balls if he’d tried to boss her around. But John Luke? Something about him promised that he’d deliver what she craved, so she was willing to be ordered around a bit.
She spread her thighs and moaned when his fingers parted her.
“Mmm.” His voice was a low growl. “Wet. I like that.”
If her brain had not lost the ability to process more than one thing at a time, she could have responded, but at the moment it was consumed by the fireworks bursting behind her closed eyelids. John Luke’s middle finger circled her, just hard and rough enough to have her growing wetter by the moment.
She sensed him about to slide that finger inside him and bu
cked against his hand, taking him in up to the knuckle.
“Slow down there, tiger,” he whispered against her throat.
Slow down? Not a chance. She released his erection, worked her hand to the back of his shirt, bunched it in her hand, and gripped it like the reins of a bronc.
Her other hand, trapped against the wall, splayed her fingers wide when he started thrusting in and out, fast and oh-so-precise. Damn. This man had serious aim. Her abs burned from matching his cadence, but she didn’t care. The burn continued to intensify, as did the speed.
John Luke lowered his head and clamped his mouth over her breast, sucking through the thin fabric.
“Oh, damn.” She panted his name and it seemed to fuel his rhythm.
“Yeah, let me hear it,” he growled and crushed her mouth under his.
“Oh. Ahh, John Luke… that’s it. That’s … oh … Mmm.” A gasp escaped her when he abruptly abandoned all efforts, leaving her throbbing.
“What…”
Whatever she meant to say fled her mind. She couldn’t remember a damn thing because he’d just yanked her shorts down around her ankles and then pulled them off completely. He snaked an arm behind one of her legs as he stood and hoisted her up against him as if she weighed nothing.
At one-seventy-five on the last count, she didn’t weight “nothing.” Not by a long shot.
John Luke pinned her once more against the wall. Hard. Oh, this was going to be good.
With just enough time for her to hold onto his neck, he curled his spine. Typically, when a guy first entered, he’d either go at it like he’d forgotten how or didn’t want to hurt her. Not John Luke. Oh no. He took her just the way she liked it.
Like a man who knew exactly what he was doing. Iliana was a big girl. She could take quite a lot, in both size and girth. Not to mention vigor. She had curves, and she had muscles, and she wasn’t the least timid about going after what she wanted. And what she wanted right now was John Luke.
He rodeoed her up higher against the wall so he could curl his pelvis underneath and then he took her.
