by Marie Harte
Dedication
To my betas—Kim, Eniko, April—thanks for your valuable feedback.
Chapter One
Cougar Falls, Montana
Running fast and furious through the snow-covered mountains of Glacier National Park in freaking September—God, I miss Miami—Joy Bermin screeched a warning to any and all who thought to stand in her way. Currently outracing a black panther in her own four-footed cougar form, she reminded herself that being Ac-taw—a shapeshifter—truly was a blessing, and not the huge pain in the ass she’d been feeling lately.
She stopped in her tracks and listened, then sniffed at a familiar scent in the air. More feral canines. The woods seemed to be filled with wild female wolves lately. Maybe if the Gray Wolf Order would get itself together, the females might take a chance on dealing with the men in Cougar Falls instead of hiding out in the mountains.
As she thought about it, she considered her own circumstances and sighed. Her pride back in Miami had finally “gotten itself together”, yet she ran for her freedom from a stubborn cat determined to take her as mate. Quince. That idiot. That tall, dark, smoking-hot idiot.
She fumed as her libido again lit up over the arrogant cat. If he caught her out here, she’d never hear the end of his superiority. And knowing her shoddy willpower, she’d cave if he kissed her again. God, he had kissing down to an art. Just once, months ago, he’d planted one on her. But she still had dreams about his firm lips, his arousing scent, the feel of his rock-hard body…
A warning growl echoed way too close, and she hurried, swearing at herself for losing her focus. Crap. Quince sounded more than annoyed.
With a leap, she easily crested a five-foot gap and landed with sure feet on a large boulder. Then she clawed her way up a steep incline and caught her breath when she reached the top. Good timing, because she glanced over the edge of the ridge to see Quince glaring up at her.
“Get your ass down here. Right. Now.” He spoke telepathically, as familiar Ac-taw did in animal form. She’d passed wolves during her run but hadn’t allowed them to connect with her that way. Too bad she couldn’t close Quince off as well.
He flashed his fangs, flattened his ears and swished his tail, then added an unnecessary hiss, apparently through playing. Well, too damn bad.
“Screw off. I’m taking a vacation.”
“You’re running from me, the way you’ve been running for months.”
“Hel-lo? Get the message already. I’m not interested.” She paused. “And I’m not running from you. I’m exercising my cat. Get over yourself.”
He had the audacity to smirk at her. It bothered her to no end that she found his feline as fascinating as his human form. He was something of a cross between a cougar and jaguar. The only Florida feline she knew who could roar, and he had a silky black coat. Because black panthers were rare, she could be forgiven her interest in his lethal cat. But even when shifted, Quince mesmerized her with his caramel skin, bright golden eyes and dark good looks. She could stare at him for hours and not look away.
And then he’d open his mouth and ruin the mood.
“Honey, I can smell your heat from here.” Bingo. Quince at his finest.
“Liar.”
He opened his mouth, showcasing pretty white canines, and stuck his tongue out, tasting her scent on the air. Then he closed his mouth and chuckled, a chirp from deep in his throat. “I can’t wait to prove you wrong. Now come home where you belong, Joy. I have shit to do in Miami, and you’re proving a real distraction.”
“You’re smelling anger, not desire, you bully. And I never asked you to follow me. My family is here, anyway. Go home.” You’re not the boss of me was on the tip of her tongue, but she wasn’t five years old anymore. With three of her four siblings in Cougar Falls, Quince had to know she had more than enough reason to stay in Montana. Even if she did miss the warmth of Miami like crazy.
“I’m your pride leader.” Somehow he didn’t sound arrogant, but as if he found the notion distasteful. “You have to do what I say.”
“Oh? Is that right…Lex? I mean, Quince?”
He stopped grinning. Now he looked downright enraged. Their last pride leader, Lex Gates, had been a murdering thug. He’d killed his own father to take over the pride, then used any and everyone to try to get at Joy’s younger sister Stacey. Her older brother Miles had grabbed Joy and her sisters and fled for Montana, needing the space and the time to think of how to handle Lex and his goons. Fortunately, the pride in Cougar Falls had helped take him out. Joy had happily done her fair share of mauling in the cleanup as well.
Quince had supposedly been pretending to work for Lex while he did his best to oust the bastard from the pride. But she wasn’t sure whether she believed him or not…about a lot of things.
“Say what you want, but you know I protected you and your sisters,” he said as if reading her mind.
“You used Stacey as bait!”
“And we took Lex out for good. The pride is stable for the first time in months. Hey, I saved your skin more than once too, if you remember.”
She recalled him taking her aside just last month to save her from falling into an ambush. Again. During Lex’s time as pride leader, Quince had actually managed to show up and whisk her from trouble at the oddest times. Which led her once more to recall that too-brief, bone-melting kiss they’d shared. It wasn’t a big deal. He surprised me is all. But her cat would have none of it. Her animal spirit rolled in the remembrance, loving the stronger male’s take-charge attitude, no matter his reasons for trying to seduce her.
“I think you want me up there with you,” Quince continued when she remained silent. “And God knows I want to be with you.”
She flushed. Why did he have to make that sound as if he wanted to do her? Sure she had a healthy social life. But she usually liked the guys she slept with. Quince…she didn’t know how she felt about him. Especially because she couldn’t be sure he wanted her as anything more than a stepping-stone to get to her family.
Before she could respond, movement flashed to her left, and she turned with a hiss. To her shock, a naked woman with long, tangled hair, smelling like wolf, put a finger to her lips. The woman held out a small dart that looked like a tiny tranquilizer. She mimicked stabbing herself in the throat with it, then mimed sleep. The woman held it out again then motioned to Quince below the ridge.
Joy nodded, narrowed her mental path to the woman and sent out a tentative, “Thanks. That would help.”
“Good. This guy is annoying me too. Men in my woods? Uh-uh. Not acceptable.”
Her woods? No matter. Anything to get Quince off her tail. “I’m Joy. My sisters live in Cougar Falls with the pride.”
“Jenna.” Jenna paused, peering at the edge. Joy didn’t think the woman could see Quince from that angle, but Jenna grinned. “Leave this to me.” She collapsed to the ground and started moaning.
“Joy?” Quince roared.
“Something weird here,” she yelled back.
“I’m coming. Hold on.”
She might have found his protective instincts flattering if they hadn’t been so cloying. She’d been taking care of herself for years. Joy was the independent, snarky Bermin. Miles the rich playboy. Amy and Melissa, twin beauties who got along with everyone and sewed like a dream. Stacey, the stunning designer with supermodel good looks. Take away Joy’s independence and who was she? Just the untalented Bermin sister.
Despite what her brother and Quince, a man who didn’t like the word no, thought, Joy could and had been her own woman for years. Quince’s hints about claiming her had worn thin weeks ago—she blatantly refused to be used. He wasn’t family, and lately, even Miles was annoying on the best of days.
Quince arrived in moments and stormed past he
r to put himself between her and any perceived threat. When he spied Jenna, he froze. “What’s this?”
“A woman, by the look of those breasts,” Joy drawled.
“Smart ass.”
She almost felt bad for this. Almost. “Quince, I can handle this. Just go home and leave me alone.” Her cat disagreed, but she knew he was too tempting a mistake to stick around.
“Not a chance. With as much trouble as you’re constantly in, you need a damn keeper.”
Fine. That sealed it. “Whatever.”
She watched him warily approach Jenna, sniffing as he went. Then he lowered his head to nudge her seemingly unconscious body.
Quick as a whip, Jenna stuck him in the neck with the tranq. Before Quince could wrap his teeth around her neck, she rolled out from under him and shifted into a gray wolf in seconds.
Laughing at him, she winked at Joy. “Check you later. Feel free to join us out here if you want, Joy. We could use a cougar to shake things up.”
“Thanks. Nice meeting you.”
“You too.” Jenna looked down at Quince and snickered. “Sucker.”
Stumbling and then collapsing to the ground, Quince blinked up at Joy. “Tricked…me?”
She sauntered over and put a nicely manicured paw on the big guy’s chest. She watched Jenna bound away before she turned her attention back to him. “Yep. I told you to leave me alone. I’m still not sure about you and Lex. Yeah, you helped us, but maybe that’s because you wanted us to help you take Lex down so you could take charge. I don’t know. But I do know I’m tired of overbearing males trying to tell me what to do. First you, then Miles. I’m twenty-nine years old, for God’s sake. When I’m interested, I’ll let you know.”
That said, she leaned down and hissed right in his face. Then, unable to help herself, she licked the small scratch along his cheek.
“There. Now I took care of you,” she said, trying to cover her embarrassing streak of compassion. Ugh. Act like a Bermin, you ass. Bring out your inner bitch. “You owe me one, Quince. Now go home.” She stepped off him, turned tail and walked slowly, deliberately, away.
She felt his eyes on her until she climbed back down the ridge. But her dumb cat hissed at her the whole way.
Quince hated the drowsiness overtaking him. He’d come to godforsaken Montana—his least favorite place on the planet—to collect Joy and get back home. He’d barely managed to get a handle on the pride. At any moment he expected to hear from his guys that he’d been supplanted. He had to figure out how to deal with his stubborn mate, wrangle her home and then squash the last of Lex’s followers before they fucked up the pride all over again.
Despite the mess in Miami, he couldn’t stop thinking about Joy. She licked my cheek.
He purred. Joy made his cat happy. Quince wanted her with every fiber of his being. Hell, he’d been in love with her for years. Then the mess with Lex had put a kink in his plans. But damn, his cat loved playing with her. She ran, daring him to chase. Had she not constantly baited him, had he not seen those gorgeous green eyes measuring him, looking at him with banked desire, he might have believed all her claims that she wanted nothing to do with him.
But he’d scented her arousal—like the sweetest perfume. Even moments ago, she’d desired him. Witnessing her laugh and strut with satisfaction—despite it being at his expense—soothed the ache her void had left. Knowing she was pleased and safe and in charge of her life relieved him. Living under Lex’s rule for even a few months had been unbearable. Quince had been on constant alert, worried for Joy and her family. Worried for the state of the pride. But now, all was well. Kind of.
For the moment.
Fuck.
He had to get back home and make sure he’d contained the small faction of Lex’s supporters still vying for power. But first…a tiny nap. He yawned and closed his eyes for just a second.
When he blinked them open, he saw darkness all around, a full moon overhead. How long was I out? He carefully stood and shook his head, clearing the muggy fog over his thoughts. Then he stretched out his forelimbs and bowed his back, loving the gratifying play of muscle and sinew over feline bone.
“Well, well. The swamp cat is back.”
Quince tensed but didn’t otherwise react to that familiar feminine voice. He turned to see a pair of cougars sitting like sphinxes, watching him with amusement. Dean and Stacey Chastell, nee Bermin—Joy’s younger sister. Two more annoying cats he couldn’t imagine. Dean, a prankster and younger brother to the Cougar Falls pride leader, and Stacey, his mate and diva extraordinaire.
Quince ignored Stacey and asked Dean, “Hey there, Hickville. How’s it hanging?”
All the Bermins were beautiful, but Stacey looked like a supermodel and acted like a diva. Ignoring her was akin to insulting her to the extreme. Considering the woman had done her best to make his life difficult while he worked his ass off to save her hide, he figured she deserved to be annoyed. He sure the hell was.
Dean laughed. “I like him. Damn if I don’t.”
“You didn’t think he was so great a month ago when he was dangling me like bait in front of Lex,” Stacey snapped and flicked Dean with her tail.
Dean shrugged. “That was then, honeybunches. Now why don’t you go paint your nails and lady-talk with your sisters while I deal with Castille, here.”
Stacey sniffed. “Watch it, mate, or I’ll ‘paint my nails’ all over your charming hide. I don’t have the time to maul the rat properly anyway, come to think of it. The girls and I are having a spa day tomorrow. I need to pack.”
The moment she left, Dean sighed. “You, buddy, have some explaining to do.”
“I’m here for Joy.”
“Um, right. So why the hell are you passed out on my mountain?”
“Your mountain? Since when?”
“Since forever. We Chastells pretty much run the town and the surrounding Ac-taw lands. We’re cats. Of course we rule the ‘lesser’ Shifters and the world around us.” He grinned, no doubt imagining what his non-feline pridemates would think of that statement.
Quince thought Dean’s arrogance might just equal Stacey’s. Imagine that. “I know we’re superior beings.” How Dean lived with wolves and bears and birds underfoot boggled the mind.
They stared at each other in silence.
“You’re not going to leave me alone about this, are you?” Quince asked.
“Nope.”
More silence.
“Hell. I might as well tell you. I was after Joy when some canine female tricked me into thinking she needed help.” As he told Dean the details, he felt his strength return.
“Oh?” Dean’s eyes widened. “A naked wolf? And you were checking her injuries. Uh, huh.”
“I was.” Quince frowned. Did Joy think he’d been ogling the woman? Sure, the wolf had been easy on the eyes. But Quince only wanted his soon-to-be- mate.
“So you’re here for Joy.”
“Yes.”
Dean stared at him. “You think she believes you had nothing to do with trying to take over the pride?”
Quince scowled. “It’s the truth, damn it. Nothing I can do to prove it now that Michael is dead.” His old pride leader had been wounded and in hiding when Quince had found him. The man Quince had looked up to as a father had died in his arms after making him swear to protect the pride by any means necessary. “Any means” had meant pretending to help Lex while Quince schemed to set the pride free from his oppression.
“You know, I believe you.” Dean rose and walked to Quince.
Quince waited for it. When Dean slapped him across the face but kept his claws sheathed, Quince knew he’d gotten off easy.
“That’s for blackmailing my mate into helping you. Be glad you didn’t hurt her, or I’d have strung you up by your intestines.”
Quince shook off the blow, then returned one of his own that knocked Dean on his ass. “Well that’s from me for screwing around with Joy. Yeah, I knew all about you two pretending to be mates. Not
funny, Chastell.”
“Ow.” Dean winced, then twitched his whiskers and wiggled his jaw as he rose to his feet. “That was months ago. And we weren’t doing anything together. Christ, she’s like my sister. We were messing with my brother and—”
“I really don’t care. Just don’t do it again.”
“Oh, come off it. I’m mated.” Dean blinked at him, his golden eyes wide. “You really think Joy is yours?”
“I know she’s mine. But the stubborn female won’t come home.”
“You know Miles hates you.”
Another casualty of Lex’s coup. Miles, Quince’s one-time best friend, actually believed Quince had turned against Michael. That distrust and animosity still hurt.
“Yeah, well, I don’t want to mate Miles. He’s not my problem.” At least, not until the cat was firmly settled back in Miami. The guy had been traveling nonstop the past month, moving between Cougar Falls, Miami and New York, working and wheeling deals. But when he returned to Miami for good, as Quince knew he would, Miles would make life difficult, no question.
Dean paused. “Joy’s sisters are here. She likes it here.”
“She loves her family. She hates the cold. She’s just being difficult.”
“That she is.” Dean laughed. “Come on. I’ll help you track her down. Just knowing how pissed off Miles will be seeing you two together is its own reward.” They started back down the mountain, and Dean chuckled some more. “Good luck, Quince. With that female, you’re going to need it.”
Was he ever.
Chapter Two
Quince spent the next day about twenty miles west of Cougar Falls, in Whitefish, avoiding the pregnant females of the pride, dodging the aggravating gray wolf mooning after some woman with the sense not to give him the time of day, and conspiring with Dean. Late last night, he’d quietly spoken with Dean’s older brother. Protocol demanded he deal with the local pride leader while in town. Burke Chastell fit the role easily. Strong, confident, smart.
The way Michael used to be.
Quince experienced another pang of homesickness, wishing for a past that could never be. Better to focus on the now, he thought as he hid in the feminine day spa catering to Ac-taw and humans alike. Thanks to the Hunter’s mist he’d sprayed over himself to mask his scent, he was all but invisible. And if Dean hadn’t totally fucked him over, he might just have a shot at getting Joy under his hot, hungry hands. A glance at his cell phone told him he had another five to ten minutes before she was due to show.
