by Bianca D'Arc
“Nick?” she asked, uncertainty in her voice.
His cat form didn’t like that she couldn’t tell him apart from other jaguars, but he’d fix that once she acknowledged their mating. She’d learn the unique pattern of his spots and the distinctive shape and size of him. That would start now. But, first, she needed to know it was him.
He nodded his head, his whiskers brushing the doorframe in an annoying way. He saw her expression change. She had understood his gesture. Good.
Nick pushed off that one paw and allowed himself to flow to the ground. He entered the cabin then used one back foot to close the door behind him. He deliberately let his claws make a little noise on the wooden floor so she’d know where he was. The last thing he wanted to do was frighten his mate, but the cat side needed her acceptance, too. She had to be able to deal with both of his forms.
Sal felt a bit apprehensive, knowing she was in an enclosed space with a fierce jungle cat that had to weigh a few hundred pounds. She knew it was Nick, of course, but there was still some primal fear at being caged with an apex predator. Then, he slunk closer, his golden eyes meeting hers. She could see the magic swirling within his gaze.
Strangely, seeing it there calmed her rather than ratcheting up her fear. Since learning a little bit about magic and how to control it, she could see the very carefully reined-in magic that was part of Nick’s soul. He had complete control over the magic that made him what he was. It didn’t rule him, he ruled it.
That was the very significant difference between him—as well as the others she’d met, like Mr. Howell and Collin Hastings—and her mother. When the wild magic came for her mom, it was completely out of control. Her mother didn’t have the skills or knowledge of what to do to rein it in. Not like Nick and the others. Not like the jungle cat that walked in front of her and stood there, watching her with Nick’s magical eyes.
She was seated on the couch, and he had padded into the space between the couch and the small wooden coffee table in front of it. He moved silently now that he was walking on the rug that filled the conversation area where the couch and two armchairs were located in front of the fireplace.
He walked right up to her side and then sat on his haunches, just looking at her, waiting for her reaction, she reasoned. Feeling her fear subside as he made no aggressive moves, she looked at him.
“You’re gorgeous, Nick,” she whispered, mesmerized by the pattern of his spots. His fur was a living, breathing work of art, and it looked really soft. “Is it okay if I touch you?”
In answer, he moved his head closer to her lap, putting his chin on her knee and tilting toward the hand she had left on her thigh. Well, he couldn’t be much clearer than that, she thought. Sal reached out to stroke his neck, enthralled by the incredible luxury of his silky coat.
“So soft,” she whispered, digging her fingers in as he seemed to enjoy her stroking.
Little sparkles of magical energy followed the path of her fingers over his fur. Nothing harmful. Just the little tickle of magic that seemed to flare between them now whenever they touched. It was visible against the dark marks on his fur and gave her something else to marvel at while she became fully enchanted with this new side of her lover.
They hadn’t really had any time to themselves since their momentous change in status. Sal thought she knew where she stood with him, but sometimes, a gal needed the reassurance of words. Not that he’d be able to say much in his current form. No, The Talk would have to wait until he shifted back to the form that spoke instead of growled and purred. Though, come to think of it, he purred pretty well in his human form, too.
Maybe she could say a few things, right now, that she wouldn’t have the courage to say to his human face? Sometimes, a captive audience that didn’t talk back made it easier to open up. It was worth a try. She had been wanting to tell him a few things since last night but found it difficult to talk about her past or her feelings. She might be a movie star now, with her life on public view, but that was all for show.
The real Sal was hidden behind so many layers of protection she seldom saw the light of day. Then, Nick had come into her life and started peeling away at her shells. He’d gotten right down to the heart of her in no time flat, and while she liked the results, she still felt a little fragile. The whole experience—though ultimately a good one—had been somewhat traumatic in the process.
“Nick…” she began, searching for courage. “About last night.”
Oh, yeah, she had his full attention now. He went from pussycat to alert predator under her trailing fingers. She wasn’t afraid of him. She knew deep in her heart that he would never hurt her. She was more afraid of her feelings and what he might do next…and whether she could survive with her soul intact if he turned away from her now.
“First, I want you to know, I enjoyed everything we did together and would like to continue exploring this…relationship…if you want that, too.” Had she imagined his sleek muscles relaxing under her hand? The magic swirl of energy in his eyes calmed a little but still held strong as he looked at her. “I just want to make sure we’re both on the same page here. I know you still have your doubts about me, and I can’t really blame you for that. I just hope that, from here on, we can begin again. I’m willing to learn about your world—about magic—now that I’ve seen a few things that have begun to change my opinion about magic in general. I’m willing to meet you halfway on the subject of magic. I hope you’ll consider forgiving me for the secrets I kept from you. I didn’t do it to purposely deceive you.” She looked down, breaking eye contact, feeling extremely vulnerable.
A shimmer in the air, and under her hand, Nick’s shoulder went from furry to firm, muscular, and all too human. She looked upward to find him kneeling in front of her, naked as the day he was born.
Yum, was her first uncensored thought, followed quickly by, Down, girl.
“I know you didn’t, Sal. I figured that you were just doing the best you could to protect yourself. I’ve done a lot of thinking about your past—now that I know the truth of it—and I’ve come to some conclusions. We all have, in fact.”
“Mark knows everything,” she said.
“Yes,” he agreed. “And you can bet that you’re the topic of conversation up at the big house. Decisions are being made, I’m sure. What they’ll be, I can guess…but I can’t be certain until we see what happens. In the meantime, I’m here. With you. Where I want to be.”
He moved in on her then, coming closer. Where she wanted him to be, too. Forget what might happen later. What she wanted right now was on offer, and she’d be a fool to turn him away. Not when she knew how good they were together and especially not when she had no idea what the future would bring.
She would grab the brass ring while it was within reach and let the chips fall where they may later. For now, she was with her lover, and she wanted to be with him again. As often as she could.
Sal launched herself at him and took him down to the floor, covering his nude body with her, sadly, clothed self. But they’d fix that soon enough. She straddled his hips and lifted up to pull her top eagerly over her head while Nick’s hands went to the clasp of her bra. It came away in short order, the fabric cups to be replaced by his warm hands.
Mmm. That felt wonderful. Especially when he started playing with the sensitive peaks. While he did that, she struggled out of her pants and panties, her desire riding her hard.
Speaking of hard, he was solid and long beneath her, and as ready for action as she was quickly becoming. This wouldn’t be a long, drawn-out affair. No, this was needy, quick, powerful sex with the man she could so easily become addicted to. This was raw. It was soul-wrenching. It was real.
As real as anything had ever been in her difficult life. She’d gone into acting to hide in fantasy, to continue playing roles—and she had for so many years. Turning a survival skill she had developed into a career.
But now, with Nick, all her subterfuge was gone. She could be the real Sal—whoever
that was—with him. That was a gift greater than any she had ever received, and he’d been the one to give it to her. With him, she could be the sex-starved wild woman that reigned, right now, or she could be the student wanting to know the realities of magic, like she was with Mr. Howell. She could allow the true facets of her innermost nature to show and have no fear that it would come back to haunt her.
Nick would never hurt her. Not in any way.
And with that stunning realization, she took him into her body, seating herself on him, moaning at the contact that meant everything…or nothing…depending on the outcome of those discussions currently ongoing at the mansion.
Knowing her future happiness hung on the balance of conversations she was not even allowed to be part of, she decided to ignore the possible outcomes and just enjoy the moment. This moment. Right here. Nick and Sal, on the floor of a jungle cabin. No lies between them. No dreams of the future. No nightmares of the past. Just now and this incredible attraction they shared.
She moved on him urgently, wanting this moment to last a lifetime. Craving so much more than she could have—at least not until her fate and position with regards to the Clan were settled. She wanted a future with the man beneath her. She wanted a life filled with his loving, his companionship, his…love.
Dare she want it all? Love was dangerous. She loved her mother but had been unable to protect her and save her from herself when the wild magic came to call. Sal had done all she could to help, while her own heart bled at her mother’s situation.
All she knew of love was desperation and pain, but with Nick… Nick showed her possibilities. He let her dream of how things could be. With him.
It was a dangerous dream. It made her want a future with him. But did he feel the same way?
The question was too complicated for the moment. The only thing that mattered right here, right now, was their bodies straining together, reaching for oblivion where they were no longer separate beings, but two hearts, beating as one.
Her movements became erratic as her pleasure soared higher. She had her hands on his chest, supporting her as she leaned upward. The slight change in angle sent her to the stars, and she was dimly aware of Nick joining her as he shouted her name, his hands clasping her hips hard, holding her to him as they went together on a trip neither could take alone.
CHAPTER FIFTEEN
A long time later, Nick was still breathing hard. So was Sal. His beautiful Sal. Lying atop him like a warm, ultra-feminine blanket. He would stay just like that the rest of the day—hell, the rest of his life—if he could, but reality intruded.
His sensitive ears picked up the sound of an engine working its way up the drive toward the cabin. They’d be here in minutes, and he knew Sal wouldn’t want to be caught in a compromising situation like this. It was bad enough his people knew they’d bunked together last night. Though they would never deliberately hurt her, they wouldn’t mind teasing the hell out of him, which, if she heard it, would embarrass her. He didn’t want that.
He wanted to protect her from everything, including embarrassment, which technically couldn’t really hurt her, but his cat was in super high gear when it came to protecting its mate. He wanted her life to be without trouble of any kind from here on, out and he’d do his utmost to make sure that happened.
Nick rose to a sitting position on the floor. They were sort of lodged between the couch and the coffee table, with just enough room to maneuver, but Sal was still kind of out of it. Manly pride puffed out his chest. He’d loved her into a stupor. Grr. Kitty liked that.
Working his way up from the floor with her in his arms, he padded barefoot, and bare-assed, into his bedroom. He tucked her into the bed where she promptly rolled over and hugged his pillow to her chest, dropping off into a doze with a smile on her face. Damn. He liked her reaction to making love with him.
Grabbing some clothes on his way out of the room, he threw them on just as the vehicle rolled to a stop in front of the cabin. Nick went out to meet the lunch delivery and sent them on their way just as quickly. He didn’t want anything to disturb his mate. He’d let her sleep for a bit, then they’d share a leisurely lunch while he waited to see what might happen next.
They got to have their lunch together and were just cleaning up the remnants when another vehicle approached. Surprised, Nick went to the door to see who their afternoon visitor might be. He was only mildly surprised to find that Abuela had come herself to check out the new arrival. He’d half-expected the Clan’s healer and everyone’s grandmother—either by blood or by friendship—to come up here, even though she was one of the oldest members of the Clan and didn’t like to travel too far from the comforts of the mansion these days.
She got her old bones out of the Jeep, which had been driven by a younger Clan member who stayed outside when Nick invited his grandmother in. She gave him a big hug, which he dutifully bent down to receive. When she released him, her smile lit his heart, as it had done since he’d been a little boy.
“Introduce me to your girl,” Abuela said, grinning, and Nick knew it would be all right. His grandmother might be scary to some, but she’d always been a pussycat when it came to him.
“Sal, this is my grandmother. Abuela, this is Sal, my mate.”
Sal was a little surprised by his words, but she didn’t make a fuss. Not when his grandmother was standing there, waiting for Sal to say something. Instead, she gave the older woman her best smile and moved closer with her hand held out in what she hoped would be seen as a friendly gesture. She wanted to make a good impression. It was clear Nick loved this old woman and that her opinion probably meant a lot to him.
“It’s a pleasure to meet you, ma’am,” she said politely as Abuela took her hand…and didn’t let go.
The old woman grasped Sal’s hand in both of hers then tilted her head back and closed her eyes. Sal sent Nick a questioning look, but he was watching his grandmother intently. Was Sal being measured in some strange way? It sure looked like it.
Suddenly more nervous than before, she felt a small trickle of magic tingle along her arm and into her hand. Sal panicked, doing her best to stop the magic. She didn’t want to hurt Nick’s grandmother or let wild magic take over, but Sal was powerless to stop the small flow of magic from her hand into Abuela’s hard grip.
Then, the old lady smiled and opened her eyes, and the magic stopped.
“Strong, this one,” Abuela said to Nick, as if in approval.
Sal’s breath caught at the swirling golden magic in the old woman’s eyes. This little old lady was powerful. She was a shifter, yes, but she was more than that. Much more. And how Sal knew that little tidbit, she really had no idea.
“Like recognizes like,” Abuela said, chuckling as she let go of Sal’s hand. “You see with the eyes of a mage-born, though I have talked at length with Master Howell about you, and it’s clear your education needs some work.”
Sal tried not to let her embarrassment show on her face, but she felt about an inch tall at the old woman’s light scolding. Any number of defensive words came to mind, but she bit them back. She sensed that this little old woman wouldn’t accept any excuses for not having trained her magical power—even though it had only just decided to show up.
Sal had lived in denial most of her life. It was a huge adjustment to go from a girl with good instincts but no visible magic to someone who could hold fireballs in her hand. She still could hardly believe she’d done that. Multiple times, too. Mr. Howell had insisted she learn basic control and suggested that was one of the better ways since it produced a visible phenomenon she could both see and feel.
Apparently, not all magic was like that, and Sal knew she had a hell of a lot to learn. Coming to it so late in life, she would probably be spending a lot of time catching up on basic skills usually taught to children who grew up in a family of mages. At least, that’s what Mr. Howell had explained to her.
He’d also told her that his own daughter hadn’t been raised that way. Like Sa
l, his daughter’s magic had been latent all her life, and he’d made the decision to protect her rather than have her grow up with full knowledge of the world she could never be part of. He’d distanced himself from his daughter, working in the shadows to keep her safe from the family’s enemies.
But everything had changed when his daughter arrived on the island in the company of the jaguar Alpha. Mr. Howell had shaken his head, seeming to still be surprised by the idea that his little girl was now mated to one of the richest and most powerful men in the country, if not the world. And that surprising union had finally given his daughter access to the magic that was her family’s birthright.
Mr. Howell had even hinted that perhaps his daughter, Shelly, would benefit from training with Sal. They were both novices when it came to their understanding of magic, but they were also both adults with full-grown powers.
Sal was still trying to wrap her head around everything Mr. Howell had told her. And now, this. Nick had sprung his grandmother on her without any warning. If Sal had known she would be meeting his family, she would have tried to prepare herself. Maybe run a brush through her hair or slap on some lipstick or something. Instead, Abuela had caught her totally off guard.
“Master Howell said you were a quick study,” Nick’s grandmother went on, seemingly unaware of Sal’s internal turmoil. “He claims you can control your fire. Is that not so?”
The old woman seemed to be daring Sal. Challenging her. Pushing her to display the few things she had learned. A desire to prove herself to this woman rose in Sal’s gut, and she held out her hand, allowing a small ball of fire to develop in her palm, just the way Mr. Howell had shown her. She let it grow, holding it steady as it began to light the room and spread its gentle heat toward her, then she commanded it to dissipate, going back from whence it had come…and it responded to her desires. It did just as she asked.
