Sweet Dreams

Halle Pumas - 2

by

Dana Marie Bell

Dedication

To my mom and dad, who are still trying to figure out what happened to, “I want to be Isaac Asimov when I grow up.”

To Memom, who’s willing to discuss ménage a trois stories with her granddaughter with surprising enthusiasm. Yet another thing that has Mom shaking her head in wonder.

To my beta readers, Beth, Stephanie, RC and Alice: you guys rock! I love getting stuff back from you.

(“Wait. I really wrote that? Are you sure? Because I don’t think eggplants go there.”) To my editor, Angie, who takes the rough diamonds I dig up and send to her and polishes them until they gleam.

And to Dusty, who mutters about maniac, knife-wielding car-jackers/killers every time I mention buying a convertible, or how cute I’d look in one. I love you too, sweetheart. Even if you won’t let me get that sweet cherry red one I’ve always wanted.

Chapter One

Oh, yeah. Come to the masquerade party, she says. Simon will be there and he wants you, she says. You’ll have a blast, she says.

I am so gonna kick Emma’s ass over this.

A low, inhuman growl rumbled from Livia Patterson’s throat. Becky inched back, startled at the sound coming from the blonde. The hairs on the back of her neck stood up as Livia slowly paced forward, her lips curling in a feral smile. Her teeth were way too sharp. Her eyes were weird, too. They gleamed like a cat’s in the dim light provided by the paper lanterns.

If I live long enough.

Becky took another step back, her heart pounding with fright. The woman’s nails had turned into claws.

“Wow. Neat special effects.” She laughed nervously. “It doesn’t really go with the genteel senorita costume though. You might want to rethink it.”

Livia’s answer was a hissing growl that revealed a mouth full of razor-sharp teeth.

“Okay, not special effects.” Never had she been more grateful that she’d decided to wear live steel rather than a plastic toy with her bandita costume. She drew her rapier and pointed it at Livia. Thank God for those fencing lessons I took in college. “Damn, I always knew you were a bitch, but this is ridiculous.”

Livia lunged at her. Those sharp black claws swiped along her sword arm, shredding the lace and nearly causing Becky to drop her sword. “Ow!”

Becky gasped at the transformed Livia. The next time Livia lunged Becky parried, slicing Livia’s arm.

This time it was Livia who bled.

The weirdest sounds came out of Livia. They were scary as hell. She snarled, then growled, then finally screamed. It sounded like one of the big cats at the zoo. If Becky wasn’t so focused on keeping those claws off of her she would be seriously freaked.

“More of a pussy than a bitch, huh?” She grinned when the woman snarled, riding that adrenaline high that always kicked in during a fencing match. Everything came into sharp focus as she began fighting, parrying Livia’s lunges, making a few of her own. She knew the woman would rip her apart if she got her claws into her. They danced around each other, circling, lunging, parrying till both women were panting.

She had the advantage of reach, but the blonde moved faster, coming in under her guard and going for her stomach.

The good news was the tight red senorita dress Livia wore hampered her movements, while Becky’s flowing bandita outfit was almost perfect for fencing. The bad news was Livia was incredibly fast and agile, a fact that nearly made up for her hampered movements.

You know, I have better things to do on a Saturday night than get my ass kicked by Senorita Psychopath. Becky knew she was outmatched. She got a few good hits in, drawing blood along Livia’s stomach and a deep slash along her cheek, but unless something happened, and soon, she would lose.

She was covered in small bleeding cuts, far more than she’d managed to inflict on the other woman. The rapier hilt was becoming slippery with blood. She made sure she kept a death grip on it. From the look of raw hatred on Livia’s face dropping it would end in her death.

Livia whirled away after a missed blow and Becky took the opportunity to thrust in low, slashing into her stomach and earning herself another growl.

The two women slowly danced around each other, looking for an opening. Livia snarled again, fur rippling along her arms as she lunged for Becky. With a startled cry Becky backed up a step, ready to parry the blow but stumbled over a bush and landed flat on her ass. Her hat rolled away and came to rest against another bush. Her rapier was knocked from her hand as Livia landed on top of her.

Becky screamed in pain as Livia bit down on her shoulder. Her claws raked along Becky’s sides, drawing even more blood.

Livia sat up slowly, one clawed hand wrapped around Becky’s throat. “Emma’s coming,” she purred, tilting her head to the side as she listened to something only she could hear. “So happy she could join our little party.”

“Swell,” Becky coughed, digging her fingers into Livia’s forearm. She had to get the Bride of Satan off of her!

Livia hissed at her and arched down. Her teeth were pinching at Becky’s neck when Emma appeared.

Becky looked over Livia’s shoulder at Emma and saw the horror in Emma’s expression before it was quickly shuttered away.

Emma cocked one hand on her hip and stared at Livia like the blonde had lost her mind. “Okay, some of the peroxide must have leaked into your brains to make this seem like a good idea. What will killing Becky accomplish, other than to piss off Simon and Max and ruin your manicure?”

The bitch snarled again, but she didn’t tighten her hold on Becky’s throat. Those wicked black claws remained poised above Becky’s stomach.

“Did you run out of Liversnaps or something? Oh wait, that’s dogs.”

Livia dug her claws into Becky’s stomach, making her gasp. She really wished Emma would shut the hell up before Livia gutted her like a fish.

Beads of blood, black in the night, dribbled down her sides as Livia released Becky’s throat and lifted her head. Her hand flexed, driving her claws deeper into Becky’s stomach. “I want the Curana’s ring.”

Ring? What ring? Becky glared at Livia, but neither woman was paying any attention to her.

“A ring does not make you Curana, Livia.”

Livia sneered. “It does to them!” She tossed her head towards the house, her hand flexing and sending shafts of pain rippling through Becky. She held still and quiet through sheer stubbornness alone; no way was Livia getting another sound out of her. “If they see I took the ring from you, they’ll never acknowledge you as Curana.” She smiled, her fangs glistening in the moonlight. “They’ll see you for the weak, pathetic wallflower you’ve always been. Max will be mine, like he always should have been; he won’t have a choice. He and I will run the Pride the way it was meant to be run, and you’ll be seen as nothing but the Alpha’s whore.”

Curana? Alpha? What the fuck is going on?

Emma nodded thoughtfully. “Yeah, all of that is true. Except for one thing. Well, two, really.”

“What’s that?”

“One, Max doesn’t want your double processed skanky ass.”

“Hey! I’m a natural blonde!”

And I’m the next Powerball winner. Looking past Emma, Becky thought she saw a flash of gold, and frowned.

“Two, even without the ring, I am the Curana.” Emma’s expression turned fierce. “Let Becky go. Now .”

There was a weird quality to Emma’s voice she’d never heard before, the command running through her like an electric shock. She felt Livia stiffen above her, a small, almost unnoticeable shudder wracking her body. She watched wide-eyed as Livia whimpered, her claws slowly, reluctantly withdrawing from Becky’s stomach. She crawled on all fours off her, her shoulders hunched as Emma’s command somehow pulled the shaking blonde to her. “Kneel.”

How the hell are you doing that? And can you teach me?

Livia knelt, trembling, at Emma’s feet. She tried to sit up, wincing, when a pair of hands reached around her and gave her a helping hand. Max, thank God . She looked up to say thanks and gasped.His normally sunny blue eyes were gold and they glittered like…a cat’s.“Oh, hell, not another one.”

The angry scream of another big cat rent the night. Three of them? What did I do, stumble into some freaky werewolf convention?

Out of the corner of her eye she saw a streak of black land on Livia, knocking her to the ground. “I should kill you where you lay,” Simon growled over her, digging his claws into her stomach in the same exact spot she’d wounded Becky. Simon leaned down, his canines extending. Becky felt her jaw drop open as his black Zorro cape partially obscured Livia’s body. “I could rip your throat out right now.”

Oh. Oh, shit. Simon? Hot, hunky Simon, the man she’d secretly been in love with for years, was like Livia ?

“Uh, Simon?” Golden eyes blinded by rage met Emma’s. “You’re scaring the crap out of Becky.”

His head swiveled towards her; whatever he saw seemed to calm him down a bit. “Becky.” Becky jumped at the sound of his voice, moaning as her stomach protested sharply. “What would you have me do to her?”

Max’s gasp was audible; his hands tightened on her arms. She’d have to ask what that was about some other time.

“Simon?” She knew she sounded pathetic, but the thought that hewas like Livia was just way too much to deal with.

“Tell me, Becky. What should Livia’s punishment be for injuring you?” Simon’s voice was rough and growly, hitching slightly on the word injuring . He sounded supremely pissed off.

Becky blinked back sudden tears (damn, her stomach hurt) and stared at Livia. “What is she? What are you ?”

“Pumas. Werecats. I’ll explain more later. Right now, you need to decide her punishment.”

Becky looked at Emma, who flinched with guilt. “I didn’t know until Max bit me, then I didn’t know if you would believe me or not. But I planned on telling you tomorrow, if Simon didn’t do it first.”

“You’re a…” Becky swallowed hard at Emma’s slow nod. “And they’re…” Emma watched her, her expression pleading for understanding, which Becky gave. Emma was, after all, her BFF. Although Lucy still has a lot of esplainin’ to do . When she blew out a hard breath, Emma visibly relaxed. “This is going to cost you a fortune in Tidy Cat.” She laughed shakily, still trying to absorb everything that had happened.

Emma grinned, obviously relieved. “What would you like Simon to do with Livia?”

“What can he do with Livia?” Becky asked, glaring down at Livia’s terrified face.

“Well, let’s see: she was willing to kill you to get the Curana’s ring, so Simon is well within his rights to rip out her throat.” Emma shrugged. “Wouldn’t be all that big a loss as far as I’m concerned.”

She turned back to Emma, her patience just about at an end. She was bleeding all over herself, her stomach and shoulder hurt, and she still had no idea what the fuck was going on. “What the hell is the Curana’s ring?”

“It’s the ring Emma now wears that proclaims she’s my mate and queen,” Max replied, gentling his grip on Becky’s arms.

“Whoa. Wait, so I was bait for Emma?” That bitch is so dead.

“Becky, the longer Simon smells the blood the harder it will be for him to not kill Livia. Decide her fate quickly.” Max’s voice cut through the mental fog surrounding her, focusing her again on the woman on the ground.

She looked at Livia one last time before staring straight at Simon. Something she saw in his face let her know that he would do whatever she asked of him, up to and including murder. The patient way he waited for her to pronounce sentence reassured her. Somehow she knew Simon would sit there all night if she needed him to. “What is the lowest status a Puma can hold? If Max is king and Emma is queen, is there a lowest of the low?”

“No!” Livia moaned, trying to break free of Simon’s hold. Simon merely dug his claws in deeper while his other hand held her down by her throat.

“Outcast, someone who’s been made Prideless. She’ll hold no privileges, no responsibilities. She will no longer be welcome at Pride functions or homes. Kits will be taught to avoid her. If she wished for status again she would have to leave, find a Pride willing to take her in and earn it.”

Becky nodded. Bye-bye, Senorita Psychopath. Have a nice fucking life somewhere far, far away from here. “Since the whole damn thing was about status, I think that would do nicely.”

Simon nodded with a slow smile of approval. He bowed his head formally to Max. “My mate requests a casting out of the one named Olivia Patterson.”

Max eased Becky gently back down to the ground before stepping up beside Emma. He positioned himself so Becky could see everything happening between them. “The Beta of this Pride has requested a formal casting out. My Curana witnessed the unprovoked attack on our Beta’s mate, Rebecca Yaeger.”

Becky shot Simon a narrow-eyed glare. Mate? She’d read enough werewolf romances to know what that meant. So if she was his mate, why was Belinda all over him like white on rice?

“The attack was motivated by greed rather than self-defense. In light of these allegations I ask you, Olivia Patterson: how do you plead?”

“Fuck you,” Livia growled, trying once more to buck off Simon, who didn’t budge an inch. Becky smiled, hoping she was digging Simon’s claws in just a little bit deeper.

“I’ll take that as a guilty.”

Becky watched from her place on the ground as Max’s stare turned icy cold. A strange, barely there mist seeped from the ground he stood on. Something about that mist seemed alive. His right arm rested around Emma’s waist, unconsciously snuggling her close to him, the gesture sweetly protective. “As Alpha of this Pride, for the unprovoked attack against the Beta’s mate, I hereby declare Olivia Patterson outcast.”

There was that mate thing again. What the hell is Simon thinking?

“You are no longer one of us. You may no longer run with us, or hunt with us. You are no longer welcome in our homes. You may no longer approach our kits without risk to your life.”

Livia began to sob quietly as Max formally kicked her out of the “Pride”, another thing Becky was going to have words with Emma about. Curana? Queen werepuma? Hello! This was a bit bigger than “I’m screwing Doctor Hubba-Hubba”!

Not to mention that, thanks to Livia, it looked like she’d be joining the ranks of the perpetually fuzzy soon. Would she have to bow down to Emma? Kiss her ring? Sniff her butt?

Ew.

“Any attack on you will go unpunished within the Pride; we leave you to human laws. If you attack a mate of one of ours you will be dealt with as an outsider, and your life will be forfeit. Any further contact with Rebecca Yaeger will be considered an attack, and will be dealt with as such. Again, your life will be forfeit. Any Pride member giving you succor will suffer the same fate as you.” With a gentle nudge, Max turned so that he and Emma had their backs to Livia, effectively dismissing her.

Simon pulled his claws from Livia’s flesh. His eyes returned to their normal dark brown and his fangs receded as he approached Becky with a wicked smile and a purposeful stride.

“Um, down, kitty? Good kitty?” Becky grinned weakly as Simon reached for her. Simon gently picked Becky up and walked out of the garden. He headed straight for the cars parked in front of the Friedelinde’s mansion. And unless Becky missed her guess, they weren’t headed to Halle General.

Her hands went to his shoulders, his dark brown hair brushing over the back of her hands. She suppressed a shiver at the feel of that dark silk sliding over her skin. “Let me go, Simon.” Becky frowned, struggling slightly as she tested his hold on her.

“Not happening. Stay still, baby.”

Becky flopped back in his arms, wincing when her neck and stomach protested. The big lug barely noticed, just tightened his hold slightly. “Great. Just great. I get to trade in my GP for a vet.”

“GP?”

“General practitioner. As in my human doc. Geez, if you have to explain the joke it just isn’t funny anymore.”

Simon rolled his eyes. “No, you won’t have to trade in your GP for a vet. Where do you come up with stuff like that?”

Becky’s disbelieving stare merely caused his shit-eating grin to blossom. “I got bit by a werecat, Brainiac. Traditionally that now means I get to wear a flea collar and pee in a sandbox.”

Simon was shaking his head before she’d even finished speaking. “Nope. We have to deliberately change someone. I’d be able to smell it if she’d done it, and she didn’t. You’re not going to change.”

Becky sighed in relief.

“Yet.”

That single word held a dark promise Becky did her best to ignore. He was scanning the large driveway like he expected an ambush. When Belinda stepped out from between two of the parked cars, Becky smiled cynically.

“Oh, look, it’s Bondage Barbie.” She ignored his snort of laughter as she remembered the way the blonde had been all over him during the masquerade. “Simon, your date’s here, you can put me down now.”

His only answer was to tighten his arms around her.

“Not now, Belinda. Becky’s hurt.”

Belinda’s horrified gaze fastened on Becky’s stomach. “Livia did that?”

Simon turned on the other woman with a low, warning growl. “If I find out that you had a hand in helping Livia hurt my mate I will kick your ass so hard you’ll shit out of your mouth after I have you cast out of the Pride. You understand me?”

Becky groaned, “She’s one too?” just as Belinda gasped, “Mate? Her? ”

“I said, do you understand me?” He drawled out the syllables as if Belinda were an idiot.

“She can’t be your mate.” Belinda looked horrified.

“Damn straight.”

Becky jumped when Simon pressed a quick kiss on her forehead. “You shut up.” His voice was oddly affectionate as he looked down at her. His gaze, when he turned back to Belinda, was sharp. “I expect my mate to be welcomed by the Pride. Do you understand me? ”

Belinda sniffed. “She’s not even one of us.”

“She will be.”

“Will not!” Becky tried to straighten up and glare at him but the pain made her gasp and settle right back down. Note to self: stomach wounds and sit-ups don’t mix. Ow.

“Will too. Now shush.” His gaze never left the woman in front of him, but Becky knew he was well aware of her glare.

“Ass wipe.” She folded her arms across her chest with a sniff.

He looked down at her and frowned. “What did you just call me?”

“You heard me. You have been, and always shall be, an ass wipe.”

“But… I thought we would mate.” Belinda’s voice was shaky with unshed tears.

“What on earth would make you think that?” Simon looked totally confused.

Becky saw a shudder pass through Belinda, and wondered just how much the other woman loved Simon. If she did, she felt sorry for her. Simon had never been the type to settle down. Although he did call me his mate… Better not go there. That way leads to heartache a la Belinda. “Put me down, Simon. I’m bleeding and I need to go to the hospital.”

“Good point. Good night, Belinda.” He strode away, Becky still held firmly in his arms.

Over Simon’s shoulder she saw the other woman lower her head into her hands. An unexpected wave of pity went through her. Belinda was a pain, but she’d never been as bad as Livia. The fact that Simon had dated her off and on for years had probably contributed to the other woman’s belief that he was meant to be hers.

They reached Simon’s truck. “C’mon, put me down. Seriously. I can go to the emergency room. It’s just chock full of people docs.”

His eyebrows rose in disbelief. “And how will you explain your wounds?” Simon put one foot on the running board and propped her butt on his leg, thus freeing a hand to dig out his keys. “Hello, I got bit by a werepuma, can I have some stitches and a rabies shot? Or will you send the county on a cougar hunt?”

“Considering who bit me, maybe a rabies shot isn’t a bad idea.” She winced when he had to shift her slightly.

He stared down at her, waiting patiently for her reply. She rolled her eyes and gusted out a sigh. Simon took that for the surrender it was. He opened the truck door and gently placed her in the passenger seat, putting her seat belt on with infinite care. He removed her bandit mask and put it in his pocket. He got behind the wheel, put on his own seat belt and removed his Zorro mask. He started the truck and drove carefully out of the mansion’s driveway.

She didn’t even realize where they were going until he pulled into his own driveway, and by then it was too late.

Chapter Two

The dark green wooden siding and gray slate of Simon’s craftsman home was topped by a dark gray A-line roof supported by the traditional pillar and post design so common to the architecture. His favorite part of the house was his open, extended front porch. It ran half the length of the house and well into the front yard, making it more like a small deck than a porch. He’d installed a wooden porch swing off to one side where he could sit, beer in hand, and think after a long, hard day. The glass insert in his front door was his own design, a stylized cat’s head with jade green eyes just like Becky’s. The house was deeper than it was wide, with the two-car garage towards the back of the house.

Simon pulled up into his driveway, content for the moment to have his mate beside him despite the scent of her blood. He pressed the button to open the garage doors, pulling the truck in and killing the engine.

He pressed the button again, closing the garage door and sealing Becky in his home. The Puma in him purred, knowing their mate was now in their den, even if it was only temporary.

Her bleeding had slowed; if it hadn’t, he would have bitten her before they left and to hell with who saw what. Her well-being was the most important thing in the world to him. Seeing Livia crouched over her, Becky’s blood smearing her lips, had driven that fact home forcibly. If he’d had any doubts that Becky was his mate that little scene in the Friedelinde’s garden had set them to rest permanently.

The bitch was lucky Becky hadn’t asked for her life, even jokingly. Simon would have killed her without a second’s hesitation for spilling his mate’s blood. And with the Alpha present he would have been well within his rights. Jonathon Friedelinde wouldn’t have batted an eye. As the old Alpha he’d seen his fair share of bloodshed.

The only thing that had stopped him had been seeing the fear on Becky’s pretty face. Fear of him.

He was going to have to work on that.

He took a moment to study her as he got out of the truck. She was too thin and jittery, something else he planned on doing something about.

Her wildly curling light brown hair floated around her face as she watched him move around the hood of the truck. She was smart enough to stay put when he opened her door, allowing him to carry her into their home. He carried her through the mudroom and straight through the kitchen into the great room. He was pretty sure his feisty mate would kick him in the nuts if he tried to carry her straight to the bedroom.

He set her gently down on his sage green couch, enjoying the way the color lit up her pale skin. He hadn’t consciously chosen the colors of his home with her in mind. It wasn’t until he set her down on the couch and he saw the way her skin came alive that he realized he’d done his entire home in colors suited to her. The result was light, warm golden walls and bright, fun fabrics that brought her coloring to life. The fabrics were soft to the touch, almost like velvet. He’d gone with the lighter wood tones, opting for maple wherever possible, with little touches of black here and there to bring the whole thing back to earth. Yet another way his Puma had tried to get his attention, and he’d ignored it.

If a man could kick his own ass, Simon’s would be bruised all to hell and gone. If he’d mated her months ago when he first realized what was happening she would have been able to kick Livia’s ass. In short, it was his fault that she’d been hurt.

“Whoa.” Becky looked around, taking everything in, much to his amusement. This was the first time she’d been in his home. He hoped she liked it, because if he had his way she wasn’t leaving it. The sofa he’d put her down on was a sectional with an attached chaise; the coffee table and entertainment center were contemporary in design. The glass in the center of the maple coffee table was Simon’s work, depicting a puma with jewel-bright eyes stalking through the woods. “It’s not what I expected.”

“What did you expect?”

Her expression was pleasantly surprised. “Something a little more ‘bachelor slob’ and a little less ‘comfy contemporary’.”

He grinned. “Do you like it?”

“Yeah.” She winced as she tried to sit up and take everything in. He leaned over her and helped her, wincing along with her until he had her in a comfortable position. Her look of gratitude was all the thanks he needed.

Simon walked away but quickly came back with a bowl of warm water and a washcloth. “Okay, shirt off.”

Becky raised her brows in challenge.

Simon sighed. “I have to see how bad the cuts are. And the bite mark.” He glared at the side of her neck, his lips tight, hands clenched around the bowl. Even with the enzyme changing her that scar would more than likely remain. Damn, he should have just gone ahead and killed the bitch. The fact that Livia had left a permanent mark on his mate had his Puma snarling again.

“I’m not taking my shirt off.” She almost crossed her arms over her chest but winced as the pain in her stomach stopped her.

“Oh yes you are, baby.” Simon put the bowl down on the table and perched on the edge of the chaise.

“Those wounds need to be cleaned.”

“That’s what doctors are for, Oh Artiste.”

Simon grinned. With one swift move, he ripped her shirt open from neck to waist. “All duh…you didn’t wear a bra.” His tongue tripped all over the place. Becky’s beautiful breasts were bared to his delighted gaze. They were small, the nipples rosy pink. They perked up slightly in the cool air. He could feel his IQ drop by ten points just from staring at those beautiful nipples. He literally felt his thought processes grind to a halt as all of the blood rushed out of his head and pooled in his dick. If it wasn’t for the blood all over her stomach and shoulder he’d be having a much harder time not fucking her on the spot, and he was having a really hard time of that already.

Becky crossed her arms over her chest with an outraged squawk followed by a squeak of pain. “My shirt!”

“My shirt.” He gently tried to pry her arms off her chest, but she wasn’t letting him. He almost pouted over the fact that she’d covered her entirely edible breasts. Damn, he wanted a taste so badly his mouth watered. He realized they’d fit perfectly in his mouth and had to hold back a groan. His dick was beginning to press insistently against his black pants, the thin material doing nothing to hide it.

“Huh?”

He stared at her, scrambling to remember what they were talking about. Oh yeah. The shirt. “I paid for it.”

“What?”

He looked up from her breasts and frowned absently. “I picked out this outfit and paid for it, therefore it’s my shirt and I can rip it any time I want.” With a gentle hand Simon began cleaning the blood from her stomach, paying special attention to where Livia’s claws had dug in.

“I am so killing Emma, vows of eternal friendship or not.” Becky fumed, struggling briefly when Simon tried to move her arms out of his way again.

“I just want to see if she scratched you there.”

From the way she glared at him he was pretty sure she wasn’t buying his act. “Trust me, I didn’t get scratched there.”

“What about here?” He rubbed his fingertips gently over the top slope of her left breast.

Becky slapped his hand away. “Bad kitty!” When he reached for her again, she smacked him upside the head.

Simon grinned at her, loving her fire. “I can’t help it. It’s been so long since I’ve had a beautiful, half-naked woman on my couch.”

“Yeah, sure, that’s such a rare occurrence.” She rolled her eyes and scooted back from him with a groan. “This particular half-naked woman is off limits, buster.”

Simon’s frown was ferocious. “You did it again.”

“Did what again?” Becky inched a little further away from him on the chaise, but unless she wanted to do a back-flip over the armrest she really wasn’t going anywhere.

“Pulled away. Backed off.” He sighed and dropped the washcloth into the warm, now pink water.

“Becky, I…”

“Your phone’s ringing.” Becky looked towards the kitchen with an amused grin.

“What? No it isn’t.”

The phone rang. Becky smirked. Simon looked at her strangely and got up to answer the phone.

“Hello?”

“Hey, Simon.”

“Oh, hi, Adrian.”

“How’s Becky?” He could hear the sounds of the masquerade in the distance. Adrian must have called on his cell after stepping outside the mansion.

“You heard, huh?”

“Rumor flies fast, especially where the Alpha and his new Curana are concerned. Is she okay?”

He sighed. “Yeah, she’s fine.”

“And she’s your mate?” Adrian’s grin could be clearly heard.

“Yes.” He stared, puzzled, at the woman lounging on his chaise. How the hell did she know the phone was going to ring?

“Mind if I keep Belinda…occupied? Seems she’s a little upset right now.”

“Belinda? Hell no, go for it. Just remember she’s on the prowl for a mate.”

Adrian laughed. “Don’t worry; I’m not planning on sleeping with her, just keeping her from rushing over to your place. Is Becky still bleeding? That must be driving you nuts.”

He looked back at Becky and frowned at her smug smile. “Yeah, she’s bleeding on my couch as we speak.”

“Have you cleaned the wounds and begun dressing them?”

“Gee, Doctor Dufus, what the hell do you think I was doing before you called?”

“Asshole.” Adrian’s amusement was once again loud and clear. “We still on for next Saturday?”

“Yeah, we are. Anything you need me to bring?”

“Nah, I got it all covered. I remembered to pick up everything we forgot when we did your floors.”

Simon and Max were helping Adrian install new hardwood floors in his living room. Remembering all of the screw ups that had happened when they’d installed his floors, Simon couldn’t help but grin. “All right.

See you then.”

“I’ll have donuts and coffee ready to go. And tell Becky I said get better, and welcome to the Pride.

Bye.”

Simon hung up and turned towards her, finger raised, mouth open.

“Phone’s ringing.”

Simon tilted his head, listening. The phone rang a second later. Becky snickered.

“How the hell do you do that? It’s freaking spooky.” He shook his head as he picked up the receiver.

“Hello?”

Becky listened in as half the Pride called to check up on her, snickering silently over Simon’s frustration.

She’d always known when the phone was going to ring, even as a child. It had freaked people out back then, and still freaked most of them out now. Except for Emma, who didn’t really freak over much.

She was surprisingly touched; she didn’t think that many people cared about her. Or was it because Simon was the Pride’s Beta and had declared her his mate? It was possible all this “hail-fellow” stuff was pure political bullshit. Sniffing the Beta cat’s butt, as it were.

“That’s it, the answering machine is going on.” Simon ended yet another phone call with a gruff laugh.

“Phone’s—”

“Don’t say it!” Simon pointed a commanding finger at her, but his tone didn’t fool her. She could tell he was fighting a grin. He turned on the answering machine just as the phone rang. He left the machine to take the call as he stalked back towards her with a fresh bowl of water. “That must drive Emma nuts.”

He sat on the edge of the chaise once again, leaning one hand against the back of the sofa.

Becky bit her lip to keep from giggling at the look on his face. “Nah, she’s used to it. She just makes me answer it.” She hissed out a breath as he began cleaning her wounds once again. “Oh, ow.”

“I know it hurts, baby.” His hands were gentle; his expression was anything but. “I’ll hunt her down and kill her if you want.” She stared at him, seeing the dark rage in him again. It was the same rage that had scared her spitless as he hovered over Livia, his claws dug deep into the blonde’s stomach. “I’m very good at stalking my prey.”

“Yeah, well, guess what, Garfield, there are laws against stalking.”

He chuckled, some of the darkness receding from his face. He began gently cleaning the bite wound on her neck. She could feel his breath against her shoulder and she shivered. The feel of his hands on her skin was distracting despite the pain.

“I’ll cover you up in a nice warm blanket as soon as I’m done, baby,” he crooned in her ear. Which only made her shiver again, much to her disgust. A smug, self-satisfied smile crossed his face as he leaned towards the wound in her shoulder.

She gritted her teeth and rolled her eyes. Arrogant jerk. “Bite me, Simon.”

He struck with a swiftness she couldn’t evade. The sharp, stinging feel of his teeth piercing her skin made her gasp in pain.

But then pleasure hit, so intense she writhed, moaning in pure ecstasy. It raced from where his fangs were imbedded in her neck all the way down to her toes. She felt his big hand cover her pussy and stroke her gently through the fabric of her skirt and panties. It couldn’t have felt better if he’d touched bare skin. She felt as if her entire body was having an orgasm. Even her toenails felt good.

He groaned against her neck, his body arching above hers as he settled himself between her thighs. His hands moved to her breasts, plucking at her nipples as his hips came in contact with hers. He carefully ground his hard cock against her and she moaned again.

She whimpered as his teeth left her skin. She could feel the roughness of his tongue as he licked roughly at the mark he’d left behind. She ran her hands up and down his back and felt a strange rumbling under his skin.

Simon was purring. She ran her hands soothingly up and down his back, making him purr even louder.

She bit her lip to keep from giggling.

This has got to be the weirdest freaking night of my life.

Simon purred as Becky stroked his back. He just couldn’t help himself. The feel of her hands running up and down his body felt so right.

Finally she’s mine. He couldn’t believe how incredible it felt to mark Becky as his own. The feel of her moving under him as she came nearly triggered his own orgasm. He’d moved between her thighs without even thinking, his dick aching with the need to sink into her body. He wanted to taste every single inch of her, fuck her until they were both raw, and then do it all over again. The urge to complete the mating had been so strong that, if her blood hadn’t still scented the air, he’d have had her naked and mounted within minutes.

“Ow,” she whispered. He felt her flinch as she tried to move under him and damned himself for an impatient fool. She would heal faster as a result of the bite, most of the wounds closing in a matter of hours thanks to the enzyme he’d injected into her, but she was still in pain now. He carefully climbed off of her, any urge to purr gone as he scented her blood over their lust.

“Sorry, baby.” He stroked those wild curls away from her cheek. Her skin was so soft he wanted to nuzzle her. “I lost my head.” He placed a gentle kiss on her forehead before he stood and went to his hall closet, pulling out a colorful afghan his mother had knitted. He went to his bedroom and pulled one of his T-shirts out of a drawer. It was large enough that it could act as a short nightgown for her. He had no intention of taking her back to her miniscule apartment over Wallflowers. Tonight, and every night from now on, his mate was sleeping in his bed.

He stepped back into the great room and handed her the T-shirt. “Put that on.” He ignored her raised brow at his order, crossing his arms over his chest and waiting. She pulled off the torn lace shirt and replaced it with the white tee. He covered her up gently with the afghan and perched on the edge of the sofa next to her.

Picking up one of her hands he gently caressed her fingers, his possessive gaze never leaving her face.

He took her hand to his mouth and gently nibbled at her fingers. “You’re mine now.”

Chapter Three

She was having the best dream of her entire life. Hard, calloused hands kneaded her breasts, bringing her nipples to stinging life. A warm tongue lapped at her clit. She moved slightly, sighing as it found just the right spot. A rumbling, vibrating purr moved along the tongue and she gasped at the added sensations. She came with a low moan, riding the tongue as it slithered and slid against her moist pussy.

“Mmm. Tasty.”

A deep, rumbling voice was coming from between her legs. Simon. She opened her eyes to see his dark hair spread across her legs as he lapped one last time at her clit. She jumped. Not a dream. She stared around the bedroom, wondering how the hell she’d gotten there. She remembered staring sleepily into the fire he’d started while he sketched a new design for a stained glass window. He must have carried her to bed when she fell asleep. She had no clue what had happened to her skirt, panties, or…her hands flew to her breasts…yup, her T-shirt. “Damn it, Simon, what are you doing?”

“Having breakfast,” he replied, looking up at her with a sexy grin.

He was naked. All that glorious male flesh rose above her as he kissed her softly. “Good morning, baby.”

She licked her lips and tasted them both. “Good morning, Simon.”

She was still warm and sleepy, the remnants of her orgasm fogging her brain. He leaned down for a more thorough kiss, his tongue gently trying to stroke into her mouth. She bit down on it gently as she felt his cock nudge her opening.

“Ow. Cah I haf ma thongue bach?”

She giggled and released him.

“What was that for?” He sat up, a cute little boy pout on his face. His cock bobbed above her mound.

“A, I have morning breath, b, I have to pee, and c, you have morning breath.”

He sighed with exaggerated impatience as she shuddered. “Fine. Bathroom’s this way.” He crawled off her and helped her get up. The small smile on his face faded away to concern. “Any pain today?”

“My shoulder, a bit. My stomach feels fine.”

The relief that touched his face made her heart melt. She smiled up at him, startled when his eyes turned gold.

He put his hand at her waist. “Morning breath and pee break. Right.” He steered her into the master bath. He picked up a toothbrush and started putting toothpaste on it while she stared at him.

“Simon?”

“Hmm?”

She thought about crossing her legs and hopping but didn’t think he’d take the hint. “I have to pee. Badly.”

He looked at her, confused. He pointed with the toothbrush. “Toilet’s right there, baby.”

“I can’t do it while you’re in the room!”

“Why not?”

“We haven’t even done the nasty yet and you want to share space while I pee?”

“I just licked you to orgasm and you’re worried about me being in the same room while you relieve yourself?”

“Yes! Duh!”

He rested one hip against the countertop, the adorable confusion morphing into a smug male look that made her want to bop him on the head with the toilet brush. “This is a girl thing, isn’t it?”

“Out!”

“Okay, okay!” He left laughing, toothbrush stuck in one corner of his mouth. She tried not to stare at his ass as he went, but apparently her willpower just wasn’t up to the task. She nearly ran to the door to watch that ass flex its way out of the bedroom and down the hall. She would have if the memo from Mother Nature hadn’t been marked Urgent .

It was only after she was done that she realized she was so comfortable being naked in front of him that she’d completely forgotten about it.

“Here.”

Okay, I haven’t forgotten the fact that he’s naked. Yum. She bit back a sigh and stared at whatever it was he was waggling under her nose. She frowned at the toothbrush in his hand. It was hers. “How did you get that?”

“I went by your place and picked up a few things after you fell asleep.” He put a finger over her mouth, stalling her immediate reaction. “I thought you’d be more comfortable with them.”

That’s so sweet. “Thank you, Simon.”

“You’re welcome. Now brush your teeth.” He grinned and gently tweaked one of her nipples. “I haven’t finished my breakfast yet.”

This time, when that fine ass left the bathroom she did peek out the door. She stared as he walked back out of the bedroom, his butt cheeks flexing in the most mouth-watering way. The sexy grin he tossed over his shoulder as he chuckled on the way out let her know he was well aware of what she was doing.

She collapsed against the doorjamb and sighed. Okay. Obviously I’m in a coma brought about by an accident or something. I’m actually lying in a hospital bed covered in tubes while some husky nurse bends my legs so my muscles won’t atrophy. Because hell if I’m not having the best God damn dream of my life.

She picked up her toothbrush and began brushing her teeth. Not even his dream self was going to taste the early morning funk in her mouth.

Simon stood in his kitchen and waited for the coffee machine to finish working its magic. He could hear the sounds of water splashing in his bathroom, bringing a sense of peace he’d never experienced before.

His mate was naked in his bathroom, coffee was brewing and donuts rested on the table ready to be eaten. All was right in his world.

He heard the water cut off and pulled out two mugs. He’d barely begun pouring when he heard her behind him.

“Coffee?”

“Mm-hmm.” He held out a mug. “Come give me a kiss and I’ll give you some.”

Her lips curled in a snarl. “Cooffeee.”

He bit his lip to keep from laughing. “Down, girl.” He handed her the mug, groaning at the look of sheer bliss that crossed her face. She’d had that same look on her face the first time his tongue had brushed against her clit. He gently lifted her onto the countertop, careful not to spill a drop of the mug she cradled protectively against her chest. No way in hell was he going to allow her to be hurt again, even by her favorite beverage.

She didn’t fight him as he spread her knees apart. He wasn’t even certain she noticed him at first. She was so wrapped up in her caffeine intake she could be sitting on a purple elephant and not notice. He made sure he had one hand wrapped around her mug when he touched her pussy.

“Simon?”

“I told you I wasn’t done eating breakfast.”

She shuddered as he circled her clit slowly. The coffee look isn’t the same. This one is much better.

“Drink up, sweetheart.”

She gulped and finished her mug in record time. Lifting it out of her hands he wrapped her legs around his waist and carried her back to the bedroom.

Donuts be damned. He had something much sweeter in mind to nibble on.

Simon practically threw her down on the bed. The fierce hunger on his face would have been frightening if she hadn’t seen the glint of the humor peeking through. He tweaked one of her nipples, watching intently as it budded beneath his fingers. “What are you thinking about, baby?”

She grinned. She just couldn’t resist. “Mmm. Donuts.”

His big body stilled. His face went slack in shock before he began sputtering. “Donuts? ”

She bit her lip to keep from laughing in his face. The look on his face was absolutely priceless. She only wished she had a camera so she could capture it for posterity.

“Donuts, eh?” She shrieked as he began tickling her. She squirmed under him, giggling as they began to tussle. She managed to roll onto her stomach and tried to get away but he pounced on her, holding her down under his big body. Becky was at a serious disadvantage, since Simon refused to allow her to roll back over.

All that squirming had a big, predictable result, one Becky could feel digging into her backside. Simon’s erection pressed down against her, and suddenly she realized there were a lot more caresses than tickles in the way Simon was touching her. She looked at him, not surprised his eyes had gone completely gold.

Simon stilled above her, panting from the tickle fight. His expression slowly changed from playful to possessive. He lowered his mouth to hers, kissing her with a ravenous hunger that left her breathless. She barely felt it when he pulled her over on to her side, curling around her like a vine, taking her lips and claiming them as his own.

She could feel his hand trembling as he cupped her breast. He groaned into her mouth, his hands roamed over her skin, sensitizing each and every inch of her body. His tongue thrust in and out in a promise of lovemaking, coaxing hers out to play.

She allowed herself to be persuaded, and got her first real taste of Simon Holt. Her fingers curled into his dark chest hair, pulling slightly as he tried to practically crawl inside her. When his mouth descended on her breast she gasped, pulling his head in tighter to her body. Her fingers buried themselves in his hair in a fierce hold. She took a deep breath, ready to invite him into her body, when she realized she could smell his arousal. His scent, that musky, dark scent, entered her bloodstream, increasing her own arousal a thousand-fold. When he lifted from her breast and bit her neck Becky shuddered and came with a keening cry, shocked and aroused beyond belief, riding the thigh Simon suddenly shoved between her legs with a desperation bordering on insanity.

Oh, yeah. She could get used to this Puma stuff.

“God, yes, more.” He groaned and went wild above her.

His mouth was sucking and licking and biting her all over. She rolled onto her back and spread her legs, eager for more of the oral loving he’d given her that morning. But apparently he had something different in mind.

“Don’t move.” Simon stood next to the bed, stroking his cock.

“Duh.” Her gaze fastened on the most luscious piece of man-meat it had ever been her privilege to see.

It was a thing of beauty, and according to Simon it was all hers.

He pulled her up by her arms, sitting her on the edge of the bed. He pushed her head towards his groin with a gravelly command. “Suck.”

She shuddered as those talented fingers delved into her wet pussy, his thumb circling her clit just the way she liked it. He must have been paying serious attention this morning.

She sucked on him for all she was worth, hollowing her cheeks out to provide even more suction. “God, yes, baby.” His moans intensified when she started moving her tongue along the underside of his shaft. He started chanting softly, “Good, so good,” as he moved his hips, fucking her mouth, his gold eyes staring down at her with a desperate hunger that urged her on and inflamed her own.

His fingers set up a strumming rhythm, and before she knew it they were both coming. Becky swallowed, the salty sweet taste filling her senses, making her hungry for more. From the look on his face, she was going to get it, too.

Simon pulled out of her mouth with a happy sigh. “You have no idea how long it’s been since I came with someone else doing the honors. My wrist was beginning to develop carpal tunnel syndrome.” He sighed as he flopped down next to her.

“Poor baby.”

Turning with a grin he curled up around her, gently caressing her breasts. “Yup.” Leaning down he gently rasped his tongue over one engorged nipple. “Ready for round two?”

“Round three for me, actually.” She grinned, pulling on his semi-hard cock with long, smooth strokes.

She buried her head against his neck and licked him in the same area he’d bitten her. His groan as he rolled her over onto her back again told her how much he liked that.

She shivered when Simon began lapping at his mark on her neck. It was strangely sensitive, almost as much as her nipples, and sent the same tingles down to her clit. He began to purr, sending that vibration down his tongue, making her think wicked, wicked thoughts. She was about to beg him to bite her again when he lifted his head.

“Wanna feel that against your pussy, baby?”

She nodded, damn close to whimpering.

He arched above her body, his legs thrust between her own. His grin was feral. “Better than donuts.” He lapped and sucked his way down her body, leaving love bites all over her fair skin. “Sweet, sweet Becky breakfast. I could eat this every day.” His rough, purring tongue lapping at her nipples had her practically coming from just that alone. From the wicked grin on his face he knew exactly what he was doing to her.

She experienced a moment’s jealousy as she wondered who else he’d done that to before he took all capacity for rational thought away. He blew gently on her mound, causing goose bumps to rise along her skin. One hand began petting her soft brown curls as his tongue reached out and barely touched her clit.

Slowly he lapped at her, never varying his pace, never failing to nail her clit in exactly the right spot. He had to hold her hips down with one big, brawny arm or she would have been dancing across the bed.

The vibrations from his purring had her screaming an orgasm to the ceiling so fast it startled her. Simon groaned as she came, lapping her juices while she shuddered and squirmed.

“Simon,” she panted, both hands gripping the sides of his head. She tugged, hard , hardly noticing his laugh as she put that tongue right where she wanted it. The man licked, nipped, sucked and lapped at her pussy as if he had all the time in the world until she’d screamed out two more orgasms.

With a wild groan he pulled free of her hold and thrust into her with a fierceness that ripped through her.

He began a bruising pounding that was sure to send the oak headboard right through the wall. Simon sat up on his heels and grasped both of her thighs, pulling her into his body as he fucked her hard.

The orgasm that rolled through her was so intense she felt her lungs seize. Simon roared above her, head thrown back in ecstasy as he pumped his seed into her welcoming body over and over again.

He collapsed on top of her, sweaty and gasping for air, his body still buried in hers. His arms came around her and cradled her close; his face buried itself in the side of her neck, right next to his mark.

“Holy Mother of God.” She was having a hard time catching her breath. Every part of her body tingled.

“I’m not in a coma. I’m dead, and this is my reward for living a good life.” She looked over at the naked, sweaty, very happy man lying in a boneless puddle next to her. “A very good life.” His shoulders started to shake. Her hand languidly stroked one muscular butt cheek. “Hell, I must have been a fucking saint.”

She giggled as his purr tickled her neck.

Chapter Four

Max and Emma were due any minute. Between the fight with Livia and the night (and morning…good Lord, the morning ) with Simon, she was looking forward to a nice, quiet meal with friends. She smoothed her unruly hair back, studying the curls with a frown. They were the bane of her existence. No matter what she did her hair looked frizzy. Although she had to admit it looked a lot better than it had in high school when she’d tried wearing her hair in a bob. She shuddered at the memory.

She slicked on pale lip gloss just as Simon walked into the bedroom.

“Damn, baby. Never mind dinner, let’s skip to dessert.”

She rolled her eyes and ignored his ultra-hot grin as he slowly took in her violet halter dress. She’d gone shopping with Emma that afternoon, intent on making an impression. From the look on Simon’s face she’d done a good job. The halter dress enhanced what few curves she had, and the fact that it hit an inch or two above her knee didn’t hurt. Becky knew her legs were her best asset, and tonight she’d decided to play that up.

She stared at him in the mirror. Damn, the man looked good. The hunter green button-down shirt and black slacks he’d chosen were a far cry from the jeans and T-shirt he normally wore. And he hadn’t tied his hair back, either. It brushed his shoulders, making her fingers itch with the need to touch it.

He moved closer, sliding his hands around her waist. His teeth sank gently into the side of her neck just above his mark. “Are you sure you want to go out tonight?”

The doorbell rang. She laughed as he groaned. “You’re the one who invited Max and Emma, remember?”

“Don’t remind me.”

He’d made the invitation when Emma had shown up on his doorstep, practically bouncing, and announcing she was kidnapping Becky for the day. She’d agreed quickly and dragged Becky out of the house, Simon’s hearty laugh following them all the way to Max’s car. Emma had taken Max’s car because she’d decided they were going shopping.

Becky had laughed. Knowing Emma, she’d known they’d need the extra room Max’s Durango provided. She’d been right. She just hoped Max hadn’t been too horrified when Emma got home, bags and boxes piled in the back seat.

She followed him to the front door. “Hi, Emma, Max.”

“Hi, Becks. Hi, Simon.” Emma looked gorgeous in a caramel colored turtleneck sweater and heather gray slacks that complemented her golden skin tone. She wore her favorite black pea coat.

“Rebecca.”

If anyone could beat Simon in a Hottest Man in Halle contest it would be Max Cannon. Golden blond hair framed the face of a wicked angel, the only flaw being a small scar on the side of his nose. She could see a sapphire blue shirt under the bomber jacket he was wearing, and his long legs were encased in black slacks. His sunny blue eyes and easygoing grin hid the fact that he was one of the most powerful men in town. Without even thinking about it she bowed her head slightly in respect to the Pride Alpha and his mate; the smile was for her friends.

Max poked his head in the door and stared around at the floor, a puzzled expression on his face.

“What the hell are you doing?” Simon asked, frowning.

“Wondering where you stashed the piles and piles and piles of bags Becky must have brought home.”

Simon’s brows rose up. “You did know they were going shopping today, right?”

“By shopping, I thought they would pick up a dress, maybe get some shoes or a purse. Instead I could probably open a boutique in my living room.”

“You know, all Becky brought home was one itty bitty bag.” Simon smirked as Max growled good-naturedly. “She took the Durango shopping, Max. That should have been your first clue.”

“Yeah, especially when she folded the seats down right before leaving.” Max dodged the blow Emma aimed at his arm with a chuckle. He turned to Becky, still chuckling. “How are you feeling, Becky?”

Max’s gaze zeroed in on Simon’s bite mark, visible through the straps of her halter dress. With a pure male grin he high-fived Simon, who grinned right back.

Becky shook her head. “Are they always like this?” she asked Emma.

Emma sighed. “Yup. Except when you throw Adrian into the mix. Then they get downright third-gradeish.” She grinned up at her mate. “Rumor has it that it’s amazing they ever got Simon’s place fixed up. There should be glue and nails and other stuff just sticking out of everything, with the three of them buried under the wallpaper. I can almost see Wile E. Coyote holding up the ‘HELP!’ sign.”

“We got it done because we’re very good with our hands,” Max purred, leaning in to place a quick kiss on his mate’s neck.

Becky wrinkled her nose. “Ew.”

Max laughed, obviously tickling Emma’s neck, judging by the way she shivered and giggled.

“Where are we going to dinner?” Becky picked up her jacket and was surprised when Simon took it out of her hands and held it out for her. “Thanks.” She blushed, putting it on. He pulled her hair gently out of the back of the jacket, caressing her curls with a soft, gentle touch. The fact that Simon wanted to touch her almost all of the time still had her head spinning. He’d barely let her out of his sight the entire time she’d been in his home.

His arm settled around her shoulders and guided her out of the house. “Noah’s. It’s Max and Emma’s favorite place, and I always bow to the wishes of my Alpha.” He locked the front door. She could tell from his expression he was doing his best to keep a straight face.

Max choked. “I wish.” Simon’s barked laugh was loud as Max led them to his Durango. “Like Noah’s isn’t your favorite place to go when you’ve made a big sale, right, Simon?”

“Nope, not at all.”

Max helped Emma into the front passenger side as Simon helped Becky into the back. “Let me guess; his favorite food is lasagna.”

Max looked at her, surprised. “How did you know?”

Becky grinned at Simon as he stuck his tongue out at her. “Lucky guess.” She put on her seat belt and relaxed back into the butter soft leather. “Oh, Emma, thanks for going with me to get my baby back from the mansion.”

“No problem. Besides, I enjoyed the shopping trip.”

Emma grinned as Max and Simon shared a look in the rear view mirror. “You do know she drives a convertible, right?”

“So do I.” Emma crossed her arms over her chest. She tried to glare fiercely at him and failed miserably as her lips kept trying to curve up in a smile.

“I know. ” The glare Max sent Emma had Becky stifling a laugh again. The two of them were just too cute for words. “At least Becky’s isn’t candy apple red.”

“Hey! I love my Cruiser, especially the candy apple red convertible part.”

Becky turned to laugh with Simon and realized he was giving her the evil eye. “What?”

“Since when do you drive a convertible?”

“Since three weeks ago, Garfield.” She ignored the twin snorts of laughter from the front seat and focused her attention on the big goob next to her. “You got a problem with that?”

“Hell, yes! Those things aren’t safe!”

“My point exactly.” Max nodded righteously and ignored the poke Emma gave him.

“How are they not safe?” Becky stared at Simon, one brow rising in challenge.

“Red lights. Maniacs with knives. Need I say more?”

“In Halle?”

“Didn’t Emma get mugged right outside of Wallflowers?”

“Your point?”

“Crime happens even in Halle!”

“A mugging by a drunken college kid is a lot different from maniac, knife-wielding convertible killers.”

Simon gave her an evil grin. “Fine. Let’s see if it’s strong enough to stand up to a full grown male Puma jumping up and down on the roof, shall we?”

“You are not breaking my brand new VW Bug, Simon!”

“Oh, even better. Cats love to play with bugs.”

“Simon! ” She reared back in surprise. His green shirt had turned an interesting shade of brown. She frowned and poked a finger at his chest, wondering what the hell was going on. She looked and caught a glimpse of her face in the rear view mirror. Her eyes had turned gold.

Oh. So that’s what things looked like through the Puma’s eyes. She turned her head and looked out the window, wondering what else looked different.

“She’s changing.” Max exchanged a look with Simon she couldn’t interpret.

“I bit her last night, and she’s pretty strong willed. I’m not surprised she’s taking to it so fast.” Simon was watching her with an expression of mingled worry and pride. “She should be fully changed within a day or two.”

She looked at Simon and noticed his shirt once again looked green. “Great. I get to join the Fuzzy Club and buy stock in Nair. Can we eat now? I’m starving.”

“You’re always starving,” Emma muttered.

Simon laughed. Becky grinned.

Max pulled up outside of Noah’s with a groan. “Don’t feel bad, I’m starving too.”

Emma laughed as she climbed out of the SUV, much to Max’s obvious disgust. Becky tried to follow her friend, only to find herself pulled out of Simon’s door instead. He looked down at her and winked.

She made a face at him and allowed him to tow her along behind their friends, the heels of her violet pumps clacking on the sidewalk.

Oh, thank you, God. Belinda’s not working. The redheaded hostess smiled warmly and led them immediately to their seats. Simon held out her chair and helped her sit before taking his own seat next to her.

Things were fairly quiet as the four of them stared at their menus. Becky thought about getting the chicken marsala, but the lasagna the waiter carried past their table smelled so good she had a hard time deciding between the two.

“Stop biting your lip.”

Becky looked at Simon over the top of her menu to find him grinning at her, and let her lip go.

“What’s the problem, baby?”

“I can’t decide between the chicken marsala and the lasagna.”

“Share?”

“Sure!” Becky’s stomach rumbled.

“Share what?” Emma looked between them, confused.

“Our dinner.”

Emma looked at both of them and pursed her lips. “Oh.”

“Actually, that sounds good.” Max looked over at Emma. “Emma, you want the seafood alfredo?”

“No, I think I’ll go with the shrimp primavera. You?”

“Chicken parmesan.”

“Yum.”

They placed their orders with the waiter, all four of them deciding on wine with their dinners.

“So, why did Simon’s shirt turn brown, anyway? I thought cats were color-blind. Shouldn’t it have turned gray?”

She watched while Max smiled. “Cats are color-blind. They’re just not completely color-blind. They’re protanopic.”

“Proto- what- ic?”

“They lose the red-green spectrum. Everything either red or green looks kind of brown to us. Dogs lose blue-yellow. Grass to us is the color of spicy mustard. To a dog, it’s shades of blue.”

“Huh.” She looked at Simon with delight. “So on your front door, the cat’s head has green eyes.”

“Which look golden brown when my eyes change.”

“Clever.”

“I thought so.”

The topic turned to work as their food was delivered. “Simon, you have to have that sun catcher for Jamie ready to go by Thursday.” Emma waved her fork menacingly at Simon. The effect was somewhat ruined when a piece of shrimp fell off it to land on the table with a soft plop. She looked around furtively before picking it up and plopping it in her mouth, much to Max’s obvious amusement.

“Geez, Emma, I’m working on it, okay?” Simon practically whined, but Becky could see the smile he was trying so hard to hold back.

“You’d better be, or Jamie’s gonna have our heads. If it’s not done in time for his anniversary, Marie is going to be hurt. Then Jamie will be seriously hurt in a full body cast sort of way.”

Simon snorted. “It’ll be done.”

“Good.”

Simon turned to Max, his expression turning serious. “Oh, hey, Max, I forgot to ask. Did you get the e-mail from Sheri?”

“No, I haven’t checked it today. What did she want?”

Emma turned and stared at Max, one brow raised in demand. “Who the hell is Sheri?”

Max winced. “Remember I told you there were two women I’d changed over the years?”

“Yes,” Emma drawled, arms crossed over her breasts.

“Sheridan Montgomery is the other one.”

“The one whose story you couldn’t tell me?”

“Right, because if I told you I’d have to kill you.”

Emma frowned. “If you kill me you aren’t getting any nookie.” She wrinkled her nose. “And if you are that’s really sick.”

Simon snorted, nearly spitting wine across the table. Becky, giggling, pounded him on the back.

“Emma!” Max groaned, laughing. He turned back to Simon. “So what was it she wanted?”

“She’s petitioning to join the Pride.”

“Did she say whether her problem was still a problem?”

“She hoped not, but I’m not as optimistic.”

“What’s the problem? And don’t tell me you can’t tell me, because you’re the one who brought it up.”

The two men looked at each other and grimaced. Simon shrugged. “Sheri was abused by a former boyfriend who’s still chasing after her. She’s seeking sanctuary with us. Max and I want to offer her a place in the Pride, instead.”

Becky and Emma looked at each other, wide-eyed. “Why wasn’t she already a part of the Pride?”

Emma frowned.

“She refused. Said she didn’t want to bring us her troubles, and since Jonathon was Alpha and agreed with her there wasn’t much we could do about it.”

“Oh. Well I for one say let’s bring her in. As long as she’s not another Livia things should work out fine.”

“I agree. I’m pretty sure we can figure out a way to protect her if her ex shows up.”

The two men began quietly discussing how to make Sheridan part of the Pride while minimizing the danger. Emma and Becky watched and listened quietly. Becky was a little alarmed to hear of some of the things the ex had done in the past to Sheri to try and get to her. He sounded really sick. She just hoped they’d be able to keep the poor girl safe.

Becky turned to Emma as the two men continued to discuss Sheri long after they’d completed their main course. “So I’ve been thinking about painting the walls in Simon’s kitchen purple. What do you think, Em?”

“Go for pink.” Emma grinned slyly and slanted Simon a sideways look.

“Pink? Really?” Becky saw Simon and Max grinning at one another. “I was thinking I might use the same wallpaper we used in the store. What do you think?”

“Please don’t.” Simon threw his hands up in surrender. “We’ll be good. No more Pride business over dinner, I promise.”

“Don’t you like the wallpaper in the store, Simon?” Becky batted her lashes at Simon.

“Do the terms ‘ick’, ‘yuck’, ‘ew’ or ‘gag’ mean anything to you?”

It was Emma’s turn to choke, and Max’s to pound her back. Becky just crossed her arms over her breasts and raised her brows at Simon. “And just what is wrong with the wallpaper in the store?”

“Where to begin?” Simon began stroking his chin thoughtfully. “It’s pink. And flowery. And frou-frou.

And pink. Mostly pink. The flowers just up the blech factor by about ten.”

Becky glared at him as Simon shuddered theatrically. “I picked that wallpaper out.”

“In that case, thank you, God, my home is already decorated.”

Becky gasped in amused outrage as Simon clasped his hands together in mock-prayer. “I’m putting a patch of that wallpaper above the bed.”

“I’ll never have a hard-on again,” he muttered. “Couldn’t you put Jessica Alba up there instead? Ow!”

Simon’s hearty laugh rang out when Becky smacked his arm.

“Ass wipe.”

The waiter came back and took their plates. Emma and Max chose to share a cheesecake slice, while Becky went with the tiramisu and Simon just had coffee.

Becky tried to enjoy her dessert, but Simon was staring at her over his coffee cup. The heat in his gaze sent her pulse racing. She made a face at him, hoping he’d laugh and turn back to Max. Instead, he winked at her over the edge of the cup, his smile so happy she didn’t have the heart to be snarky with him.

Chapter Five

Becky opened her apartment door and sighed. After being at Simon’s for two nights and all day yesterday her tiny apartment above Wallflowers seemed even more cramped than usual. But she seriously needed some clothes and the rest of her makeup if she was going back to work today. He’d brought her the bare minimum to survive on at his place. Why he thought one pair of jeans and a pair of panties was enough clothing…no, wait. Male brain at work. He’d probably thought she’d run around his house naked all the time, or she’d wear one of his shirts or something. She practically swam in the damn things. No way could she work like that.

Simon had wanted her to take a few days off, just until after her change occurred. He’d been worried that what had happened to Emma would happen to her as well. Emma had also insisted on going to work and wound up changing in one of Max’s examination rooms. Luckily for the Pride it had been after closing and no patients were in his practice at the time.

But she didn’t feel the same itchy sensations Emma had warned her about during their shopping trip. No fur had sprouted on her arms. Claws hadn’t appeared. True, her vision had changed in the car Sunday night, but so far that was the only sign of the change she’d experienced. She’d promised both Emma and Simon that if she felt any of the symptoms Emma had mentioned she would immediately call Emma to cover the store and she would go to Simon’s house to wait for him.

In the meantime, she needed clothes, makeup and something to hold back her mane of hair.

She stepped into her tiny kitchenette and felt her heart melt. There on her counter was an eight-piece box of Godiva truffles with a note attached: Think of me while you enjoy your treat.

She had to swallow the lump in her throat as she picked up the note. Damn, Emma, you go, girl. The only way Simon could have known about her near obsession with Godiva truffles was if Emma told him.

She popped one of the delicate confections into her mouth and moaned. That is so good. She picked up the box with a greedy grin. And nobody is getting any of this but me. If Emma knew Simon had picked her up a box of Godiva chocolate anything, she’d try and wheedle a piece out of her, but no way was Becky sharing. Just call me the Godiva Grinch. She snickered and put the box in her bedroom closet for safekeeping while she was at work.

Of course, she brought it back down and popped another piece in her mouth before forcing herself to put the box back. She changed clothes quickly, ran a brush through her hair and decided not to bother with makeup today. She was already running late, and her hands were shaking. She was feeling a little off. Everything around her was starting to swirl. “Damn. Should have eaten more than the chocolates.” If Emma or Simon discovered that she’d gone to the doc about the dizzy spells she’d never hear the end of it, especially if they found out they occurred more frequently when she’d forgotten to eat. Sort of like this morning, when she’d dashed out of Simon’s house. She’d planned on stopping at a fast food place for breakfast, but the accident on Twelfth had slowed everything to a crawl and she hadn’t had the time. The last thing she needed was the two of them hovering over her while she waited for the test results to come in. It wasn’t like she even knew for sure what was wrong, and until she did? She wasn’t saying anything.

The dizzy spell was getting worse. Better have a quick bite before I head downstairs. She weaved her way into the kitchen and grabbed an apple off the counter.

A pair of bright green eyes peeked out of the apple and blinked up at her sleepily.

Becky screamed.

Simon was so proud of his mate he could burst. Last night she’d acted like a true Beta, helping make decisions that would ultimately affect the entire Pride. He didn’t think she even realized she’d done it, it seemed so natural. And the fact that Emma and Becky already worked well together could only benefit the Pride as a whole, and Simon and Max’s interactions as well.

He shrugged into his blue T-shirt and grabbed his wallet off the dresser. He shoved it and his cell phone in his pocket and stepped into his great room. He had a lot of work to do today and was eager to get to it.

He was putting on his sneakers when his cell phone rang. He put on his Bluetooth headset and answered.

It was Max. “I’ve contacted Sheri. It seems you were right. Her problem hasn’t gone completely away.”

“Shit.” Simon finished tying his sneakers.

“Yeah. Parker found her again.”

Simon stood with a sigh and grabbed his car keys. “So when does she arrive?”

Max snorted. “You know me so well.”

He shrugged into his coat and headed out the door. “Dude. To quote Becky, ‘Ew’. You make it sound like we’re fucking married or something.” Simon locked his door, grinning as Max made kissy noises over the phone. In the background he could hear Emma giggling. “Sorry, I’m just not into cocktail wieners.”

“Asshole.” Max laughed.

Simon climbed into his Ram and started it up, eager to get to his studio. “So?”

“She’s already here.”

“Cool.”

“I want you and Becky to take her to dinner. Emma and I would do it, but we’ve got a meeting with the caterer after work.”

“You popped the question?”

“Are you kidding me? She left post-it notes all over my office. What her favorite color is, what type of wedding ring she wants, even a build-your-own-engagement-ring URL with a detailed description of what to buy. She put a catering menu up as the backdrop on the computer, and wedding dress pictures as the screensaver. It was sheer self defense.”

Simon put his head down on his steering wheel and howled in laughter. He could see the Little General Post-it bombing Max’s office.

“And that was what she did at work! ”

Simon couldn’t breathe, he was laughing so hard.

“Go ahead, laugh. You should have heard Adrian when he got a look at it.” Simon could practically hear Max roll his eyes. “She forgot Adrian and I share an office. I’ve never seen a grown man run so fast in my life.” Max snickered. “I can’t wait until he finds his mate.”

“That should be fun.” Simon wiped away the laugh tears. “Oh, man, I can’t wait for that.”

“Neither can Emma.”

“I’ll talk to Becky and make sure she’s up for dinner tonight. We’ll hold the formal intro Sunday?”

“My place; I’ll send out the e-mails, let the Pride know. Oh, and bring Becky over to our place for dinner Friday so I can formally acknowledge her, too. She should have changed by then.”

“Got it. Bye, Max.”

Simon pulled out of his driveway. He pushed the number for Wallflowers and listened to the phone ring.

“Hello?”

“Becky?” He frowned. Something in her tone of voice seemed off.

“It’s smiling at me.”

“What’s smiling at you, baby?” He stopped at a red light and listened to her panting.

“The apple.”

“What?”

“I think it’s mad because I wanted to eat it.”

Her whisper was full of shaky fear. “Becky, where are you?”

“Behind the counter in the store.”

“Where’s the, um, apple?”

“In my kitchen. I can hear it hopping around up there.”

He was starting to get seriously worried. He sped through the intersection as soon as the light turned.

“I’m on my way, baby.”

“Okay. Simon?”

“Yeah, baby?”

“Tell it I’m sorry and I promise not to eat it if it will go away. Okay?”

The thread of tears in her voice scared him to death. His Becky hadn’t cried when the bitch-cat’s claws had been imbedded in her stomach, but now she was crying over an apple? Something was seriously wrong here. “Hang on, baby, I’m almost there.”

“Okay, Simon. Okay.”

“Keep talking to me, sweetheart.” Silence greeted him. “Becky?”

Nothing. Not a sound, not even a whisper.

He screeched to a halt in front of the store. Without bothering to switch the ignition off he ran inside, his heart pounding with fear.

“Becky! Where are you?”

Becky was slumped on the floor behind the counter, phone in hand. She wasn’t conscious.

“Hello?”

He turned at the hesitant, familiar voice in the doorway. “Belinda?”

“Simon? Is everything all right?” She stepped into Wallflowers. “Your truck is running and the front door was wide open…oh my God.”

He picked Becky up in his arms and carried her to the front door, surprised when Belinda stepped behind the counter and picked up the phone. “What are you doing?”

“Calling Halle General to let them know you’re on your way.”

“What?”

She was dialing as she spoke. “I’ll call Max’s and ask Emma to come as quick as she can. I’ll stay here until she gets here.” She looked up at him. He could clearly hear the ringing of the phone on the other end of the line. “Go!”

He took a deep breath. “Thanks.”

She nodded. “We’re Pride.” She turned back to the phone as Simon heard a voice on the other end say, “Halle General.”

He raced out the door, his mate held securely in his arms.

Becky was floating. The colors were so beautiful, so peaceful. Simon had gotten there and everything was fine now. Everything was always fine when Simon was there.

“Any idea what may have caused it?”

He sounded worried. She frowned. Simon shouldn’t worry. There was nothing to worry about. Couldn’t he feel it?

She heard some papers rustling around. “Yup. She’s hypoglycemic.”

“Hypoglycemia doesn’t cause hallucinations, does it? She was scared of an apple, for God’s sake!”

“If it’s severe enough, yes, it can. I gather she didn’t tell you about this?”

Funny, that sounds like my doctor. Wonder what he’s doing here?

“No, but you can bet I plan on bringing this up with her.”

Oh, now he’s getting growly. I wonder why he’s growly?

“Simon?” She opened her eyes to see his worried face hovering over her own. She smiled dreamily.

Damn, she felt so good. “You have beautiful eyes.”

“Hey, baby. How are you feeling?”

She stretched. “Mmm, I feel wonderful. Don’t you?”

He looked off to his left with a frown. “Doc?”

“Could be a side effect of the glucose we’re pumping into her bloodstream.”

She lifted one heavy hand and stroked Simon’s cheek. “I’m okay.”

His frown was fierce. “You scared the hell out of me. Why didn’t you tell me you suffer from low blood sugar?”

“The tests hadn’t come back yet, so I didn’t know if it was hypoglycemia or my thyroid. I didn’t want to worry anyone until I knew for sure.” She shrugged. “Besides, I had the test on Friday and didn’t, um, hook up with you until Saturday night.”

“You could have told me any time this weekend.”

She stared up at his fierce frown and blushed. “We were busy. Remember? ”

She heard a laughing cough behind Simon and turned to look. There was Doctor Harrison, hiding a grin behind his hand. “Actually, Simon, you have Max to thank for talking her into getting checked out. He knew the dizzy spells weren’t normal and asked her to come see me for blood work.”

“So it’s definitely hypoglycemia?”

Doc Harrison nodded. “Yup. This means we need to change a few things in your diet. Like making sure you eat regularly.”

She winced and refused to look at either of them.

“Also we need to find out what the underlying cause is, make sure there’s nothing more serious going on.

The fact that you found her unconscious is cause for worry; however, her rapid response to the glucose is encouraging.”

She felt Simon breathe a sigh of relief. “So you don’t think it’s serious?”

“Not enough to warrant an extended hospital stay. We’ll monitor her for another hour or two, and then I suggest you take her home. Make sure she eats tonight, and under no circumstances is she to skip a meal. You’ll want to get plenty of good carbs into her, along with reducing her sugar intake. But if she seems to be having another episode, by all means hand the woman a regular Coke or glass of juice.”

Simon nodded and held out his hand. “Thanks, Doc.”

“You’re welcome.”

“Thanks, Doc Harrison.”

The doctor left, leaving them alone in the room. She peeked up at Simon from under her lashes, startled to see the fear in his normally sunny expression.

“You scared the hell out of me.”

“I scared the hell out of me, too.”

He pulled her into his arms, careful of the IV. “I just got you. I’m not ready to let you go yet.”

He’s trembling. She ran her hands down his back in an effort to soothe him. The fact that she could make him feel so much humbled her. “I don’t plan on going anywhere.” She grinned slowly. “After all, I never did get my donuts.”

His amused snort was music to her ears.

She had to buy a glucose monitor. Simon wouldn’t hear of taking her home without one, and the doctor agreed. Since her blood sugar was back up to normal and she was showing no further signs of problems they released her late afternoon. She’d insisted on returning to her apartment for toiletries and clean clothes and he’d grumbled the whole time. He refused to wait in the car for her, and tried his hardest to tie her to a chair so she wouldn’t overexert herself. He was even talking about cancelling the dinner with Sheri just so she could get some rest, even though she felt perfectly fine.

“I’m okay, Simon, really.” She watched as he went through her underwear drawer, discarding all of her comfy panties in favor of what she called her “dress-up” panties. She blushed when he pulled out a lacy, pale green thong. With a grin, he added it to the pile to be dumped into the suitcase on the bed.

“Well, I’m not, so indulge me.”

The doorbell rang. “I’ll get it.” She practically flew off the bed, ignoring his growl to “Slow down, damn it!”

She threw open the door and was immediately enveloped by a pair of pale rose arms. “Hi, Emma.”

“You scared me!”

“Can’t. Breathe. ”

Emma stepped back. “Oops.”

Once Emma let go she sucked in a deep breath. “Damn, woman, you’ve been eating your Wheaties.”

She stepped back to let Emma through the door.

Emma blushed bright red. “Hi, Simon!”

“Damn it, Emma! Where’s Max?”

“He’s at his office, I think. Why?”

Simon stepped out of the bedroom holding a pair of black stockings and a matching garter belt. He had a fierce frown on his face. “Does he know you’re not at the store?”

Becky eyed the underwear in his big hands and grinned. “Are you planning on going to see the Rocky Horror Picture Show ? You’d make a lovely Dr. Frank-N-Furter.”

Emma laughed so hard she turned purple. Becky could just see her friend picturing Simon in a corset and heels.

“What?” Simon looked down, rolled his eyes and threw the frilly underwear on the bed. “Well?”

Emma took a moment to catch her breath. “I’m shutting Wallflowers down early, and I’ll meet him at home. We’re going to the caterer’s from there, remember? Why?”

“No reason. I just don’t want my ass kicked because he can’t find you.”

A confused frown crossed Emma’s face. “Why would he kick your ass?”

“Because he won’t kick yours.”

The two women exchanged a confused look and Simon sighed. “Just call the man, okay?”

Emma shrugged. “Okay, Simon, if it will make you happy.”

“It will. I and my non-chewed-on ass will thank you.”

Emma shook her head and sauntered into the kitchen to call Max. Becky grinned at Simon and shook her head. “I’m going to go pack my makeup and something to wear for tonight, okay?”

“Sure.”

He was staring in the direction Emma had gone. He still looked a little growly so she stroked his chest.

“Can you keep Emma company while I change clothes?”

Simon frowned, his attention back on her. “I’m still not sure we shouldn’t just cancel the dinner with Sheri.”

“I have to eat, right? So, why not eat with your old friend?”

His look said he still wasn’t sure he shouldn’t just wrap her up and put her to bed.

“The doc says I’m fine, Simon. He even told you since I reacted so well to the glucose that he was pretty sure it’s just hypoglycemia. He also reassured you that I was fine to do everything I normally do tonight.” She sighed at the stubborn set of his features. “Tell you what, tomorrow we’ll order in some Chinese and you can feed me with chopsticks, okay? We’ll stay in and cuddle in front of that wonderful fireplace you have.”

He nodded reluctantly. “You’re sure you feel okay?” He hissed when she started doing jumping jacks.

He grabbed her arms and picked her up off the ground. “Don’t do that!”

She kissed the tip of his nose. “See? I’m fine.”

“I’m not!”

“Then let’s pack and you can take me home, okay?”

They stared at one another, the shock of her calling his place home in both their faces. Becky could feel the tension slowly easing out of his big body as he lowered her to the ground. “Okay.” His lips quirked up into a possessive smile. “Chinese or pizza?”

“Meat lovers?”

“Done.”

Just then Emma ended her phone call and grinned at the big artist. “So, Max wants to know what size corset he should buy you. Just in case.”

“Emma!”

“Just make sure you get it in pink.” Becky was biting the inside of her cheek to keep from laughing, but when he blew a raspberry at them both women collapsed into giggles.

Chapter Six

She’d managed to sneak her truffles into her bag without Emma seeing them. Damn, that pretty brown box tempted her. And Emma was just as bad as she was when it came to Godiva.

“You ready, baby?”

She shoved the truffle in her mouth just as Simon walked through the bedroom door. “All set.”

He smiled at her. “Man, I’m glad you wore another dress. You look incredible.”

She twirled for him, causing her skirt to flare up around her hips. She heard him moan as the pale green thong flashed him. The black eyelet lace dress was lined in a pale jade silk that matched the panties. Long bell-like sleeves and a square neckline hugged her assets, while the above-the-knee skirt showcased her legs. The black boots she’d worn with the bandita costume and chunky gold hoops completed the outfit.

He held out her coat for her just like he had the night of their dinner with Max and Emma. He took her hand and led her into the garage, settling her in her seat first before climbing in himself.

He started the truck and opened the garage door. The soft strains of Loreena McKennitt filled the air, the haunting Celtic melodies flowing out of the speakers and soothing her. She looked at him with a slightly goofy grin. “You stole my CD, didn’t you?”

He smiled. “Since most of your CD collection was this Celtic stuff I figured you wouldn’t mind.”

She stroked his cheek. “Thank you, Simon.”

He took her hand and cupped it in his own. He kissed her palm and curled her fingers through his.

“You’re welcome.”

She turned her head and stared out the window. She knew the goofy grin was still on her face.

Rain began to fall, coating the windows in running droplets. She watched the rainbows caused by the streetlamps dance in the drops. She traced one of the running drops with her finger as it slid down the window.

“Baby?”

“Hmm?”

“You okay?”

“Um-hmm.” She leaned her head against the window and smiled. Everything felt so peaceful, so Zen.

Rainbows danced all over the place. “So pretty.”

“Becky!”

“Hmm?” She turned her head to see his worried frown. She patted his cheek, not wanting him to be sad.

How could he be sad on such a beautiful night? “It’s okay, Catman. Rainbows can’t hurt you.”

“Shit. ” He pulled into the parking lot of the motel Sheri was currently staying in. Reaching over her, he pulled a packet of cookies out of the glove compartment. “Eat one, baby.”

She stared at the chocolate chip cookie he held out. It had rainbows playing across it. “Won’t I hurt the rainbows?”

“No, baby. You’ll take the rainbows inside, and they’ll become a part of you, and that will make them happy.”

“Really?”

“Yes, baby. Trust me.”

She smiled at him. “Of course I trust you, silly.” She took the cookie and began nibbling on it. Suddenly she giggled. “Does this mean I ‘taste the rainbow’?”

“I’ll be right back, okay? Can you stay in the car?”

She hummed softly to the music. The rainbows were dancing along with it. It was so beautiful she barely heard what he said.

With a sigh he climbed out of the truck. She barely felt his door slam shut, so caught up was she in the multicolored dance in front of her.

Simon was about to lose his mind. Twice in one day? What about that shit the doc told him about the glucose and how as long as she ate she’d be fine? Simon had seen to it personally that Becky ate lunch; hell, he’d stood there practically spoon-feeding her fast food he’d brought to her in the hospital. He’d refused to take a bite of his own until she’d downed at least the burger.

Now here she was, acting like she had that morning, although less scared. If he didn’t know better he’d swear she was…

“Simon?”

He started. He had been so caught up in his worry over Becky he hadn’t realized he’d stopped in front of Sheri’s door. “Sheri, hi.” He accepted the hug she gave him. Her pale blonde hair practically glowed against the darkness of his leather trench coat.

She must have felt his tension because she started pulling on his hand, trying to get him to come into her room. “What’s wrong?”

“My mate is sick. She’s in the car, and I have to get her out of here.”

“Oh, no! Is there anything we can do to help?”

“We?”

“Jerry and I.”

Simon smiled slightly. Jerry was Sheri’s Seeing Eye dog, and usually he grinned whenever he thought of the name she’d given the golden retriever. Now, however, he just didn’t have it in him. “No. Look, I’m sorry, but can we reschedule the dinner to tomorrow night? I need to get Becky to the hospital.”

“Would you like a rainbow?” Simon turned to see Becky standing in the rain, holding out a cookie to Sheri. “If you eat a rainbow it will go inside you. The colors are so pretty.”

He heard Sheri take a deep breath and could only imagine what she was thinking. “Becky, sweetheart, why don’t you go sit in the truck, okay?”

She frowned. “I wanted to meet your friend.” She looked over his shoulder at Sheri. “She needs a rainbow.”

He felt a soft hand touch his arm. “It’s okay, Simon.” Sheri’s pale blue eyes turned to Becky. “Would you like to come in my room and get out of the rain? I promise if you do I’ll share the rainbow with you.”

Becky’s answering smile was beautiful. “Okay.”

Sheri gently pulled Becky into her room. Simon was confused when Sheri leaned in close to Becky and sniffed her neck. He followed the two women into the room and watched as Sheri carefully broke the cookie in half. “Here you go. Becky, right?”

Becky nodded happily as she munched on the cookie and stared out the window.

“I’m Sheri.”

Becky turned. “You’re so pale. Where did your rainbows go?”

Sheri sighed. “I was born without rainbows.”

Tears filled Becky’s voice. “Here. Take mine.” She handed the rest of her cookie to Sheri and turned back to the window. “Everyone should have rainbows.”

Sheri sighed and tugged on Simon’s arm. Worried sick, Simon allowed himself to be pulled to the other side of the cramped motel room. “I’m so sorry, Simon.”

“I need to call her doctor. I know she ate today.”

Sheri frowned, looking confused. “What does that have to do with anything?”

“She’s hypoglycemic. The doc said it can cause hallucinations if it gets bad enough.”

“Simon?”

“Hmm?” He was already dialing the phone. He’d made sure to memorize Doc Harrison’s number, just in case.

“I don’t think it’s hypoglycemia.”

“Of course it is. She got tested and everything.” He listened to the rings and waited for the doctor’s answering service to pick up.

Sheri pressed the button to end his call. “Simon, I smell something on her skin.”

His heart froze. “What are you talking about?”

Sheri bit her lip. “It smells chemical. I’ve smelled it before, once or twice, off of Rudy’s friends.”

At the mention of her ex-boyfriend Simon’s Puma snarled. “What?”

“I think your mate’s been drugged.”

Simon watched as his mate batted at empty air, no doubt playing with the rainbows dancing in front of her, unseen by anyone but her.

I’m going to kill her. There was only one person he could think of who hated Becky enough to drug her, and he’d let the woman walk away. I’m going to hunt her down and rip out her throat.

Olivia Patterson was a dead woman.

Simon had been watching her like a hawk ever since their impromptu trip to the emergency room the night before. He’d refused to leave her side, even following her to work. It was driving him crazy that he couldn’t figure out how someone had gotten to her. She’d finally talked him into taking a shower by promising she wouldn’t eat or drink anything while he was gone. He’d tried to persuade her to join him, but she’d managed to convince him to go in alone.

He might not be sure how someone had gotten to her, but she was. Damn it.

She stared down at the pretty, more than likely toxic, brown box and sighed as the water turned off.

“Simon?”

“Yeah, baby?”

“You didn’t leave me a box of Godiva truffles, did you?”

“What?” He stepped out of the bathroom, looking yummy wrapped in nothing but a white towel.

Droplets of water tripped down his muscled torso, distracting her for a moment. Damn, he’s fine .

She lifted the box in her hands, the note she’d thought from him resting on top. “You didn’t leave these in my apartment the night you went back for my toothbrush and stuff, did you?”

“No, I didn’t.” If she hadn’t been sure before, she was now. The feral growl and ferocious frown were dead giveaways. “Are you telling me you took candy from a stranger?”

“I thought they were from you!” She held up the note. “See? Why would someone other than you write that note?”

“Gee, I don’t know, Becky. Maybe because they wanted you to think of them while you were terrified of fruit?”

“Don’t get mad at me, Simon. We both thought it was the hypoglycemia.”

He ran a hand through his wet hair and sighed. “Damn it, Becky. Why didn’t you just ask me? Or, hell, I don’t know. Maybe say thank you? And when I asked you what for, you could have told me.”

“We were a little busy dealing with the fact that I am hypoglycemic, remember?” She shrugged sheepishly. “But you’re right, I should have said thank you.”

He took the box from her and lifted it to his face. He took a good sniff and wrinkled his nose. “Damn, Sheri’s good. I never would have smelled it if I hadn’t been looking for it.”

“Should we take these to the police?”

“Oh, hell no. The cops aren’t really equipped to deal with a shifter, never mind what the outcasting says.

That whole ‘we leave you to human laws’ crap is a holdover from the times when shifters were actively hunted and the Pride was necessary for survival.”

“So who does deal with this kind of thing?”

Simon’s frown eased as he put the box of chocolates on top of his dresser. “Usually, the Marshal is in charge of this sort of thing, but since you weren’t actually hurt I guess he hasn’t been alerted yet. Either that, or it has to do with the fact that Max hasn’t formally acknowledged you as Pride since you haven’t changed yet.”

Becky shook her head. “Huh?”

He took her hand and sat with her on the edge of the bed. “Okay. Alpha and Beta run the Pride. The Marshal and his Second guard the Pride’s well-being. They’re sort of cops, but they only deal with issues that directly affect the physical well-being of the Pride. And the Omega is the heart. He or she keeps the pack emotionally stable, stops fights whenever possible, that sort of thing. Sort of the Pride’s diplomat slash advice columnist. With the change in Alpha there’s usually a change in the rest of the hierarchy as well. For instance, Adrian’s dad used to be Marshal.”

“Oh, wow. Wasn’t his dad sheriff?”

“Yup. And now Gabe Anderson is sheriff.”

“Does that make him Marshal?”

He shrugged. “I don’t know. We’ve only been running the Pride for a few months, so we’re not completely set up yet. Max knows instinctively who’s supposed to fill what slots, and when the time comes, he’ll clue them in. And, trust me, it will be obvious.” He glared down at her. “In the meantime, we make sure you don’t eat any more presents not handed to you by either myself or Max and Emma.

Okay?”

“Okay.” She stroked his cheek, knowing he was being so grouchy because he was so upset. He relaxed visibly, nuzzling her hand. “Better get dressed and order in that pizza. I’m starving.”

“You’re always starving.” He stood and dropped the towel, grinning over his shoulder at her when she wolf-whistled. He made a big production out of pulling on his underwear and jeans, wiggling his butt and waggling his eyebrows until she collapsed onto the bed with a fit of the giggles. With a big, smacking kiss on her lips he left the bedroom to order in dinner.

Becky heard the pizza guy before he rang the bell, and grinned. “Pizza’s here.”

Simon’s stomach rumbled under her, making her laugh. He’d pulled her on top of him and cuddled her while they watched the cartoon DVDs she’d shoved into one of her bags.

With a groan he gently pushed her off him and went to answer the door. The sight and scent of the white boxes had her mouth watering. He carried the food into the kitchen, frowning slightly when she got up and followed him.

“One for you, one for me?” Becky was so hungry she could easily picture eating an entire pizza.

“Breadsticks.”

Becky handed Simon the plates. He loaded them with pizza and breadsticks while she poured them both tall, frosty glasses of soda. They headed back to the couch to eat. Simon popped another DVD into the player.

“Man, I’m starving.” Hot, cheesy goodness melted in her mouth, causing her to moan in appreciation.

“God, that’s good.” She sighed in bliss just before taking another bite.

The opening strains of the WB’s Animaniacs filled the small space. She grinned as Simon dropped next to her onto the sofa with a contented sigh. They sat and ate pizza, laughing at the antics of the Warner Brothers and their sister, Dot, until all of the pizza and breadsticks were gone. When Becky stood to get rid of their empty plates and glasses Simon turned the TV off.

“Bedtime.”

Simon’s husky purr sent a shiver down her spine. “Think I’m up for games tonight, big guy?”

“Considering the amount of food you just ate you should be fine.”

She glared up at him as his arms came around her waist. “Are you saying I made a pig of myself?”

He tried to look innocent and failed miserably. “Not at all. I’m just saying I’ve seen high school linebackers eat less.”

He laughed when she punched him in the arm. She shook her stinging hand. “Ow!”

“Poor baby. Did you hurt your hand?”

“Shut up, Simon.”

“Want me to kiss it and make it better?”

“How about you kiss my ass instead?” Becky screeched, giggling madly as Simon picked her up, took her over to the couch and put her face down. Her face flamed as Simon kissed her butt with a loud smacking sound. “Simon!”

“Hey, you told me too.” Laughter threaded through his voice.

She looked over her shoulder. “Jerk.”

She felt him undo the snap on her jeans. “Go ahead. Tell me to kiss your ass again.” He lowered the zipper, his grin heating. Gold danced in his eyes. “I dare you.”

She shivered as one of his hands slipped under the waistband of her jeans and caressed her ass.

“Simon?”

“Yeah, baby?”

“Your phone is ringing.”

He paused and, sure enough, the phone rang. He waited to see who was calling. When the caller hung up he shrugged. “Thank God for answering machines.” He pulled her jeans down her legs, sighing happily at the sight of the pale blue thong separating the globes of her ass. “Damn, woman. I love your ass.”

“Yeah, sure.”

He nipped one of the soft globes, suckling until he’d left a mark. “That’s better.”

She started to laugh. “Damn it, that tickles!”

“Oh, really?” He gasped in mock surprise. “Look! Another one!” He bent down and nipped and sucked until he’d added his mark. “There. That’s better.”

The male satisfaction in his tone only made her laugh harder. “Simon!”

“What?”

“Knock it off!”

“What will I get if I do?”

“Chocolate?”

He petted her ass again, then smacked it. Hard.

“Ow!” She sat up, glaring at him. “What the hell was that for?”

“A reminder.” He stripped off his shirt, his eyes turning completely gold.

“Of what?”

“Not to take candy from strangers, little girl.”

“Ass wipe.”

“Want me to kiss it and make it better?” He stripped off his jeans, leaving them where they fell. He stood there only in his briefs, his erection twitching behind the white cotton.

Becky couldn’t tear her gaze away from his cock. There was a damp spot on the front of the briefs, letting her know exactly how turned on he was. “What?”

He laughed, the sound low and rough. He pulled her jeans the rest of the way off her body, then began to crawl up her.

She backed up until she hit the backrest. “Simon?”

He licked her belly.

“Simon?”

His hands slowly began to push her shirt up, the calluses rough against her skin.

“Oh, boy. Simon?”

When his hands touched her naked breasts they both moaned. “No bra. Damn, baby.” He thumbed her nipples under her shirt. He pushed it up impatiently, leaning over her to suck a nipple into his mouth.

“Mmm.” She clutched his head, her fingers tangling in his hair. The pleasure his mouth was giving her shot through her body. She spread her legs wider, enjoying his groan when she pushed her hips up against his. She could feel his erection pulse through the thin material of their underwear.

“Bed. Now.” Simon stood, picking her up and carrying her into his bedroom.

She started nibbling on his neck, loving the small shivers that wracked his frame as he carted her to the bedroom. He tumbled them both onto the bed, careful to catch himself on his hands.

“Now, where were we?”

She grinned, grabbed his head and pulled his mouth back to her chest.

The shirt disappeared as Simon suddenly seemed to become all hands, lips and teeth. She barely had time to whimper as his mouth descended once again on her breast, practically sucking the entire thing into his mouth.

Her hand shook as she reached down to caress him through his briefs. He ground against her hand, his hiss of pleasure spurring her on. She slipped her fingers into the waistband of his underwear, slicking her fingertips in the pre-come leaking from the tip of his cock.

“Fuck.” He pulled away from her and shoved off his briefs. “Do you love these panties?”

“No, why?”

His answer was to claw them from her body. Long, shallow scratches appeared on her hips.

Surprisingly, instead of pissing her off the slight sting only turned her on.

Simon descended on her body, feasting his way down to her pussy with hungry slurps and purring licks until she was gasping for breath. He clasped her thighs roughly, fingers digging in as he pried her legs apart and fell on her like a starving man.

He took her clit into his mouth and sucked on it, stroking it with his tongue until she thought she would scream. It was almost too much, bordering on the painful, but she didn’t care, she was coming into his mouth with an agonized groan.

Simon licked her juices from his lips. “Again.”

She gasped at his rough growl. He slid a finger inside her, roughly fucking her with it as his lips once again fastened onto her clit. He purred again, vibrating his tongue as another orgasm raced through her shaking body.

“More.”

“No, no more, Simon.” She started pushing his head away, afraid her heart couldn’t take another one of the mind-blowing orgasms he’d pulled from her.

He held fast, adding another finger to her already sensitized flesh.

“God, Simon, get up here and fuck me already!”

He growled and sucked one last time at her clit before sliding up her body. He slid into her easily. She was still soaking wet from her two previous orgasms. He leaned over her and nipped at her neck, right on his mark, and incredibly she could feel herself building to yet another orgasm.

“Move, move, move.” She wrapped her legs around his waist and her arms around his neck as he nibbled at his mark.

He started to fuck her hard, his cock dragging in and out of her body in a steady rhythm as his teeth sank in. The spike towards orgasm shifted sharply. She could feel his muscles tensing, her pussy pulsing around him.

Her gaze fell on his neck, and she had the sudden, undeniable urge to bite him back. Without thinking about it she shifted her head slightly and bit down.

She tasted his blood as her fangs sank deep.

Simon stilled, releasing his bite. “Fuck! ” He pounded into her body, the headboard banging into the wall so hard she heard something crack.

She came mere seconds before he did, pulling his seed from his body as she screamed around his flesh.

She could feel him shuddering above her as he came, the “Mine!” he gasped no longer a surprise.

He collapsed next to her, his breathing labored, his face buried in his pillow. Sweat gleamed on his body.

Her mark glowed red against his skin.

“Love you, baby.”

She felt him relax with a soft sigh and realized with a start that he was already asleep. She had to hold back the urge to giggle. Damn, I fucked him unconscious! I rock!

She eased away carefully, pulled the sheets and comforter over them both, and curled up into him, her head resting below his chin. She dragged his arm around her waist. “Love you too.”

Simon listened to his mate’s even breathing and smiled. Now all he had to do was figure out how to get his stubborn mate to say those three little words when she knew he was awake.

Chapter Seven

“Mmm, coffee.” Becky stared at the pot like it was liquid nirvana. “I love that you make me coffee.” She looked up at Simon with what he privately thought of as Bambi eyes. “Marry me and bear my young?”

“Yes, and I’d be happy to if I had the equipment.” He grinned and held out the mug of steaming coffee, not surprised when she shuddered in what looked like a mini-orgasm. “But I’ll be happy to help you in all the stages. Especially the conception part.”

He wasn’t entirely certain she heard him. Her face contorted in bliss, the mug never far from her lips. So much for a good morning kiss, he thought, amused. Good thing she doesn’t know that’s half strength, or I’d be wearing my nuts as a necklace.

When she groaned in sensual pleasure he nearly came in his jeans. “Stop that, woman, we have things to do today.”

The amusement on her face told him she knew exactly what she was doing. She’d propped her butt against the kitchen counter, no doubt remembering last night’s love tap.

“C’mere,” he whispered, pulling her gently to him. He hugged her, rubbing his cheek along the top of her head. He smiled, pleasure tingling under his skin when he realized she was purring. He tilted that fey face of hers up for a gentle kiss that tasted of coffee and Becky. “Good morning, baby.”

She sighed and actually put the coffee mug down to hug him back. “Good morning.”

“Are you ready for today?”

“What’s today?”

“You’re changing, baby.”

“Huh?” She picked up her mug and took another sip, her eyes nearly crossing in pleasure.

“Your eyes are changing, and last night you marked me.”

She eyed the mark she’d left on his neck. It was clearly visible under the edge of his black T-shirt. “Um.

You mean the teeth thing?”

“Yup. You had fangs, sweetheart.” He had to suppress a shiver at the memory of her teeth sliding into his flesh. His dick jumped, letting him know his body was more than up for another bite.

“Oh, boy.”

“So that means you’re not going in to work today.”

“What?” She frowned, obviously ready to argue with him.

“You can’t go into work today. Not that I’m all that upset about it.” He could feel his Puma growling in his chest. The memory of his mate drugged was going to be with him for quite a while. He was more than happy to have an excuse to keep her close for another day.

“Haven’t we been over this? I’m fine, damn it! Why can’t I go to work?”

“You’re changing.” Okay, if she’s not getting it maybe I should have made the coffee full strength.

“So?”

“So, how would you feel about having a Puma roaming Wallflowers?”

Her expression was arrested. Just about everything in Wallflowers was delicate and fragile. Not exactly a place for a Puma to stretch out in.

Simon laughed softly. “I’ll take you somewhere safe for your first transformation. I’ll be there to help you. After this one you should be able to control it all on your own. Okay?”

Becky sighed. “Damn.”

“I’ve got donuts.”

She grinned. “Oh, well, then. Count me in.”

He couldn’t help it. He leaned down and kissed the grin off her mouth, happier than he’d ever thought possible.

He waited until he knew the change was definitely coming. It surprised him that it took most of the day.

He’d have to talk to Jamie Howard to see if the drugs in her system could have slowed it down. There was still so much they didn’t know about their Pumas, but Jamie was dedicated to finding out.

At dusk he drove her out to the Friedelinde’s, the starting point of the Pride lands. When she asked about the duffel bag he put in the car, he grinned and told her to wait and see.

He’d called ahead to let Jonathon know what was going on and wasn’t surprised to see Marie standing in the doorway. He hopped out of the truck and pulled out the empty duffel bag, turning to see Becky had gotten out of the passenger side on her own. He waved a cheery hello to Marie, smiling when she bowed her head slightly in deference to his status. When she did the same to Becky he couldn’t hold back his proud grin.

“What was that all about?”

He led her around the back of the house towards the gardens. Behind the gardens were the woods and hills the Pumas loved to run in. “Once you change, Max will formally introduce you to the Pride.”

“So?”

“So, you’ll be Beta along with me.”

“You’re kidding. Just because I mated you?”

“No, because you’re strong enough.” He shrugged. “Some of them might try to test you like they did Emma, but I don’t think you’ll have a problem.”

She stopped dead. “Tested Emma?”

He chuckled at the growl in her voice. He took her arm and started her moving again. “At the masquerade she tried to get out into the garden. Some of the Pride members decided to just not get out of her way. She was forced to use her gifts to get through them.”

She whistled softly. “She must have been pissed.”

“She was magnificent. Everything a Curana should be.”

She was staring at him suspiciously. “Really turned you on, huh?”

It was his turn to stop as he stared at her in horror. “That’s like popping wood for your sister.” He shuddered.

She snickered as he led her out of the garden and into the woods.

He removed her jacket, revealing the pale green T-shirt molded lovingly to her body. He’d convinced her she didn’t need a bra, and now her nipples perked up cheerfully in the cold November air. “Okay, baby, get naked.”

“Excuse me?”

He grinned, something he found himself doing a lot around her. She had both hands on her hips, one hip cocked in that classic “you gotta be kidding me” woman pose men everywhere recognized. It just drew Simon’s attention to those incredibly tight black jeans she was wearing. “You heard me. Get naked.”

“Sure, Garfield. Do I get a brass pole to swing from?” She edged back, grinning at him with bared teeth.

“Baby, as much as I’d love to play chase right now, your eyes have turned gold and your arms are getting furry.” He nearly laughed when she looked down at her arms and squealed. He even held back when she turned on him with a bright gold glare, her normally short nails turning into claws as the change began to overtake her.

“Get naked now or I’m coming over there to help you.”

Max had allowed Emma to dictate how her change would go, and she’d wound up in one of Max’s examination chairs, fully dressed. Simon had no intention of following the Pride Alpha’s lead in that regard. Pulling jeans off a pissed off Puma was not how he wanted to spend his evening.

She growled at him but pulled off her shirt, revealing her B-cup breasts to his hot gaze. “Careful there, Garfield, I’ve always wanted a fur coat.”

“Don’t worry, you’ll be wearing me soon enough,” he purred, watching as she stripped off her jeans and panties.

“Now what?”

For an answer he began undressing, watching her every reaction. He nearly groaned when he pulled off his jeans and she licked her lips, her gaze glued to his erection. When he stood naked before her he grinned. “Ready to play pounce?”

Startled, she looked at him a second before she began changing. He followed her, timing his change to hers. He let her see each stage as it happened to him, hoping to keep any fear and confusion on her part at bay. The playful flick of her tail and the affectionate head rub to his shoulder made the whole thing worthwhile.

She made a gorgeous Puma, sleek and deadly looking. They ran for a few hours, listening to the rustling of the night creatures in the forest. They lazed by a stream, watching the moonlight on the water. He thought about mounting her in cat form, but decided that the she might not be ready yet for Puma sex.

Besides, he was still worried about her health. He made sure they hunted down a nice, juicy rabbit early in their run, giving her the lion’s share of the meat. She’d wrinkled her nose when presented with the rabbit, but her Puma had quickly taken over and she’d done fine.

The sheer joy in running and playing in the moonlight with his mate was almost overwhelming. He cat-grinned as he watched her roll around in a field of clover; laughed his ass off when she tried pouncing on a field mouse and missed, going tail over ears. The half-hearted swipe she aimed at him missed him by a mile.

They were heading back to the car when he saw the deer. It was stumbling, obviously wounded. His Puma snarled as they smelled the blood; his human half smelled a trap. It took all of his willpower to keep from going after the animal.

Becky, however, didn’t have his experience. She went after the deer, gleefully taking it down before he could stop her. He bounded after her, snarled a warning to try and keep her from ripping into the deer’s entrails, but she ignored him. Red blood dripped from her claws as she gutted the deer in one swipe.

He managed to get to her just before she sank her teeth into the deer’s soft belly. He pounced on her, biting into the back of her neck and holding her down, forcing her to submit to him. With a snarl she went limp beneath him.

He didn’t dare change back to explain himself. If he did, Becky’s Puma would pounce on the dead meat now lying on the forest floor, feasting on it with abandon. But he couldn’t talk to her in this form. Unlike fantasy, shifters didn’t automatically get the ability to speak telepathically with one another. They communicated in gestures, or waited until they changed back to human. So he was stuck there, holding down a young, newly made Puma while blood scented the air. His own Puma fought and snarled and raged, eager to feast on the meat its mate had provided.

“Hmm. Now isn’t that a pretty picture.”

A growl rose in his throat at the sound of Livia’s voice.

“Hello, Simon. Hello, Becky.”

She looked like she’d been camping in the woods. Her hair was braided tightly, a plaid cap pulled low over her brow. She was in a hunter’s jacket, jeans and hiking boots, and she reeked faintly of wood smoke and sweat.

He snarled at the sight of the rifle in her hand. The barrel was trained on Becky’s head.

“I’ve been waiting all week for this night. Now get off of her or I’ll blow her head off.”

Slowly he backed up, never looking away from the blonde who’d tried to take his mate from him.

My mate! Mine! The snarl of his Puma filled the air. By approaching Becky again and threatening his mate’s life, again , her own life was now forfeit.

All he had to do was play the game and wait for his chance.

Livia shook her head. “Uh-uh-uh.” She smiled sweetly down at Becky. “Why don’t you have some dinner, dear?”

Becky growled low in her throat. Simon couldn’t tell if it was over the meat or the blonde threatening them both.

“Go ahead, kitty. Have some venison. Mm-mmm, wouldn’t some meat taste really good right about now? I bet you’re hungry.” Livia smirked. “Did you enjoy the chocolates I left you?”

The growl died in Becky’s throat. Her attention zeroed in on the woman in front of her, her body moving into a classic pouncing pose as she froze in front of Livia.

“Don’t even think about it.” Livia stared down the barrel of the gun, hatred suffusing her features and rendering her ugly. He knew if Becky so much as twitched wrong Livia would fire.

Suddenly, Becky relaxed. She sat on her haunches, ignoring the blood on her claws as she tilted her head to the side. She stared at Livia with all the amused disdain a cat was capable of showing. He wanted to yowl. What the hell is she up to?

“You little…”

Simon’s heart nearly stopped as Livia’s finger tightened on the trigger.

Livia’s cell phone rang, the tinny sounds of Mozart’s Alla Turca loud and startling. She glanced down briefly at her hip…

…And Simon pounced, taking her down before she could get a shot off. Without giving Becky a chance to stop him he ripped the blonde’s throat out, sitting back to watch impassively as her life bled out onto the forest floor.

As the last of her choking gasps faded away, Simon screamed his triumph to the sky.

Chapter Eight

Saturday morning dawned bright and clear. Simon sat up in bed, surprised to see Becky was up before him. The bathroom was empty, meaning she’d been up for at least half an hour.

He got up, stretched and padded naked into the bathroom. He did his business, brushed his teeth and hair, and thought about a shower. He decided against it, knowing that putting in Adrian’s hardwood floors would be a tiring, sweaty job. He’d do better to wait until he got home. He got dressed quickly, anxious to see his mate before he started his day. She’d probably already had her first cup of coffee, so she’d be relatively human.

“Morning, baby,” he called out cheerfully as he stepped out of the bedroom.

She merely smiled at him over the edge of her mug. There were still shadows on her face from their night in the woods, but not once had she flinched away from him. He’d been terrified that he’d lose her after she’d seen him kill Livia. Instead she’d curled up around him, trying her best to soothe him.

It baffled him, but hey, he’d been able to hold her close, and that was all that mattered.

Jamie had taken both Livia and the dead deer back to the mansion. The deer had been poisoned. If either he or Becky had eaten any of the meat they’d be lying dead on the forest floor themselves. After a little searching they found three other deer in the forest, similarly poisoned, and Livia’s campsite.

He had no idea what Jamie did with Livia’s body or the dead animals. He knew Max had been called and consulted. It was quickly decided that Livia’s death was to be a secret between the Pride’s Alphas, Betas and their doctor, Jamie. If a Marshal was ever appointed, he assumed he or she would be told, but no one else.

Thursday had been spent quietly cleaning up the mess and talking with his mate. He was surprised to learn she wasn’t upset over his killing Livia. As far as she was concerned he’d done what he had to in order to protect them both. And last night Max had formally acknowledged Becky as part of the Pride and confirmed the fact that she was, indeed, Beta female.

Simon gave Becky a casual kiss on the top of her head and sat in front of his cereal bowl. He needed to decompress after the stresses of the last week. A day of back-breaking, sweaty labor with his best buddies, followed by cold beer and pizza, should do the trick nicely.

He picked up his spoon, eager to start his day. Luckily the odor hit his nose before the spoon hit his mouth. He looked down, staring at the Cat Chow in his bowl. He blinked and gently set the spoon down.

“Am I allowed to know why I’m in trouble or should I just start apologizing generically?”

“Adrian.”

He looked up at her with raised brows. “Adrian pissed you off and I’m getting Cat Chow?”

“You didn’t ask me to help.”

He looked up at her, totally baffled. “What?”

She huffed out a sigh. “I’m really good with home improvements.”

“You’re opening and closing the store today.”

“I know.”

“You can’t , literally can not , help.”

“I know.”

“Then why the Cat Chow?”

“It’s the principle of the thing,” she sniffed.

His mouth opened, but nothing came out. He just couldn’t think of a single thing to say to that, other than, “What?”

She huffed out a sigh. “If you’d asked me, I could have said no instead of feeling left out.”

Simon lowered his head in his hands. “At least my life will never be boring.”

“I heard that.”

He glared at her from between his hands. He couldn’t decide whether or not he wanted to paddle her ass or laugh. “Can you and Emma afford an assistant?”

Becky tilted her head to the side, her expression turning inward. He could practically see the numbers dancing in her head. “Part time, definitely. I’m not sure about full-time.”

“Hire Sheri, she could use a job. Then when things like this come up you have coverage.”

It was her turn for her mouth to open and close like a fish. “Uh. Good idea.”

He got up, poured the Cat Chow into the garbage and poured her another cup of coffee. “Here.

Apparently your brain isn’t on-line yet.”

She blew him a raspberry.

He blew her a kiss.

They both grinned. He was delighted to see the shadows were gone from her eyes.

He quickly ate a bowl of cereal; if he didn’t hurry he’d be late. Becky watched silently, nursing her coffee.

He snagged his jacket off the back of the sofa where he’d dumped it the night before. Tugging it on quickly, he leaned over and kissed the top of her head. “Love you,” he muttered absently as he strode for the door.

“Love you too. Have a good day.”

He stopped, hand on the doorknob. She hadn’t said it to him yet, other than that one time in bed when she’d thought he was asleep. He could feel his heart pounding as her words washed over him.

“Could…you repeat that?”

She smirked at him over the back of the sofa. “Have a good day.”

He growled at her, challenging her to repeat it.

She smiled smugly and snuggled back on the chaise part of the sofa. “Bye.”

“Oh, no you don’t,” he muttered. In two long strides he was in front of her. “Say it again.”

She bit her lip, trying to look innocent. “Bye?”

He leaned down and kissed the tip of her nose. “Becky.”

“Simon?”

He smiled, slow and sensuous. “I love you.”

“Good.”

He gently took the coffee mug out her hands and put it on the coffee table. “Say it.”

“Nope.”

“Becky.”

“Can’t make me, neither.”

Simon crawled on top of her, holding her in place by sitting on her legs. He pulled out his cell phone and called Adrian as Becky giggled. “Hey, I’m going to be a little bit late, okay? See you in about an hour.”

He put his phone back in his pocket and pulled his jacket back off. “Say it again.”

“Nope.” She was laughing up at him now, her hands resting on top of his thighs.

He pulled off his shirt. “Again, Becky.”

“Nuh-uh.”

He pulled off her shirt while she grinned up at him. “Again.”

“Or what, you’ll fuck me silly? Explain to me how I lose here.”

He leaned in and licked his mark, dragging his tongue along it slowly while she shivered beneath him.

When he blew raspberries against the mark she giggled again and tried to squirm away. “Tell me.” He was trying desperately not to laugh. His whole body felt so full of joy he felt like he could fly.

“No!”

She was laughing outright now as he began to tickle her. “Tell me.”

“Uncle! Uncle!”

He sat up, grinning down at her.

“Your phone’s ringing,” she sputtered.

He leaned down and kissed her as the phone in his pocket began to ring.

About the Author

Dana Marie Bell wrote her first short story when she was thirteen years old. She attended the High School for Creative and Performing Arts for creative writing, where freedom of expression was the order of the day. When her parents moved out of the city and placed her in a Catholic high school for her senior year she tried desperately to get away, but the nuns held fast, and she graduated with honors despite herself.

Dana has lived primarily in the Northeast (Pennsylvania, New Jersey and Delaware, to be precise), with a brief stint on the US Virgin Island of St. Croix. She lives with her soul-mate and husband Dusty, their two maniacal children, two evil ice-cream stealing cats, and a bull terrier that thinks it’s a Pekinese.

You can learn more about Dana at:www.danamariebell.com

Content

Sweet Dreams
Halle Pumas - 2
by
Dana Marie Bell

Dedication

Chapter One

Chapter Two

Chapter Three

Chapter Four

Chapter Five

Chapter Six

Chapter Seven

Chapter Eight

About the Author