The doorbell sounded ominous when Willow rang it, like something out of a B-movie where the naïve heroine seeks help at some creepy manor. The sky was growing dark, and a shiver ran through Willow that had nothing to do with the balmy July temperatures. What if Mace was the one who had attacked her? How could she face him, and what might he do? Then, as if to complete the bad horror movie motif, a bolt of lightning split the sky, and the heavens opened up. She stood on the step, getting drenched in the sudden downpour, and then the door flew open. It was Mace.
At first his face was a glowering mask, the angry artist who had been interrupted at his work. But when he realized it was Willow on his doorstep, and that she was soaked to the skin, he immediately softened.
“For god’s sake, girl, get in here.”
He stood aside as Willow scampered in, trying to shake the water from her hair and limbs. Her thin summer T-shirt was completely saturated and clung to her body, leaving little to Mace’s imagination. Mace’s eyes wandered over her curves, and unconsciously, he licked his lips. Willow hugged herself, suddenly aware of the fact that the sheer bra she was wearing under her flimsy T-shirt did nothing to obscure her breasts from Mace’s gaze.
“Raining cats and dogs, eh?” Mace remarked. “Hang on one moment.” Disappearing down the hallway, Mace reappeared a moment later with a large, fluffy bath towel. Instead of handing it to Willow, though, he began to dry her hair, the way one might if your house pet came in after getting soaked. There was a tenderness to his actions, though, and he smiled at her as he wiped the drops of water rolling down Willow’s face. “I’m glad you came back. I was a total boor the other night.”
Willow relaxed a little, dropping her arms, and giving herself over to the comforting feel of the towel on her head and shoulders. A tiny sound, almost like a purr, rolled up from her throat. Mace laughed. “Feels nice, does it?”
Catching herself, Willow focused on the reasons why she had come back to see Mace, but it was hard to imagine that the man drying her off was capable of such a violent attack. The towel, and Mace’s hands, strayed down to her breasts, and the massaging motion was definitely not helping Willow attend to her mission. The terry cloth whisking over her erect nipples was tantalizingly stimulating.
She should try to use their interchange as a way to see if Mace was a shifter; Chris had said that sexual desire opened the window between the two states. Willow gave in to the feeling growing within her and decided to see what would happen if she seduced Mace.
Her voice purred as she tacitly gave his hands permission to wander, her hand floating up to caress his face. “That feels fantastic.”
Mace smiled slyly. “Time to get you out of this wet shirt, don’t you think?” He dropped the towel and pulled Willow’s T-shirt over her head, revealing the sheer nude bra she wore underneath. Her nipples were clearly visible, and Mace’s eyes narrowed with desire. “God, you are a lovely thing.”
One of his hands trailed over her breast, his fingers coaxing one nipple to attention, and a little cry of pleasure escaped from Willow’s throat. Whatever her motivation, and whatever Mace’s intention, the fact was, his touch was skillful and thoroughly arousing. She responded by slipping her hand between their bodies, cupping his hard cock. Then it was Mace’s turn for a wordless expression of pleasure. He bent his mouth to her ear as he caressed her nipple with the tip of his finger. “You like that, don’t you?”
Willow nodded, her hand moving to unzip Mace’s jeans, but before she could, he scooped her up in his arms. “The hallway is no place to pleasure an exotic creature like you.”
She leaned against his shoulder, and he kissed the top of her head.
Instead of carrying her to a bedroom, though, Mace took her into the library where they had first met. He sat back in one of the oxblood leather chairs, and positioned Willow so that she straddled him. “No need to rush, we can take our time, you know.”
He took Willow’s face in his hands, giving her a long and luxurious kiss. His cock strained at his jeans, and Willow couldn’t help but press herself against him. His hands encircled her and cupped her firm butt, encouraging her to ride him as she braced herself with her hands on his shoulders. Willow’s eyes closed in pleasure, as her excitement grew, and then she recalled the whole purpose of the visit. She pushed her eyes open, waiting to see if Mace would start to shift.
Willow leaned forward and whispered in his ear, “I don’t know if I can wait very long. I want you now.”
A little growl seemed to well up from Mace, and he deftly unsnapped Willow’s bra, freeing her breasts. He nuzzled his face against them, and then nipped at the tender point of her nipples with his teeth. She sucked a breath in, and in the next moment, she was ripping his shirt off. In one fluid motion, Mace stood with Willow’s legs wrapped around him, supporting her weight with his hands under her butt. He playfully tossed her on the sofa, removing the remnants of his shirt. She reached out, unzipping his fly, and pushing his jeans down to reveal wings of muscle rising above his groin. His stomach was flat and rippled, and his cock was hard. When she took him in her hand, he groaned, and then the truth was revealed.
Mace was New England’s last catamount.
***
The afterglow of making love with Mace was not something at which to scoff; he was a skillful and sensitive lover in every way. Willow sighed, her head resting against his muscled chest, his supple limbs cradling her against him. He stroked her head, and Willow had to admit, it was the best sex she had ever had, only to be compared with the pleasure she had shared with Guy.
As she lay there, she pondered whether or not she should be concerned with who had turned her. Maybe it was better to simply enjoy the sexual freedom she felt since the start of her transformation. She would know on the full moon what species she was, and that would no doubt reveal the identity of the one who had made her. Even if she had not voluntarily become a shifter, maybe it would still all be okay. Despite the desperation behind such a sneaky attack, maybe she and her maker could still learn to truly love one another as human companions. In the interim, though, there didn’t seem much harm in enjoying how the animal side of her nature was being expressed. All her adult life she had been a serial monogamist; the thought of juggling more than one man always seemed a little naughty, not to mention way too much work.
The main problem, she realized, as she stroked the downy fuzz on Mace’s stomach, was that beyond their talents as lovers, she honestly didn’t know much about either Mace or Guy. On the surface, Mace was wealthy, rich and famous. Guy was an outdoorsman, clearly smart, but not conventionally successful. And then there was Chris, king of the deer, and head of the shifter council. What was he really besides a seemingly decent doctor?
The swirl of thoughts in Willow’s head made it impossible for her to remain still any longer. She rolled away from Mace, even as he tried to hold her.
“Where are you running off to?” he asked.
Willow kissed his hand. “As much as I’m enjoying lying in bed with you, there are other things requiring my attention.”
Mace’s expression darkened a bit, the way it had that first day when Willow didn’t respond the way he wanted. “What could be more important than us getting to know each other?”
“I do want to know you, inside and out,” Willow countered. “But you need to know that getting bossy doesn’t win points with me.” She stood up and began gathering her clothes.
Striking a more conciliatory tone, Mace continued, “I’m sorry, it’s just been so long since I….”
Something about Mace’s manner struck Willow as disingenuous. She turned to him. “What, it’s been a long time since you fucked? Guess what, you’re not the only cat in town.” Angrily, Willow pulled her sodden clothes on, which only served to make her feel worse. “Look, Mace, I know what you are, and you know what I’m becoming, so let’s not play any games here. My attack wasn’t an accident, and every shifter in the Kingdom knows that.”
After a moment
of stunned silence, Mace answered, “I’m sorry this has happened to you, but you’re mistaken if you think I had any part in it. And I can’t help it that I’m happy that a cat is responsible for turning you. Because of that, I dared hope that maybe we could have something together. You do realize that I’m strong enough to protect you from other big cats, especially a cat so vile as to turn someone against their will.”
Conflicting emotions raged within Willow’s mind and body, and all she wanted was to curl up alone and cry. Great sex wasn’t the remedy to make her forget that someone had essentially raped her, and taken her ordinary life away from her. Maybe Mace was telling her the truth, but maybe it was just another one of his stories. Willow bolted from Mace’s house as fast as she could, and bawled her eyes out all the way home.
***
A long hot bath and a good cry did wonders to help Willow find her equilibrium. She went to bed early and passed a dreamless night. When her alarm went off at six, she knew the best thing for her to do was try to resume a normal routine.
Samuel seemed a little surprised to her see her when she came into the clinic, but also relieved to have the help.
“Are you sure you’re feeling up to things?” he asked.
“Yeah, I’m actually feeling pretty energetic. I guess a couple of days of bed rest have put me back on my feet.”
Samuel pulled up the day’s appointments on the computer. “There are several large animal calls that need to happen today or tomorrow, so why don’t I go knock those out, and you can handle the dogs and cats? Everything today looks pretty routine, except for a ferret that seems to have indigestion.” He looked up from the computer screen with a smile that Willow found steadying.
“Sure, that sounds great.”
“By the way, Grace did stop by yesterday to check on you, but you didn’t answer the door.”
“I was sleeping pretty hard, I hope it didn’t worry her,” Willow fibbed.
“That’s what she said, that you were probably asleep.” He pushed his glasses up on his nose. “Well, I better get going. George has gone to town to grab a few supplies we needed that can’t wait until our catalogue order gets here, but he’ll be back before lunch to help. There’s a St. Bernard coming in this afternoon for a flea dip.”
“Sounds good. I’ll keep the train on the rails.” Willow smiled. It felt good to get back into the swing of things and to stop obsessing over what would happen at the next full moon.
As predicted, George returned from town around eleven with some wound dressings and syringes. He whistled a little as he put things away, and as she was in between patients, Willow felt in the mood to chat.
“So did you grow up in the NEK?” she inquired, making conversation.
George, a roundish man with fuzzy hair and pale blue eyes, nodded as he tidied up a supply cabinet. “Not really…I was…adopted.” He cleared his throat as if the subject was a little uncomfortable, and Willow hastily changed the subject.
“What made you want to be a vet tech?”
George closed the door on the cabinet thoughtfully. “I guess I’ve always related to animals—maybe better than to people. They only care whether you are kind or not. They don’t judge you on superficial qualities.”
“I know what you mean,” Willow agreed. “They can be darn good judges of character. Do you have dogs or cats?”
“Two Maine coon cats that I rescued as tiny kittens—a car hit their mother. They’re big ol’ boys now though.” George’s eyes twinkled with pride.
“I bet they’re spoiled rotten.”
“Yeah, I can’t deny it,” George laughed.
“I can’t wait until I can settle down and get a pet, but I figure the right one will present itself at the right time.”
George nodded. “I really think it works out better that way, a good companion should pick you.” He glanced out the window. “Uh oh, you better get ready, here comes Mrs. Wilkins and her two Schnauzers, Wolfgang and Ludwig. Talk about spoiled—those dogs will bite your face off if they catch you off guard!” He mimicked vicious dog barking, and Willow laughed.
“Run! Hide!” George joked, and Willow skipped off to the examination room.
Thanks to George’s warning, Willow managed to avoid being nipped by either Wolfgang or Ludwig as she gave them a senior wellness check-up. The clock in the examination room clicked to one, but it was her rumbly tummy that said that it was time for lunch.
“Hey, George, I’m going over to Green’s for a sandwich, do you want to come, or can I bring you something?”
George looked a little surprised at Willow’ offer. “Wow, that’s nice, but I brought my lunch today. Maybe another time?”
“Sure thing. I should be back in forty-five minutes.”
As Willow closed the door, she gulped a little, hoping that things would be easier with Katie. A normal morning of work had helped her gain a little perspective, and she realized that men might come and go, but every woman needs a really good girlfriend. Her stomach skipped a little as she made the short walk over to the diner.
When Willow came through the door, though, Katie smiled and Willow grinned widely in return.
“Hey, Katie! What’s cooking?”
“How about some New England pot roast? Cook can make you a nice open-faced sandwich—gravy won’t hurt you a bit.” She winked.
Willow sighed in relief. Katie was acting completely normal. Now there was only the little shifter issue to broach. “That sounds fantastic. Can I just pretend there’s a green vegetable next to it?”
Other customers kept Katie busy, but soon, the lunch crowd cleared out.
“You licked your plate clean,” Katie observed.
“I’ve been really hungry ever since my hospital escape. Guess that’s part of the…process.” Willow thought alluding to her new condition was a good way to start the conversation. “Do you want to go for a run after work today? I really feel like I need to blow off some steam.”
Katie wiped some spilled cola off a menu. “A run sounds like a great idea, as long as you don’t mind doing it cross country. Road running bores me to tears.”
“No, in the woods would be great.” Then she remembered her date with Guy. “I just need to be back home by 7:30.”
“That shouldn’t be a problem. I’m a little out of shape, so I’m probably only good for three miles.”
Willow felt happy; things were going to get back to normal with Katie, and tonight she could share her shifter problem with someone she trusted.
***
The trail Katie picked for them started out fairly level, and after about a quarter mile, began a gentle climb. After another quarter mile, it got steeper, with switchbacks zigzagging up a wooded hillside. Suddenly they burst out of the trees and into a grassy meadow with an incredible view.
“Holy cow!” Willow panted. “This is definitely worth the effort to get up here.”
“I thought you’d like it.” Katie leaned over, her hands resting on her knees as she caught her breath. “It’s one of the nicest views I know.”
For a moment, the two young women admired the lush greenery and rolling hillsides that made up the Kingdom.
Having caught her breath, Katie gestured out to the wilderness that surrounded them. “Besides a few cows and scattered homesteads, there’s not much between here and Canada. This is a good place to come when you need a…change.”
Willow wasn’t sure if Katie was speaking literally or metaphorically. Surely Katie knew her situation by now.
“You mean like in a couple of weeks?”
Katie nodded solemnly. “I can come with you if you want.”
Reaching out to Katie, Willow put a hand on her arm. “You have no idea how much that means to me.” Without warning, a tear rolled down Willow’s cheek. “It’s all really confusing right now.”
“I can imagine. I remember how I felt the first time—I was thirteen, and raised in a family of shifters, but no one really tells you anything until it’s your time.
”
“You’re a wolf?”
“I’m a wolf. And the one guy in my life I ever had real feelings for is a bobcat. Dogs and cats—not a good mix.” Katie sighed heavily. “Think of it like an interracial or interfaith marriage when the families are completely against it. It’s hard to stand up to that kind of pressure.”
“Traditionalists, I take it.”
“To say the least. I might have been able to bring my family around…they’re over in New Hampshire anyway, but the Beaugrands? They’d rather bite my head off—and I don’t mean that figuratively.”
“So Guy just went along with his family?”
“It’s pretty hard to say no when your father is the king and you are heir to the throne.”
“Guy is a prince?”
“Yep.”
“What happened to democracy? From everything I can see, the Kingdom is living up to its name—except there are multiple fiefdoms.”
“Shifters aren’t the most socially progressive folks…that’s why Chris has made a few enemies. His authority comes from the smaller shifters who sought his protection. The top of the food chain only got on board with the refuge plan because they didn’t see any other option—not because they thought it was time to be more congenial.”
“So that’s why Guy doesn’t have much use for Chris?”
“Guy isn’t so backward that he’d try to take Chris down, but he’s entrenched in his family enough to not like the fact a buck is calling the shots in the Kingdom.”
“So who else is on this shifter council?” Willow asked.
“There’s a porcupine, an eagle, a red fox, a blue heron, a river otter, a box turtle, a black bear and…me.”
Willow Run: Boxed Set (Books 1-6) Page 7
