by J. H. Croix
“Can you take me to Shadow Rock?” she asked, skipping past any greeting.
He instantly wondered who she’d encountered today because only close friends knew of Shadow Rock, and if they were mentioning it to her, they were dropping some pretty obvious hints. Dane swore silently. He needed to get this out of the way before they could go any further, but damn if he knew how to go about it. Jake’s reminder of how disastrous it had been for him didn’t help Dane figure out how to go about this.
For the moment, he’d have to play it by ear. “Could we start with hello?” he said wryly.
Chloe smiled widely. “Hello, how was your day?”
He chuckled. “It was okay. How about you?”
She nodded firmly. “Good. I walked around town…”
He couldn’t stop from interrupting her. “You walked? You should have called me. You need to take it easy with your ankle.”
She rolled her eyes and sighed. “I knew you’d say that. I promise I was careful. I had the ankle brace on all day. I even have witnesses.”
“And who would they be?” he countered, figuring this might clue him in to who told her to ask him about Shadow Rock.
“I went into Roxanne’s, met her and saw Jake again.”
“Ah, Roxanne’s. That place might be the center of the universe as far as Catamount is concerned.” His mind spun, wondering what Roxanne and Jake had said to Chloe. He knew he needed to find a way to talk to her, but he’d have liked a little time to consider how to go about it.
Chloe grinned. “I can see that. Roxanne told me she’s known you for your whole life. Jake’s the one who told me to ask you about Shadow Rock.”
Dane instantly felt chagrined. Here he was trying to figure out how to surreptitiously discover who said what to her while Chloe was an open book. He made a flash decision. If he wanted what he hoped for with Chloe to happen, he couldn’t drag this out. She had to know who and what he was. Though the idea terrified him. This could shatter his chances with her.
“Jake knows what’s important to me. Plus, it’s fair to say he’s trying to hold me to what I need to do.”
Chloe’s eyes sobered. “What do you mean?”
Not bothering with any pretense, he spoke bluntly. “I told you, I don’t want a fling. I want much more than that with you. Maybe you think I’m crazy, but I don’t think you do. I think you feel it too. Jake knows me well enough to know what he saw with us the other day. So…” he paused and threaded his hand through her elbow. “Let’s go.”
Chloe looked bemused and curious, but she didn’t deny his words. She nodded and turned to get her jacket and purse. Dane stepped past her and handed them to her. As he helped her into his truck, he formed the only plan he could think of—to tell her and then show her. He could only hope she didn’t run from him.
Dane nodded and took a deep breath as he started his truck. He reached over for her hand. Lifting it, he turned it and placed a kiss in the center of her palm. He kept her hand firmly in his.
“Can I ask that you try to trust me?”
Chloe’s eyes clouded for a moment, a flash of pain arcing in their depths. He knew trust wouldn’t come easily for her after what her ex had done. He was banking on the depth of connection between them. They may have only just met, but their hearts, souls and bodies knew one another. She took a deep breath and nodded.
Dane began driving. He tried to think of the best way to explain what he was about to show her, but there really was no easy way to get to the point. He pulled over at an unmarked entry into the forest on the far side of town. The Appalachian Trail was miles away from here, so there were far fewer chances of encountering any people. Shadow Rock was down a short path. It was the place his father had taken him when he was a boy to show him what he was. It was the same place his grandfather had taken his father and so on through the generations. Once they were out of the truck, he took her hand and carefully led her through the trees until they reached the edge of a clearing where Shadow Rock rested at the edge—a large, flat boulder. He lifted her to sit on it.
“Is this Shadow Rock?” she asked, her voice soft in the fading light.
He nodded. “When the sun’s up, it casts a shadow across most of this clearing. No other reason for its name.”
Her presence kept his cat close to the surface. Passion brought that side of him out, and Chloe elicited passion as no woman ever had. He took a deep breath and met her eyes. Her forest green eyes were cautious, but open. “Chloe, I’m about to tell you something that most people don’t know. It might scare you and it might make you think I’m crazy. But I have to tell you because I want you more than I’ve wanted anyone, and I can’t go forward without you knowing who I am.”
Her breasts rose and fell with her breath. Her gaze was curious with a hint of caution underneath. The evening air was cooling. A mist hovered over the trees. Dane prayed she would understand, but he didn’t know if she would. She didn’t reply, only nodded solemnly—so he had to put it out there and trust she could handle it.
“I’m sure you’ve heard the rumors about mountain lions around here, right?”
“Of course. That’s why it’s called Catamount. I thought I saw two the other day when I was waiting for you,” she replied with a gentle shrug. “They were beautiful.”
“They are real. It’s just that…” He paused for a breath and then pushed forward. “…mountain lions in this area are also human. They shift between forms. I’m one of them,” he said simply.
Chloe gasped. Her eyes widened. “What? I don’t understand.”
“Our kind were run out of our territories once this part of the country was colonized. We were pushed further and further into the woods and north. We were dying because we didn’t have enough space. About two hundred and fifty years ago, the first shifters were born on Mount Katahdin. Mountain lions that could shift between human and cat form survived and the rest kept dying. All that’s left of our kind in the East are shifters. My family descended from the first generation of shifters.”
Chloe’s eyes were wide with a hint of fear, but she didn’t run and she didn’t look disgusted, so he forged ahead. “We live just like you do. We work, we have jobs and we carry on. But our cat side comes out sometimes and we have to shift, so we head to the forest. We don’t hurt humans because we are part human. Our human minds are with us in both forms. It’s a part of me, a part that will always be there. I had to tell you before anything else happened between us.”
Chloe looked around the small clearing. “Is this why you brought me here? To show me?”
Dane nodded. “You have to know who I am. And you have to know that I believe we’re meant to be together. Both parts of me are drawn to you so powerfully I can’t ignore it. But it’s only fair that you know who I am completely.”
She brought her eyes back to his. Uncertainty clashed with curiosity. “Okay,” she said slowly. “Do I need to worry when you are in your other form?” She paused and shook her head rapidly. “I can’t believe I’m having this conversation.”
“You never need to worry about me. Ever. Mountain lions who shift are fiercely protective of those they care about. We had to become that way in order to survive. Wild mountain lions are known as solitary creatures. But we couldn’t survive if we stayed that way, so we evolved. We don’t ever hurt humans to begin with, but those we care about…we’d give our lives to protect them.”
Chloe eyed him carefully, silent for a long moment. Then a rush of questions. “So if shifters have been around for that long, how come they say eastern mountain lions are extinct? How many families are there? And how can you be with me if I’m not a shifter?” Her questions tumbled out, one after another, her voice rising along with them.
Tension coiled tightly within him. His heart pounded. He had to find a way to help her understand she had nothing to fear, but he had to be careful. He forced himself to breathe slowly though his heart beat in agony—fearful she’d reject him.<
br />
He met her eyes through the gloaming. “You can ask as many questions as you want. Do you want me to answer yet?”
She nodded jerkily.
“People think eastern mountain lions are extinct because, in their original form, they are. We’ve done our best to keep our presence hidden when we shift. Our ancestors were hunted almost to extinction, so once our ancestors learned to shift, hiding was key to our safety and survival. As to how many shifter families there are, there are a lot. Catamount was founded by four families, including mine. In Catamount alone, half the population, maybe more, is made up of shifters. We haven’t stayed put either. Throughout most of the eastern mountain ranges, you’ll find shifters everywhere. There are rumors about our kind out West, but we don’t know for certain.” He paused and took a breath. “For your last question, shifters are human and mountain lion—not one or the other. That’s how we can mate with humans. I’m a man who happens to be able to shift into a mountain lion. Through the generations, we’ve seen shifters stay healthier if they mate with humans. When shifters and humans mate, some of their children may be shifters, some of them may not. There’s no way to know.”
Reaching the end of her questions, he paused. She sat quietly. He felt like he was walking a tightrope—one wrong move, and he could slip off and lose his chance with her. After a long silence, she nodded slowly. He stood from the small boulder and held her eyes. “Can I show you?”
His cat was rolling under his skin, straining for release. He knew he’d have to keep a tight rein on his control because Chloe’s presence peaked his desire so high he could barely contain himself. The depth of his want for her pounded through his body like a drum. Its fierceness called to the cat in him. At her nod, he shed his clothes. Her eyes were steady though he sensed a shade of fear. He walked a few feet away and closed his eyes. Shifting was smooth for lions. He’d heard for other animals it could be painful. For lions, it was fluid and graceful. In a deep breath, he released his cat and felt the rush of fur caressing his skin. In seconds, he stood on all fours. He looked back toward Chloe whose mouth had fallen open. He slowly began to walk toward her. Primal desire pulsed through his veins. He kept it reined and approached her slowly.
He stopped several feet away from her. She slowly reached a hand out to touch him. Her touch was hesitant at first, but became more confident and curious. He leaned into her hand, his purr rumbling in his chest. At the sound, she smiled tentatively. After several moments of this, Dane strolled away, his tail swaying. He closed his eyes again and called his human self back. A ripple went through his body and fur became skin in a wave. He quickly tugged his clothes back on and walked to Chloe.
***
Chloe sat in the fading light, the cool air eliciting a shiver. She watched the wild cat amble away from her. Dane, that’s Dane. How can that be Dane? She gave a sharp shake of her head. The last few minutes had shattered any preconceptions she had about what was real and what wasn’t. She thought back to the other morning when she’d been waiting for Dane to return and had seen those two mountain lions. She wondered now if it had been Dane and another shifter, perhaps his sister. She watched his body ripple and shift from cat back to human. He stood in the dusk, his human form taking her breath away. He was lean and muscular, his shoulders broad. His skin gleamed even in the faded light. She felt momentarily shy to realize he was completely nude. She tried not to stare. He strode to where his clothes had fallen and dressed quickly.
He came to stand in front of her, his eyes uncertain. He reached for her hands. The air had chilled rapidly since they arrived here, the sun’s warmth dissipating as it dropped down the sky behind the mountains. His hands were warm and held hers gently. His thumb rubbed across the back of her hand.
“I hope I didn’t scare you,” he said, his voice low.
Chloe tried understand what she was feeling. It wasn’t fear. More akin to an enormous sense of what the universe held. Watching Dane shift into cat form and back again had been so powerful, unbelievable and magical at once, it was as if any imaginary doors in her mind had been blown off their hinges. She finally looked up into his blue-gray eyes. “You didn’t scare me,” she said softly.
An owl hooted nearby. A rustle came from the trees. Dane held her gaze. “Do you understand why I needed to make sure you knew who I was?”
Chloe nodded solemnly.
“Does it change anything for you?”
This time she shook her head. The girl she’d been for so long, the one who planned and did what she thought she was supposed to, would have had no idea what to think about who and what Dane was. The woman she’d become after reality landed with a thud in her life and she’d hiked over two thousand miles in commune with nature every step of the way—that woman had come to learn there was so much humans didn’t know. Nature in all its forms held so much magic. Learning Dane was a man who was also a mountain lion, while mind-blowing, didn’t change what she felt when she was near him. She shook her head. A sharp breeze gusted over her skin, and she shivered.
Dane pushed to standing again and gave her a soft tug. “Let’s go. You’re getting cold.”
They walked hand and hand to his truck and drove through the falling dark to his house. Chloe barely noticed the details of his home when they arrived. She had a brief impression of warm wood. Her heart beat like soft wings in her chest.
Chapter 7
Dane paused to kick his shoes off when he entered the house, Chloe’s hand in his. He flicked the lights on and immediately lifted her in his arms, walking through the entryway and up the stairs that curved along the wall of the entry. Ever since he’d shifted in front of her, and she hadn’t freaked out, all he could think about was finally being with her the way he wanted. Thinking wasn’t quite the word to describe what was happening. More that he was driven by pure instinct. It had taken every ounce of restraint he owned inside to stop when he did last night with her. The thin thread he clung to had been thrown by his conscience—he couldn’t let himself go further at the time, knowing what she didn’t know and how that held the potential to ruin any chance with her. But tonight, she knew who and what he was. While he sensed all was not settled just yet, he wasn’t going to wait any longer unless she insisted.
And Chloe showed no sign of that. On the ride home, her hand had stayed warm in his. Just now, her breath caught when he lifted her. With her held close against his chest, he glanced down, his eyes colliding with hers. The air fairly crackled around them. He sucked his breath in sharply. He forced himself to keep moving, taking long strides down the hall once he cleared the top stair. Her heart thudded against his chest, his own pulse surging in reply. He turned the corner into his bedroom. In three strides, he reached his bed, a massive mahogany canopy bed passed down through the generations of his family.
He carefully set Chloe down before flicking on a single lamp by the bed. When he turned, he found her looking curiously around the room. His bedroom was an expansive room. He’d inherited his parents’ home, which had been in his family since the day it was built in the early eighteen hundreds. It was a colonial style farmhouse, average by the standards of its time, but rambling in the modern era. His bedroom had enough space for his bed, a lounging area with couches and books, and a dressing room to the side with a massive master bathroom. Aside from the bed, he’d updated the entire room with modern, comfortable furniture.
One look at Chloe with her hair catching sparks in the lamplight, her green eyes gleaming, her skin honeyed as her hair was, and Dane had to close his eyes and breathe to keep from allowing his cat instincts to gain control and take her too aggressively. That time would come, but not tonight. A few deep breaths, and he opened his eyes. Stepping in front of her, he knelt and removed the air brace and the practical running shoe on her other foot, careful not to disturb her sprained ankle. He stroked his palms up her thighs. Her breath hitched, and his cock throbbed in response.
He tilted his head up and met her eyes. “Is this okay?
” His words rasped in the quiet room.
Her pulse was visible in her neck as she nodded. “More than okay.”
He moved swiftly, standing and tearing his clothes off. He didn’t intend to rush once they were skin to skin, but he couldn’t bear to delay that. She held his eyes steadily as he stood in front of her, his arousal blatant. He leaned forward, his hands on either side of her hips, and paused with his lips a whisper away. He meant to say something, but before he could she slipped her hand around his neck and tugged his mouth to hers. Chloe’s combination of shy and bold was intoxicating.
Her tongue stroked across his lips, her mouth fell open, and their kiss exploded. Dane could barely keep his balance and shifted to kneel between her knees. He cupped her face in his hands, delving deeply into her mouth. Her hands traveled down his chest, her soft touch sending sparks skittering in its wake. He trailed his lips down her neck, pausing when he reached the collar of her shirt, a soft t-shirt that hugged her ample breasts. He slipped a hand underneath, dragging her shirt up. In a swift move, she leaned back and tugged it over her head. Before he could catch his breath, she unsnapped her bra and tossed it aside.
The sight of her bare breasts took his breath away. His heart raced with want, lust surged through his body. In a flash, she pushed him back and stood. He reflexively grabbed her hips to steady her.
“Easy with your ankle,” he said, his voice husked with desire.
Her lips curved in a soft smile. “I know you’ve got me. I just want my jeans off. I’m guessing you might like that too.”
Her mischievous smile only turned the heat up a notch for him. He lifted his hands away for her to slide her jeans over her hips and shimmy out of them. And then she stood before him in a pair of bright red cotton panties. Her breasts were inches away, and he didn’t hesitate to lean forward and lave one nipple and then the other, rolling her nipples between his thumb a forefinger, savoring the heavy weight of her breasts in his palms. With a firm stroke of his palm gliding down her abdomen, he pushed her back. She lay back with a sigh, a soft moan escaping when he slid a hand down to cup her mound, the moist heat of her desire pulsing through the cotton.
