by Anne Kane
Her luck held. She stepped onto the deck to find Yanik striding down the corridor. He made eye contact and she felt an icy ball of fear settle in the pit of her stomach.
“Cali.” He nodded. “I see you’ve moved on to bigger targets since I last saw you.”
She repressed a shiver as his cold eyes swept over her. She realized his assumption wasn’t true. Her plans had changed. “It’s been a long time, Yanik. I’m here to be with Darien, nothing more.”
A cynical smirk curved his mouth. “I doubt that. But I’ll play along, just so long as you keep your mouth shut. This will be the biggest score my band has ever made, and I don’t need any complications.” His ice-cold gaze bored into her. “Do I make myself clear?”
Cali summoned her courage. “You have to call the pirates off, Yanik. This isn’t an ordinary shuttle. Darien told me it’s armed and shielded as well as any battleship. People could get hurt.”
Yanik reached forward and grasped her wrist, twisting it painfully. All pretense at civility was gone as he jerked her toward him. “Then you’d better work with me. Get me the stand-down codes for those shields and I might let your boy toy live.”
Cali gasped as pain shot up her arm. “Stop it! You’re hurting me!”
Yanik gave her arm a final painful twist before releasing her. “I can hurt you a lot more if you give me any trouble. People disappear in space all the time, especially orphan brats with dubious records.” He sneered at her. “How friendly do you think your Darien will be when he finds out his new bedmate is a whoring con artist?”
Cali rubbed her hurt wrist, her heart racing. She had to convince him to call off the attack. She looked up into his pitiless eyes, devoid of any emotion, and realized it was hopeless. Her heart sank. She couldn’t stand by and let the pirates attack a ship full of innocent people. She’d have to tell Darien the truth. About Yanik. About herself. Her shoulders slumped in defeat.
“Don’t go getting any cute ideas.” Yanik glanced around and lowered his voice. “If you think you can win brownie points with your lover by telling him about me and the pirates, think again. Nothing is going to stop us from taking this ship. Play nice, and he might survive the attack.” A condescending sneer twisted his face. “I never thought you’d let yourself get soft over a bit of ass.” Turning on his heel, he headed to the bridge.
What the hell am I going to do? Cali stared numbly after his retreating back. If she kept her mouth shut, Yanik would feed the pirates enough information to get them on board the shuttle. If she didn’t, Darien would know all about her sordid past, and he’d still be a target for Yanik’s pirates. She sighed in disgust and headed to the forward viewing room to try to think of a way out of this mess.
* * *
The panther swished his tail back and forth in an agitated rhythm. The duct system on the shuttle had been custom designed for the were-panthers that made up the majority of Darien’s permanent crew. They needed somewhere they could hide out of sight when shifting became mandatory and there were full humans on board. Over the years, he’d found the network of intersecting pipes had a multitude of uses, not the least of which was that it gave them the ability to observe without being seen.
Darien had shifted in order to make use of the duct system to check up on Yanik before the vid meeting to his allies who were waiting to intercept the pirates. He’d seen Cali leave the stateroom, and with the curiosity of a big cat, he’d followed to see where she went.
It had taken all of his control not to attack when the pirate grabbed Cali by the wrist. If it hadn’t been for the very solid grill plate between him and Yanik, the hapless human wouldn’t have lived long enough to utter threats. Were-panthers were territorial when it came to their females, and he considered Cali his mate, whether she’d agreed yet or not. No one laid a hand on his female and lived. No one! He snarled softly and slowly backed his way down to the main passage.
He’d allowed Yanik to walk away because he needed him to lure the pirate ship into the trap. But when he was no longer useful as bait, Darien intended to teach him a lesson in manners that he’d never forget.
He angled his way up to the bridge and made sure Yanik had reported for duty. His second-in-command, Gord, would keep an eye on him for the rest of the shift. Gord had lost his brother five moons ago when the pirates overran a small mining colony in the Northwest sector. Although he’d long ago retired to a desk job in order to keep close to his mate and their two younglings, he’d volunteered for this mission. He had a deep-seated need to see the pirates brought down.
Satisfied that Yanik wouldn’t be able to get a signal out to his cohorts until they were ready to spring the trap, Darien slunk back to the hidden access panel in the engineering section and exited the ducts.
Calling his magic to him, he shifted back to human form and went to seek out Cali. He wished he could tell her that it was going to be all right, that he and his crew would wipe out the nest of pirates and she had nothing to worry about. The exchange he’d witnessed made it clear she and Yanik had a prior history, and the pirate scared her. But he couldn’t afford to risk it. They needed the element of surprise. All he could do for now was to take her mind off the problem. And he had a good idea how he’d be able to do that. Grinning in anticipation, he headed up to his stateroom.
Shifting Priorities 3: Mating Call
Chapter Seven
Cali stamped her foot on the floor and glared at the were-panther. Imperial were-panther, she corrected herself. “Did it occur to you I might want to know the man I’m involved with isn’t really a man?”
Darien raised one eyebrow, apparently unmoved by her outburst. “I’m a male, and you didn’t seem to have any objections to that when we first met.” His gaze roamed possessively over her body. “Not a human male, but then, I consider that a plus.”
“Really.” She glowered at him, his calm stance feeding her anger. “Well, I happen to be human. You’re a flipping legend come to life. You might want to reconsider your involvement with one of us lesser beings.”
An amused smile turned up one corner of his mouth. “No. I’m quite enjoying our involvement. As a matter of fact, I consider it a little more permanent than the word ‘involvement’ implies.”
Cali stared. “What the hell is that supposed to mean?” That sexy grin didn’t make it easy to maintain her anger.
“You’re my bond-mate.”
“Bond-mate?” she echoed, her knees weakening at the naked lust that darkened his eyes.
“Bond-mate,” he repeated firmly. Reaching out, he snagged her wrist, drawing her gently into his embrace. “There is a bond between us that no one can break. You belong to me and I to you, to protect and cherish forever.”
Cali stared at him, mesmerized by the swirling amber streaks in his eyes. Surely he didn’t believe this nonsense? No one wanted her. Hell, her own parents hadn’t stuck around long enough for her to remember what they’d looked like. He’d change his tune quick enough when he found out about her past.
She tried to look away, but Darien held her chin gently in one hand, his eyes dark and serious. “You are my bond-mate. I am yours. We are one. Together. Forever.” He took her lips in a kiss of aching sweetness that made her knees melt. When he finally let her go, she sagged against the sofa.
“So how did you figure out I’m a were-panther?” Darien strolled over to the well-stocked bar and poured each of them a generous mug of Tlaxian ale. He turned and raised one mocking brow. “I’m usually pretty good at hiding it.”
Cali snorted and pointed to the surveillance screen. The picture cycled through the shuttle’s interior in a regular pattern: the bridge, the gym, the pod-bay, the lower corridor, and the loading bays.
He winced, looking into her eyes. “You saw me stalking around on all fours?”
“No.” Despite herself, she felt a smile curve the corner of her mouth. “I saw you shift. Amazing really. One moment I was trying to figure out how a wild animal managed to be running loose on a sec
urity shuttle, then there came a lovely flare of shimmering lights and voila. You.” She extended her arm in a mocking salute. “One of the legendary Imperial were-panthers come to life.”
He handed her the drink. “Well, you would have figured it out soon enough.” He sat down beside her and she felt a wicked tingle of anticipation. “But I had hoped to court you a little more before I sprang it on you.” He took a long pull on his drink. “Since we’re sharing, any deep dark secrets you want to reveal?”
Cali’s startled gaze went to his face. How much did he know? “I think I’ll just hold off on the true confessions gig for the moment.” She almost told him about the pirates, but that would spoil everything. She couldn’t come up with any way to convince him of the danger and not reveal her own sordid past. She wanted to experience one last passion-filled tryst with him before he threw her into the brig for the rest of the voyage. She took a sip of her drink and set the glass on the side table, her attempt at a laugh rather shaky.
“Well, then, I’ll just have to find something else to do to fill the time.” He set his drink down, a dark smirk lighting up his face as he reached out to draw her into his arms. His mouth descended to hers as he slipped one hand under her top to tweak a nipple between thumb and forefinger.
Cali gasped as a dart of pleasure lanced through her, and he took advantage of her open mouth to sweep his tongue inside. Pulling her shirt off over her head, he cupped her breasts, stroking and squeezing the sensitive mounds, teasing and tormenting with consummate skill.
His hands were large and deliciously rough on her soft skin, finding the most sensitive spots. She couldn’t stop the desperate mewling sounds that escaped from her throat as erotic flames curled along every vein.
With a careless show of strength, Darien picked her up, tugging her pants down and tossing them aside as he laid her down on the thick floor rug. She watched him stand and impatiently strip off his own clothing before he dropped to lie beside her, propping himself up on one arm to continue his seduction. He traced the soft lines of her belly with tongue and teeth, nipping and licking his way downward until she gasped and writhed beneath him.
“Easy, now.” He slipped one hand between her legs, his finger probing the damply inviting entrance to her sex. “I’m going to bury myself nice and deep in that luscious pussy of yours.” He swirled his tongue across the curve of her hip, while he plunged a finger inside her, the rough surface sending liquid heat looping through her. “But first I want to hear you beg.”
“I never beg.” She gasped the words out, even as she arched her hips up to grind her sex against his hand. His eyes dark with lust, Darien skillfully stroked his finger down the inside wall of her slick channel, and she could feel the hard length of his shaft pressing into the soft flesh of her thigh.
She reached down, feeling the massive cock jump and swell at her touch. Her fingers circled the thick shaft, stroking slowly down the smooth length.
Darien took her hand and firmly removed it from his cock. He grin was wickedly sinful, sending shivers of excitement dancing down her spine. “Not this time. Maybe if you’re a good girl, I’ll let you play with that later.” He brushed his thumb across her clit and inserted a second finger into her, scissoring them gently.
She whimpered, unable to hold still as she edged upward, heat racing along her nerves. “Ready to beg?” His purring, seductive voice traced shivers of anticipation down her spine.
“Never!” Another stroke of those fingers had her moaning with lust.
“How about now?” He trailed his thumb across her clit.
“No.” It came out a breathy whisper. Darien scored his teeth across one aching nipple, and Cali gasped as erotic flames traveled from her breasts to her core in a molten slide of heat. She reached up to twine her fingers in his hair. “Please.” She looked deep into those amazing eyes. Were-panther eyes. Watched them darken, the amber streaks swirling in an agitated rhythm as a triumphant grin lit his handsome face.
“Are you begging?”
She slid her tongue slowly across her lips and felt his cock jerk against her thigh. “Mmmm. Hmmmm. Are you?”
“Gods, yes!” He loomed over her, reaching down to position his enormous shaft at the entrance to her creaming sex. Grasping an ankle in each hand, he spread her wide and buried himself deliciously deep with a single thrust of his muscular hips. His softly furred balls bounced against her ass cheeks as he circled his hips in a move designed to send tendrils of need licking across every inch of her skin. He withdrew almost completely and then thrust again, settling in to shaft her with a steady rhythm that had her gasping and writhing, unable to form a coherent thought.
She needed him worse than she’d ever needed anyone in her short, lonely life. She knew it wouldn’t last, knew he’d drop her when he uncovered her past. But for now, he wanted her, laughed with her, made love to her. And for now, that was enough. The past was gone and the future uncertain. This moment was all that mattered.
She drew him down and kissed him full on the lips, letting all of her loneliness, her frustration, her longing, turn it into an erotic plea. She nipped his bottom lip with sharp, white teeth, danced her tongue down his in a shameless display of want. She tasted his need, could smell his passion barely held in check. A dark ripple on his forearms caught the corner of her eye. Fur. He was close to losing control. She hugged the knowledge to herself, to comfort her when he’d gone.
He made a sound low in his throat, a cross between a snarl and a growl, and withdrew completely.
“What the…”
Rising to his knees, he flipped her over onto her belly with careless strength. He gripped her hips, holding them up, and slamming into her aching sex from behind, sending waves of heat radiating through her. He leaned forward to cover her completely, steady thrusts of his hips sliding his heavy cock in and out while one arm wrapped around her ribs to fondle her breasts, rolling the taut nipples between thumb and forefinger. He nibbled gently on the back of her neck, his breath teased her ear.
She’d never felt so incredibly dominated, and at the same time, so very much in control. She thrust her hips backward, meeting each surging invasion of his rock-hard cock. Each stroke sent her higher and higher, waves of savage need burning in her veins as she spiraled out of control. A wordless scream escaped her lips as she came, milking his cock with rippling spasms of her core. The world shattered into a million brilliant shards of light.
Darien bit down on her neck, a snarling roar of male triumph erupting from him. His cock jerked, spilling his seed deep inside her, joining her in a climax that had them both collapsing breathlessly on the rug, the only sound their ragged breathing.
Wave after wave of aftershocks rippled through Cali’s body as she lay in the circle of Darien’s arms. She luxuriated in the feeling of belonging, the sense of peace that radiated from him. She couldn’t believe the legendary Imperial were-panthers had survived the fall of the Empire, let alone that one of their descendants found her attractive. She snuggled into the hollow of his shoulder and wished this moment could last forever.
But it couldn’t. She knew she had to warn him about Yanik, and soon. She couldn’t bear to think of him being hurt if Yanik called the pirates down on the shuttle. And in order to reveal Yanik, she had to own up to her own dubious past. She steeled herself and turned to look up into his eyes.
Shifting Priorities 3: Mating Call
Chapter Eight
Battle stations! Battle stations! The warning klaxons rang throughout the ship.
Darien swore softly and separated himself from Cali, setting her firmly aside while he rose to his feet, grabbing his clothing and pulling the snug spacer suit up over his hips. “Damn.” He looked down at her apologetically. “I thought we’d have a bit more time.”
Cali jumped to her feet and grabbed his arm. She’d waited too long and now he was in danger! “It’s Yanik. Your navigator. He’s a plant for the interstellar pirates. You’ve got to call for help.”
&nb
sp; He just looked at her with that sexy smile of his, and she stomped her foot in frustration. He didn’t understand. She swallowed hard and forced herself to continue. “I know him. He’s a criminal. I’m a criminal. We met in the Detention Center on Mars. He’ll give them the entry codes and the pirates will board the ship. You’re going to get hurt.”
All hands to battle stations. All hands to battle stations.
She gestured at the row of security monitors, red warnings flashing to show the security breaches. A movement to the right of one of the breached access panels caught her eye, and she turned to stare as a sleek black panther leapt onto the back of the heavily armed thug emerging from the airlock. A look of dazed disbelief crossed the man’s face before he collapsed under the animal’s weight, his skull slamming into the metal decking with enough force to render him unconscious. The panther sunk its teeth into the neck of the man’s pressure suit and dragged him away from the airlock before it returned to its position, long black whiskers twitching as it focused on the airlock, obviously waiting for the next person to come through.
She looked at each of the other monitors, and saw much the same scenario as a dozen or more panthers dispatched the boarding party with casual indifference. She pivoted as the truth sank in. “You’re all Imperial were-panthers? It’s a trap?”
Darien nodded, his attention on the monitors. “I knew about your unfortunate career choice when I invited you on board, but you’re under my protection now. Your past is just that, past.” He paused and watched another pirate fall prey to a panther. “We suspected Yanik of being the inside connection who set up the attacks by the pirates, but we didn’t have enough evidence to prove it. He’s a slippery one, and he managed to stay one step ahead of us.” He shrugged and a ghost of a smile flitted across his face. “I used the navigator’s position to bait the trap. If he was innocent, it would have been a quiet voyage. But if he really was part of the pirate group, this shuttle would be too good an opportunity to pass up.”
