by P. Jameson
“There.”
Layna hid a smirk.
Ryan stalked to the door and swung it open, letting Magic and Gash through. But they both stopped short upon entering.
“Fuck,” Gash hissed, glancing down at his waist.
“Oh hell,” Magic said, rolling his eyes. “This is what you get when you’re dealing with a human. Open a window for fuck’s sake, before Gash has to start humping a chair.”
Layna covered her face. How could she have forgotten. “The arousal,” she explained. “They scent the arousal.”
She peeked through her fingers to watch Ryan’s face as realization set in. His jaw went tight as he glared daggers at Gash.
“Don’t breathe,” he growled, and then rushed to throw open the window.
“Oh. Yeah,” the cat sneered, the scar on his face twisting. “‘Cause I don’t need air or anything.” But he was careful to keep his distance and gaze away from Layna.
“Let’s just get this over with quickly,” Magic grumbled. He looked back and forth between Layna and Ryan. “Gash has been investigating the source of the trap to try and give us an indication as to who set it. In the race to patch Layna up, I don’t think anyone really grasped how odd it was for hunters to be in the woods this time of year. Hunting season is over for anything legal. So that means we’re either dealing with poachers…” He eyed Gash. “Or something else.”
“Something else?” Ryan crossed his arms in that way that made Layna notice all the fine details of his body. There were so many ridges she wanted to lick and bite.
Gash nodded gravely.
“Go on,” Magic urged. “Time to go all in with your clan. We’ll have your back, man.”
Gash’s expression was troubled. Deep grooves marred his brow and his eyes flashed with the evidence of his Beast. “I would just leave, and spare the clan the trouble, if it wasn’t for…” He shook his head, clearly not ready to explain further. “It’s dangerous if I go, and dangerous if I stay.”
“You’ll stay,” Magic said, his hands hooking on his hips. “You’re an asset to us, and even if you weren’t, you belong here. You’re one of us. Now tell them what’s going down so we can alert the others.”
Gash nodded, the troubled look still firmly on his face. “I have a bounty on my head,” he said darkly. “I thought I’d laid low long enough, but it looks like they’ve found me.”
“A bounty.” Layna frowned. “What the hell. It isn’t like we live in the wild west. What’d you do, skip out on some credit card payments or something? Are we talking a Dog The Bounty Hunter situation here, or what?”
Gash shook his head. “A shadow clan. I used to belong to them. Did a lot of shitty things I’m not proud of. I didn’t like it, being shitty. It’s just all I’d ever known. I was born into it. But I started having these… dreams. Not like, hopes, but real dreams that happen when you sleep. And in them, I saw my mate. To cut a long story short, there were two versions of this dream. One where she lives.” He squeezed his eyes closed, his head lowering to the floor. “And one where she dies.”
“Shit,” Ryan murmured.
“They felt prophetic. Like fate was telling me this was my chance to change my future. To clean up my act and find a way to make sure my mate lived. So I decided to do just that. But like any gang, a shadow clan isn’t easy to break free of. Especially when they’re family.”
“What’s a shadow clan?” Ryan asked. “I’ve never heard you guys talk about one.”
“It’s a lawless clan,” Layna explained. “The one-percenters of the shifter world. There aren’t any in Arkansas, but other places around the country they thrive. Not all shifters are friendly. Some like to use humans as chew toys.”
Ryan raised an eyebrow.
“And not in a sexy way,” she added.
Magic scrunched up his face. “God. You guys really need to fuck already.”
“Tell me about it,” Ryan muttered.
Layna shushed them with a wave of her hand. “So, how do you know the trap was set by them?”
“The clan I ran with was out of Memphis. We worked in conjunction with a wolf pack, mostly supporting a small time mob boss who wanted to make Tunica his bitch. As long as we did his dirty work and left the casino alone, we owned the city and half of the state of Tennessee along with it. There was a lot of money to be had, besides the power trip. But the clan and the pack owned businesses, a cover. To seem legal. The initials of one of those businesses was etched into the teeth of the trap you found in the woods. ACWM.”
“Alley Cat Waste Management.” Ryan’s voice took on a dead tone as Gash flipped his gaze to him. “I met a man named Felix. He was working with my boss, Trent. He owned Alley Cat Waste Management, and he picked up that’d I’d been around werecats the moment we met.”
“Yeah,” Gash confirmed. “Felix is the prez. He’s a bad motherfucker. You got out of there right in time.”
“Why do I feel like it was a little too timely,” Magic mused. “You think they found you by tracking Ryan? It surely wasn’t a secret where he’d lived before transferring to Memphis.”
But something else niggled at Layna’s memory.
“No.” She shook her head, feeling a chill roll up her spine. “This was my fault.”
All three males frowned in her direction.
“Someone called looking for you,” she told Gash. “Said he was a friend but he sounded skeevy as fuck. I was trying to patch him through to your office but when he found out you worked for us, he said he’d reach out to you soon.”
“Well shit,” Gash muttered.
“I didn’t think anything of it. I was going to tell you, but I completely forgot about it until now.”
“Well, this is them reaching out. I should have warned you all about my past before anything like this could happen. All I know for sure is, this is a warning. They’re giving me a chance to go willingly without a fight. But if I don’t… they’re coming for me. And as you can see, they don’t give a shit about hurting civilians.”
Layna scowled. Those cowardly bastards.
“So what are we going to do about them?” Ryan growled low.
Her mate was angry. Maybe even vengeful. As was his right. But there was no place for revenge this time of the year. It was the season of giving and love. It was the season of new beginnings and hope.
Let Santa come first. Let those New Year bells ring, and then it would be on like magic on a unicorn.
“First, we tell the others. Put everyone on alert. Then we wait. Business as usual for our guests. And in the meantime… we prepare. We guard our boundaries, our people. Protect our clan, our mates, and young. At any cost.” Magic’s lips curved into a maniacal grin and his panther eyes flashed forward. “Shit’s about to get really real.”
“Yeah.” Ryan nodded slowly, his shoulders hardening with his protective instincts. He glanced at Layna and his expression was a bone deep promise that made her insides jelly. She was so fucking proud to call him hers. “Really fucking real.”
He stuck his fist out, tapping it against Magic’s and then Gash’s.
Christmastime was the season of light, and she was a firm believer that light always conquered the darkness. She had every ounce of faith in her people.
There was no way the shadows would touch them.
Chapter Nine
Ryan combed his fingers through Layna’s thick coat of fur. He thought it was too soon, but she’d insisted he take her out to the woods so she could shift and check out the damage to her tail herself. Doc asked her some doctorly questions and decided it wouldn’t hurt. She’d even seemed a little impressed by the quick progress of Layna’s healing.
So, take that Doc. A Christmas miracle. Ryan smirked.
Maybe he and Layna’s bond had been building all this time and he just didn’t realize it. Whatever the case, he was happy his woman wasn’t in any pain, and he hoped like hell when she tried to walk in a minute, she didn’t hobble over.
She rubbed her
face against his neck, her purr rumbling the silence of the forest. They hadn’t ventured far even though Gash and Renner had swept the area looking for other traps. Just far enough none of the humans would see her.
Her rough tongue darted out to lick his jaw and he groaned.
“You keep that up, and I’ll carry you straight to our cabin. We’ll save this for another day.”
She nipped his jaw in response.
“Lemme see that beautiful tail.”
He eased to the side to examine her wounds. Two harsh pink lines showed through the area where Doc had shaved away Layna’s fur. But the stitches were already gone, and there was no sign of the wound opening again. It looked better than he’d expected.
For the hundredth time since talking with Gash and Magic, a hot flash of anger worked its way up his throat. That bastard Felix and his shadow clan. They’d done this to her. They’d pay for it too.
Layna growled softly. She didn’t want him thinking about it. She’d informed him earlier that those cats couldn’t be allowed to put a damper on what was sure to be the best Christmas of her lifetime.
“Yeah, I know,” he murmured, leaning down to kiss her head. “Now try to straighten your tail.”
It was bent slightly at the second wound. It was noticeable, but there was still swelling to go down. It would probably get better.
Her hips flexed and she let out a hiss.
“Not yet, huh?” He fingered one of her ears, rubbing the tip in a circular motion. “Okay, baby. Are you ready? Let’s do this.”
He stepped back, giving her room to maneuver.
“See what you can do.”
Tentatively, she took a step forward. Wobbly, but determined to go farther. Just like his Layna. His sassy little sweetheart with a dirty mouth.
His grin split his face and she seemed to scowl.
“What?” he asked, watching her take another off-balance step. “You’re sexy like that. All focused and determined to get what you want.”
Her eyes narrowed and she licked her lips, looking like she wanted to eat him. In a good way.
With a quick move, he yanked his shirt off and took two steps back.
“Incentive,” he said, when her feline gaze combed over his shoulders and chest.
More steady this time, she took two careful steps toward him as he slowly unbuckled his belt and stepped backward.
Again, she moved forward, her tail finding new ways to balance her until she barely swayed.
“What else shook I take off, my Layna? These jeans? It’s pretty damn cold out here, so you’ll have to make it worth it.”
She gave him a sexy growl and his cock went rock hard. He’d been so strung for her between last night and this morning, he wasn’t sure how he’d make it through without being a one pump chump. Maybe the cold would help.
He dropped his jeans, kicking them and his boots off at the same time, and then stepping backward again.
His cougar’s eyes widened at the sight of him almost bare. In all their close encounters, she hadn’t seen his body. He’d only seen hers.
That was about to change. Just a couple more steps.
Ryan dragged his hand down his rippled eight-pack abs, and tucked his thumb under the waistband of his boxer briefs. “Almost there, baby,” he husked.
Did she even realize she’d walked twenty feet without a single wobble? His woman was going to be just fine. He knew it.
She took two more steps as he edged backward around a rock.
Achingly slow, he slid his waistband down his hips, letting his erection pop out the top, big and bobbing for her touch.
But he didn’t make it all the way down with his pants because the cougar took a bounding leap, landing with her front paws on his chest, and shifting in the next blink. Her claws retracted to soft human hands and her body, smooth and tender, pressed into him with urgency.
“Got you,” she breathed. “Now what am I going to do with you?”
“Anything you want.” He smacked both palms on her ample ass and squeezed, bringing her even closer for his kiss.
***
Ryan tasted delicious. Hot and sultry, pushing away the chill of December air. She needed him fully, to be one with him in the purest way. They couldn’t wait any longer. She needed his physical claiming the way she needed her next breath to live.
Mine, her cougar moaned.
She broke their kiss and trailed her mouth down his rough jaw. He had the face of a magazine model, all sharp features with those soft eyes. He melted her. Down his neck, she sucked, earning tortured groans from his lips. Nipping her way lower and lower, she traced every defined abdominal muscle with her tongue, and that ridge that slanted toward his hard erection.
Going to her knees, she was finally there. Right where she wanted to be. Face to groin.
He gasped as she took him in her hand, finally feeling that part of him that had ached for her body to relieve it. Gently she ran her fingers along his length as he stood there, hips jutting forward, clenching his fists over and over.
“Layna, I—”
She didn’t let him finish. Instead, she took him into her mouth, tasting him for the first time, drawing him all the way to the back of her throat. Her cat purred at his flavor.
His trembling hand brushed her hair from her face. “Baby…”
She met his gaze, swirling her tongue around his tip, and he squeezed his eyes closed as the pleasure flowed through their bond so perfectly.
“Please,” he groaned. “This will be over too fast.”
She sucked hard, releasing him with a soft pop.
“Need to get you home,” he rumbled. “Need to make you mine.”
Layna shook her head. “Can’t wait. Take me right here.”
He pulled her forward, his mouth dropping to her breast. “Our first time can’t be in the woods,” he murmured between nips and licks. “What kind of fairytale goes like that?”
“The kind…” Layna moaned when he took her hard nipple gently between his teeth. “The kind that happens beneath the mistletoe.”
“Hmm?” His hand swept lower, grazing over her tender clit.
“Look up,” she managed. “Mistletoe. In the tree.”
His head tipped back and he squinted.
“It’s meant to be,” she said. “Our first kiss. Our first time.”
His eyes came back to her, hot and needy. “Are you ready for me, mate?” he asked, testing her wetness with his fingers and finding her drenched.
“Fuck yes.”
“Hold on to my shoulders.”
Hands gripping her waist, he lifted her so her legs wrapped around him. It seemed like no effort at all as his biceps flexed to position her poised at the tip of his cock. With a little growl, he pushed into her, barely able to go slow.
Her mouth opened on a silent gasp as her body took him, and a flood of sensation overwhelmed her. She stared into his eyes, wonderstruck at their union. In all her years, she’d never imagined having such a beautiful mating.
“Oh, my Layna, you feel perfect,” he ground out through clenched teeth. “You feel like mine.”
“I am yours,” she whispered, dropping a soft kiss to his mouth.
“Say it again.” He lifted her hips, sliding her along his length, before easing her back down.
“I’m yours.”
“Again,” he breathed, repeating the motion with her hips and making her tremble.
“I’m all yours.” She gripped his shoulders, holding on as they flexed for him to increase the speed.
“More,” he demanded. “I love hearing you say it, baby.”
“I’m yours. I’ll always be yours. Forever. Storybook. Christmases. And Facebook posts. Yours, yours, yours,” she chanted as he continued to thrust into her hard and sure.
Supporting her weight with one arm, he reached up to sweep the hair from her eyes. “Look at me, love. I want to see your face when you come.”
And she was oh so close. He rocked into her anothe
r time, and another, his face reddening from his efforts.
“Ryan…” she wailed, but he didn’t relent. He was tossing her off the edge, with only their love as her life preserver.
And damn, what a beautiful ride it was going to be.
“Wish…” A tiny flicker of sadness touched his eyes, but then it was gone. “Wish I could mark you.” He let out a groan loud enough she heard birds flutter away from the sound. “This will have to do.”
The first hot jet of his release hit and she was done for, spasming and gripping him within her.
“Yesss. Yes, mate. So good.”
With this, their bond was complete, the connection between them strong as steel. Something that could never be broken. Her life would end with his. Life mates.
He continued to thrust, slowing his rhythm as his knees went weak and he buried his face against her neck, holding her like she was precious. She held his head, tangling her fingers in his hair and breathing in their mingled scents.
“I can’t believe I finally have you,” he croaked, shuddering.
She smiled against his hair, so blissed out she felt like she was dreaming.
Eventually, he slid out, and set her carefully on the ground. But he didn’t take his arms from around her. He seemed reluctant to let her go.
“I should get you back to my bed so we can continue this.”
“Continue?”
He chuckled. “Oh yes, baby. Do you think I’m finished with you after one glorious encounter? We’re just getting started.”
She laughed, knowing he was right. Their life together was just beginning, and it was going to be glorious. Sure, there would be struggles. There was with any relationship. But she wasn’t worried about her human. He had the heart of a lion.
And it was all hers.
Chapter Ten
Layna awoke Christmas morning alone. Her cougar came awake with the knowledge that one side of her bed was empty. Usually Ryan was there, in the predawn hours, with his arms tangled around her and his leg tucked between hers.
Rolling over, she saw he’d stoked the fire in the woodstove of their cabin, but he was nowhere to be seen and there were no sounds coming from the kitchen.
