by Lane, Soraya
And then the pain hit, like all the ribs on her left side had been shattered.
She wasn’t changing. She’d been attacked. The burning red heat only intensified, but it didn’t make her want to surrender. It only made her wilder. More determined to get her own back.
She hissed and spat and tried to dislodge the ache.
Hunter weighed near four hundred pounds as a cat, and he was straddling her, pinning her to the ground. Her body thrashed, tried to evade him, but he was too strong. She hated that he was bigger and tougher than her, but she knew if she focused she could still match him.
It made her seethe. Made her want to kill, if only she could escape him. Evade his hold by even an inch, so she could wriggle out of his clutches.
The look in his eyes told her he was laughing. Amused at her plight. That after all these hours of her stalking him, he’d managed to get her instead.
“Got you now, kitty cat.” She tried to ignore his words but they invaded her mind without her control.
It didn’t matter how she writhed or hissed or clawed at him, he didn’t move. Wouldn’t budge. So she stopped fighting. There was no use. Once he loosened his grip she would try to flip him, but for now she knew she’d been beaten.
His green eyes pooled, wider as he watched her, but he didn’t release her. Instead he leaned closer, his whiskers almost touching hers. Her breath was ragged, tired. But excited. She had fought with him to help stave off her attraction to him. To try to stop wanting him like she was, desperate to feel the touch, the flutter of his kiss. But the more he overpowered her the more she desired him. She hated it, but it was true.
He growled, low, deep in his throat. Riley couldn’t make a sound, but she was fast losing control. The power she’d felt earlier was diminishing, weakening. She was losing her hold. Her human form was struggling to come back, fighting to be released.
Hunter never took his eyes from hers, but he did loosen his grip, just. But she couldn’t fight him, or get away, because it felt like her body was shrinking, withering.
And then the velvety red hit her behind the eyes, made her swim, almost drowning, her body shifting without her consent.
When Riley opened her eyes, the cat was sitting next to her. Watching her as she sat up, palms pressed to her forehead as the pressure slowly released. He had let her go at just the right moment, seen her weakness and allowed her the space to change.
Hunter changed too, then, but his transformation was fast. Effortless.
She couldn’t take her eyes from him. Beautiful as a feline, but even more attractive human. Sometimes she thought it was the other way around, but seeing him like this, she knew it was the human Hunter that she wanted the most. That she was drawn to the most.
But he was naked. His muscles were lean, limbs long. She traced her eyes over the breadth and contours of his shoulders, then up at the angular planes of his face. Too scared to look lower. Because she’d never seen a man naked in front of her before, not ever.
He leaned closer, reached slowly to touch her cheek. To run his fingers across her skin, before clasping gently at the back of her neck. His lips were so close, face inches away from hers, before he spoke.
She wished he would kiss her.
“You’re going to have to learn to control yourself.” His voice sounded like it was laced with honey. “There’s no room for the weak in our world.”
She clawed at him, scratched at him with her nails, but he just laughed. Put his head back and showed her all his teeth.
Then heat flooded her cheeks. She’d forgotten that she was naked too! Somehow, so wrapped up in his form, she’d neglected the fact that he’d just had an eyeful of her naked too. She could have died.
“Sorry, kitty cat.”
She shoved at him, not moving his strong body an inch, then moved as gracefully as she could and stormed off, throwing him a warning look over her shoulder. Riley tried to forget that she was bare, not wanting to seem a prude, but it took all her efforts not to wrap her arms about herself and run. She kept her shoulders squared, dying of embarrassment inside but not letting it show.
He didn’t follow. But she knew now that she couldn’t stop him even if she wanted to. It was just that this time he’d given her a pass.
All Hunter had shown her was that he was going easy on her. He was bigger and stronger than her, and she hated it. But she was determined. He’d had a head start on her, that was all. And he was being considerate because of who she was.
One day, she’d be able to flip him. To sit astride him and pin him to the ground. Make him know she could rival him. Equal his strength. One day.
Riley squeezed her eyes shut and forced her body to change again. There was no way she was walking back through the forest naked. Especially not with him around.
* * *
Hunter tried to look away, but his eyes refused to cooperate. All these years, all this time waiting for her, and she wasn’t exactly a disappointment.
But she was playing hard to get.
He’d never exactly had trouble with girls before. Hunter had known he was promised to Riley since he’d been marked as a warrior. But there had been no restrictions on him. No demands that he be faithful to a girl he didn’t even know.
He’d had his share of fun. But he’d never satisfied his thirst.
Now, looking at Riley, he wondered if it would ever be quenched. She gave new meaning to want. To desire. To longing.
And when she turned into a cat. Wow. Then he didn’t mind the playing hard to get part at all. Because it was all part of the game. For now.
She turned to glare at him. He couldn’t not look back at her, even though she’d spotted him. It was like a sword had skewered him, pinning his gaze on her. He’d followed her back more to protect her than anything, but he’d let her sulk. Let her walk off her anger. Even when she was a leopard, before she’d found her clothes and gone back to human, the stiffness of her walk had told him she was angry. Again.
It was like one moment they were best friends. The next something more. And then they went back to strangers. To almost enemies.
Riley was fussing over the horses now. He didn’t know why she bothered. They were nervous around her since she’d started changing, skittish, because they could sense that something had happened to her. Knew there was something different, something animal about her now.
He could see it too. The way her fingers worked over their coats as she groomed them. The flash of her eyes. The graceful way her body moved.
Hunter stifled a groan. A growl. He didn’t know how much more of this being patient business he could take.
He ran a hand through his short buzz cut. It did little to satisfy him. What he wanted was to touch her hair. To wind one of those black as night locks around his hand and wrap it into his fist. He wanted to skim his fingers over her skin, trace the curves and contours of her arms, her shoulders, her neck her… everything. Like yesterday. But without holding himself in check. Without making them stop because she hadn’t made her decision yet.
Hunter swallowed again. Harder this time. He fought to unclench his hand and failed. He slammed it into the tree instead, sending pain thumping though his knuckles and wrist.
He wanted her. Like he’d never wanted anything ever before.
But it was Riley’s choice. He would make good his promise to take her as his partner, his mate.
But would she?
Damn it! He hoped so. Yesterday he’d thought her answer would be yes, now he wasn’t so sure.
Her figure was outlined by a tight tank top, her golden shoulders making his fingers itch again. Her hair fell like a waterfall ponytail, pinned up high her head and trailing through the air and down the centre of her back.
It annoyed him.
She looked pretty, but he liked to see her long black hair free. In thick sheets on either side of her face and like a curtain down her back. He liked to see it almost touching her eyes so he had an excuse to reach and push it away. He li
ked imaging his face against it, breathing in the scent of her, holding her tight.
This time he did growl. Loud. He fought the urge to change, not wanting to scare her, or her horses. Besides, he didn’t need to ruin another pair of jeans.
She locked eyes with him again. Telling him she knew he was there. That she was still annoyed with him.
Hunter smiled. Or tried to. But it came out as more of a snarl, a showing of his teeth. Like he was as much leopard now as human, even though he hadn’t changed.
Riley didn’t stop. She just kept on brushing. Then surprised him by spinning around and walking, determinedly, toward him.
He stood still, watching as she moved.
For the first time since she’d arrived, he wasn’t in control. She knew he had been watching her, admiring her, and she’d let him. But now, she didn’t look quite so impressed. Looked like she was going to attack him with one of those brushes she’d been using.
“Hey,” he said.
Riley didn’t answer. Her eyes shone, bright, green piercing into him. Scaring him.
And he wasn’t easily scared. He wasn’t meant to stuff this up, this getting to know her stuff. And he was worried that somehow he already had.
Riley stopped, her face less than a foot from his. She looked angry. Real angry.
“Riley…”
She slammed the butt of her palm into his shoulder, forcing him back against the tree. The cat in him wanted to fight her, but he resisted. Hell, if she looked any wilder he’d start to purr. But it took him all his energy to let her dominate him, to not assert himself. To hold back.
Now it was Riley who held the command position. Her hand was still pressed into his shoulder, burning against his skin. She stood on tiptoe, or at least he thought she did. Suddenly her face was close to level with his. Not chest height.
Hunter almost didn’t breathe.
Her face came closer, fast then. No mucking around. Her lips met his in a hard embrace, featherlight yet hard as stone against his.
Hunter tried to resist, but he was only a man. No human, no cat, could say no to this one. Not when she’d searched him out, looking wild as hell, like she was going to attempt a homicide, then go all crazy-intense instead.
Her tongue flicked out and touched his, her hands locked behind his head, skimming his hair. And then he could take it no more. He tried hard not to hurt her, but she’d made him wild. Had awakened the part of him he’d been doing so well to keep in check. Trying so hard to ignore.
Hunter grabbed her, both hands seizing her shoulders and flung her back against the tree. Her eyes were scared, wild, excited all at once, and it aroused the animal within him. Like a wild beast who had no intention of being domesticated.
He held her there, hands on her soft skin, eyes trained on her full, pillowy lips.
He was lost.
Hunter reached for her hands and pinned them above her head, pressing them into the tree but trying, so hard, not to cause her pain. He wanted to take his time, to go slow, but his body was focused on hers, unable to stop. He crushed his mouth to hers, his body pressed hard to hers.
She squirmed but she didn’t resist. She writhed against him, matching his feelings, his wants.
“Hunter.” She gasped out his name.
He pulled back, dropped his grip on her and tripped a step back. Caught his breath as it ran ragged in his throat.
Hunter made himself look up at her. She may have forgiven him, but it didn’t mean he should be taking advantage of her.
“Take me to your place,” she said.
He shook his head. He had no choice but to refuse her She didn’t understand what she was asking for.
“No.” He forced the word out as much for his own sake as hers.
“Hunter, please.”
He groaned. “No Riley, please don’t say that.”
Hunter wished he could close his eyes and block her out, but he couldn’t. Her petite body tucked against the hulk of the tree trunk. Her black hair, fresh from his hand touching it. He could still feel the softness of it imprinted in his fingertips.
He wanted to say yes so bad, but to say yes meant she was his. Would be marked by him. And if she was in his home, he doubted he’d be able to resist her. Not if she acted like that again. He was only a man. A creature. He could only say no to what he wanted for so long.
“Riley, you don’t understand.”
Her eyes flashed with anger again. She looked furious. “Fine.”
She went to storm off, to stomp past him, but he grabbed her wrist. Fast.
“Let go!”
He didn’t.
“Riley.” She stared at him, her expression wild. He looked away, then back at her. He had to explain. “Riley, if I take you to my place, there’s no going back.”
Now she looked confused. Her face softened. He’d tried to tell her the other day, when they’d almost taken it too far, but maybe he hadn’t explained himself properly.
“You go there with me, you’ll be marked by my scent. It means…” he dropped her hand. “I’m not sure you want to make that decision yet, or that you understand what it’ll mean.”
“You don’t want that?” she whispered.
God! Did he want it? How more could he show that he was desperately, hopelessly, unbelievably attracted to her? That he’d pledge himself to her and only her for the rest of his life if she could only come to the same conclusion too?
He vowed to stay calm. Gave himself no other option.
“Believe me, it’s what I want. I just don’t want to be, uh, unequal. You need to decide calmly. Because once you’re carrying my scent, that’s your decision to live with, for life.” He smiled. “Remember? Not in the heat of the moment.”
She didn’t answer him. Riley turned on her heel and walked, fast, to the house.
Hunter wanted to chase her, to grab her and drag her back to his place. It was like a game of tug-of-war. One moment they were hot and heavy, the next she was flouncing off, refusing to speak to him.
But he’d done the right thing. He could have taken advantage of her, once, but if she came to him willingly, understanding the consequences, well then, he’d likely have a lifetime with her.
If he wasn’t killed by a rival cat first.
Their scent was in the air. Making him dizzy. Making him angry. Everywhere he went, every move he made, he knew they were close. That it wouldn’t be long before he had to fight for Riley, to prove his dedication. To show that he was not to be challenged.
He would kill for her. He knew it without even have to think about that. And right now, he needed to fight. To run and exhaust himself. To find some young male who thought he could challenge him and teach him a lesson. A group of them even.
He peeled off his fresh pair of jeans, chest already bare, and threw them against the tree. It took him only a few seconds to change and it felt good.
Hunter sharpened his claws against the trunk with precision. He stretched his limbs, flashed his claws again, then took off into the forest.
He was out for blood.
The scent of the predators was disappearing, and it only made him wilder. They were cowards, wanting to attack while she was with him. But if they were near, he would hunt them down right now. Because no one was taking Riley from him. Not a cat, not a man. No one.
He growled then roared, before launching into a run. Riley was going to be his. He just had to bide his time to make sure she was ready. To make sure that she was the one telling him it was time.
Other leopards might disagree, but Sophia trusted him, and taking a female by force wasn’t something he believed in. When she wanted him, if she wanted him as her mate, then she’d be his equal. And nothing less.
CHAPTER SIXTEEN
Riley bit down on her lower lip as she circled the area of forest closest to Sophia’s house. She had no idea if Hunter would still be coming, after what had happened yesterday, but she hoped so.
Riley smiled. She could smell him on the air.
Excitement tickled her belly. He was usually waiting for her by the tree, hanging out until she emerged from the house, but today he hadn’t been there. His scent had been close though, and she’d started to follow. Knowing that he wanted her to learn the art of tracking, hoping that he hadn’t been and then decided to leave before seeing her.
But now she was starting to wonder if he was just teasing her, because she was following what now appeared to her like a trail of breadcrumbs. Only she could feel where he was, what direction he’d taken, by using her other senses.
Riley stopped. Her lip curled back. She had him.
Instead of pouncing and revealing him, she lay down and stretched out her legs. She knew it was Hunter. His scent was like a drug to an addict, the scent of recently culled flesh to a starving carnivore.
Riley decided to put on a show for him. She knew he’d be watching, so why not make the most of it?
She stretched out one limb and started to lick her fur, gently cleaning herself. Then she rubbed her damp paw over her face, cleaning it. Inside she smiled, because she knew it would draw him out. She listened to him emerge, knew he was walking up beside her.
Riley stretched all her paws out and rolled over onto her back, looking at him upside down.
Only he didn’t look impressed.
“You’re in the most vulnerable position a cat could be in.”
She rolled again, rubbing her back on the ground.
“Did you hear me?” he demanded.
She gave one last lazy stretch then stood. “You don’t exactly frighten me.”
He narrowed his eyes. “Well I should frighten you.”
She shook her head from side to side. “I knew it was you. I tracked you from the tree.”
He walked over to her until they stood nose to nose. “Another leopard could have been waiting for you. Could have attacked you.”
She didn’t back away from him. “Isn’t that why I have you?”
Hunter didn’t answer her. She was starting to enjoy this. Now that she knew how to better control her emotions around him when they were leopard, and now that she knew exactly what riled him up.
