by Ruby Forrest
Swallowing the nervousness that had tightened her stomach so much she felt sick, Hanna- Gale made her way to the door, undid the lock and pulled it open, letting her eyes adjust to the dull light of the gloom outside.
She made out his size and shape first, the strong build and intimidating height. Then she focused on his features and relief flooded her heart. It was no one else.
“Casey!” She tried to keep her voice down, stop the racing of her heart. She wanted to hold him tight and forget all of this madness, but they weren’t that close yet. She cleared her throat and shifted her weight, “Come in.”
She stepped aside and let him pass. He was looking at her with a slightly confused expression and the moment he stepped through the door, Hanna- Gale saw it harden to anger. She wanted to step back, for a moment, but hardened her resolve and shut the door, locking it firmly.
“When did he get here?” Casey asked, but his eyes never left Dan.
“About half an hour ago.” She answered, her voice sounding quiet even to her own ears.
Casey nodded, but didn’t move until Dan spoke, “Casey. Nice of you to join us. Hanna- Gale and I were just having coffee.” He was smiling, but a challenge flashed in his eyes and Hanna- Gale swallowed. The air felt charged, far more charged than when it was just Dan and she and Hanna- Gale had to wonder what the history was between them.
Casey sauntered forward, casual if not for the anger flashing in his eyes, “I thought you were going to stay out of this.”
Dan chuckled, “Casey, when did I ever agree to that?”
Anger crackled between them and Dan slowly rose to his feet.
“You know my feelings on this.” Casey growled. The sound was low and threatening and Hanna- Gale swore that his eyes were flashing in the most intimidating way.
“That’s fine. But my feelings are different.” Dan stared him down, “We let one house go and then it’s all over. It’s a slippery slope and I won’t have it, just because you’ve discovered you have feelings!”
Casey lunged at Dan and Hanna- Gale screamed. It escalated so quickly. Casey was grabbing Dan by the collar and the next thing Hanna- Gale knew they were tumbling on the ground, Casey grabbing Dan and the fight breaking out in a way Hanna- Gale couldn’t have imagined.
Dan threw the next punch and Hanna- Gale forgot for a moment that she was watching two men fight. They seemed to be shifting before her very eyes, changing in ways she couldn’t imagine.
It was insane. She didn’t believe her own eyes. There teeth seemed to lengthen, their skin glimmering as if made of scales, their eyes slits and their hands like claws. The way they moved and grabbed and growled, locked in battle, sent shivers down Hanna- Gale.
She didn’t know what the hell was happening, or even if what she was seeing was real, but it made her tremble. It was insane, it was gorgeous, and it was crazy. It was scary as all hell. Not human. Not human. They looked almost like they were taking on the characteristics of snow leopards and it frightened her out of her suburban, mundane sort of life.
Casey leapt at Dan, a final blow sending him flying. Hanna- Gale gasped as Dan pushed himself to his feet, making her feel sick. Suddenly, any unhuman appearance was gone and Dan was left breathless and winded, pushing himself up.
“Fine.” He hissed, “Turn against the whole gang if that’s what you want. But you’ll fucking regret it!”
Dan turned, jacket torn, a bruise blossoming against his cheek, and stormed out of the house, slamming the door behind him. In shock, Hanna- Gale sank onto the couch, unable to process what the heck had just happened.
Casey seemed to sense this and he shifted uncomfortably, slowly sitting himself down again, rubbing the back of his neck, “Sorry you had to see that.”
“What…” Hanna- Gale swallowed, “What did I see?”
Casey swallowed, and Hanna- Gale realized he looked almost uncomfortable, “Look, there’s a reason we’re called the Snow leopards, okay?” He was blunt, and quickly looked away.
Hanna- Gale took a deep, shuddering breath as her suspicions were confirmed, “So…”
“Snow leopard shifters.” He muttered, looking at her darkly, “So you probably do not want to get mixed up with me.” He laughed, a dark sound, “In fact, I work security on top of it, protecting people, protecting you. It’s a conflict of interest.”
The shock of hearing and seeing the impossible was replaced in an instant with a cold feeling in her stomach at Casey’s words. She could hear the guarded indifference in his voice and Hanna- Gale had a feeling that he’d had people run out on him too many times to count.
“Yes, I do.”
Casey glanced up in surprise.
“I’m freaked out.” Hanna- Gale laughed softly, “I do not know what to think and I need to go after Dan and sort this out.” She pushed herself up, “But I’m not running out on you.”
She made her way to his side and kissed him, tasting smoke and feeling giddy. His arms wrapped around her waist and Hanna- Gale felt like she could get lost in his arms for hours if she let herself. Reluctantly, she pulled away.
“Dan’s bad news.” Casey glanced at her darkly.
Hanna- Gale shrugged, “He’s also the best bet I have.”
Casey sighed and rummaged in his pocket, shoving a piece of paper in her hands, “He’ll be there.” Casey frowned, “But if you’re not back in an hour, I’m coming after you.”
Hanna- Gale smiled, “Deal.” Warmth bubbled inside her as she grabbed a jacket and hurried into the cold outside air. She felt like she was floating again, but the giddy shock of finding out that Casey was part snow leopard hadn’t quite finished sinking in yet.
She didn’t know what the heck she was doing, but she was determined to sort this out, keep her house, and get over the fact that Casey was a shifter. She shivered, remembering the ferocity with which he fought, the way he had touched her.
Warmth shivered through her and Hanna- Gale realized that she would be okay with dating someone like him. It was exciting, it was new, and it was so, so wrong. It was nothing like her life plan, but then, her life plan had been uprooted days ago.
She felt like she was floating, spinning out of control, but at the same time, she felt more purposeful than she ever had before. She had something to fight for, she had a life for the first time in years and she was not about to lie down and die.
She hurried to the address that Casey had given her, relieved that it was in walking distance, although not surprised, considering she was apparently on their turf. She was frightened, but she was also feeling bold, bold and confident and the nagging fear in her gut only told her that she was alive, she was doing this and it was all going to be okay in the end.
Hanna- Gale reached the address, coming face to face with a dark door and no lights. She wondered about knocking and decided that it couldn’t hurt. After all, he had knocked on her door. So she did. The sound seemed to echo through the night and Hanna- Gale shifted her weight as she waited for an answer.
When the door finally swung open, she was face to face with a very angry looking Dan. He took one look at her and grabbed the door, as if he was about to slam it shut. Hanna- Gale took her chance, ducking inside.
The inside of the house was dark and suddenly she realized that she’d just used the exact same trick that Dan had.
And when the door slowly shut on her, plunging her into darkness, she realized that she had entered the snow leopards den, and there was no telling if she’d make it out in one piece.
Chapter 8
“What do you want?” Dan had a dark tone to his voice and Hanna- Gale bit her lip. She couldn’t see anything, but she could feel Dan moving around, hear him with every step he took and it made Hanna- Gale uneasy. She wished he would flick a switch, would let the light into the dark room where they stood. For the longest time, she was quiet.
Then she spoke, “I want to sort this out.”
He snorted, and flicked the sw
itch. Hanna- Gale regretted her earlier wish as the light burnt her eyes, searing her until she winced.
“Sort what out? You stand where you stand and I do to. What is there to sort out?” His voice was dangerous and Hanna- Gale blinked a few times until he came into focus. Him and a modest place, what looked to be his home. Neat, orderly. The dishes in the sink made her think that he lived alone.
She took a deep breath, trying to regroup the thoughts that swirled around in her mind, “Look….I know we probably got off on the wrong foot.” She winced, knowing that that was nowhere near the right way to bring this up. Dan folded his arms, looking unimpressed.
“But I do not want to mess with any of your affairs.” She shifted her weight, “I do not want to make trouble. I just want to live in my house. I’ll leave everyone else alone.”
He sighed and shook his head, “It doesn’t work that way. It sets a standard and next thing you know, nobody’s in line anymore.” He leaned back against the kitchen counter, “Besides…unless you got a lot of money with that house, you won’t be able to afford the upkeep anyway.”
He sounded almost smug and the thought infuriated her. No one else had realized that yet and the fact that Dan had sent anger sparking through Hanna- Gale’s core and made her feel a little sick, a little giddy with her anger.
“How do you know?” She spat.
“Well, you’re new to this town, so I assume you do not have a job here.” He looked at her carefully, seeming to recover some of his confidence from before, “You probably have a job back home, rent or a mortgage…”
Hanna- Gale’s cheeks grew red, and Dan smirked, triumph written all over his face, “Thought so. So, tell me…unless your job is fancier than you’re letting on…how exactly do you plan on living there and paying your bills?” He sighed and looked at her carefully, “I mean, I bet the commute would be hell. And it’s commute or starve…so…”
Hanna- Gale couldn’t speak, anger lodged in her throat and making her feel very uncomfortable.
“Or…” Dan continued, “You leave. You pay the bare minimum to keep the house running and you stay in your home town, do your job and leave this house and this town behind.”
Dan shrugged, “You do not have to sell it, and we do not touch it. But we can’t have you living in there and tarnishing our reputation. It’s the smarter choice all around.”
He smirked, a dark look in his eyes, “And I would have told you all of this earlier if Casey hadn’t decided to lunge at me.” His eyes darkened further, “In fact…considering what you saw, I’m surprised you haven’t run home already.”
He looked amused and Hanna- Gale found her voice quickly again, “So you’re a snow leopard shifter…big deal.” Her voice was flat and she narrowed her eyes, “And just because you have made a few lucky guesses about me doesn’t mean that you get to decide my future. This is my life.”
Dan took a step forward and, for a second, Hanna- Gale regretted her words. Something had shifted in Dan and Hanna- Gale didn’t know how dangerous that look in his eyes really was. It wasn’t until he was almost on top of her, and Hanna- Gale felt her back against the wall, that she realized he could really threaten her, if he wanted to. She swallowed.
“You’re an interesting woman.” He smirked and then his lips were on hers. The kiss was so different from the kiss with Casey. His lips were sure and forceful and Hanna- Gale didn’t think he’d even break away for air.
Thoughts of Casey flashed in her mind, but it didn’t take long for Dan’s hands to find the hem of her skirt and Hanna- Gale felt herself melting. It must be a snow leopard thing, she thought idly. She never did this, never…and now she couldn’t help herself. His body felt hot and strong as it pressed against her and she found herself moaning into the kiss.
She parted her lips and their tongues met, leaving Hanna- Gale feeling a hot tingled rush down her skin, a warmth spreading between her thighs and making her shiver. He felt so good, so, so good and Hanna- Gale couldn’t even think straight.
The feel of him thrummed through her body, shuddering and making Hanna- Gale lose her head. She knew that she shouldn’t do this, that Casey might not approve and that their relationship was too new and precarious to be doing this. But on the other hand, they were not in any sort of formal relationship and she could only hope that he was the type of man who understood.
Because Hanna- Gale didn’t think she had the strength to stop this, to end the searing passion and the smoky taste and the way that her mind was filling with desire and passion and pleasure and leaving no room for anything else.
It was impossible to think of anything but the feeling of his hands against her skin, the way he brushed her skin and pushed up her skirt, the way her panties were slid off her skin and onto the floor in less than a minute.
She stepped out of them without even realizing that was what she was doing. Then his hands were tangling in her hair and she felt her dress slipping from her skin, hands sliding around her body to undo her bra and let it fall to the ground.
Hanna- Gale felt a flash of worry, about what the heck would happen when Casey arrived, worried about her, only to find her with Dan’s hands on her body. Despite herself, she felt the heat of desire spike at her own thoughts and she kissed him back harder.
Before Hanna- Gale knew it, she was naked aside from the shoes that she balanced on, high heels and nothing else. Dan hadn’t even taken off his jacket and the thought made Hanna- Gale blush red and shiver with lust. She grabbed his jacket in her hands and pressed her skin against the fabric he wore, feeling shudders pass through her as it rubbed against her breast, setting her nipples on fire and making her groan with a burning heat and need for him.
Dan chuckled, a low sound that suddenly sounded a lot warmer than before. He lifted her into his arms and before she realized, they were at the couch. He sat down and pushed her gently down. Hanna- Gale blushed, finding herself on her knees and Dan undid the buckle of his belt, unzipping his jeans. Hanna- Gale blushed at the sight of him- he was big and it sent shivers of warmth through her.
Then Dan’s hand was in her hair and she was taking the whole of him past her lips and into her mouth. He was hot and the taste of him flooded her senses, making her groan with pleasure. When she had woken this morning, she had not expected to be naked and on her knees for a man that she had only just met. The realization had her moaning softly with pleasurable lust as she sucked and licked, feeling the heat between her own thighs reaching a fever pitch.
She was so lost in thought and the feel of the pleasure coursing through her body that she jumped when the door slammed open. Dan held her in place, glancing casually at the door, “Casey, nice to see you.”
Worry and fear flooded Hanna- Gale, and she braced herself for his understandable anger. Instead, all she heard was his laughter and his footsteps. She prayed that he would be okay with this, and from the warm sound of his laughter, she was starting to hope that he was. That everything would work out. Her head was spinning with lust.
“Hanna- Gale, when you said you were going to sort things out, I didn’t think you’d go this far.”
A blush crept deeply up Hanna- Gale’s cheeks and she moaned softly with embarrassment. When she felt Casey moving behind her, shivers crept up her spine, “Mind if I join you?” His voice grew husky and Hanna- Gale thought she would be overwhelmed by desire right then and there.
His hands stroked her skin and she felt him press against her warmth, slowly sliding between her thighs and making her moan with pleasure. He was big and the feeling of him entering her was delicious. Her vision danced with stars and she felt like she was floating.
Hanna- Gale gasped as Dan gripped her hair tighter and the waves of pleasure threatened to drown her. She was lost in the feel of them, Casey thrusting deeply within her and making her moan and shiver with delight, the feel of his body against hers making her tremble all over.
She held on tight to the couch as the overwhelming
feelings flooded through her, heady and hot and blissful. Hanna- Gale moaned, feeling her climax overwhelm her, crash into her and leave her gasping and trembling and trying to hold onto the feelings that felt too overwhelming to handle.
Casey and Dan climaxed soon after, and their groans made Hanna- Gale tremble with sheer pleasure as she swallowed and shivered and tightened. She felt them both and she felt the bliss overwhelming her senses.
It was blissful and dizzying and everything that she could have possibly hoped for, all wrapped into one and Hanna- Gale never, ever wanted it to end, never wanted to stop the pleasure that coursed through her veins and made her want to gasp for breath and lose her head all at the same time. She felt perfect and Hanna- Gale could never remember feeling this good.
It was wild, it was thrilling, it was contentment and danger all wrapped in one and Hanna- Gale was finding more and more that she absolutely loved it and wanted it so much more than she could dare to admit.
She swallowed and shut her eyes, letting the whole moment wash over her slowly. Perfect.
Dan sank back into the couch and Casey pulled out, pulling Hanna- Gale into his arms. Hanna- Gale gasped and sank back against him, feeling the heady pleasure blur her vision. She shut her eyes and sighed in contentment, letting the moment wash over her and leave her content and comfortable in the moment, the warmth blissful and sweet.
And for that moment, it was more than enough.
Epilogue
The feel of him thrummed through her body, shuddering and making Hanna- Gale lose her head. She knew that she shouldn’t do this, that Casey might not approve and that their relationship was too new and precarious to be doing this. But on the other hand, they were not in any sort of formal relationship and she could only hope that he was the type of man who understood.
