by C. J. Parker
His thighs shook, and he cried out her name. “Robertina.”
“Hush.” She ran her tongue up his right hip, drawing a trail of moisture toward his spine, pausing to brush his hair away from his back.
“What is this?” She gasped, gently running her fingers over the colorful tattoo before stepping away. Its bright colors glistened with the silver of the sword’s blade and the hilt’s bright green dragon scales. “Where did this come from? I don’t remember seeing this before.”
“No one has.” Kangee swallowed convulsively and remained perfectly still. “The spirits of my grandfather and father marked me less than an hour ago. They said your mark symbolized the arms of the mother to our people while mine is the sharp edge of retribution to any who try to harm you. I am bound to protect you, Robertina.”
Bobbie kissed the tip of the sword, working her way up to the dragon hilt. Her mind stored away what he’d just said, and she tamped down the discomfort it had caused. Even the damned spirits were trying to run her life. “Does it still hurt?”
He shook his head. “No. Not anymore. Yours?”
“Gone.” She caressed her way around his shoulder to his collarbone. “If you’ve not noticed, I’m a big girl now, and I can take care of myself. Besides, protection is not what I want from you right now.”
“We need to talk.” The sound of Kangee’s throat closing and opening was loud in the silence. “There are things you need to know.”
“Enough talk, Kangee. I’m about talked to death.” She wrapped her arms around his neck and drew him close ’til their faces nearly touched. Tears of frustration and the weariness of the weight she carried added a ring of desperation to her voice.
She didn’t want to hear about obligation or duty. She only wanted to forget for a few short moments at least, before it all came rushing back upon her. “Kiss me like you mean it. Burn me with your lips. Make me feel alive again.”
Kangee drew her into his arms and closing the scant distance separating their mouths. His kiss was hungry and demanding. Calloused hands grasped her hips and lifted her so her heat rested on his hardness.
Strong desire surged from her groin to her brain. Slowly, she rotated her hips, spreading her wetness onto his erection. Hissing, she threw her head back and let the passion grow until the pressure threatened to explode. His hot mouth drew nearer to her breast. The moist heat claimed her nipple. With each suck that drew her nipple deeper, she came closer to release.
Bobbie cried out in disbelief and confusion when he gently pushed her away and lifted her into his arms, walked a few steps to lower her to the cool grass and placed himself over her. He ran his fingertips down her soft belly, and across the curls between her legs, then lowered his touch to her ankles and crept slowly up the inside of her legs to her thighs, spreading her wider as he went. He sank his finger deep inside, in and out. His hand worked its magic while his lips burned a trail down her stomach. He replaced his hand with his mouth.
Grasping him by his hair, Bobbie’s thoughts shattered into a million fragments. Kangee’s tongue swirled and licked, probed and explored. “Please, Kangee. Please.”
The force of her climax splintered Bobbie’s ability to form a coherent thought. Her core gripped and loosened as if searching for something he’d not yet given. As if to answer that demand, he thrust himself into her.
~~~
Kangee nearly lost it when her body convulsed around him. He stopped his movement inside her for fear he would lose control, and he wanted this to last forever. It had been too long since they’d been together, and no other woman pulled at his heart the way Bobbie did.
He moved, slowly at first, rejoicing in the kitten-like sounds she made and the way her arms grasped greedily at him. A low ember of heat warmed his gut and soon grew to a blaze that threatened to consume him. His movements quickened and his lungs grew desperate for air. “Baby, I can’t…”
“I know. Oh, God. I know.”
His groin tightened and every muscle in his body shuddered. He pulled her to him, holding her. His release was violent, too long held dormant. It seemed to last forever and not long enough.
Bobbie lay still in a long silence before Kangee turned her on her back and leaned his head on her chest, listening to her pulse slowing. He kissed her, pouring into it all the love he’d longed to give her during their years apart. Bobbie writhed against him, waking his desire once more, as only she could. She pushed him onto his back and gently fondled his new arousal before drawing him into her mouth. A low rumble in her throat vibrated up his shaft and his need grew stronger. She sat and straddled his hips.
“My turn.” Bobbie plunged downward. She leaned forward planting her hands on his chest and gently rode him. Her gaze searched his as if she could see his every thought, read his every emotion and satisfy every desire ever requested. Arching her back, she guided him deeper, all the while running her fingers up his inner thighs until she had his balls in her hand, massaged gently, then settled her thumb against the base of his shaft, letting it glide along the engorged artery with every lift and descent of her body.
“Where did you learn to do this?” He wasn’t sure he wanted to know the answer.
Her grin was wicked, but her eyes held only truth. “Complaining?”
He smiled. “Only if you stop.”
“Not going to happen, fly boy.”
Kangee’s heart ached with the nickname. “Say, my name, Robertina.”
“Only if you stop calling me Robertina.” She quickened her pace, plunging him deep and hard, then bringing his shaft to the brink of leaving her hungry body before sending him back into the depth of her core.
“Say my…”
“Kangee,” she whispered, stilled her movements and flexed her muscles tight around his shaft, again and again. “My Kangee.”
He grasped her hips and slammed against her. Bobbie met him thrust for thrust, faster and harder until he could stand it no more and flung her onto her back and drove as deep as his length would allow.
He was sure their climax shook the earth.
He savored the feel of her skin against his, the warmth of her breath as it brushed across his chest with every release of air from her lungs. Kangee closed his eyes and smiled. He would never let her run away again. They were now bound, though she didn’t want to admit it, they were one. He would build them a home of their own, a home without the sad memories of the past, a home they would fill with their children.
Bobbie groaned.
He brushed her hair out of her face and smiled. “What?”
She pointed toward the sky. “Our bubble is about to burst.”
Kangee looked around at the ward Tabatha had conjured for them and realized Bobbie was right. The solid shield had become tattered and worn in places. Its roof dangled in disintegrating shreds. “I need to talk to you.”
When Bobbie moved to sit, Kangee rolled and pulled her into his arms. “I’m not ready to let you go yet.”
Cradling her bottom against his groin, she giggled. “Sure you want to talk?”
“It’s about Aetheria and me. She’s my mother.”
She shrugged. “I know.”
His mind wove through a tangle of confused thoughts. “What? How?”
“Oh, for Pete’s sake, Kangee. It was plain to see. You hunted and fished for her. You took care of her. When you needed someone to talk to, it was Aetheria you searched out, not your adoptive parents.”
Bobbie’s nonchalant attitude wasn’t quite what Kangee had expected. He’d expected shock, anger, anything but “so what.” “That doesn’t bother you?”
“Why should it? You are who you are, not who she is. Besides, I adore her. You know that.” She twisted around to kiss him on his lips. “She was there when it was only Elsu and me. She was like a mother to us, but I saw the difference in the way she was with you.”
He nodded. “There is more, but I will let Aetheria explain it. We will have our joining ceremony tonight.”
“Pardon me?” Bobbie sat up and shook her head. “I know we’re lifemates, but it will never work, Kangee. You’re a bird. I’m a cat. Not exactly a match made in heaven. Besides, I’ve got my hands full already.”
The ward collapsed around them with a whoosh of gulf-scented air. Though he was disappointed that their time alone was up, he knew it was time to go home. Kangee stood, took Bobbie’s hand and led her through the woods to the shore. “Listen to what Aetheria has to say before you make up your mind. But know this, Bobbie Luckman, you are mine. No other man will ever have you.”
“Oooh, big he-man, lay down law.” Bobbie dove into the water and laughed. The mid afternoon sun warmed her skin, but the cool waters of the Gulf sent a quick chill up her spine. “No more serious talk. Come wash my back.”
“Fine. Enough talk.” He strode into the gulf, drew her into his arms and nipped the tip of her nose. “For now.”
Bobbie stiffened.
The heavy sense of being watched settled over Kangee like a smothering cloak. Not shifter, he was sure of that, but an Outsider. “Someone’s out there.”
Chapter Nine
Bobbie centered her attention on the section of woods where sounds of heavy boots in mud, and frustrated uttered curses were coming from. She waited, listening, watching for movement.
Noisy. Clumsy. Outsiders.
Confusion mingled with concern. A string of profanity, a snap of fallen limbs filtered through the bayou with the breeze. They weren’t trying to hide their presence. It was clear they were oblivious to the danger around them.
Kangee sniffed the air and shuddered. She watched his eyes zero in on the same stretch of woods she’d studied.
“One is familiar.” He cocked his head to the side as if listening. “Though I can’t remember from where. The other is a stranger.”
She raised her nose to gather their smell. Her concern fell away, taking with it the weight of worry from her shoulders. “Fly home. You can get there before me.”
“What about the fish? Aetheria will have a hissy if I don’t bring them back.”
“Screw the fish. Go!” Stepping out of his embrace, she inched to the shoreline. She wanted to reach the visitors before the others did. Picturing her panther in her mind, she shifted. A few moments later, Kangee rose into the air in a more direct path to the village.
Bobbie waited until he was out of sight before running through the woods toward the noise. It didn’t take long to find them. Bobbie pounced into the air landing on the chest of the larger of the two men, knocking him to the ground.
“Hello, Derek. Miss me?” She licked the man from chin to temple, knowing he would hate it.
The stranger pulled his pistol from his shoulder holster and aimed.
“Troy, stop.” Derek shoved Bobbie out of the gun’s range. “She’s a friend. It’s okay.”
Troy lowered his gun, but didn’t holster it.
“Dammit, Bobbie, get off me.” Brushing his dark hair out of his face, Derek’s brown eyes crinkled with humor, though Bobbie knew he was doing his best to act and sound annoyed. “Where the hell is Tabatha?”
Stretching out lazily on his body, she flicked her long black tail and studied the stranger who accompanied him. A tall willowy blond, he took a step away from Hunched Man’s Tree. When a ray of sunlight worked its way through the overhead foliage canopy, specks of gold glistened inside the gray of his eyes. He smelled of sage and mint, the mixture mystics used to hide their magic. He raised a brow and returned her deliberate stare. He didn’t seem at all surprised that Derek was carrying on a conversation with a black panther who answered back.
Derek shoved Bobbie off him and stood. “Detective Troy Jackman.”
Cuda emerged a few feet away, hair damp, fresh clothing, he looked as if he’d just stepped from a shower. Omeda stood at his side in nothing more than a strap of material around her breasts and hips.
Troy raised his weapon again, this time pointing it at Cuda.
“Derek, will you tell your friend to put away his phallic symbol.” Bobbie offered the man a droll stare. “He’s making me nervous.”
“Holster the gun, Troy, but keep alert.” Derek nodded.
Troy seemed to mull that over as he watched the newcomers. He lowered the gun at his side.
“What’s going on here? Who are these men?” Cuda raised his chin skyward and let out an ear-piercing howl. Within seconds, every member of the village materialized to Bobbie’s right, Cuda’s band of followers to her left.
“Who the hell do you think you are summoning my people, Cuda? And why are you still here?”
“I told you this would happen when you let the Outsiders stay,” Cuda addressed the gathering. “They’ll kill us all and spread the word of our existence if we set them free.”
He spun around and pointed his long, narrow finger at Bobbie. “It’s all her fault. She brought them here. We have to rid ourselves of the Outsiders already entrenched in our midst.” He released a growl and pointed at the badge attached to Derek’s waist. “They’re cops! Not only have you brought Karepey in our midst, but they’re lawmen.”
Derek hooked his thumb under his waistband. “You have no worries unless you’ve done something wrong. Have you seen any laws broken, Troy?”
“None man-made.” He rolled his shoulders and rubbed his neck with his free hand. “Maybe a few laws of physics.”
Bobbie wound herself around Derek’s feet and rubbed her head on his thigh. “I’m sure Tabatha will be pleased to see you. She’s done nothing but pine for you since she got here.”
Omeda stepped forward, circling Derek and Bobbie with a leer. “Well, well. What new toys do we have?” She shot a glance at the second man. “Pretty. Very pretty.”
“Where’s Tabatha?” Derek repeated, ignoring Omeda.
Everyone turned when Tabatha, as if on cue, ran into the fray and released a sound between a gasp of joy and a whimper. She pushed past Cuda, racing into Derek’s arms, barely missing Bobbie’s head as she jumped up, wrapped her legs around Derek’s waist and kissed him frantically. “I’ve missed you.”
“Oh, hell, he isn’t worth chewing.” Omeda walked away, vanishing into woodland. “Come along, Cuda.”
Cuda glanced her way but continued to pace the small distance between the trees and pathway.
Bobbie giggled with amusement as Derek tried to retain a scowl while returning Tabatha’s kisses.
“You’re in big trouble, you know? What were you thinking, running off like that?” He grasped her by the shoulders and set her back all the while looking her over.
“I left you a note.” Tabatha had the good sense to appear embarrassed.
“A note?” Derek stood her on her feet. His gaze bore into hers. “I ought to toss your butt into the swamps and let the gators have you.”
Bobbie shifted to human form and tiptoed so she could place a kiss on his cheek. “I’ve missed your sweet personality, Bainbridge.”
Derek shook his head. “Don’t you ever wear clothes, woman?”
“Sometimes. Don’t be mad. Tabatha came because I needed her. If you want to be mad, take it out on me.” She waggled her eyebrows. “Wanna spank me?”
Kangee rushed into the clearing, a loincloth his only clothing. He pulled Bobbie out of Derek’s reach. “Mine,” he snarled, wrapping a cloak around Bobbie.
“Behave, Kangee. You know I’m teasing.” She tied the cloth around herself sarong style and leaned into the hard muscles of Kangee’s chest. “You remember Detective Derek Bainbridge, Tabatha’s fiancé.”
She turned and addressed the villagers around her. “This is the man who helped us find the killer and the Lord of the Guardians. He is welcome here.”
“She shifted in front of the Outsiders.” Cuda rushed forward. His expression held so much triumph Bobbie was momentarily distracted. “She must be destroyed. She has broken a sacred law.”
A growl of discontent grew among the villagers. Some were already nodding their heads in agreement. Eac
h one crowded closer, each running their gazes over the two men, as if making judgments of their own.
“Stay where you are. You will do these men no harm. They are under my protection.” Bobbie rounded on Cuda. “I am Queen of the Moran clan. I can break the laws when necessary.” She strolled toward the second man, eyes narrowed. “Who are you?” What are you?
“Detective Troy Jackman.” He bobbed his head in a mock bow. “Good to finally meet you.”
“Bobbie, bring our guests to me.” Aetheria’s voice rang though the trees.
Bobbie sighed. “Here we go again.” She led them into the village.
Once they were at the base of Aetheria’s tree house, Tabatha held onto Derek’s arm with a death grip. His eyes took in every movement of the villagers as they pretended to find some activity to keep them outside and in view of the happenings.
“Tabatha can wait for you at my place.” Bobbie placed her hand on Derek’s chest. “Aetheria needs to feel you out, decide if you’re friend or foe. Be your ornery self and you’ll be fine.”
Bobbie dropped her hand away and ran a wary eye over Troy. “You stay here until we call. I want to have a word with the old woman first.” She gripped Kangee’s bicep. “Watch him. We have no proof he isn’t one of the Guardians. For all we know he may be the killer.” She ran a critical gaze over Troy again, then turned her back to him. “We need to gather any weapons we have, make sure we have enough food to last us for a while, just in case we become trapped here.”
Kangee rolled his eyes. “Make up your mind, woman. Watch this runt or gather weapons?”
Troy leaned his back against the tree. He couldn’t have looked more relaxed or uncaring. “Kangee, isn’t it? Nice place you have here.”
Kangee copied the newcomer’s relaxed stance and grunted a reply. Bobbie hid her grin.
Aetheria opened the door and walked to the railing before Bobbie could reach the landing. “Bring the visitors with you, Bobbie. We must talk. Tabatha, go back to the house. I’ll call you in a bit. Don’t worry, child. I won’t harm him.” She smiled down at them. “I’ll explain everything in good time. It’s as it’s supposed to be. I promise you.”
