Golden Eyes

Amber Eyes - 0.5

by

Maya Banks

CHAPTER 1

A long hiss escaped the jowls of the cat as she hunkered down amongst the rocks and thick shrubbery. Low chirps echoed across the fog-laden ground, and even the human inside the beast could not call back the frightened sounds.

She panted, her breath forming puffs in the frigid morning air. The burst of speed she’d needed to escape her pursuers had drained her. She lacked the energy to go much further, but it was imperative that she find safety.

Her gaze focused on a ponderosa pine several yards away. Cheetahs were ill-equipped to climb trees, but there were enough low-lying branches that she could scramble toward the top and hide in the dense foliage.

She sprang from her hiding spot and ran for the tree on stealthy paws. Fatigue burned every muscle, but she couldn’t succumb to the need for rest. Not yet. They were coming for her and they would kill her.

With sagging energy, she jumped to the lowest branch. Her claws dug into the bark as she fought for balance. Her ears twitched and shot upward as a sound in the distance caught her attention. Higher she climbed, desperation bleeding over into her movements.

When she’d gained enough height to not be easily seen from ground level, she stretched over the limb and flattened her lithe body as much as possible.

Even as she swallowed against the involuntary chirps of fear, she felt the change radiating over her body. Pain, welcome pain, locked into her bones, seized her muscles, and shot like fire through her limbs.

She clung to the branch, desperate not to plummet to the ground. Paws became human fingers. The spotted fur rippled away and was replaced by pale, naked skin. The soft tuft of hair at her nape became long strands of honey gold hair.

For the first time in months, she was human again.

She closed her eyes and wrapped her arms around the rugged tree branch. Time was something she didn’t have, but she needed the rejuvenation her human form would bring, if only for a few minutes. The cheetah was spent.

Perhaps she slept. She had no clear idea of how much time passed, but she was alerted by a rustling in the distance. Voices. Familiar voices.

They were coming for her.

Fear swelled in her throat, blocking out her breath. Panic raced in her veins and prickled like razors over her skin. They wouldn’t take her prisoner this time. They would kill her.

Pulling every thread of strength within her, she concentrated on becoming the cheetah. She would run once more.

Her human side cried out in protest, but she gave free rein to the beast, allowed it control as her body conformed to the parameters set by her mind.

She blinked to adjust to the difference in visual acuity. The landscape sharpened, and she focused on the most expedient route away from danger.

Slowly she inched further out onto the branch, her intention to leap to the neighboring tree. She slid on her stomach, her claws gripping the wood as she prepared to spring.

A light sound riled her instincts, and she shot forward. Pain seared through her hip, and she was left gripping the air. Seconds later, she hit the ground with a resounding thump.

“Fuck! She jumped the string. I didn’t get a good shot.”

The voice was too close. Agony wracked her body. She lifted her head and glanced down her body to see an arrow protruding from her haunch. She panted heavily, trying to squeeze oxygen back into the lungs that had been severely jarred by her fall.

If she hadn’t jumped, the arrow would have sliced through her heart and lungs. She’d be lying on the ground bleeding out.

She struggled to right herself, to heave her aching body from the hard terrain. Then she looked up to see the hunter standing just thirty yards away. Notching another arrow. Terror lent her adrenaline, and she rocketed away, the hunter’s curses ringing in her ears.

Duncan Kennedy hoisted his rifle over his shoulder then shifted his backpack into place. He stepped away from his truck and surveyed the wooded area he was about to venture into.

With a shake of his head, he tucked his chin down, buttoned his jacket, then headed out. He felt ridiculous, but his job as sheriff was to check out sources of possible threat, and he’d had three reports from locals of strange, wild animals roaming the area outside his small Colorado town.

The first he’d ignored because old man Hildebrandt had been known to spin a yarn or two. But then Silas Maynard had reported seeing an animal that he swore looked just like a tiger. A day later, Mrs. Humphreys had called to tell him she’d seen an honest to goodness lion, not a mountain lion, and then she’d heard shots.

Hunting season didn’t start for several more weeks, but Duncan knew that didn’t hinder overzealous hunters. He’d get out, do a little tracking, look around, and hopefully quiet any fears of strange beasties running around the mountains.

He walked a straight line behind Mrs. Humphreys’s house, his gaze darting along the ground for any fresh sign. He wondered if the shots had been people merely target practicing and if the animals were just mountain lions or even a large bobcat.

Not that he really thought he’d find the answers, but he would do his job and reassure the people of his town. Even with their quirks, he wouldn’t want to live anywhere else. His parents had died when he was young, just in high school, and the townspeople had stepped in, taken care of him, and later made sure he could go to college. He owed them more than he could ever repay, and returning here to act as sheriff after gaining a degree in law enforcement seemed the least he could do. These were his mountains. His home. These people were his family.

The terrain had begun to slope more sharply upward, and his breath came a little harder as he climbed in elevation. He stopped and dug a bottle of water from his backpack and rested for a moment as he sipped.

He reckoned he was about a mile from Mrs. Humphreys’s now. He’d go another at the most. She’d said the shots sounded distant, not close. He capped the bottle of water, tossed it back into his pack, and resumed his hike.

When he topped a slight rise, he caught movement out of the corner of his eye. A group of men, one holding a compound bow, the others carrying rifles, moved stealthily through the craggy underbrush.

Duncan crouched and took out his binoculars so he could zoom in on the group.

They appeared to be tracking, their heads down as if following a blood trail. Anger tightened his muscles. Friggin’ poachers.

He noted their appearance, took mental notes of their characteristics. No way he’d approach them blind. He was outnumbered, and more than one wildlife officer had been killed when crossing an illegal hunter.

Instead, he pulled his rifle around and uncapped the scope. He brought the gun up and stared through the crosshairs until he found his target.

He re-sighted a good twenty yards in front of the men and squeezed off a warning shot. They jumped back and sprawled on the ground, guns and bows flying everywhere. Duncan grinned. City slickers.

After a few seconds, they warily rose then scrambled for their guns. They took off in the opposite direction, and Duncan could hear their thrashing all the way to where he hunkered down.

Duncan waited. He pulled out a snack and ate it in silence. Half an hour later, the poachers hadn’t returned, so Duncan made his way down to the area they’d been scouring.

After a few minutes of searching the area dotted with their boot prints, he found the first sign of blood. Son of a bitch. They had been tracking a kill.

He shook his head in disgust and began following the sign. There wasn’t a lot of blood, which told him the shot hadn’t been clean. He grimaced at the idea of having to put down the animal. If he was even able to find it.

It wasn’t an easy trail to follow. Several times he had to backtrack to the last spot he’d seen blood and circle out to pick up the trail again.

The sun rose higher overhead, breaking through the canopy of trees and whisking away the damp coldness that morning had brought. Duncan unbuttoned his jacket as he walked on.

He followed the spots of blood to an area where brush was thick and bushes huddled, their leaves and limbs twining together. He glanced ahead, hoping to find the animal rather than wade through the thick growth. A warning hiss stopped his foot in mid-air.

He stood there a moment, paralyzed by what he’d almost done. Feral eyes stared up at him, glazed with pain and warning.

Holy mother of God.

He scrambled back, putting at least ten feet between him and the…what exactly was this animal?

The cat lay panting, an arrow protruding from the left haunch. Light chirping sounds ripped from the cat’s mouth, intermixed with hisses and growls.

His mind raced to absorb the scene. A tawny cat with black spots. It wasn’t a bobcat. The tail was too long. Was it some bizarre mountain lion hybrid? No, the body structure was all wrong. God, if he didn’t know better, he’d swear it was a cheetah.

What the fuck was a cheetah doing in the Rockies? Had someone’s exotic pet escaped? Suddenly the reports of a tiger and a lion didn’t sound quite so far-fetched.

He frowned as a possible solution occurred to him, one that fit the scene he’d interrupted just a while earlier. Could the animals have been illegally imported for the specific purpose of hunting? Or could someone merely have spotted the escaped cheetah and decided to hunt it down?

There had been no reports of any missing animals from the Cheyenne Mountain Zoo or the zoo in Denver, and he wasn’t sure either housed any cheetahs.

The cat continued to stare at him just as he stared at it. It looked to be a female. Her stare eased and her eyes lost some of the wildness. Her lids relaxed, though she continued to observe him cautiously.

“I’m not going to hurt you,” he said soothingly and then felt like a dumbass for cooing at a wild animal. One that could outrun his damn truck. She could chase him down and have him for lunch in ten seconds flat. If that long.

He reached for his rifle. The stock cradled in his hand gave him a measure of confidence.

But she didn’t move. A low sound emanated from her, and after a moment he realized she was purring. The vibrating rumble grew louder as he stared at her in amazement.

He had no idea what to do with the cat. She didn’t seem threatening, but then, only a moron would assume a wild animal could be reasonable.

If he left her to go back and get help, he risked the hunters coming back and finding her. If he could get her to a vet, he knew she could be saved. She hadn’t lost an enormous amount of blood, and the wound wasn’t mortal.

What he needed was a tranquilizer dart, and gee, it just so happened that wasn’t standard issue for a sheriff to be carting around in his backpack. Water, bandages, flares, basic survival gear? Yes. A buttload of kitty valium? No.

He circled around the cat who still hadn’t moved so much as a muscle. Maybe she was conserving her strength to attack him. Not a very comforting thought and one that had him backing away even further.

Then she moved. He froze, not wanting to excite her. She struggled to her feet, collapsed back to the ground then pushed herself up again.

He gripped his gun tighter as she limped very slowly in his direction. His thumb flicked over the safety, and the click echoed loudly in the stillness. The cheetah stopped and stared at him, her big golden eyes dripping with sadness. And fear.

His eyes narrowed as she started forward again, her steps measured as if not to startle him. Yep, he was losing his mind. He was standing in the middle of nowhere having telepathic communion with a cheetah.

She bumped her head against his leg and rubbed the side of her jowls over his jeans. She circled around him, rubbing up against him just like a domestic cat begging to be petted. She kept the arrow pointed outward, but she circled him three times.

Still keeping the rifle gripped tightly in his left hand, he reached down with his right, tense and prepared to fight for his life. His fingers touched the top of her head, and her fur, coarse and downy, spread over his skin.

She stilled and arched into his hand. He relaxed just a bit as her purrs filled the air. She twisted her head and licked his palm then scrubbed her face against his hand once more.

Was she tame? Had she been someone’s pet? It seemed the only reasonable explanation.

Her back leg buckled, and she sank with a thump onto the ground. His chest tightened with compassion. Such a beautiful, regal animal.

“I need to get you back to my truck,” he murmured.” Any bright ideas on how to do that?”

She continued to stare at him, her throat rumbling with her soft purrs. It was an intoxicating sound. But deceptive. It made her seem less wild, and Duncan couldn’t afford to underestimate the cat.

He shrugged out of his coat, careful to keep his movements measured and non-threatening. Maybe if he spread the jacket on the ground beside her, she’d crawl onto it and maybe he could drag it back to the truck. Or maybe he was losing his mind.

Still, he crept forward and gingerly arranged the coat on the ground next to the cat, who still regarded him with half-closed eyes.

“Go on then,” he muttered. “Get on the coat.” He could grab the sleeve and still position his body as far away from any teeth or claws as possible.

To his surprise, the cat heaved herself up and padded onto the jacket. She made a tight circle before settling down.

Well, that had been easy.

The cat watched him with uncanny intelligence as he gathered one sleeve in his free hand. The other grasped his rifle, but he knew dragging the heavy cat off the mountain was going to take more effort. He was going to need both hands.

He stood there for a long moment, judging the cat’s mood. She seemed complacent enough, but what would she do when he started pulling on the jacket?

The cheetah extended her front paws then laid her head down on the tops and closed her eyes. There was trust in that gesture. Even as the absurd thought crossed his mind, he couldn’t discount it.

He took the strap of his rifle and pulled it over his shoulder. He reached behind him to touch the stock, positioning it so he could reach it quickly if needed. His pack would have to stay.

Keeping a wary eye on the cheetah, he bent down and picked up the sleeves of the coat. He gave them an experimental pull, but the cat never stirred.

This was going to be one long-ass walk.

CHAPTER 2

Duncan stopped to rest and catch his breath. It wasn’t that dragging the cat was too arduous, but having to bend over while pulling and navigate all the rocks and rises was hell on his back.

Just as he bent to pick up the sleeves and resume the hike to his truck, he heard the snapping sound of someone stepping on a twig.

He automatically reached for his rifle.

“I wouldn’t do that if I were you.”

Duncan turned warily to see one of the poachers ten yards away, looking at Duncan down the barrel of a rifle. Fuck. He glanced down at the cheetah to see she was still undisturbed, either sleeping or unconscious.

“I just want the cat. Cooperate and you won’t get hurt.”

Duncan scowled. At least his badge was shoved into his pocket and not visible. That little piece of information would probably get him shot on the spot.

“This your kill?” he asked casually. “I found her about a half a mile back. Wondered how a cheetah got in these mountains.”

The man chuckled lightly. “That doesn’t concern you. And yes, she’s my kill. I’d appreciate it if you backed off.”

Duncan kept his hands up and non-threatening as he took several steps back. An injured cheetah wasn’t worth his life, but the fact that this asshole was holding him at gunpoint in order to claim a hide pissed him off to no end.

The hunter moved forward, motioning for Duncan to keep back. “Toss your rifle into those bushes over there,” he directed. “And keep moving back.”

Duncan eased the strap off his shoulder, wrapped his hand around the butt of the stock and tossed the gun as gently as he could into the bush.

“Now down on your knees. Hands behind your back.”

Duncan gritted his teeth but complied.

A few moments later, Duncan felt a coil of rope burn around his wrists as the hunter tied his hands together.

“Just in case you get any ideas about going for your gun,” the man murmured.

Son of a bitch. What a mess this had turned out to be. And all because he felt sorry for a fucking cheetah. A cat that shouldn’t even be in his mountains.

Duncan tugged at the ropes around his wrists and watched as the hunter walked back to the cheetah. He paused and cautiously nosed the barrel of his rifle down to nudge the cat.

When he got no response, the hunter relaxed. After a quick look in Duncan’s direction and apparently deciding he was no threat, the hunter shouldered his rifle, bent to the cheetah and reached for the nape of her neck with his hand.

The cheetah exploded up, knocking the man back and on his ass. She gave him no time to react. She was on him before he could get his gun up. She latched onto his hand, and his screams filled the air.

Duncan watched in fascinated horror as she treated the man like her own personal chew toy. At one point, the man rolled away, curling himself into a protective ball. The cheetah hissed and stalked a circle around him, prepared to pounce again.

The man scrambled to his feet, evidently deciding he was going to die running. To Duncan’s surprise, the cheetah made no effort to pursue him. Instead, she turned her golden stare on Duncan.

Unease prickled up his spine. He was as vulnerable as a trussed up Thanksgiving turkey.

The cheetah circled behind him, and Duncan knew there was little point in trying to stagger up and run. In a foot race with the fastest land animal in the world? Yeah, he had a real shot at winning that one.

He tensed when he felt her teeth graze his hands. He waited, prepared for the pain, prepared to do anything to defend himself.

She began tugging and chewing. At the ropes. Not his hands. Un-fucking-believable. She was freeing him!

A few more tugs and the rope went slack. He pulled his hands to the front and rubbed at his wrists, unable to fathom that she hadn’t bitten him.

Carefully, he got to his feet and slowly turned to face her. She regarded him with complacency, as if she hadn’t just gone batshit on the hunter. As bizarre as it seemed, his ass had just been saved by a cheetah.

She slumped wearily to the ground, and he knew that the attack had cost her dearly. He felt an odd pang of guilt and sympathy for the creature.

He walked over to retrieve the jacket, and once again, he spread it beside her. She tried to lift her head, but her strength had fled.

The fear that had earlier taken hold of him vanished. For some strange reason, he knew this cat meant him no harm. She could have easily eaten him a dozen times over, and yet the only aggression she’d shown was toward the hunter.

He reached for her, pulling and turning her until he’d positioned her on the coat. Fatigue was taking its own hold over him, and if he didn’t get them both back to his truck, they were going to be spending the night out here.

He trudged over to get his rifle, and this time, he would keep it up and ready, despite making it more difficult to drag the cat.

Dusk was fast approaching by the time Duncan hauled the cheetah to his truck. The air had cooled around him as shadows fell, and the sweat that soaked his clothes covered him in a frigid cloak.

He dropped the sleeves to the jacket and dug for his cell phone. There was a weak signal but hopefully he could call Doc Robbins, the local vet, and have him come out with a cage and his truck.

He made the call and waited impatiently for an answer. He’d blown the entire day traipsing around the mountain and now had a cheetah he had no idea what to do with.

When the answering machine picked up, Duncan hung up in irritation. He wasn’t going to leave a message for Doc saying he had a damn cheetah he needed taking care of, nor was he going to hang around here until Doc called him back. Which only left taking the cheetah home with him.

He sighed and looked down at the cat, whose eyes were even more droopy. Pain glittered in the golden orbs, and that worried him. An injured animal tended to be unreasonable.

Usually he’d unload his rifle, case it, and put it in the back of his truck. But if he was going to ride home with the cheetah in the cab, he was damn well going to keep the gun handy.

With a look at the cheetah and an unspoken “stay” he walked around to the passenger side and pointed the end of the rifle to the floorboard, leaving the stock in the air. He then pushed the passenger seat forward so there would be maximum room in the extra cab.

Leaving the door open, he walked back around to the driver’s side where he’d left the cat on the ground. Her tail twitched, and she let out a low purr when she saw him. Sucking up his courage, he squatted down and gingerly extended his hand to her head.

She didn’t flinch or draw away from his hand. She didn’t move at all. He stroked her fur, and her eyes closed as the purring grew louder.

“Are you up for a ride home?” he murmured. “I need to get you into the truck. We need to get that arrow out of your leg. It has to hurt like hell.”

She bumped against his hand then licked his palm. When she struggled to try and get up, he automatically reached to help her.

He tensed, wondering if he’d just made a huge blunder. But she didn’t hiss or growl, nor did she try to make a meal of his arm.

He continued to talk to her, soothing, talking nonsense, hoping his tone would keep her calm as he urged her toward the truck door. Though nothing about this day should surprise him at this point, nevertheless, when she docilely crawled into the backseat of the truck, he shook his head and wondered if he’d somehow fallen into the twilight zone.

She settled onto the seat, her body stretched out, eyes closed, paws hanging over the edge. He quickly shut the door in case she changed her mind and decided she didn’t like strange, enclosed spaces.

He didn’t spare any speed getting home. On the way he called the dispatcher and gave her a description of the poacher and instructed her to put out an APB as well as call all the hospitals or clinics in the area. He really needed to be tracking down the fucker himself, but there was a little matter of a cheetah in his possession.

After he hung up with dispatch, he called Doc Robbins again. He got no answer and decided to make a quick run by the vet’s house just in case he was outside tending animals. Then he could leave the cheetah, and she’d get the care she needed.

He pulled into the driveway of the clinic that doubled as Doc’s residence. There was no sign of the beat up old Suburban, and Duncan sighed. Any other time, Duncan would be tripping over the older man. But now that he needed him, he couldn’t find hide nor hair of him.

“Guess you’re stuck with me,” Duncan muttered in the cheetah’s direction as he backed out of the driveway.

A few minutes later, he pulled up to a rustic cabin about two miles out of town. He turned the truck off and got out, quickly shutting the door behind him.

The warm interior of the cabin was a welcome change from the brisk evening air, and his clothing was still damp with sweat. A long, hot shower was a high priority. Just as soon as he got his cheetah squared away.

The back mudroom made the most sense. It wasn’t warm or inviting, but he could lock the cheetah in until Doc Robbins could come out.

Would she be hungry? And what did cheetahs eat? Red meat obviously. He rummaged in the fridge and found a thawed steak he’d planned to eat for dinner. He filled up a bowl with water and set the food and the dish in the mudroom.

Satisfied with his arrangements, he walked back out to the truck and cautiously peered in the window. She was just how he’d left her. He eased open the door, and she picked her head up, pain still evident in her eyes.

She made a low chirping noise that sounded strangely vulnerable. He soothed a hand over her head in an effort to comfort. She closed her eyes and let out a purr.

“Come on, girl. You’ll be more comfortable inside. And I have food. A nice, juicy steak.”

He pulled slightly at her nape, and she hobbled out of the truck, favoring her leg as she jumped down. Would she follow him? She hadn’t been resistant so far.

He started for the house and looked back to see her walking slowly, painfully behind him. He held the door open and felt a moment’s relief when she padded inside.

He led her to the mudroom, and when she went inside, he shut the door, locking it behind her. As he walked back to the kitchen where his phone was, he shook his head. What a day. Just when he’d thought he’d seen it all, something always managed to crack that theory.

He called Doc and the answering machine picked up, but this time Duncan left a short message for Doc to call him back as soon as possible. He tossed the phone aside then walked back out to his truck to unload his rifle and bring it in. As he walked back in, the phone was ringing and thinking it could be Doc Robbins, he hurried over to answer.

“He Duncan, I hear you had trouble today,” his close friend and fellow cop, Nick said.

“Yeah, I ran into some poachers,” Duncan replied as he headed toward the bedroom.

“Get a bead on them?”

“Yeah, I already gave Mandy a description of one of the assholes. I’ll follow up on the others when I come in tomorrow morning. They weren’t from around here, not that I’m surprised by that.”

“Figure out what they were hunting?”

Duncan paused. “Yeah, I did.”

“And?”

“I’ll talk to you about it tomorrow. I’m kind of beat. Long day.”

“Everything okay, man?”

“Yeah, just tired. I’m gonna hit the shower and head to bed. I’ll see you in the morning.”

After hanging up, he trudged to the bathroom, already salivating over the idea of a hot shower.

For several long minutes, he stood under the hot spray, letting it wash over him. He cracked a grin as he soaped his big body. A cheetah. He had a fucking cheetah in his mudroom. It didn’t get any more bizarre than that. He was going to take pictures because Nick would never believe him otherwise.

He took his time drying off and dressing. When he’d finished, he went into the living room to start a fire. His house was small, but it was his, and it was in his dream spot. He owned the acre of land the house sat on, and the view from his back deck was something you only found on postcards.

When the fire was crackling and a nice blaze had caught, he walked back to the kitchen, intent on fixing something to eat. The steak he’d planned was out, but he could make do with a sandwich.

Thoughts of the cheetah, and curiosity, niggled at him. Had she eaten? Was she in a lot of pain? Was she pacing the room, eager to be free?

Finally, he put the sandwich down and walked over to the door. A peek wouldn’t hurt.

He cracked the door and eased it open. A single light bulb hung from the ceiling, bathing the small space in a harsh glow. But when he looked across the floor, it wasn’t a cheetah that he saw.

All the air escaped his lungs in a gigantic what-the-fuck whoosh. He staggered against the door and had to grope for the doorknob to steady himself.

Lying on the floor curled into a protective ball, an arrow protruding from her thigh, was a naked woman.

CHAPTER 3

Duncan nearly shut the door, but the woman stirred, and the same golden eyes of the cheetah stared back at him. Fear flashed in her gaze, and she gathered her arms protectively around herself, feebly trying to shield her nudity. He could see her shiver, and blood trickled down her leg.

Her discomfort moved him to action, despite the argument he waged with his sanity.

“Holy mother of God,” he muttered as he knelt beside her.

She shrank away from him, and a sound of fright rushed past her lips.

“Shhh, I won’t hurt you,” he soothed. He reached for her, to touch her, to offer comfort in some way.

She tensed when his hand rested on her shoulder, but she didn’t flinch away. Wide, frightened eyes regarded him questioningly.

“I won’t hurt you,” he said again. “I’m here to help you.”

She relaxed the smallest fraction underneath his fingertips, and the fear in her expression turned to pain.

“Who are you?” he murmured. What are you?

Her mouth opened, and she licked her lips. A hoarse sound rose from her throat, and she frowned. Her hand gripped her neck and massaged. She seemed to have difficulty in speaking.

He felt sudden guilt for having placed her in the mudroom. It was cold and uncomfortable, but Christ, he’d thought she was a cheetah. She was a cheetah. Cheetahs had fur. This woman was naked. Very naked. And very beautiful.

“Don’t speak,” he said firmly when she opened her mouth again. “Let me get you into the living room where you can warm up.”

“The arrow,” she whispered. “It has to come out.”

Her low voice slid over him with a shock. He couldn’t place the accent.

He curled his arms underneath her body and carefully lifted her, trying hard not to jar her wound. A small moan leaked from her lips as he shifted her against his chest.

“I’m sorry.”

She didn’t respond. Just let her head sag against his shoulder.

He carried her into the living room and marveled at the fact that she probably weighed more as a cat than she did as a human – was she human? Could you call someone who had been a cheetah just an hour ago a human?

“You can stretch out on the couch in front of the fire. I’ll get you something to cover up with and take a look at that arrow.”

“Thank you.”

The two simple words sounded exceedingly heartfelt, and he could feel the ache behind them. With extreme care, he laid her on her side on the couch then reached for the afghan hanging over the back. Her skin was ice-cold to the touch. Again he felt a pang of guilt for having stuffed her in the mudroom.

He arranged the blanket over the upper part of her body and over her behind to give her enough modesty while keeping the material a good six inches from the arrow. She clutched the ends of the afghan and pulled it tighter to her chin.

Without thought, he ran his hand through her hair, pushing it from her face to behind her ear. She was beautiful. Stunningly so.

And she was a cheetah.

He yanked his hand away and rocked back on his heels. There would be time to have his meltdown later. Maybe after he’d gotten the arrow out of her leg. Jesus. How was he going to get it out without filleting her leg? He needed a doctor, but how on earth was he going to explain how she got the arrow? Not to mention if he took her to the hospital and they did blood work, wouldn’t it come back all funky because she wasn’t human?

He could just see the tabloid headlines.

“What are you?” he asked softly. “Where did you come from?”

The bronze colored flecks in her eyes sharpened and glowed as she gazed at him. He could see the cheetah in her, knew it was there no matter how crazy it sounded.

She searched his face as if trying to decide whether she could trust him. Evidently she decided she couldn’t because uncertainty flooded her eyes, and she looked down. Interesting. The cheetah trusted him. The woman did not.

“My name is Aliyah Carver,” she said.

Well, that was something he supposed.

He glanced down at the wound in her leg. The broadhead was completely embedded in her thigh, probably resting against bone. No way for him to push it through, not that he would. Retracting it would be damn near impossible.

“Pull it out,” she said calmly. “I will heal.”

“Goddamn, do you have any idea how much that’ll hurt?”

She nodded solemnly. “There is no other way. I can’t go to a hospital. It isn’t necessary. Once the arrow is removed, my wound will heal rapidly.”

She relayed it so matter-of-factly. Clearly she had no idea how much a broadhead would make her bleed. And the pain. Jesus. He wasn’t the only one having a serious issue with reality.

“I know you don’t understand, but you have to trust me. The wound will heal. The arrow must be removed quickly.”

“Like you trust me?” he asked pointedly.

She flushed. “I can’t afford to trust anyone.”

That was fair. If he were a cheetah, he guessed there wouldn’t be a whole lot of people he could trust with that little tidbit.

He rubbed a hand through his hair. “Do you want a drink at least?” Hell, he could use one.

“Alcohol will impede the healing. I need my senses about me. It will require my full concentration.”

He shook his head, a little sick at what he must do.

“Just do it,” she begged. “Don’t make me wait. The anticipation is the worst part.”

He nodded grimly. If she could be so stoic then he damn sure wasn’t going to be a pussy. He got to his feet and stared down at the arrow. When he glanced back to her, he saw she’d closed her eyes, strain etched into her forehead.

He would do this quickly. There was no need for her to suffer the agony of waiting. He reached down and grasped the arrow just below the fletching. He sucked in a deep breath. His nerves screamed like a girl.

Not wanting to delay any longer, he yanked with all his strength. Her cry ripped right through his gut as he stumbled backward, the arrow in his hand. Blood poured from the wound, spilling onto his hardwood floor.

He dropped the arrow and fell to his knees in front of her. He yanked the afghan down to press on the wound in an effort to staunch the flow of blood. Goddamn it, he’d known this was a bad idea. How the hell was he going to explain a woman bleeding to death in his living room?

A low sob reached his ears. He reached for her, dragging her into his arms. “God, I’m sorry.”

She buried her face in his neck and held on tightly as pain quivered through her body. Then as if remembering the blood, she rocketed from his arms and scrambled to a sitting position.

“I’m sorry. I’m getting blood everywhere. All over your floor.”

He saw the paleness of her face, the evidence of shock in her eyes. Very gently, he put his hands on her shoulders and pushed her back down.

He gingerly pulled the blanket back so he could assess the damage. Amazingly the blood had slowed to a small trickle. The flesh was open, raw and red. Angry. But the arrow should have caused a hell of a lot more injury. It was designed to inflict as much damage coming out as it did going in.

“Stay right here. I’ll get some towels and something for you to wear,” he said.

She looked down, as if just remembering her nudity. A bright blush worked across her smooth skin, and she reached self-consciously for the afghan that had fallen away and pulled it higher around her body.

It was a sight he wasn’t likely to forget. A beautiful, vulnerable woman with tawny hair and golden eyes curled on his couch with a blood-soaked blanket wrapped around her like a shield. Hell of an image.

Duncan left the living room in need of a stiff drink. Maybe two. He prided himself on being a highly logical, no bullshit law enforcement professional. He didn’t believe in hocus-pocus woo woo crap. But he knew two things. One, he’d locked a cheetah with an arrow in her haunch in his mudroom. Two, when he’d walked back in, a naked woman, also with an arrow in her thigh, had replaced the cheetah.

As much as he’d love to tell himself he was way overworked, in need of a break, and that he was highly delusional, he knew it wasn’t the case. He was as sane as the next person.

And if he wasn’t insane, then he had to face the fact that the world as he knew it didn’t exist.

He hurriedly collected a first aid kit, towels, and one of his T-shirts. When he returned, she was lying on the couch, eyes closed, her breath coming in shallow bursts.

“Aliyah,” he said softly.

Her eyes opened and once again, he was struck by the beauty of her gaze, how mesmerizing those golden eyes were.

He knelt in front of the couch and gently pulled the blanket away from her wound. Already it was smaller, but it still looked angry. Blood oozed at a much slower rate, but she was still losing too much.

He set to work bandaging the wound and did his best to ignore the curves of her body, tempting though they were. When he’d finished, he handed her the T-shirt. “Do you need help getting it on?” he asked.

She shook her head and pushed herself to sitting position. He stood and discreetly turned his back, though he’d already gotten a view of her breasts.

Was he honest to god lusting over a cat? No, she wasn’t just a cat. She was a woman. A breathtakingly gorgeous woman.

Who happened to also be a cat.

“I’m finished.”

Her husky voice tingled over his ears, and he slowly turned back around. She sat on the couch, leaning away from her injured leg. Her hair was tousled, just the right amount of “messed up” to look incredibly sexy. Her eyes held an almost drugged look, a mixture of incredible fatigue and shock, he was sure. Wearing his T-shirt as she was, she looked just like a woman might after an afternoon of making love.

“Aliyah …we need to talk.”

Worry flashed in her eyes. He didn’t want her to be afraid of him, but he wasn’t sure how to offer her reassurance that he had no intention of hurting her, or betraying her secret. It wasn’t like he could go announcing to the world that he harbored a cheetah-woman. No one would believe him, and he could kiss his job as sheriff good-bye.

Her lips parted then closed again in agitation. “You deserve answers. I know.”

He nodded.

She closed her eyes and pushed her hand through her long hair. “Ask then. I’ll try to answer what I can.”

He stuffed his hands in his jeans pocket and squared his shoulders. “Let’s start with you telling me who you are – what you are.”

CHAPTER 4

Aliyah felt at a distinct disadvantage, and she didn’t like it. The man standing in front of her was intimidating. His gentleness didn’t fool her a bit. He was what her people would call a warrior. A protector. If he were one of her people, only the fiercest of animals could be chosen by the spirit guide to accompany him on his life journey.

“You haven’t told me your name,” she said in an attempt to buy some time. She didn’t feel comfortable revealing too much of herself to this man. Hers was a life of secrecy. She was very careful of whom she trusted. He hadn’t tried to harm her, but she couldn’t be sure of his intentions.

He eased down on one knee in front of her. “My name is Duncan Kennedy. I’m the sheriff here. I only want to help you, Aliyah. But in order to do that, you have to tell me what the hell is going on.”

Law enforcement. She felt a shaft of fear invade her chest, and the cheetah inside her stirred. Her skin came alive, itchy, uncomfortable, and she fought the urge to change. She swallowed and tried to calm her nerves.

“What the hell just happened?” he demanded.

She looked at him in confusion.

“Your eyes. They changed. Just for a moment, but I’m not crazy.”

Automatically, she closed them and turned her head away. He reached out, curled his fingers around her chin and tugged until she faced him again.

“Open your eyes,” he said.

Reluctantly she obeyed. His thumb stroked over her jaw as he stared intently at her. The chill she’d long fought waned, and she was unsure of whether it was because of his touch or his gaze. She felt warmed by both. The rough pad of his thumb scraped across her skin, sending a shiver racing down her neck that contrasted the heat that bloomed under her flesh.

“It was the cheetah, wasn’t it? You were about to change.”

There was a bit of wonder in his voice, as if he were still coming to terms with what she was. Slowly, she nodded.

“When I feel frightened or threatened, the cheetah stirs within me. It’s a protective instinct.”

His brow furrowed. “What frightened you?”

“You’re a cop,” she said in a low voice. “You’ll want to take me in. Turn me over to some government agency for testing.”

He gave her a fierce frown. “That’s not true. The only way I’d take you in is if you’ve broken the law. So far, all I know is that you were being hunted by poachers. That makes you the victim, not a perpetrator. Is there something you want to tell me?”

His eyes were expectant, piercing, like he could peel back her skin and see inside. It made her uneasy.

“They took me,” she said simply. Her breath caught and hovered as she relived the terror of that day.

“Took you? How?”

She trembled, and his hand slid from her chin to her shoulder. Warm, comforting. Without thinking, she leaned further into his touch, wanting to be closer but afraid all at the same time.

“I won’t let anyone hurt you,” he said soothingly.

Sincerity reflected in his warm brown eyes. The hard lines of his face contrasted the softness in his gaze. He was a man accustomed to harshness, of doing what it took to get the job done. While he was doing his best to put her at ease, she could well imagine how quickly he could turn, how unforgiving he could be with a criminal.

His other hand rasped over his short hair in a gesture of frustration. He was losing patience with her. Again, she felt the tingle of awareness as the cheetah rose and sought to take over. She shrank away from his touch, hoping to better control the urge to shift. She had been the cheetah for so long that her human form felt alien.

Duncan swore and snatched his hands away from her. He placed them on the edge of the couch and stared directly at her.

“Aliyah, I won’t harm you. In your place I’d be scared, too. I wouldn’t trust anyone. You’ve been through hell. I want to help you. What can I do to make you believe that?”

The simple sincerity in his voice broke through the prickle of fear skirting down her spine. She took a deep breath and sagged. She hurt. She glanced down at her wound, frustrated to see that it was not yet completely healed. Staying in her cheetah form for so long had been physically demanding.

“It hurts,” she said. “I’m unused to it. I don’t normally take this long to heal. I’m not sure what to do to help it.”

“Is there nothing you can take that will help? Do pain relievers not affect you?” he asked in a concerned voice.

She shrugged. “I do not know. I’ve never had to use them. We heal naturally and at a much faster rate than normal humans.” She shivered again as another chill took over.

Duncan moved forward, his hands gently pushing her more upright. She glanced at him in confusion as he settled on the couch beside her. When he wrapped his arms around her, she panicked, not because she feared him, but because raw awareness gripped her as his warmth bled into her body.

“You’re cold,” he said.

He tucked the blanket carefully around her, making sure he didn’t jostle her leg.

She relaxed against his body and let her head fall back against his chest. Weariness pulled at her. Her body ached.

Remembering she was supposed to be providing him answers, she opened her mouth to speak again. She was momentarily sidetracked as his arms tightened around her chest and he rubbed his hands up and down her arms.

It felt good. So good. And she told him so.

His hands paused in their movement for a moment, and she could feel the slight catch in his breath. Could he feel it too? This pull between them?

“What were you going to say?” he murmured.

She searched her cloudy brain for what exactly she’d intended to tell him but was coming up blank.

“You said they took you. Who took you? And how?”

She shrank further into his arms, and he started sliding his hands up and down again in a soothing motion.

She searched her mind for what she could safely tell him without divulging too much.

“When I was younger, my parents moved us to Africa. As a child, I spent more time in my animal form than the other young of my kind. My parents feared I would be discovered. As I grew older, it became easier to control my shifts, and so we moved back to our home in Alaska.

“I had returned to Africa for a visit. It had been too long since I ran with the other cheetahs.”

She closed her eyes as she conjured the memories of racing across the savannah, the wind in her face, the dry, parched earth pounding underneath her paws. There, she’d been free. Truly free. And ironically enough, it was where her freedom had ended.

“I was netted and then sedated by the poachers. They shipped me back to the U. S., and I was quartered with other exotic animals. For weeks I was kept in a cage, and then, finally, they turned me out to hunt.”

A light shudder worked its way over her shoulders, and Duncan’s hands tensed against her skin.

“So that’s their set-up? They import animals to hunt here in the States?”

She nodded. “They charge exorbitant fees for trophy hunts. Instead of taking the hunter to Africa, they bring Africa to the hunter.”

Duncan stiffened in anger. She could feel the rage radiating from his body.

“Son of a bitch,” he swore. “God only knows how long they’ve been pulling this shit in my mountains. I fucking hate poachers.”

Then as if fearing he’d frightened her, he relaxed his grip and turned her chin so she could see him in her periphery.

“I’m sorry.”

She offered a faint smile. “They make me angry as well. What they do is not honorable.”

“They could have killed you,” he said hoarsely. “They tried to kill you.”

“You saved me.” She shifted in his arms so she could see him better. Then she reached up to touch his cheek with her hand. “Thank you.”

Their gazes connected and locked.

“I don’t understand what you are,” he said. “If I hadn’t seen it, I’d never believe it in a thousand years. And yet, you are a cheetah. How is that possible?”

She dropped her gaze then turned away once more, settling her back against his chest.

“I don’t know the answers to your questions. I only know what I am. How is not so important is it?”

He sighed in frustration, and she wilted just a little more. She was so tired, she physically ached. She needed rest. It would help in the healing.

“I need to sleep,” she said. “I’ve not slept a full night since I was taken by the hunters.” And for one night, she wanted to feel safe. Indulge in the soft comfort of a bed instead of a cold cage.

“You can have my bed,” he said as he eased from behind her.

She was too tired to argue, and she wanted that bed badly enough that she wouldn’t offer up any false protests about putting him out.

When she tried to get up herself, Duncan stopped her with a firm hand. Then he reached down and lifted her from the couch. She clung to his neck as he walked out of the living room and into a large bedroom.

He settled her down on his bed, and she sighed in sheer bliss when her head hit the pillow. She rolled to her side and pulled at the hem of the T-shirt. Not giving any thought to the fact he stood but a foot away, she lifted the T-shirt over her head and tossed it away.

The material irritated her skin. Having gone so long with no clothing, the slightest touch set her nerve endings afire. Her eyes were already closing when he tried to pull the covers over her body.

She put her hand down. “No. Don’t. I can’t bear it.”

“You’ll freeze,” he said.

“The material scrapes at my skin,” she murmured.

He was silent for a moment, and then she heard him walk away. A few seconds later, he returned, and she felt the soft brush of fur over her body.

She clutched at it, holding it close.

“It’s a bear skin,” he said a little uncomfortably.

“Papa,” she murmured as she snuggled deeper into the fur.

Duncan said something else, but she was sliding under.

CHAPTER 5

Duncan paced back and forth in front of the fireplace, his mind ablaze with the day’s drama. A cheetah. She was a fucking cheetah. As mind blowing events went, this one topped the list.

Apart from the fact that he had a beautiful, naked cheetah-woman camped out in his bed, he also had to deal with the fact that poachers were turning out animals to hunt in his mountains.

And to think he’d lamented the fact that nothing exciting ever happened in Elk Ridge.

His first priority… Hell, what was his first priority? He had an injured cheep …woman. What was he supposed to do with her? And he had poachers to catch and make damn sure their days of importing exotic animals were over.

He spun around, took two steps toward the bedroom then stopped and walked back to the fireplace again. The bedroom was out. She was in his bed. Naked. There was only so much temptation a red-blooded man could take, and a voluptuous golden-eyed goddess laid out like a Christmas present might well be construed a temptation.

He flexed his fingers, curling them until the skin stretched and whitened across his knuckles.

A sound from the bedroom had him yanking his head around.

He strode out of the living room and rounded the corner into his room. He caught the door frame with his hand as he came to a halt.

His breath stuck in his throat, swelled and rebounded into his chest.

The fur he had covered Aliyah with was bunched around her feet. She lay on her hip, but her upper body was twisted so that her back was pressed to the bed. Her left arm was thrown wide to the side, and her right hand was curled into a fist at her shoulder.

She was…quite beautiful, even in her state of distress. Apart from the inflamed-looking wound on her leg, her skin was unmarred by a single blemish. Slender legs led up to rounded hips, a tiny waist, and two spectacularly formed breasts.

Jesus, they were perfect. She was perfect.

Gently rounded nipples, a soft peach color, so soft looking that he caught himself swallowing as he imagined tasting them.

He closed his eyes. He couldn’t go there. He was turning to leave when she moaned again. As he looked back over at her, he could see a sheen of sweat glistening on her forehead. Her head twisted side to side, and then her eyes blinked open.

They glittered gold, and the pupils elongated and shrank to a vertical sliver. Her muscles twitched and jumped, and he realized she was fighting against her instinct to shift.

Unsure of whether he should stay or whether he should get the hell out of the bedroom and lock the door had him standing there not knowing whether to shit or go blind.

Her distress decided things for him.

He hurried to the bed and knelt over her. “Aliyah,” he whispered urgently. “Aliyah, wake up, honey.” He reached down to touch her damp face. Tenderly, he pushed a tendril of golden hair behind her ear, and she nuzzled her cheek into his palm.

Her eyelids fluttered, and he breathed in relief when he saw her eyes were back to normal.

“Duncan?”

“I’m here,” he said. Then he looked down and realized his hand still rested against her cheek. He started to pull it away, but she caught his fingers in his hand.

“No, don’t go,” she said. “Please.”

To his utter astonishment, she reached over and wrapped her arms around his waist then proceeded to snuggle into his body as tightly as she could go. Oh hell.

He relaxed on the bed to alleviate the awkwardness of the position, which sent her seeking further into his arms.

“It’s been so long,” she whispered.

“Since what?” he asked as he smoothed her hair with his hand.

“Since I felt another’s touch on my skin.” She rubbed her cheek over his chest and then impatiently shoved at his shirt, raising it up so she could press her face to his bare skin.

She ran her hands up his ribcage and over his chest as if she couldn’t get enough. Her warm lips glanced over the hollow, and he groaned as his cock, which had jumped to attention the moment she touched him, swelled painfully in his jeans.

“Aliyah. Aliyah,” he said louder when she ignored him. “Honey, you have to stop.” He tried to pry her away, but he didn’t want to hurt her. He grasped her wrists and pulled just as her lips met the column of his neck. “God.” It came out more as a groan than an actual word.

“Touch me.”

“Aliyah …we can’t…don’t do that…ah damn it.”

Her lips whispered close to his ear, and she nibbled delicately at the lobe.

“Touch me,” she whispered again. “Please.” She captured her hands in his and raised them to her breasts.

He might have resisted even that, though the weight of the soft mounds resting against his palms made his fingers itch to rub over her nipples, but when she reached down and slid her hand between his legs to cup the discernible bulge there, he was lost.

“Slow down, sweetheart,” he said. “I don’t want to hurt you. We have to take it easy. Your wound isn’t healed.”

He groaned even as he said it. Surely this qualified him for sainthood. He had his arms full of a curvaceous hellcat intent of rubbing herself over every inch of his body and he was saying shit like let’s slow down.

He might as well cut off his dick and throw it out the window.

With a delicious sounding purr, she arched her body and slid along his chest until her breasts bumped him right in the mouth. Unable to resist such a sweet offering, he nipped at the swell then lapped at the nipple with his tongue.

She threaded her fingers into the hair at his nape and pulled him closer until he sucked the tender bud into his mouth.

“Yes,” she whimpered.

No longer able to fool himself into thinking they’d be taking anything slow, he wrapped his arms around her and lowered her to the bed. He was tugging at his jeans while she yanked at his shirt. And then he had an awful thought.

Oh Jesus, let him have something. He shot off the bed and hurried into the bathroom to yank open the drawer. Hallelujah. One half-empty box of condoms. He hoped like hell the damn things didn’t expire because it had been awhile since he’d used them.

When he returned, Aliyah was spread out all over his bed, her mouth parted, hair splayed out on his pillow, and those delectable nipples were puckered and just waiting for his mouth.

Her gaze wandered down his body, and he felt himself harden further when her eyes glittered in appreciation. He wasn’t a vain son of a bitch, but when a beautiful woman looked at you and liked what they saw, it would definitely add two inches to your dick.

He tossed the condoms onto the nightstand and then crawled onto the bed beside her. The wound on her thigh was still red and angry, so he bent down and kissed the area just above it.

Her hand tangled in his hair and coaxed him away to the rest of her body. He was hard and impatient, and he was positively itching to get between her legs. But he figured the quickest way to fall out of grace with a woman who practically threw herself at you was to make it all end in three minutes flat.

As he lowered his body carefully to hers, she moaned in pleasure.

“You feel so good,” she murmured as her hands ran over his back.” Hard, strong. My people would call you a warrior.”

“I’m hard all right, sweetheart, and it has nothing to do with being a warrior.”

She giggled, and then he lost his breath when she reached between them and curled her hand around his cock.

“Honey, if you have any desire to make this last, if you want me to touch you as you so very prettily asked, you need to move your hand.”

With a sensual smile, she complied. “I do want you to touch me. Everywhere. With your hands. Your mouth. And then I want you to take me. Hard. Fast. I use to lie in the cage at night and dream of being human again. Of having a man’s hands on my skin. Touching me. Loving me. Of having him fill me again and again.”

Dear God, he wasn’t going to survive this.

“I guess I better be damn glad another man didn’t find you then,” he gritted out.

She pulled him down so that their mouths met. Hot, wet, and lusty, their tongues met, and he tasted her. Golden. Like she looked. Warm like sunshine.

“Not any other man.” She gasped between kisses. “Only a warrior. Like you.”

He wasn’t sure he really believed that any man wouldn’t have done in a pinch, but her words were a salve to his ego. No man liked to believe he could be substituted on a whim. Even if it were true.

Impatiently, she pulled his head down to her breasts. He smiled and lazily ran his tongue around one of the taut little buds. She shivered, and he glanced up at her face.

“You like that, sweetheart?”

She nodded.

He liked it too.

He toyed with the nipples, enjoying the velvety texture against his work-roughened skin. Soft, like her. The plump mound of her breast moved with each stroke.

No longer able to keep from tasting, he bent and sucked the nipple into his mouth. She arched into him with a gasp. He sucked and nibbled, alternating gentle sweeps of his tongue with a sharp nip of his teeth.

His little kitten enjoyed the pain.

When he released her breast, her nipple was red and erect, a direct contrast to the other that still lay untouched. It was a matter he’d quickly rectify.

As he captured the second nipple in his mouth, he slid his hand down her belly and into the soft curls between her legs. She opened to him immediately, and his fingers delved into her damp core.

“Duncan,” she murmured, and he felt a keen sense of satisfaction as his name spilled from her lips.

His fingers slid easily through her folds, gliding over her clit and to the opening below. One finger eased inside, and he damn near came as he imagined what it would feel like as it closed over his cock. Hot. Silky. Wet. The ultimate paradise.

She sucked at his finger, wrapping tightly around the tip. Sweat broke out over his body. God, she was small. He couldn’t wait to dive in.

But first he wanted to give her what she wanted.

Willing himself to maintain control, he eased down the bed and began at her feet. He rubbed the soles while he took each tiny toe into his mouth, sucking lightly in turn. She twitched every time he hit a sensitive spot but he held firm, forcing her to let him have his way.

When he’d finished with her feet, he kissed a line up the inside of each leg. He took special care around her injury and pressed his lips in a circular pattern around it.

He bypassed her pussy, which incited a protest from her. He just grinned and ran his tongue around the shallow indention of her navel.

“I’m saving the best for last,” he murmured.

He played with her breasts, nibbling and licking, and enjoying every sound of pleasure that she made. He loved the contrast between the tightness of her nipples and the lush softness of her breasts. Then he imagined sleeping with his head pillowed on them. Wasn’t that every guy’s fantasy?

He followed the curve of her shoulder to the column of her neck and to the tender skin below her ear. For a moment, he toyed with the lobe and grinned when he felt little chill bumps race across her skin.

When he finally made it back to her lips, she kissed him ravenously, her arms circling his neck and locking him into place. She fed from him; there was no other way to put it.

He returned her kisses, enjoying her passion and her excitement. He couldn’t remember ever making love to a woman who was so responsive, so eager for everything he could give her. It was damn addicting.

With reluctance, he pulled away from the sweetness of her lips and slowly moved down her body again. She trembled, and he smiled because he knew she knew what he would do next.

He lay there at her side, stroking the golden curls between her legs with gentle fingers. Light and teasing, he petted, gradually growing bolder, going deeper.

The plump flesh there enticed him, made him want to explore further. He wanted to taste her, feed from her. With two fingers, he parted the layers and sent a third finger seeking within.

Whisper soft, he touched, stroked, and touched again, enjoying how her clit grew erect and taut, how she shook every time he rubbed her just right.

With his free hand, he reached down and circled his cock with his fingers. As he continued to stroke her, he stroked himself, enjoying the pleasure and imagining how it would feel when her pussy was doing the stroking.

He glanced up at her to see her watching him through half-lidded, passion-glazed eyes.

“Do you see what you do to me?” he asked huskily.

She licked her lips, and he damn near came in his hand. He yanked his hand away, but his cock remained painfully erect, bobbing away from his body.

“I want to taste you,” she said.

He groaned. “Honey, there isn’t much I’d like better, but if you’re going to wrap that sweet mouth of yours around my dick, I want to be in a state where I can enjoy it. If you go anywhere near me with that tongue, I’ll be done for.”

She pouted, sticking that luscious bottom lip out. Damn if he didn’t want to go nibble on it again. But there were other parts of her body he wanted to feast on first.

Ignoring the ache between his legs and the fact that he was so damn hard he feared splitting his cock at the seams, he rotated over her hips so that his face was just inches above the wispy blond curls at the apex of her thighs.

“Spread those legs for me, beautiful. Careful, and don’t hurt your wound.”

Slowly she shifted, spreading her uninjured leg so that her glistening pink flesh was bared to his view. He lowered his head and pressed his tongue to her opening and licked upward in one motion, sliding over her clit, then pausing there.

She cried out and fisted her hands in his hair. He chuckled between her legs. “Let up on the hair, sweetheart. You’re going to yank me bald.”

She eased her grip, and he ran his tongue in little circles around the straining little nub of flesh. It had always amazed him how much of a woman’s passion was wrapped up in one tiny little bundle of nerves.

You could bring a woman to orgasm in thirty seconds flat with just the right amount of stimulation.

Or you could take it nice and slow, just like he planned to, and build and back off, build and back off until she was begging. There wasn’t much to be said about getting off in thirty seconds anyway.

He sucked gently at her clit until she whimpered and squirmed beneath him. Then he wandered down to the tight little opening and rimmed it with his tongue. He spread her wider with his fingers and slid his tongue inside, tasting her warm honey.

“Duncan! Oh please,” she gasped.

He smiled.

He eased one finger inside her pussy while his tongue lapped upward again. Like velvet, her pussy clung to his finger, cradled it as he worked deeper. Then he found the area he was seeking, slightly rougher and different in texture than the slick walls of her vagina.

He crooked his finger upward, and she cried out, her head coming up.

“Duncan!”

He sucked at her quivering button and worked his finger in a slow back and forth motion until she writhed beneath him. He knew she was close to coming when every single part of her pussy convulsed and tightened around his finger.

Only the knowledge that he wanted her to come with him, wanted her exploding around his cock, had him pulling away.

She whimpered her disappointment, but he grinned and worked his way back up her body with tender kisses.

When he got to her mouth, she fastened greedily on him then paused for a slight second as she tasted herself on his tongue. He deepened the kiss, the idea that they were sharing her essence between them sending spasms of desire coursing through his body.

“I want you.”

Those were beautiful words coming from deliciously swollen lips.

He glanced down their bodies and grimaced. There just wasn’t an easy way to do this. He sure as hell didn’t want her screaming in agony when he bumped her leg. He wanted her screaming for a completely different reason.

“What’s wrong?” she asked with a frown. “You don’t want me?”

He laughed. God, what else could he do? Not want her? He was going to fucking implode if he didn’t have her, and soon.

“I don’t know how we’re going to pull this off, sweetheart. That leg is going to hurt no matter how I go about it.”

She put a hand on his chest and pushed at him. With a frown, he let her move him away as she slowly worked her body until she was lying on her stomach.

With a deep breath, her fingers curled tightly around the sheets, she heaved her body upward until she was on her knees.

“Oh honey, no, don’t,” he said, not wanting to cause her any pain.

She turned to stare at him over her shoulder, her eyes glittering bright gold. “Take me.”

Those two words sent an edgy need crawling over his skin until it was tight and uncomfortable. She leaned forward, her ass stuck in the air, her legs parted so that her pussy was open to his gaze, his hands, his cock…

With the wound facing outward, and the need to spread her wide gone, it just might work. His cock was screaming at him to mount up, but he didn’t want to hurt her. So he eased behind her, grasping her hips in his hands. And then he remembered the condom.

“Give me just a second, honey.” He rolled off the bed and grabbed one of the condoms, ripping the package open with his teeth and fumbling with the wrapper. In another two seconds, he had the condom rolled on, and he repositioned himself behind her.

As he guided himself toward her opening, he briefly wondered if this would work. She was small. He wasn’t. While he worried he’d hurt her, he also looked forward to how she’d feel all wrapped around his cock like a vise.

His hands smoothed over her ass, kneading and fondling as he spread her wider. When the tip of his dick touched her wetness, he had to close his eyes and pray for control.

Inch by inch he moved forward. He clenched his teeth as he worked inside her. She moaned and convulsed around him. She tried to move back, wanting more of him, but he staved her off with his hands.

“I don’t want to hurt you, sweetheart,” he managed to rasp out.

Her head came up and she looked back at him, her bottom lip sucked between her teeth. “Fuck me, Duncan.”

Oh hell. Her words acted like a whip and spurred him to action. He surged forward, burying himself deep inside her. When he looked down, he saw he still had two inches to go. He’d get there. He just had to coax her into accepting more of him.

He pulled back and thrust again then looked down to make sure he wasn’t jarring her wound too badly. She didn’t seem to care, though. She moved back to meet his thrust and strained against him.

“I want you to take all of me,” he gritted out. “Can you do that, Aliyah? Can you take all of my cock?”

She shuddered at the erotic words and lowered her head so that his angle of penetration was better.

He withdrew and thrust again. This time harder. She took another inch.

He closed his eyes and held her there for a moment, simply enjoying the sensation of so much silky, wet flesh surrounding his dick. When she stirred impatiently underneath him, he began thrusting. At first lightly and then harder with each thrust.

With a soft cry, she opened more for him. He could feel her pussy gently give way and accept him, and the globes of her ass met his abdomen. God almighty, there wasn’t another feeling like this in the world.

His body took over. He began hammering forward, his mind wrapped in a cloud of euphoric pleasure. She tightened around him, her body shook, and he could hear her whimpers and the sweet little sighs escape her mouth.

He cursed the condom. He wanted to feel her skin on skin. He wanted to erupt inside her, wanted to see his seed trickle out of her pussy when he was done.

He felt her let go, heard her scream, and then felt a burst of wetness surround him as she orgasmed. It spurred his own. His balls tightened painfully. He swelled as his orgasm rose, raced up his cock. With one more hard lunge and a shout, he buried himself deep in her body and felt himself turn inside out.

He rested there on his knees, slumped against her ass as his cock jerked and spasmed with the last of his release. He hoped to hell he hadn’t reopened her wound or hurt her.

He glanced down and ran a gentle hand over the injury to make sure she wasn’t bleeding. Then he carefully eased out of her body.

Her legs trembling, she turned on her good side and collapsed onto the bed. He yanked the condom off and aimed it at a nearby trash can. Then he crawled up beside her and gathered her in his arms.

“That was…” She seemed to struggle over just the right words. He could understand her difficulty because damn if he could put words to what had just happened between them. “Duncan, that was so wonderful,” she whispered.

She nestled into him, her body limp and warm. She made contented little sounds against his neck, and he thought maybe he had truly died and gone to heaven. This…this was perfection.

“Rest now, honey,” he murmured against her ear.

He smoothed back her hair, stroking the strands with his fingers as she closed her eyes and melted against him. When he was certain she was asleep, he carefully reached behind him to turn off the lamp and then wrapped himself back around her.

This wasn’t exactly how he envisioned the night going, but he damn sure wasn’t going to complain. He still hadn’t figured out what the hell he was going to do with her, but he guessed there was plenty of time to figure that out tomorrow.

CHAPTER 6

Duncan awoke before dawn as was his usual habit, only this morning he wasn’t in any hurry to get out of bed. Aliyah lay in the crook of his arm, her arm thrown across his chest. Strands of her hair tickled his nose, and he reached up to brush them away.

She was the calmest he’d seen her since discovering her in the mudroom. Her breaths came deep and even, and there was no muscle twitching to signal an impending shift. Apparently sex and good sleep cured all things.

He lay there enjoying the feel of a woman in his arms. The darkness in the room began to fade as dawn crept through the window. He had to get up soon. There were reports to file, poachers to catch, and there was the matter of Aliyah.

There was still little he knew about her other than the fact she was only half human. She’d mentioned family and that she’d lived in Alaska. And that she’d been in Africa when she’d taken by the hunters.

He frowned when the thought occurred to him that she hadn’t asked to contact her family. If she had been a captive for six months, wouldn’t she want to be reunited with her family? Wouldn’t she not want to worry them any longer?

The idea that she’d been so reticent bothered him. Not that she owed him anything, but he wanted her to trust him.

His mood turned thoughtful, and he inched his way out of bed and headed for the shower. As the warm water sluiced over his body, he wracked his brain for a solution to the predicament he and Aliyah faced.

Aliyah would have to stay here, and that made him nervous. His work would take a few hours at the least, and leaving her alone that long didn’t sit well. But he couldn’t take her with him. He could just see it. Something would set her off, she’d freak out and poof. Cheetah unleashed in the sheriff’s department.

He finished scrubbing and stepped out, grabbed a towel, and walked naked into the bedroom, scrubbing at his hair. When he pulled the towel away from his head, he glanced over to see Aliyah staring at him with sleepy eyes.

Neither spoke. He quickly wrapped the towel around his waist then crossed the room and sat down on the edge of the bed.

“I have to go into work,” he said, breaking the silence. “Will you be okay here…alone?”

She studied him for a moment, her head cocked, her golden eyes lighting over his skin. “You’re really asking if I’ll still be here when you get back.”

He stared at her for a moment then slowly nodded.

She stared back, inclining her head as well.

He reached for the sheet and pulled it down to bare her leg. The wound didn’t look as angry, but it was far from healed.

“There’s food in the fridge. Help yourself to whatever you need. The number to the station is by the phone. If anything happens or you need me, just call. I’ll try not to be too long.”

“Are you going after the poachers?” she asked.

He nodded grimly. “I’m going to try.”

“I could probably help,” she said in a low voice.

“No,” he said, then realized he’d barked at her. “No,” he said in a lower voice. “I won’t put you at risk. I need you to stay here and inside the house. Don’t go out for any reason.”

“Okay.”

He leaned down and ran his finger down her cheek. “Take care of yourself while I’m gone.”

He stood and went to dress. He could feel her gaze as he pulled on his clothing, and the warm hum of arousal heated his veins.

He turned to her one more time as he prepared to leave the bedroom. “I’ll start a fire and stack some wood on the hearth so all you’ll have to do is add logs throughout the day.”

She smiled, and he gave her one last stare before he walked out.

Aliyah watched him go then laid her head back on the pillow with a confused sigh. She was free after six months in captivity. She should be going home as fast as she could, and yet, here she was, making promises to stay that she couldn’t keep.

For the first time in several long months, she felt at peace. Calm. Her reprieve from the stress and edginess was hard fought but welcome.

During the night she’d twitched and spasmed as she’d fought the urge to shift. Several times he’d come awake, his hands gliding over her body as he murmured comforting words. She’d loved the way his voice slid over her skin, a much-needed balm. She wanted more. She needed this man, and it frightened her.

She threw back the covers and slid her legs over the side of the bed. She stood, testing the strength of her injured leg. Shaky and a little wobbly, but otherwise she could walk on it. It gave her a twinge as she made her way toward the door, but in another day or two, she should be well enough to travel.

And that was the excuse she fed herself for staying. She needed to regain her strength before she attempted to return to her family.

They probably thought she was dead, and that saddened her. In the six long months of her captivity, what had tortured her most wasn’t her fear or the terrible conditions she’d been forced to endure. It was the thought of her mother’s tears and her father’s grief.

She wasn’t sure they could endure it again after losing one child so long ago.

As she looked down at her naked body, it occurred to her that she had absolutely nothing to wear. With a frown, she went to Duncan’s closet and thumbed through the hangers until she found a flannel shirt. It would be warm and soft and hopefully wouldn’t irritate her skin. The more time she spent in human form, the more she’d adapt.

She pulled it on and gathered it close, inhaling Duncan’s scent as it surrounded her. Spicy, a little like wood. Warm and masculine. Strong. Like him. It made her feel safe.

She buttoned the shirt up but left her legs bare, not wanting to aggravate her wound. It felt a little odd to be walking bare assed through Duncan’s house, not because the immodesty bothered her, but because she was in a strange man’s house bare assed naked.

Then she laughed because it wasn’t as though she hadn’t stuck that bare ass in the air in a clear invitation for him to ride her hard. Her cheeks warmed, and she closed her eyes against the embarrassment tightening her skin.

He’d felt so good, though. So incredibly right. She’d never felt that way with a man. They could make her feel good. Any man with a modicum of know-how could make a woman get off, but Duncan …he knew how to love a woman. Knew just how to touch her, to kiss her. Sex with him had been… She shook her head. She couldn’t even come up with a descriptor that did it justice.

She padded into the living room and stopped at the small French doors leading to the wooden deck at the back of the cabin. A light frost had kissed the earth, and when she touched the glass, it felt cold.

Winter was coming. Her parents would be safely ensconced in their Alaska n cabin on one of the small islands off the coast of Kodiak. She closed her eyes and imagined herself there gazing out over the emerald green waters of the inlet where the cabin was nestled.

Eagles flew regularly overheard, and often her mother would join them. Kodiak bears roamed freely over the island. She’d watched her father amble through the forest then stand to his magnificent twelve foot height, his brown fur glistening in the sun.

They had made a great sacrifice in leaving their haven to take Aliyah to Africa. But after Kaya’s discovery and disappearance, they hadn’t wanted to risk the same happening to Aliyah.

Kaya. Even now, so many years later, sadness gripped Aliyah when she thought of her sister.

Kaya had also been a great cat. A North American mountain lion. The majestic cougar. Aliyah, though young when Kaya disappeared, could vividly remember staring into the beautiful amber eyes of her sister.

Chilled from standing so close to the door, she stepped away and moved toward the fireplace. She allowed the heat to warm her front before turning her back to the flames.

Her gaze flickered as it fell on the telephone sitting on the coffee table. She ached to call her mother, to let her know she was alive. She waged an inner war with herself over the need to talk to her parents and the desire to keep them and herself safe.

She continued to stare at the phone, her gut churning, her eyes burning. She closed them as her mother’s face shimmered in her mind. Soft, gentle, so warm. There was nothing like a mother’s hugs and Aliyah had gone so long without them.

She walked to the couch and sat down, staring at the phone. Should she do it? Call her parents and at least let them know she was alive and that she’d tell them more when she could? She didn’t even know where she was. Colorado. She knew that much. But it was a big state, and she had no idea how to tell her parents her location.

Duncan could tell them. Her breath caught in her chest as indecision held her in its grip.

Could she trust Duncan? Was he even now contacting the state or even the federal authorities? Who would you even call if you found a cheetah that happened to turn into a woman? If her secret was discovered, her people would be at a big risk. The government wouldn’t believe she was a freak occurrence. Surely where there was one there were others.

She covered her eyes with one hand and massaged her temples. She should go. Leave now before he returned. She glanced down at her leg and knew she’d never make it in either human or cheetah form, not that she’d put the cheetah at risk. She had no money, no clothes, no identification. She was at the mercy of Duncan’s hospitality until her parents could come for her.

When she took that into consideration, she didn’t have much choice but to wait for Duncan, bide her time, and heal. A good meal would be a great starting point. She was ravenous and looked forward to human food again instead of the raw scraps thrown to her by her captors.

Even as she rummaged around the small kitchen, she found herself watching the clock and hoping Duncan would return soon.

CHAPTER 7

Duncan sat in his office ready to bellow in frustration. It would figure that on a day where he needed to finish and get the hell out of the office, everyone and their mama decided they needed something.

He hung up the phone and shoved back from his desk, prepared to bolt when Mrs. Humphreys stuck her head in the door.

“Sheriff?”

He managed to keep from sighing. Barely.

“Mrs. Humphreys, come in. What can I do for you?”

She offered a smile and gripped her purse in front of her as she walked in and sat down in the chair in front of his desk.

“I wondered if you’d found anything about those hunters out behind my house.”

Duncan twisted his lips and mulled how to best proceed. Bureaucratic BS usually seemed to work. “I’m working on it. I have a few leads I’m following up on. As soon as I know anything I’ll let you know.”

She gifted him with another smile and reached up to smooth a few silvery strands of hair away that had escaped the bun. “Oh, well that’s good. I hate to think of those poor animals being shot at. I have to tell you, I was rooting for that cheetah, and I never heard shots so I’m hoping it escaped.”

Duncan lunged forward in his seat, his hands flat on the desk. “What cheetah, Mrs. Humphreys? You never said anything about a cheetah.”

A puzzled frown creased her face. “Oh, but I’m sure I did.”

Duncan shook his head. “No, ma’am. You said lion. Not a mountain lion, but a lion.”

“Well, there was a lion too. Before the cheetah. Oh dear, maybe I forgot to mention the cheetah.”

Fuck. Now he had someone else who had seen Aliyah. Could it get any worse?

“Tell me about the cheetah,” he said, directing her back to the matter at hand.

“Well, it was early, and I’m always up early. I went out back to feed Riley, and I saw two SUVs driving across the back boundary of my property. The stopped at the bottom of the first switchback and started unloading a bunch of stuff. So I went inside to get the binoculars.

“I saw that they carried rifles and bows. And then, one of them opened the back, and they lifted out a cage. I couldn’t really see what kind of animal it was until they turned it loose. Now I wouldn’t swear in court, mind you, but it certainly looked like a cheetah. I’d just watched a documentary the night before on Animal Planet.”

Duncan blew out his breath and dragged a hand through his hair. “Did you get a good enough look at the men to be able to give a detailed description? And would you know them again if you saw them?”

“Oh my, I just don’t know. Maybe?”

He smiled kindly at her. “It’s all right, Mrs. Humphreys. You’ve been very helpful. I think you should keep this information to yourself, though. We don’t want people to get the idea that a bunch of wild animals are roaming around our mountains.”

The last thing he needed was a bunch of hot to trot good old boys armed with high powered rifles mounting a search for dangerous animals. It would be more fun than the town of Elk Ridge had had since old man Hildebrandt swore he saw Bigfoot.

“Of course,” she said.

They were interrupted when Nick stuck his head in the door. “Duncan, I need a minute when you get time.”

Mrs. Humphreys rose from her seat and turned to smile at Nick. “That’s all right, young man. I was just going.”

Duncan rose. “Thanks for coming by, Mrs. Humphreys. I appreciate the information, and I want you to know, we’re doing all we can to make sure those poachers are found and arrested. In the meantime, if you see anything else, you call me immediately.”

She nodded and headed out the door as Nick walked in to plot in the chair she’d just vacated.

Duncan stared at Nick and tried not to let his impatience show.

“So what’s going on?” Nick asked.

Duncan blinked. “Going to give me an idea of what you want to know? Or do you want a detailed accounting of my entire morning?”

Nick’s brow arched. “Someone piss in your cereal? I’m talking about yesterday. You going looking for hunters, then calling dispatch and tell them to contact local hospitals to see if anyone showed up with injuries. Yet, you come out alone, don’t file a report other than you have suspicions of illegal hunting. It doesn’t take a rocket scientist to figure out something’s fishy as hell.”

Damn. He hadn’t even stopped to think about what asking dispatch to notify the local hospitals would imply. He took a deep breath and quelled his agitation. Nick was his friend and a damn good cop. He didn’t deserve Duncan’s impatience.

“I think one of them was injured,” he said slowly. “They were tracking a kill.”

“So you saw blood. What made you think it wasn’t the animal’s blood?”

“It was an idea,” Duncan said shortly. “I’m covering all the bases.”

Nick stared suspiciously at him. “You’re holding back on me, man. What’s that shit?”

Duncan nearly groaned. He and Nick went way back. Both had grown up here and felt a deep loyalty to the town and to the mountains. No, he hadn’t ever held out on Nick. There had never been a need. But he wasn’t ready to share Aliyah with anyone. And who the hell would believe him anyway?

Duncan grabbed for the phone in relief when it rang. After a few moments, he hung up and looked back up at Nick. At least now he could do something besides sit here while Nick stared him down like a bug under a microscope.

“Looks like their kill has been found. Locals out scouting found a dead lion about a mile up the mountain at the Turner Creek crossing.”

“A mountain lion?”

“No. A lion,” Duncan said evenly.

“You mean a fucking lion as in Lion King?”

Duncan nodded.

“Holy fuck. So maybe Mrs. Humphreys wasn’t off her rocker when she said she saw a cheetah.”

Alarm prickled up Duncan’s spine. “You heard that?”

“Yeah, came in on the tail end of the conversation. What the hell is going on, Duncan?”

Duncan sat back in his chair and put his hands behind his head. He trusted Nick. There was no doubt about that. No, he didn’t want to tell him about Aliyah, but that had more to do with the possessive need crawling through his veins. The need to keep her to himself, sheltered from the rest of the world.

But the rest, he could trust Nick with. “It would appear that our poachers are importing exotic animals into the states and turning them out to hunt here in Elk Ridge. Why don’t you head out with me, and I’ll catch you up to speed on what I know.”

Duncan got up, collected his jacket, and walked out of the office, Nick on his heels. They climbed into Duncan’s truck and headed for Turner Creek.

They rode in silence for a long time. Frustration edged up Duncan’s neck and gripped his jaw. The longer it took him to run down leads, the longer Aliyah was left alone in his house. He was in a hell of a fix. He couldn’t have her with him while he worked to try and track down the men who’d hunted her, but he felt uneasy about leaving her alone for such a long period of time, which left her without his protection.

“You okay?” Nick asked.

Duncan glanced over at his friend. “Yeah, I’m good. Just tired. Wagged my ass all over the damn mountain yesterday looking for those damn poachers.”

Nick’s expression darkened. “I want them out of our mountains, Duncan.”

Duncan nodded. “You and me both. Last thing we need is a bunch of outsiders shooting up the damn woods and losing animals like lions. The locals get wind of this and they’ll posse up and go after the poachers themselves.”

As they neared the Turner Creek crossing, they saw two trucks parked a quarter mile up the road. Duncan pulled in behind them and hopped out.

He and Nick walked over to where Heath Barnes and his son, Michael, stood with Sam Crenshaw. They looked up.

“Sheriff,” Heath said with a nod.

Duncan looked down at the dead lion. Large adult male. Gunshot wound behind the left shoulder. Rigor had set in and the body temperature was cool, no warmth when Duncan touched the stiff body. Probably shot late yesterday or possibly early this morning.

He looked up at the three men who gathered round the fallen lion. “You fellows see anyone around?”

They shook their heads.

“What’s going on, sheriff?” Sam asked. “What’s a lion doing around here?”

Duncan rose and rubbed a hand through his hair. “I wish I knew. Looks like we have a poaching ring.”

The men’s faces twisted in anger.

“It’s bad enough we have to put up with so many damn out of state hunters every fall,” Heath muttered. “Now they’re running illegal animals?”

Duncan sighed and pulled out his cell phone to check his signal. One bar. A call might go through. He dialed Doc’s number, hoping this time he’d actually get a hold of the man.

After the fourth ring, Doc’s gravelly voice bled through the line.

“What can I do for you, Duncan?” Doc asked. “Sorry I didn’t get back to you last night. It was damn near two a. m. before I got in. Had a difficult delivery out at the Bransons.”

“No problem. Look Doc, if you aren’t busy, I could use you.”

“Sure, what’s up?”

“I need you to do an autopsy…on a lion.”

“A mountain lion? Whatever for?”

“No, Doc, a lion. African lion. I’ve got a dead one at Turner Creek. I need you to preserve what evidence you find, recover any bullet fragments and give me a detailed report of your findings.”

“You bringing it in or do you want me to come get it?”

“I’ll have my deputies bring it to you,” Duncan said.

“I’ll be waiting. Oh, and Duncan, what was it you needed last night? You sounded distracted.”

Duncan paused. «Nothing. It wasn’t important.”

Doc grunted. “Whatever. I’ll be at the clinic.”

“Thanks, Doc.”

Duncan hung up and glanced over at Nick. “Can you handle things here?”

Nick nodded. “Where are you off to?”

“I need to go back to the office and run over some maps. If I can get a chopper out tomorrow morning we can do an aerial recon of the area. See if we get lucky.”

“Good idea. If nothing else, we can rule out a lot of ground to cover on foot. I’ll radio dispatch and have them send an off-duty deputy. I’ll catch a ride back to town with him when we take the lion out to Doc’s.”

“Thanks, Nick. I appreciate it.”

Nick eyed him curiously. “It’s my job.”

“Yeah, I know, but thanks anyway.”

“Duncan, are you sure everything’s okay? You’re taking this awfully hard.”

Concern and curiosity flickered in Nick’s eyes, and Duncan felt a surge of guilt. He wasn’t one to keep secrets. Aliyah, though? One secret well worth keeping. Especially if it kept her in his arms a little longer.

“I’m good, man. Keep me posted.”

Duncan started back to his truck. He tried to view the lion’s death as he would any other animal’s demise, but he kept imagining a golden-eyed cheetah lifeless on the ground.

It could have been Aliyah. It would have been Aliyah if he hadn’t found her when he had.

The idea of her running for her life, helpless against the hunters pursuing her, sent a cold chill down his spine. As long as he lived, he’d never forget the sight of a cold, shivering Aliyah lying naked on the floor of his mudroom, an arrow protruding from her thigh.

He wanted to get back to her. Make sure she was safe. Not hurting. But first he had to do what he could to ensure the hunters were no longer a threat to her.

He was eager as hell to see Aliyah again, and he knew it had little to do with police procedure, his investigation, or anything else. He wanted to touch her. Run his hands over her body.

His groin grew heavy, and an ache began as his cock stiffened.

He climbed into his truck and stared down in disgust at the bulge in his crotch. Then he shifted in an effort to alleviate the discomfort. All the way home, he thought about the coming snow. Ice. Frost. Cold showers. Anything that would make it less likely that he’d walk into his cabin with a hard-on from hell.

On the other hand, he could think of better ways to ease the ache than thinking of icebergs and penguins. Like diving into a warm pussy.

CHAPTER 8

It was late when Duncan turned into his drive. He pulled up to his house and sat there for a moment, his hands gripped tight around the steering wheel. Fatigue worked deep into his muscles, but at the same time, anticipation licked up his skin. He realized, as he walked toward the front door, that he wanted her to be here. He didn’t want to walk into an empty house just like he did every other day.

He inserted the key into the lock, turned then paused as he slid his hand down to grab the handle. Quietly, he eased the door open and stepped inside.

Relief lightened his chest.

Curled up on the couch in front of the fire was Aliyah. Lying on her side, her knees drawn up and one arm dangling over the side of the sofa, she was sound asleep.

It looked frighteningly domestic. Like a man returning home after a long day at work to find his woman waiting. Soft. Beautiful.

He walked forward, drawn to the alluring image she presented. As he moved closer, he frowned. Her skin rippled with tiny quivers. Her muscles twitched and jumped, and her brow was creased, her lips drawn into a tight line.

He knelt in front of the couch and laid his hand on her shoulder. She was wearing one of his flannel shirts. He slid his hand down her arm then over her hip and to the bare skin of her leg. His fingers tracked back up to the hem of the shirt, and he pushed until it revealed her wound.

It still looked painful, though he couldn’t imagine anyone else healing this rapidly. And she seemed to think it was taking much too long.

He pressed his lips an inch below the jagged seam of the closed wound and kissed. Beneath his mouth, she stirred. He glanced over to see her looking at him. A smile curved her full lips.

“Hey,” she murmured.

“Hey yourself.”

She put her hand down to push herself into a sitting position. He clasped her shoulder and helped her up.

“You doing okay?” he asked.

She rubbed her hands over her arms and expelled a shaky breath. “Yeah, I’m good.”

He touched her cheek, outlined her lips with his fingers. Her eyes simmered liquid gold as she nuzzled her face into his palm.

“I’m starving,” he said. “Come keep me company while I whip up something to eat?”

She smiled and nodded.

“You want something?” he asked as he helped her to her feet.

“If you’re offering to cook.” She grinned. “I snacked on some of the stuff in your fridge, but I’m a disaster in the kitchen. Opening a can is about the extent of my culinary expertise.”

She glanced down at her bare legs then back up at Duncan. “I don’t have anything to wear. Your shirt was all I could find. I hope you don’t mind me borrowing it.”

He reached out to finger the lapel and ran the tip inside over the strip of flesh bared by the V. “That shirt never looked that good on me.”

She smiled again and started for the kitchen.

“I should have thought about getting you some clothes,” he said as he followed behind her. “Everything will be closed now, but I can go out tomorrow morning first thing and pick you up a few things.”

She gingerly perched atop one of the barstools, her bare legs dangling down. “That’s sweet of you. I’d appreciate it.” She cocked her head to the side and studied him. “You look tired. Long day?”

Warm pleasure surged through his veins at her concern. He set a skillet on the counter top and reached over to touch her hand.

“We found a dead lion.”

Sorrow filled her eyes and then she looked down. He raised his hand to her cheek.

“I’m sorry.”

She looked back at him, her eyes shining with a sheen of tears. “He was taken from the same game preserve that I was. He was a beautiful animal.”

“Aliyah, I’ll find the people who did this to you, to the other animals. I promise. They won’t hurt you again.”

She nodded, sadness still etched into her features. He pulled away and began preparations for a quick dinner.

A few minutes later, he dished up omelets for both of them. She dug in with enthusiasm and sighed in pleasure as she put a bite into her mouth.

“Real food. I’m in heaven.”

He looked up from his own plate. “Yeah, I guess you haven’t exactly had decent food lately.” Then he remembered his own offering of the raw steak and grimaced.

She ate quickly and with great enjoyment. When she pushed back her plate with a yawn, he felt the prickle of fatigue skate up his neck as well.

“We should probably get to bed,” he said as he picked up their plates and headed for the sink. “I’ll, uhm, take the couch.” He didn’t want to assume anything even though they’d had sex the night before. Maybe she already regretted it.

He turned around to see her staring intently at him, those golden eyes glowing in the light.

“I don’t want to sleep alone,” she said softly.

His chest tightened. He didn’t want to sleep on the couch. He’d much prefer having her in his arms again.

She walked forward, stopping mere inches in front of him. Their bodies were so close they were nearly touching. Her warmth reached out, curling around him, soft and feminine like her.

She put her hand on his chest and gazed up at him, her eyes beseeching.

“What are you asking?” he said hoarsely.

“For you to hold me. And maybe…”

“Maybe what?”

He cupped his hand over hers, sliding his fingers over her wrist and to her fingertips.

“And maybe you could touch me,” she whispered.

“Do you know what you’re asking?”

She touched his cheek. “I know what I’m asking for, Duncan. The question is, can you give it to me?”

CHAPTER 9

Duncan stood in the doorway of his bedroom, arm resting against the frame. Aliyah was lying on the bed. Naked. The flannel shirt she’d worn a few minutes ago was carelessly strewn on the floor.

She stretched on her side and stared up at him, eyes glowing, a golden, iridescent glitter. There was clear invitation in her gaze, and he quickly unbuttoned his shirt then peeled his pants off. As the material gathered around his ankles, he hastily kicked off his boots then stepped out of the jeans.

He moved forward, drawn to the enticing figure she posed. As he put a knee on the bed and crawled forward, she rose up on her elbow. Her long hair fell forward, sliding over her shoulder.

She wasn’t shy at all. He liked that about her. She reached out and cupped his erection, boldly stroking over the length, up and then down again, her fingers curling around his sac.

He loved the way he filled her tiny hand, how she could barely get her fingers wrapped around the thick base of his dick. Each caress sent a sharp bolt of pleasure ricocheting up his spine.

Finally he pried her hand away and pulled it high over her head. He moved over her body, straddling her waist. Arousal flared deep in her eyes at his dominant position. Muscles he didn’t even know he had tightened and spasmed as he stared down at her submissive pose.

Hell, he didn’t even know he possessed caveman tendencies, but damn if she didn’t bring them screaming to the surface. He wanted her. Wanted to own her, possess her. Brand her until there was no question that she belonged to him.

Something dark and primitive flared to life within him. Edgy need crawled over his skin, burning and restless.

He glanced down, just behind where he straddled her body, checking her wound. Though better than the previous day, he knew he still had to take care with her.

A growl erupted from his throat as the uncivilized part of him demanded he just take her. Ride her hard. Then he remembered the night before. Taking her from behind alleviated the need to spread her so wide, to put more pressure on the wound by pushing her legs up and apart.

He made a grab for the condoms still sitting on the nightstand then rolled off her. Then he flipped her over on her stomach. He circled her small waist with his hands and pulled her down until her pelvis cupped the edge of the bed and her feet dangled just inches from the floor.

The tempting swell of her ass beckoned him. Sweat broke out on his forehead as he tried to control his raging need.

He feathered his fingertips down her spine, touching, lightly stroking. She shivered and moaned, and he felt the prickle of little chill bumps break out over her skin.

Her hands splayed out over the sheets on either side of her head. Her fingers curled, gripping the material so tightly her knuckles turned white.

A smile curving his lips, he lowered his head to run his tongue from the small of her back up her spine. When he reached the base of her neck, he stopped and nibbled at the soft skin, making the baby soft hairs at her nape stand on end.

A light groan filtered through the room, and he honestly couldn’t tell if it was her or him. Light and teasing, he ran his mouth over the contours of her neck, down the slight curve to her shoulder. Then he sank his teeth into the column, and she went rigid beneath him.

Her frantic movements stirred the primitive male lurking just under the surface. He let out a snarl and pinned her body against the mattress, holding her still as he continued his sensual exploration of her body.

His chest pressed into her back, and he gripped her wrists with his hands, holding them tightly against the bed.

His cock lay in the seam of her ass, and he rubbed up and down, reaching down into the wetness of her pussy. Her scent floated up, curling through his nostrils until they flared and his breaths came harder.

It was as though he turned into a beast himself. No woman had ever made him feel this way, so possessive, so raw. The need to take her overwhelmed him. Mine. Every instinct screamed that she was his.

He was thick and rigid between her legs. He easily found her entrance, his hands never leaving her wrists. Then he closed his eyes and groaned. Condom. Fuck.

Letting go of one of her hands, he grabbed the packet from the bed and ripped it open. He reached down between her legs and rolled it on. His body shook with impatience. He could hardly contain the overwhelming desire to bury himself deep.

Aliyah reached back with her free hand to touch him, to feel the coiled muscles in his chest. He let out another growl as he clamped down over her hand, pressing it back to the mattress and preventing her movement. With one surge of his hips, he was balls deep in her pussy.

She cried out at his sudden possession. Her body rippled and seized around him, delicious waves of pleasure rolling over her like thunder.

He lay against her for a long moment as she simply enjoyed the sensation of being filled by him. Then his body took over, demanding more, moving, thrusting frantically against her.

There was no finesse to his actions, just the urgent need of a male to dominate his woman. His woman. The thought echoed sharply through her mind. His. The sound of the slap of his hips against her ass rose sharply.

She pushed back against him, taking more of him, swallowing him into her body. She whispered his name and closed her eyes as he owned her.

Her body tensed around him, and a flood of moisture burst around his cock. She was close, so close. She wanted more. She wanted it all. Wanted to be completely and truly his. Then he stopped his movements, holding himself deep inside her pussy.

She whimpered her protest and squirmed against him, trying to get him to thrust again. His hands tightened around her wrists, a warning for her to be still. Power emanated from him as he pressed his lips to the center of her back.

It was an exquisitely sensual gesture, not soft. No, he marked her, pressed his mouth to her spine then licked her. His teeth grazed over the ridges and sank into her quivering flesh.

“Duncan, please!”

He chuckled lightly as he kissed a small pattern up her spine.

“I need to come,” she begged.

“So do I, sweetheart. So do I.”

He slowly dragged his cock over her clenching flesh until the head of his dick just rimmed her entrance. He held there until she writhed underneath him, arching her ass, trying to take him again.

“Greedy wench,” he murmured.

His fingers slid over the tops of her hands. She curled her hand around his just as he lunged forward. He rode her hard and unrelenting.

She gasped then yelled his name as he pounded deeper. His groin met the fleshy globes of her ass, flattening them with each thrust. Harder and harder, faster and faster.

“Aliyah!”

His cry sent her over the edge, and he tumbled after her. She screamed, he yelled, and he came completely apart as his orgasm splintered and broke like a perfect wave.

He lay over her, gasping for breath, struggling to process just how completely he’d lost control. Then he realized he hadher pinned to the bed, his much larger frame flattening her.

He let out a curse and eased off her, pulling out of her moist heat. She made a sound of protest, and he smoothed his hands over her back, cupping her buttocks in a gentle caress.

“Just lay there, honey. I’ll be right back to take care of you.”

She made a sound of contentment then, one that seared right through his chest and lodged in the vicinity of his heart. He tore the condom off and disposed of it before crawling back onto the bed.

Tenderly, he rolled her on her side then coaxed her into his arms, careful not to bump her wound.

“Am I alive?” she mumbled.

“Was I too rough?” he asked anxiously. God, now that the moment was over, he cringed at just how caveman he’d acted. He was just waiting for her to kick his ass out of bed.

“Oh no,” she said breathlessly. “You were absolutely perfect. So perfect that if you’ll give me a bit to recover, I want to do it all over again.”

Oh hell. His dick stood up and waved. He didn’t think he’d ever recovered that fast.

“How much time you need?”

She laughed, low and husky. “A couple minutes. Maybe one?”

He rolled until he was over her. “I like that answer.”

He stared down at her, the warm, happy glow in her eyes sending a roll of satisfaction through his body.

“Did I hurt you?” he asked.

She smiled and reached up to touch his face. “No. I won’t break, Duncan.”

“It’s a good damn thing,” he growled. “Because I plan to fuck your brains out.”

She giggled.

“What, not romantic enough for you?”

“Romance is highly overrated,” she said dryly. “I like raw. Hot. Unrestrained.”

His entire body tightened. How had he been so damn lucky to find a woman like her? Okay so he wasn’t going to dwell on how he’d found her. Definite mood killer.

When she tried to part her thighs, he clamped his legs around her, holding her in place.

“You just let me do all the work, honey. I don’t want you hurting yourself.”

She purred in contentment. “I could get used to this kind of treatment.” She stretched sensuously and arched her chest, pushing her breasts outward. It was more temptation than Duncan could withstand.

He lowered his mouth to one peak. The nipple melted in his mouth, conforming to the shape of his tongue. Sweet, so sweet. Delicious.

He sucked at her like a man starved. With each pull of her breast, she became more restless, twisting and whimpering with need.

His teeth grazed the point then nipped sharply, and she gripped his head with strong fingers, calling out his name.

He loved that she was so responsive. How could his caveman instincts not be riled when she made him feel like he was the only man in the world? Like no other man had ever fired her blood as he had.

Reluctantly, he released her nipple and kissed his way to her navel. Her supple skin gave way, molding to his lips, sliding like silk over his tongue.

“You taste so damn good,” he rasped. “I’ve never tasted sweeter.”

He settled between her legs, parting the golden curls at the apex of her groin. Trailing a finger between the plump folds, he enjoyed the slick wetness. Then he lowered his head and swept his tongue from her small opening upward to her straining clit.

They both groaned, and she jumped. He gripped her waist to hold her in place then licked her again. Her scent wafted through his nose, flowing deep, surrounding him and pulling him in.

He couldn’t get enough of her. He wanted more. He wanted everything.

He nuzzled deeper, devouring her, lapping hungrily at her essence. Her limbs shook around his face then clamped tight, holding him in place.

Lazily he tongued her, in no hurry to bring her to completion. He wanted her wild, frantic for him. As desperate for him as he was for her.

Gently he pried her legs apart, careful not to stress her injury. He raised his head to look at her. Her eyes glowed gold. Rich and vibrant. There was a peace about her that lulled him deeper, ensnared him like a fly in a spider’s web.

“Turn over, honey,” he urged as he rotated her onto her uninjured side. His fingers feathered over the wound then he lowered his head to kiss the raw spot.

“Right there,” he said in approval, preventing her from going all the way onto her stomach.

Her pussy was directly in line with his straining dick. Perfect. Again, he reached for a condom, but this time, he wasn’t as hurried. Calmly, he tore it from the wrapper and slowly rolled it over his engorged cock.

His fingers found her moist center and slid inside, testing her readiness. She was slick and hot, quivering around his fingers as he stretched her, pressed inward, gliding against her velvet heat.

She looked beautiful, curled on her side, her hair strewn against the pillow. Wild and exotic, her eyes glowing with need, her face flushed and pink. Her lips parted in a gasp as he carefully pulled his fingers from her pussy.

Soft and swollen, inviting his kiss. He ached to taste her mouth again, to explore those plump lips.

He reached down and grasped his cock, guiding it into the small opening. She convulsed around him, gripped him like a vise, sucked and grasped at his dick as he slid in with agonizing precision.

He breached her carefully, mindful of the different position and the angle of his entry. His palm covered the cheek of her ass, cupped it and caressed the soft, supple flesh. With his other hand, he touched her wound, stroking and soothing the hurt.

Deeper he stroked, his chest tightening as she made little sounds of approval. He shouldn’t have feared hurting her. She was more than accepting of his advances.

Her hand rose high in the air, reaching blindly back toward him. He lifted his hand and twined their fingers together, bringing them to rest against her hip.

Back and forth, absent the urgency of earlier, he thrust. Long, easy slides, enjoying the tingle each time his cock dragged across the clutching tissues of her pussy.

He loosened his hold on her hand long enough to raise his other hand. He switched her hand into his other then reached between her thighs, sliding up until his fingers found her clit.

A jolt skittered through her body, and she tightened around his cock. He let out a moan, knowing he wouldn’t last much longer. He fingered her taut nub, lightly at first, then harder, rotating in tight circles.

She moved restlessly, squirming and writhing against him. He squeezed her hand harder, holding on as he sank into her again and again.

“Harder,” she gasped. “Please, Duncan, I need…”

“I know, honey,” he said in a low voice. “I know what you need. Give it to me. Let go.”

He picked up the pace, driving into her with more force. He pinched her clit between his fingers just as he rammed as deep as he could go.

Her body went rigid. Her eyes flew open where a moment before she’d had them tightly closed. Then she screamed. The sound was an electric shock to his system. Blowing over him, igniting every single sensory receptor.

Tension coiled like a snake in his balls, twisting then rising, shooting up his cock, pausing an infinitesimal second before billowing out. He exploded inside her even as he cursed the condom. He wanted to mark her, to come all inside her.

He ground himself against her, his agonized cry matching her scream of pleasure. He started to fall forward but caught himself before he landed against her leg. Moving to the side, he slumped onto the bed, pulling her body into the curve of his.

They both heaved, their harsh breaths echoing through the room. He reached down to yank off the condom then turned back and threw it toward the trash can. Not even looking to see if he’d hit his mark, he turned back to Aliyah and wrapped his arm over her trembling form.

His lips nuzzled her shoulder, and he absorbed her sweet sound of satisfaction.

“I’d like to sleep this way,” she murmured. “You feel so good, Duncan.”

“You just try and move away from me,” he growled.

She laughed lightly and burrowed her ass further into his groin. A deep sigh escaped her, and he felt her go limp against him.

He was dead tired, but he was unable to resist the temptation to run his hand down her curves. He let his hand rest possessively on her hip and then moved it back up to cup her breast. He thumbed her nipple once then tightened his hold.

“Duncan?”

“Yes, honey?”

There was a slight hesitation. “Thank you. That was wonderful.”

He smiled. “You’re more than welcome, sweetheart.”

CHAPTER 10

Aliyah woke with a sense of loss. The bed felt cold. Empty. She reached a hand to rest in the slight indention left when Duncan had gotten up to go into work.

She shivered and pulled the covers higher but quickly discarded them again when the material scraped over her skin like needles. Her body crawled with the need to shift. The cheetah rolled within her, protesting its captivity.

She got out of bed and paced in an effort to work off the nervous tension. A shower. She’d take a hot shower and hopefully it would soothe the savagery welling within her.

The water scorched her skin when she stepped under the spray a few minutes later. Still, she stood underneath the heat and turned her face up as the water ran over her body.

Duncan. She missed him already as absurd as it sounded. She didn’t look forward to an entire day without him again. She wasn’t even sure she could maintain her human form until he returned. And when he did, she was going to have to go out and give the cheetah free rein.

She tensed and fought against the images of the cheetah. Control. She could do this. It was imperative that she regain dominance.

Her chest heaving with exertion, she stepped out of the shower and quickly toweled off, wincing as the material abraded her skin. She walked naked into the living room, unable to stand the thought of anything touching her skin.

Dull coals glowed in the fireplace, and the charred remains of wood lay at various angles. She hastened to add more logs to the fire and watched as the flames licked over the dry wood.

The warmth reached out and wrapped around her body, caressing, soothing.

The cordless phone lay on the coffee table, and she stared at it as she eased onto the couch. Her mouth went dry, and her pulse pounded a little harder. Mama.

She lay her head down on the couch, and a hot tear slipped down her cheek and soaked into the cushion. She missed her family. Missed being with people that she didn’t have to hide her true nature from.

Even as well as Duncan had taken the fact she was a cheetah, she still caught him staring at her when he thought she wasn’t looking. There was a mixture of awe and disbelief in his dark eyes.

She reached out with a shaking hand, slid the phone off the coffee table and drew it against her chest. Her thumb trembled over the on button and finally she pressed.

The dial tone sounded, loud in the silence. She stared for a long moment before punching the first number. The others followed in sequence. By the time she was finished, tears streaked silently down her cheeks.

She put the phone to her ear and listened as it rang. Four. Five. Six times. Her heart sank as it continued to ring. They weren’t home.

The lodge answering machine clicked on and gave the standard greeting in her mother’s cheerful voice.

Aliyah pulled the phone away from her ear and gently pushed the off button. Then she turned her face into the sofa as her tears soaked into the material.

Duncan folded the maps and stuffed them into his glove compartment before getting out of his truck. The helicopter landed fifty yards away, and a state wildlife officer hopped out and hurried in Duncan’s direction.

Duncan met him halfway and shook his hand.

“You ready?” Cal Stevens shouted over the noise.

Duncan nodded and followed him back to the helicopter. They climbed in, and Cal handed him a set of headphones. When Duncan slid them over his ears, Cal’s voice sounded.

“What are we looking at, Duncan?”

Duncan quickly explained his suspicions about the illegal poaching ring as well as his run-in with the hunters and the dead lion.

Cal’s frown deepened with every word. Cal had worked with the Colorado Division of Wildlife ever since Duncan had been old enough to hunt. He’d been a good friend of Duncan’s father and had often joined them during hunting season. The poaching ring would piss Cal off, and he’d be damn eager to break it up.

“Let’s see what we can find from the air,” Cal said. “If we can narrow the search area, we’ll have a much easier time of it when we go in on foot.”

Duncan nodded his agreement.

After several hours of sweeping the area surrounding Elk Ridge and the region where Duncan had first run across the hunters, they turned up nothing.

The pilot indicated that they were low on fuel and would have to head back in. Duncan stared down at the terrain in frustration. He’d hoped the air search would turn up something. Instead he’d wasted an entire afternoon with nothing to show for his efforts. He was no closer to finding the hunters now than he had been two days ago.

They landed, and Cal got out and walked with Duncan over to his truck.

“What’s your next move?” Cal asked. “What can I do to help?”

Duncan shook his head grimly. “I’m not sure yet. I’m going to have to get with Nick and my other deputies. Put our heads together and come up with a search plan. Those sons of bitches are out there.”

“You know you can count on me to help. I can get some of my guys together. I know you probably don’t want the feds crawling all over your mountains but whether you call them in to help apprehend your poachers or call them in after you’ve taken them down, one way or another, they’re going to be involved. Those sons of bitches have broken all sorts of federal laws with the shit they’re pulling.”

“Yeah, I know.” Duncan sighed. “I’d rather hold off as long as possible. If we can’t come up with anything by tomorrow, we’ll have to call them in. I don’t want to risk these assholes escaping, or worse, continuing to turn these animals out to hunt.”

Cal clapped a hand over his shoulder. “I’ve got to go. Pilot’s waiting on me. Call me if you need me.”

“Thanks, Cal. Will do.”

Duncan watched as the older man returned to the helicopter. As it lifted off, Duncan climbed into his truck to begin the drive back into town.

His mind was abuzz with what his next plan of action would be. It was getting dark, which prevented any further search today, but tomorrow he would resume. He could gather Nick, his deputies and call up Cal and some of his men and launch a ground search in the denser areas not able to be viewed from the air.

For now…he was going back to his cabin…and Aliyah.

First he stopped off at the small supply store on Main Street and chose sweats, a few shirts, and a pair of boots for her. The shopkeeper raised a brow but didn’t question Duncan’s purchases, a fact he was grateful for.

When the clothes were bagged and paid for, Duncan headed back out to his truck, ready to be home after another long day.

The eagerness in which he drove to his cabin was alien. It had been awhile since he’d felt such intensity toward a woman, and never quite this way.

Tonight, there was no hesitation when he walked into the door. He looked for her and found her pacing the kitchen, naked, agitation radiating from her.

“Aliyah,” he said softly.

She whirled around, her eyes flickering, the pupils fluttering and changing shape. She rubbed her hands up and down her bare arms in a clear sign of distress, and then with a small cry, she launched herself at him, wrapping her arms around his waist and burying her face in his chest.

He caught her against him and hugged her as he stroked his hand through her hair.

“Aliyah, honey, what’s wrong? Are you in pain?”

Unease prickled his neck. He pulled her away from him so he could look at her more closely.

She rubbed her hands up her arms again and shivered lightly. Tiny little goose bumps dotted her skin. “I need…I need to shift for awhile. I can’t control it for much longer.”

He was shaking his head before she ever finished. “No way. Aliyah, that’s crazy and you know it. There is no way we can risk it. There are poachers after you, not to mention you could be seen by a number of other people. Everyone around here is already uneasy because of the strange animals being spotted.”

She closed her eyes then reopened them and locked her gaze to his. “I know it’s insane but if I don’t get out soon, I won’t be able to control when and how I shift. I was hoping you’d know somewhere we could go where the chance of me being spotted was small if we went late, after dark, and I’d be careful. It’s just that I’ve spent so long in shifted form that the cheetah is dominant. I’m growing weaker, and I need the rejuvenation that being in my cheetah form will bring.”

“Aliyah –” He was still shaking his head. He couldn’t even get his protest out fast enough.

“I don’t need your permission, Duncan,” she said softly. “But I would like your support. And your protection. But if you refuse me both, I have no choice but to seek out a place on my own. It’s not smart. I know that. I could place myself in a lot of danger. I know that too. But I cannot prevent a shift for much longer.”

“Can’t you do it here?” he asked, sweeping his hand across the interior of the cabin.

“I need to run. I need to be free in a manner I haven’t been free in six months. I need to regain my strength. I grow more unstable by the minute.”

Fuck. He didn’t like this. Even while she made sense, he didn’t like it one bit.

“I’ll be careful.”

He blew out his breath in a long whoosh. “You’ll stay in the truck out of sight until we get out of town. I don’t want you anywhere near here when you do your cheetah thing. We’ll go south an hour or so.”

She wrapped her arms around him again as she nestled back into his embrace.

“Thank you,” she said as she squeezed.

He let his hands fall down her back, and he rubbed up and down before he placed one hand behind her neck, the other arm around her waist and held her close.

“First you’re going to get dressed. I picked up some clothes for you from town. Then we’re going to make this quick,” he grumbled. “This whole thing seriously freaks me out.”

CHAPTER 11

Duncan drove slowly down the bumpy winding ATV trail off one of the closed national forest roads. He’d picked the most obscure spot he could think of, but that didn’t guarantee they wouldn’t come across campers seeking a remote place to pitch their tents.

Every one of his instincts told him this was a bad idea. Not just a bad one, a stupid risk that Aliyah had no business taking. But he couldn’t let her go off alone without any form of protection.

He glanced over at her, and even in the darkness, he could see her tense with anticipation. She was edgy, almost wild, and he knew that she was hanging on by a thread.

“It’s not far now,” he said as they forded a small creek and rounded a sharp bend.

The road had narrowed considerably, and they wouldn’t get much farther with his truck, four wheel drive or not.

She didn’t reply but kept her gaze fixed ahead, as if waiting the opportunity to bolt from the truck. When he finally pulled to a halt, she gripped the door handle then finally looked over at him.

“Aliyah, how much of yourself do you retain when you… uhm…shift?”

She cocked her head in confusion. “I’m not sure I understand.”

“A wild animal has instincts. You’re free now.”

“Ohhh. You want to know if I’ll run and keep on running.”

He nodded slowly. “I guess I’m asking if you’ll be back.”

She stared at him, her gaze steady. “I’ll return, Duncan.”

“Okay.” He shrugged away his relief and opened his door. “Then let’s get this over with.”

They both got out and walked around to the front of the truck. To his surprise, she kicked off her boots then began to pull off her socks and then her pants, both of which he’d just purchased. She held them out to him even has her other hand began fumbling with the buttons on her shirt.

He took them from her, and in another minute she was standing naked in front of him, moonlight bathing her pale skin.

“I don’t want to ruin them,” she said with a grin. “Plus I’ll need something to wear when I shift back.”

“You’re going to freeze your ass off,” he grumbled.

He watched in a mixture of horror and fascination as a shudder rippled over her body. She fell to her knees then braced her hands on the ground as her back arched.

Tawny fur prickled across her skin. Black spots shimmered into view. Her fingers that dug into the dirt and rock became paws, and her legs buckled then bolted upward as she rose on all fours.

Her long golden hair raced upward to her scalp, disappearing and then falling lightly over her nape in a scruffy mane. When she turned her head to him, he found himself staring into the golden eyes of the cheetah.

She continued to regard him for a long moment, and then she simply loped away, disappearing into the surrounding forest.

Her paws pounded the earth, and her heart rejoiced in her freedom. She kept to the shadows, leaping behind rocks and keeping under the cover of the trees. She was whole.

Power pulsed through her veins. She was the guardian, charged with keeping her human safe. With each leap, each push forward, she could feel her strength returning. Just as transforming to human had rejuvenated the cheetah, shifting to cheetah was healing the human. Two halves that made up the whole. Each dependent on the other for survival.

The human part of her mind cautioned against going too far, warning her to return soon and shift back as soon as possible. The cheetah only wanted to run free, to exhaust herself and later succumb to a healing sleep.

Her lithe body stretched and coiled as she pushed herself harder. Her soul sang and rejoiced as she embraced the wind.

As she began to tire, her human mind regained more control, and she remembered that Duncan waited for her.

Reluctantly, she turned back, returning slower than she’d come. Fatigue rippled through her muscles, and she slowed to a walk. Her breath escaped in a light fog as she panted. Her energy was spent, but she felt lighter than she had in many months. Since she’d run along the African Savannah with her cheetah kin.

By the time she neared the truck, the change was already working its way over her body. She fell to the ground, shivering with cold and exhaustion as the human regained control.

Mustering her strength, she pushed herself to her feet and made her way unsteadily back to where Duncan waited. When she stumbled onto the road, Duncan looked up and started for her. She collapsed into his arms as he gathered her shivering body close.

“Dear God, Aliyah, you’re like a freaking icicle.”

She burrowed into his warmth, absorbing his heat and his scent. He scooped her up and carried her back to the truck where the clothes still laid on the hood.

“I should have kept the truck running so it would stay heated,” he murmured as he began dressing her. “I just didn’t want to draw any attention to our location.”

“Duncan, I’m fine,” she said around chattering teeth. “I’m just tired.”

She sagged against him when he finished buttoning her shirt. Again, he simply plucked her up and deposited her into the passenger seat.

He retrieved her socks and boots and put them on her feet as she lay against the still warm leather. He quickly shut her door and walked around to his side.

A brief burst of cold air blew in when he opened his door, but he got in quickly and started the engine. He flipped the heater on high and then reached over to touch her cheek.

“Are you all right?”

She nodded and closed her eyes, leaning further into his hand. She loved his touch. Found much comfort in his tender gestures.

“Come here,” he said and pulled her against him.

She curled her legs into the seat and snuggled into his side. He put his arm around her and pressed a kiss to the top of her head.

“Let’s go home.”

He turned the truck around and headed back down the narrow road as she lay against him.

Home.

She was suddenly filled with a fierce longing. Not for her own home and her parents who she hadn’t seen in so long. No, she was imagining what home would be like with Duncan. With this untamed warrior. Someone who knew what she was and accepted her. Who understood her and protected her. It was something she’d never dared hope for outside her own race.

She liked Duncan, and, she decided, she trusted him. Her time with him was limited, but she wanted to enjoy the attraction between them, wanted to share her body with him, and, she knew, a part of her soul. A part that would remain with him when she left. A part she wouldn’t want back, just as she would take a part of him to keep forever.

“Duncan?”

“Yes, honey.”

“In a few days…” She let her hand slide down his leg. “In a few days, I’ll have to go.”

He stiffened against her. “Why do you have to go?” he asked, surprising her with his bluntness. Was he asking her to stay?

But she couldn’t stay, even if he wanted her to. Her parents thought her dead, and they’d already lost one daughter. She risked discovery here with the poachers crawling over the mountains like vicious, hungry ants.

She couldn’t do that to her parents or to her people. Sadness clogged her throat. How telling was it that on the eve of her freedom that she was reluctant to take it?

With a sigh, she turned her face up to Duncan.

“I like you. And I think you like me. I’d like…I’d like to make the most of our remaining time together.”

His hand tightened on her arm then relaxed, and he stroked his fingers up and down the flannel of her shirt.

“I’d like that, too,” he finally said.

“I want you to make love to me again. All night long. I want to spend what time we have in your arms.”

“Then that’s where you’ll spend it,” he said simply.

CHAPTER 12

It was well past midnight when Duncan pulled up to his cabin. He glanced down at the sleeping Aliyah and gently shook her awake.

She opened her eyes and gave him that warm, sleepy look that made him want to take her straight to bed. She sat up then reached for her door, but he put a hand out to her arm.

“I’ll come around.”

He hurried out and walked around to her side to open the door. When he held out his arms, she climbed down into them and buried her face in his neck.

This was something he could get used to, he thought, as he walked toward the house, his arms full of a vibrant, beautiful woman. The fact that was she was a cheetah would take a little more getting used to. But she was leaving soon, and he couldn’t give her a single reason to stay. And why should he?

She didn’t fit into his world any more than he fit into hers. But he wanted to, and that was the rub.

He set her down on the couch then knelt down to pull off her shoes and socks. When he was done, he reached up and pulled a blanket over her. She’d made no secret of what she wanted, and he wasn’t going to dance around the issue.

“How do you feel about making love in front of the fire?” he asked.

She smiled and stretched sensuously. “Build it, but I doubt we’ll need the warmth.”

He kissed her, long and hot, until they were both breathing hard. Then he placed his finger over her lips. “Hold that thought. I’ll be right back.”

Aliyah watched as he went to the fireplace and stacked logs over kindling. Soon flames flickered over the dry wood, and the snap and pop echoed across the quiet cabin.

When he would have turned and come back to her, she stopped him. “Undress for me,” she said. “Right there. I want to watch.”

Something dark and arousing flickered in his eyes. He shrugged off his jacket and tossed it toward a nearby chair. Next he kicked off his boots and peeled away his socks. He stood there, staring at her, his gaze never wavering as he reached for the button of his fly.

He undid his pants, leaving them open as he worked the buttons free on his shirt. His broad chest came into view, and the muscles in his arms coiled and rippled as he slowly let his shirt fall to the floor.

He was beautiful. All male. Powerful.

Her breath caught in her throat when he began to pull his jeans downward, his underwear coming with them. He paused, giving her the barest glimpse of the dark hair at the top of his pelvis. Then he continued downward, and his cock, freed from constriction, bobbed upward.

Thick, hard. Her mouth watered with the need to taste him. She wanted to lick every inch, suck him deep into her throat, hear him moan with pleasure.

His jeans pooled at his feet, and he stepped out of them. He posed an impressive figure standing in front of the fireplace, naked, lean, power radiating from him in waves.

Her protector. She wanted to explore all her fantasies. Discover his and make them reality. She wanted to fit a lifetime into the few days they had, and she didn’t want to waste a minute.

She crooked her finger, and he gave her a cocky grin before he sauntered over to the couch, seemingly unabashed by his nudity. But with a body like his, he certainly had no reason to be ashamed.

He straddled her lap and eased down, careful to keep his full weight off her. Unable to resist a moment longer, she ran her hands over his chest, exploring each dip and curve, every outline of each muscle with her fingertips.

“I’m here, now what are you going to do with me?”

His seductive voice slid over her skin like suede. Her nipples beaded against her shirt, and her groin ached with need.

“What are your fantasies?” she asked huskily. “What are your deep, dark secrets?”

He laughed. “Now that’s a loaded question to ask a guy with a raging hard-on.”

Her hands slid lower, into the crisp hair surrounding his cock. She circled him with her fingers, testing his thickness, stroking the hard length with light caresses.

“I’ll be more specific,” she purred. “What are some things you’ve always wanted to try…but haven’t.”

He arched a brow, indecision flickering in his eyes. It was her turn to laugh.

“That juicy, huh? Come on, you won’t scare me away.”

She captured a single drop of moisture from the slit at the tip of his cock and slowly raised her finger to her lips. She sucked it into her mouth and watched his entire body tighten, his pupils dilate.

“I’d love those lips wrapped around my dick,” he said in a strained voice. “What guy wouldn’t love that?”

She gave him a patient stare. “I’m not interested in what every guy wants. I want to know what you like. What you’ve never tried but wanted to. If you could do anything you wanted to me, what would you do?”

“You really want to hear this?”

She continued to caress him intimately, cupping and massaging his balls, alternating it with firm strokes to his cock.

“I don’t want to just hear it,” she whispered. “I want to do it. All of it.”

“Christ.” He put his hand down to stop hers. “Let me catch up, baby. I’m so turned on right now that I’m not going to last for thirty more seconds, and if you’re offering yourself to me on a silver platter, I damn sure want to be capable of devouring you.”

She smiled but moved her hands up over his hips, behind to rest against his firm buttocks.

“I want to fuck your mouth. Hard, fast, down your throat. I want to come and for you to swallow every drop.”

“Mmmm, I’d like that too. What else?”

He shook his head. “Oh no, it’s your turn. I share, you share.”

She grinned. “Okay, that’s fair. I want you to fuck my ass. Hard, deep, relentless. I want you to own me. I want to feel you in every inch of my body.”

His eyes widened in shock. “Are you shitting me? Chicks don’t like anal sex.”

She shrugged. “Well, if you aren’t interested…”

He growled. “Honey, you bring that sweet little ass and I’ll fuck it. That’ll mark off fantasy number two on my list.”

“You’ve never?” she asked.

He let out a grunt. “I think most guys get off on the idea of trying it at least once. But if we value our balls, we don’t go around advertising that fact.”

She almost laughed at the hope in his voice.

“You like it?” he asked. “Really?”

She smoothed her hands up his back and gave him a lazy smile. “It’s exciting. Edgy. Forbidden. It’s downright naughty. I love that first thrust, the sudden pain, when my body tightens and bucks, like it doesn’t know how to react, and then the overwhelming pleasure that mixes with the bite. I like it hard while I touch myself. I can control my orgasm, taking as long as I want or as little time as I want. I like to come when the guy does, when he pours himself into me.”

His cock nudged her belly, and despite his earlier protest, she reached for it again, wanting her hands wrapped around that steel.

“Your turn,” she said sweetly.

“Fuck. How am I supposed to top that?” A disgusted look crossed his face. “Damn.”

She looked up at him. “What?”

“I uhm don’t have any lube, you know, for us to have anal sex.”

He looked so disappointed that she had to stifle her laughter.

“Have any good olive oil? Body lotion? Either will do.”

He gave her a look that was a cross between surprise and admiration. “You’re one kinky girl.”

“I prefer to think of myself as adventurous,” she said with a wink. “Now, what’s next on your list?”

He lowered his head and angled to kiss her. Lightly at first, just a touch. Then he curved his hand behind her neck and tilted her head up to meet his mouth. Deeper, his tongue swept across her lips, coaxing them open, then moving inside, over her tongue, tasting, exploring.

As he drew away, his eyes smoldered with desire, melting the brown into a pool of chocolate.

“Next on my list is getting you naked.”

“Funny, that was next on my list,” she said as he slid off her lap.

He pulled her up to stand in front of him, his hands going to her shirt to unbutton it. With each inch of flesh he bared on his way down, he pressed his lips to it until she was shivering.

When the last button was undone, he pushed the material over her shoulders and let it fall to the floor.

“You have such perfect breasts,” he murmured.

Instead of touching them like she thought, hoped he would, he merely bent down and licked one of the taut nipples. Her knees buckled, and she had to grasp his shoulders to keep her balance.

“Sweet. You taste so good.”

He ran his tongue over the valley between her breasts and over the swell of the next and finally to her other nipple. He sucked it between his teeth and tugged gently.

She murmured a protest when he pulled away and reached for the band of her sweats.

He didn’t hurry. Instead, he eased them down, inch by inch until she squirmed with impatience. Finally she kicked the pants away, and they stood naked before each other.

She pressed her body to his, delighting in the feel of skin on skin. His hardness against her much softer body. He ran his hands down her back and over the swell of her bottom. His fingers tightened as he cupped and squeezed, and she tingled all over as she imagined him sliding his big cock deep into her ass.

But first she was going to give him number one on his list.

She stepped away until the backs of her knees met the edge of the couch, and she sat, eye level with his very large, very erect penis.

She glanced up at him and uttered the invitation. “Fuck my mouth.”

Raw desire sparked in his eyes. He moved forward and cupped the back of her neck with one hand. With the other, he grasped his cock and guided it toward her mouth.

“Open,” he said in a guttural voice.

She licked her lips, brushing the tip as he thrust into her open mouth. He was tentative at first, sliding gently to the back of her throat and retreating, but she wanted more. She wanted his passion, the power she felt simmering just below the surface.

She pulled away and stared up at him. “Don’t hold back. I want all of you. I won’t break, Duncan. Fuck me.”

With a predatory growl, his grip on the back of her neck tightened, and he thrust forward, burying himself in her mouth. Her lips stretched to accommodate his width, and her tongue glided over the smooth hardness, tasting, absorbing the rugged maleness.

She inhaled deeply, surrounding herself with his scent, the smell of sex and power heightening every one of her senses.

His hand twisted in her hair, pulling her to meet his thrusts. She closed her eyes and surrendered to him completely. His moans filled the air, and she sucked greedily at him, wanting more, wanting to give him the same pleasure she was taking.

A light burst of fluid spilled onto her tongue as he pulled back. She swallowed even as he rode forward again.

“Deeper,” he growled. “I want you to take all of me. That’s it. Swallow me whole. God, baby, I’m going to come. Down your throat. Swallow it all.”

His movements became more urgent, and both hands grasped her head, tangled in her hair. He slid all the way in. Her nose pressed against the springy hair at his groin just as she felt the first jet of his release slide down her throat.

He strained against her, pumping harder as more hot liquid filled her mouth. She savored it, holding it for a moment before swallowing it as he’d demanded.

He continued with shorter, gentler thrusts as she licked and sucked every drop from his skin. His grip on her head eased, and finally, he pulled away from her.

She looked up to see him staring down at her, desire and deep satisfaction mirrored in his gaze.

“Do you have any idea how sexy you look with your lips all red and puffy, wet with my cum?”

She ran her tongue over her top lip in a slow, deliberate motion, and he groaned.

“That was fantastic,” he breathed. “You’re fantastic. I think I need to sit down.”

She grinned as he sank onto the couch beside her. He reached up and pulled her back against him, and she went willingly, cuddling against his chest.

His heart thudded against her ear, and his chest dipped with shallow breaths. She slid her hand down to his softening erection and touched and petted, enjoying the contrast to the iron hardness of just a few minutes ago.

“Not so impressive now is it?” he said with a grunt.

She laughed. “You men are so hung up on your appendages. It’s still quite impressive,” she consoled.

His chest shook with laughter. “Still want it up your ass?”

A light shiver raced over her skin as she stroked and caressed his balls. She glanced up at him. “Imagine how tight I’ll feel. Like you can’t even get inside me. For just that moment when my body resists your invasion and then when it gives way and you’re balls deep in my ass. So tell me, do you still want up my ass?”

Already she could feel him stir against her fingers.

“Oh, I’m going to fuck that sweet little ass,” he murmured. “I can’t wait to see you bent over, ass high in the air. I’m going to ride you long and hard just like you asked me to.”

She rotated over him and settled astride his lap as he had done to her earlier. “I suppose this is the point where we need to discuss sexual history, whether or not you have crotch rot and the fact that I’d rather not use a condom for anal sex.”

He cocked one eyebrow at her. “I hate to tell you this, honey, but determining whether or not I have crotch rot would have been a good idea before I fucked that pretty mouth of yours.”

His eyes twinkled devilishly, and she smacked him on the chest.

“I’ve always practiced safe sex, with the exception of one guy two years ago when we had anal sex. I trusted him. Maybe I shouldn’t have, but I’ve had check-ups. Now it’s your turn,” she said.

“Straightforward. I like that. You manage not to make this sort of conversation awkward,” he said with a grin. “If you must know my dark, dirty secrets, then I haven’t had sex in a little over a year. I used condoms. Before that I was in a committed relationship with a girl for two years. We did have unprotected sex, but I was faithful to her and vice versa.”

“What happened?” Aliyah asked.

He shrugged. “She wanted more than I could offer her. It was a civil break-up. She moved to Denver. Last I heard she was engaged to some lawyer.”

“You don’t sound too terribly torn up about that,” she said dryly.

He wrapped his arms around her waist and pulled her breasts down to his mouth. “We weren’t right for each other,” he said simply, just as he began nibbling on one of her nipples. “Now, not that I don’t love discussing past girlfriends,” he said sarcastically, “but I’d much rather discuss how fast you can take that ass into the bedroom so I can fuck it.”

CHAPTER 13

Aliyah scampered ahead of Duncan into the bedroom. He followed behind a few moments later with a bottle of extra virgin olive oil in one hand, and a bottle of baby oil in the other. She cracked up at the devilish glint in his eye.

“I’m not even going to ask why a manly man such as yourself has a bottle of baby oil.” She even managed to say it without snickering.

“Just think of how sweet your ass will smell,” he teased.

He tossed aside the olive oil then dropped the baby oil on the bed. She sashayed over to him and ran a finger down the midline of his chest, lower until she traced his semi-erect cock to the tip.

“The secret to getting a woman to offer you her ass? Make her so crazy with desire, get her so worked up that she’ll do anything to get off. The more turned on I get, the naughtier I get,” she said with a wink.

“In that case.” He wrapped his arms around her and fell onto the bed, his body over hers. He held her arms high above her head and set about tormenting her with that sinful mouth of his.

He licked her. Bit her. Sucked her. Kissed her.

He rolled the taut peaks of her breasts between his teeth and laved his tongue over the nipples. All the while he murmured to her in great detail precisely what he was going to do when he turned her over and mounted her. How he was going to force himself as deeply as he could go and ride her ass long and hard.

Her breaths were coming so short that she felt light-headed. God, she wanted to roll over and let him mount her now. She wanted it. Needed it. But he seemed perfectly content to torture her with words and deeds.

He blazed a sensual trail down her belly where he swirled his tongue around the shallow indention of her navel. He played there awhile as he edged her thighs further apart with one shoulder.

His fingers brushed through the light hairs between her legs, delving into the soft folds, spreading and exposing the tender bud above her pussy opening.

Warm and soft, his breath blew over the sensitive flesh. Goose bumps raced down her legs, over her body, urging her nipples to puckered little nubs.

He licked lightly. The rasp of his taste buds over the tender skin sent shivers of delight through her pussy. He tasted her like candy, sucking, lapping, like he couldn’t get enough of her sweetness.

When she was sure she couldn’t possibly take any more, he spread her legs in a sudden move and lunged up her body. His cock slid into her waiting pussy, taking the breath from her in a forceful lurch.

“Duncan!”

“Tell me what you want,” he demanded as he rose above her, buried deeply inside her body. He placed his hands on either side of her head and rolled his hips, rocking them forward and then back again.

“I want you to fuck my ass,” she gasped. “Please. I want it. Take me, Duncan. Make me yours.”

He ripped himself out of her and rolled her over. He gripped her hips and yanked her to her knees. She heard the squeezing sound as he squirted baby oil, and then his hand found the cleft of her ass.

He slid one well-oiled finger inside. No preliminary. She groaned in delight as her body spasmed and protested the invasion. God, it was nothing next to what she would feel when he got his cock inside her.

“Touch yourself, sweetheart,” he rasped. “Get yourself ready. I can’t hold out much longer.”

She laid her cheek on the bed, arching her ass higher, giving him better access. She braced herself with her right hand and slid her left hand between her body and the bed, reaching up to stroke her clit.

He slid another finger into her tight hole, and she stroked her clit harder, moaning with pleasure. His fingers left her, and then his hands gripped her hips as he came up on his knees behind her.

“I want it hard,” she said. “Don’t hold back, Duncan.”

He hesitated. “I don’t want to hurt you, honey.”

“The pain is part of the pleasure. I want it. You know you want to thrust into my ass. Don’t make me wait.”

She closed her eyes and gently worked her finger over her clit as her body tensed with anticipation. She felt the broad tip of his cock settle between her ass cheeks, and then he spread her impossibly wide. She caught her breath just as he rammed forward.

Her eyes flew open in shock, and her body tightened like a bowstring. She shook and spasmed and bucked against him, her first instinct to reject his advances. He growled and yanked her back to him, and oh God, she loved that sound. That possessive cry. Mine.

She moved her finger harder, seeking to make the burn subside and the pleasure seep into her body. He grunted above her and demanded that she take it all.

She closed her eyes once again and raised her ass submissively higher in the air. His hands splayed over her buttocks as he thrust again. Her body gave way, surrendered to him, as his balls slapped against her pussy.

“Dear God, you’re so tight. So fucking incredible.”

She was incapable of speech. She could feel every ridge, every vein, every inch of his massive cock as he worked it back and forth through the tight little muscle guarding the entrance to her ass.

She stretched to accommodate him and clamped down when he tried to retreat. His fingers dug into her hips, his hands tight around her body, demonstrating his claim, his brand. For tonight he owned her and she gloried in it.

Her release hovered, so close, so tempting, but she wasn’t ready. She slowed the stroke of her fingers and for a moment simply enjoyed the steady slap of his abdomen against her rounded cheeks.

He withdrew in one long, slow stroke. The head slid out with a light pop, and she moaned her protest. His thumbs stroked over her ass, spreading the cheeks as her opening slowly closed. Then she felt him position himself again. He waited a moment and then he rippled through her opening in one long shove.

She nearly orgasmed then. She fought for control as raw, edgy desire coursed through her veins.

“You’re not going to give it to me,” he said. “I’m going to take it.”

He reached under to push her hand away. He pulled it around her back and held it with one hand while he rode her relentlessly.

Her orgasm built. The fire raged, but she knew she wouldn’t succumb until he touched her. Until he did what he was preventing her from doing. She was in his power, helpless to receive only the pleasure he was willing to give her, and he gave her everything.

“Tell me you want to come,” he uttered in a harsh whisper. “Tell me to touch you, Aliyah. Tell me how to make you scream.”

“Oh God. Touch me, Duncan. My clit. Please. I need to come. But with you. Only with you.”

“Then get ready, sweetheart, because I’m going to come all over your ass.”

He slid his other hand beneath her, to her clit. When his finger ran lightly over the swollen bud, the first waves of her orgasm hit. Still, he took her higher.

Deep, he was so deep, forcing her to accommodate him, to take him all.

He applied more pressure to her clit, rotating, and she screamed as her body exploded. Mindless ecstasy rocked her. She lost all sense of time and place. She felt the first hot spurt of his release deep in her bowels, and she pushed back against him wanting more.

He pulled back. He guided her hand downward and once again told her to touch herself. Then he gripped her buttocks with his palms and spread as he pulled out. She felt him grip his cock and jerk, and then she felt the hot splatter against her opening. It slithered inside, some seeping inward while more ran down the cleft of her ass.

As she worked her finger over her clit, she felt the sharp edge of another orgasm blow up and explode in a matter of seconds as warm trails of his seed trickled down the insides of her thighs and the backs of her legs.

Then he slid into her once again, easier this time. Slower, gentler as he worked back and forth. He rocked against her as his cock softened, and he emptied the remnants of his cum inside her body.

She let her hand fall, her pussy too sensitive to take any further stimulation. She lay there, content to let him finish with gentle strokes until finally her body released him with a soft sigh.

He leaned over and pressed a kiss between her shoulders. “I’ll be right back,” he whispered.

A moment later, she felt a warm washcloth work gently over her skin.

“I’ve started a shower for us.”

She tried to turn over, but her muscles were jelly. Slack, sated, she couldn’t have moved if she wanted.

He reached down, gathered her in his arms, and picked her up to carry her into the bathroom. He set her down in the shower under the warm spray, and she leaned against him, too weak to stand on her own.

He wrapped his arms around her and held her tight. For the longest time they stood there, under the hot water, neither moving.

“The sex was mind-blowing,” he finally said. “But it was more. Goddamn it, it was more, and I can’t even grasp it. What happened, Aliyah? Because I damn sure can’t explain it. It should have just been hot, kinky sex, but I’ve never felt like that before.”

She didn’t have an answer for him, because she knew exactly what he was struggling with. Theirs was more than a physical connection, more than two bodies lusting, sweating, fucking.

She clung to him as he washed her and them himself. They stepped from the shower, and he wrapped a towel around her, still holding her close as if he couldn’t bear the separation.

When they were dry, she leaned weakly against him. “Anything else on your list?” she cracked.

He kissed the top of her head and threaded his fingers through her still-damp hair. “All I want is to take you back to bed and hold you. And later I want to make love to you. Again and again.”

She sighed because it was exactly what she wanted. To be held and cherished by this man.

He swung her into his arms and carried her back to the bed. He glanced down at the sheets with a grimace then set her down in a standing position.

With hurried movements, he stripped the top sheet and tossed it toward the corner. “Don’t move. I’ll be right back.”

His footsteps retreated, and in moment, he returned with another sheet that he hastily arranged on the bed. He yanked the down comforter from the pile on the floor and pulled it up in a semblance of an arranged bed.

She crawled under the covers and turned to face him as he got in beside her.

“Come here,” he said huskily as he opened his arms.

She snuggled in tight against him, letting his body heat envelop her. He pulled the covers over them and then wrapped his arms around her, molding her to his body, and she marveled that they fit so perfectly. Her softness to his hardness, her curves aligning with the muscular planes of his form.

Her head tucked beneath his chin, and she threaded her legs through his until there wasn’t an inch of space separating them.

This, she thought…this was perfect.

CHAPTER 14

A rifle shot shattered the morning stillness and jerked Duncan from a sound sleep. His eyes flew open as he registered the proximity of the fire. He automatically reached for Aliyah only to feel an empty space beside him.

His blood ran cold.

He scrambled off the bed and yanked on the first pair of shorts he came across. He ran for the front door and flung it open, stumbling into the brisk air.

Nick stood by his truck, rifle up and trained on a distant object. When Duncan followed the direction of the barrel and saw a cheetah huddled on the ground, he roared and charged for Nick.

He tackled him as Nick squeezed off another shot. The rifle went flying as the two men landed in a heap on the ground.

“What the fuck? Duncan, what the hell are you doing?” Nick shouted.

“Stand down,” Duncan barked even as he bolted up. He ran toward the spot where the cheetah had lain, praying that Nick had missed.

As he drew closer, he saw that Aliyah now lay naked on the ground, shivering, curled into a protective ball. Duncan fell to his knees, shouting her name. He ran his hands over her body searching for a wound, blood, anything.

When she opened her eyes and stared up at him, he sagged in relief. His hands shook so badly he couldn’t even do more than touch her.

Nick could have killed her.

Finally managing to compose himself, he gathered her naked body in his arms and strode back toward the cabin. He spared a glance at Nick who stood staring at the woman in Duncan’s arms in abject horror.

Ignoring him, Duncan went into the cabin and placed Aliyah on the couch. He wrapped a blanket around her then crushed her to his chest.

“I’m okay,” she murmured.

But still, he couldn’t let her go. He was reliving that horrible moment when he knew that Nick was going to shoot, and there wasn’t a damn thing he could do about it.

“Why were you out there?” he asked hoarsely. “Damn it, Aliyah, what you did was stupid. Are you just trying to get yourself killed?”

He pressed his lips to her hair and closed his eyes. She stirred against him and pulled away. She looked him directly in the eye.

“I went out to get a shirt out of the truck. I didn’t intend to shift.”

“What happened?” he asked gently. God, he couldn’t get his heartbeat under control. He’d never been so scared in his life.

“I heard the truck pull up, and I hid behind the door, but then he got out and he had a gun, and I got scared. I couldn’t control it,” she said softly. “The cheetah took over.”

“What the hell is going on?” Nick bit out.

Duncan looked up to see Nick standing in the doorway of the cabin, rifle in hand, a fierce expression on his face.

“Put the gun away, Nick. Now.”

“I’m not putting shit away until you just explain what the fuck happened out there.”

He stared at Aliyah with blatant disbelief and deep suspicion. His gaze shot back and forth between her and Duncan, including Duncan in the flickering distrust in his eyes.

Duncan sighed but turned so that he shielded Aliyah from Nick. She slid her hand up his back, and he could feel her tremble. It angered him that she was afraid in the one place she should feel safe. His house.

“Back off, Nick. You put the goddamn gun away and sit your ass down. Then we’ll talk.”

Nick stood for a long moment before finally relaxing slightly and lowering the rifle. He still kept his hand curled around the stock, but he sat down on the hearth, never taking his eyes off Aliyah.

“I shot at a cheetah. I did not fucking imagine it. There was no woman. I don’t shoot unarmed women.”

Nick shook his head adamantly as he spoke, his words terse.

Duncan looked back at Aliyah, his lips drawn in regret. “I have to tell him,” he said in a low voice. “He has to know so that he doesn’t tell anyone else. I trust him, Aliyah. I wouldn’t put you in danger. But if we don’t explain and this gets out, things will get bad for you here.”

She nodded slowly, but he hated the fear in her eyes. He put his hand out to cup her cheek. With his other hand, he smoothed the hair from her face in a tender gesture.

“I’ll protect you, honey. I won’t let anyone hurt you.”

“Tell him then,” she said.

Duncan turned and drew in a deep breath. It had been hard enough for him to accept the truth about Aliyah. It wouldn’t be any easier for Nick.

“First of all, Nick, what you saw today, what I’m about to tell you goes no further than this room.” He pinned him with a forceful stare. “I’m asking this as your friend.”

Confusion flickered in Nick’s eyes, and he leaned forward, concern creasing his forehead. “Okay, man. You know…you know you can count on me. Whatever it is, I’m with you.”

Duncan nodded and relaxed. Nick was solid. He was someone Duncan could count on when the stakes were high. They’d been through a lot together, and he was one of the few people Duncan trusted implicitly.

He looked back at Aliyah, moved over to the side so that she could see Nick, but he was careful to arrange the blanket around her to shield her nudity. He curled his hand around hers and squeezed reassuringly.

Taking a breath, he turned his attention back to Nick who had laid the rifle aside. “Nick, this is Aliyah Carver. She has the ability…to change into a cheetah.”

To Nick’s credit, he didn’t say a word, but then his expression said it all. He looked as though Duncan had just announced he was having a sex change.

“You saw it, Nick. You saw the cheetah. You shot at her. You saw the woman lying where the cheetah had been just moments before.”

Nick grayed as the realization struck him that he’d shot at a living, breathing woman.

“Jesus,” he breathed. He scrubbed his hand over his face. “Holy fuck. Duncan, you’re telling me… What the hell are you saying?”

Duncan didn’t answer. He just allowed it to sink in and watched as Nick battled against logic and what Duncan was telling him.

Nick shook his head. “No way. No fucking way. It’s crazy. People don’t just become animals.”

Aliyah let out a sound of impatience and moved against Duncan. He put out a hand to soothe her, but she shoved it away and struggled out of the blanket to stand in front of the couch. As the rest of the blanket fell away and she stood naked in front of both men, Duncan growled his protest and reached for the blanket.

Nick’s gaze was riveted to Aliyah, and while Duncan couldn’t blame him, he was ready to knock him on his ass. Shock and confusion blazed across Nick’s face as he stared open mouthed at Aliyah’s naked body.

As a shudder worked up her spine, Duncan realized what she was doing.

“Aliyah, don’t!”

She turned, her eyes already glittering with the change. Vertical slits of the cat’s eyes stared back at him. “It’s the only way,” she whispered. “We don’t have time to convince him.”

With that, she fell to the floor, and Nick started forward as if to help her. Duncan stopped him with the force of his glare.

“Stay the fuck away from her,” he said menacingly.

Duncan watched helplessly as Aliyah writhed and contorted. Nick’s eyes widened in horror, and his mouth fell open in a wordless exclamation as he watched the golden cat rise where a woman had lain.

The cheetah rose unsteadily at first, and then she gained her footing and padded slowly toward Nick.

“Do not make any threatening moves,” Duncan warned. “She won’t hurt you. She’s cognizant of her actions.”

“Fuck,” Nick whispered. “Fuck!”

The cheetah stopped in front of Nick and stared up at him. When she moved her head to rub against his leg, he flinched away and raised his hands in a protective measure.

The cat continued to rub her head against his leg, and slowly, Nick lowered his hand, lightly touching the tuft of hair on her head. She bobbed her head upward and licked his hand then turned and walked back to where Duncan sat on the edge of the couch.

She leaped onto the sofa next to him and rubbed against him affectionately. A purr rippled from her throat and vibrated against Duncan’s shoulder as she continued to nudge at him.

He stroked her fur, and she ducked under his hand and licked his cheek, and then she simply lay across his lap, her contented purrs filling the room.

“Un-fucking-believable.” Nick stared at Duncan in stupefaction. He edged forward, cautiously, his movements slow and calculated. “Can I…can I touch her?”

Duncan looked down as he continued to stroke behind the ears of the cheetah. When she continued to regard him with lazy, contented eyes and purrs rumbled from her throat, he nodded at Nick.

Nick put his hand on the cat’s shoulder and snatched his hand back when the cheetah turned her head to stare at him. She sniffed the air in Nick’s direction but made no effort to move.

Nick emitted a nervous laugh and put his hand back to touch her fur. He stroked hesitantly, but when she made no aggressive moves, he grew bolder, petting her neck and down her body.

Duncan’s lips grew tight. How fucked in the head was he that he didn’t want Nick touching the damn cat? Aliyah was his, whether in cheetah form or human, he didn’t give a damn. He didn’t want another man’s hands on her.

When he felt the shudder roll over her body, he glared up at Nick. “Back off.”

Nick scrambled back, and Duncan slid out from underneath the cat and turned protectively to shield her from Nick’s view as she began the transformation back to human.

Soon she lay on the couch, her eyes closed, her breaths coming in weary spurts. Duncan quickly covered her with a blanket and gathered her in his arms. Uncaring of Nick’s presence, he picked her up and turned so he could sit on the couch and hold her in his lap.

For several minutes, he held her, rocking slightly, his lips pressed to her hair as she regained control. He glanced up to see Nick staring at both of them in astonishment.

Nick’s mouth rounded to an O as understanding dawned. Duncan hesitated only a moment and gave a short nod. His acknowledgement that Nick’s observation was correct. Duncan was staking his claim.

“I’m sorry,” Nick croaked. “God, I’m sorry. I could have killed you.”

Aliyah stirred in his arms and fixed her gaze on Nick. “You didn’t know,” she said simply. “I got scared and freaked. I usually have better control. The last six months have been difficult for me.”

Duncan’s arms tightened around her. She riled every one of his protective instincts. He wanted to tuck her away where she was safe, where he could protect and cherish her.

His chest tightened uncomfortably, and a seed of panic grew when he thought of her leaving as soon as she was able.

Where would she go? Would she be safe? Who would protect her? Look after her? Keep her warm and clothed after her shifts?

He frowned again as he remembered once more that she’d made no attempt to call her family. It was a matter he intended to take up with her as soon as they were alone again.

“Why did you come out so early?” he asked Nick.

Nick looked momentarily surprised by the question, as though he’d forgotten entirely his reason for coming. Then his lips turned down into a frown, and a fierce light entered his eyes.

“I got a hit on the men you put out an APB on. They were spotted at a pharmacy in Hollis last night. One of them sported a rather interesting injury to his hand. The clerk said it looked like he got it caught in a meat grinder.”

“That’s him,” Duncan said. “He’s the one who pulled a rifle on me.”

Nick jerked his head up in surprise. “You didn’t say anything about that, Duncan.”

Duncan sighed. “I didn’t because at the time I had a cheetah in my truck with an arrow in her haunch. The hunter tried to collect the cheetah hide while I was trying to haul her out of the woods, and she attacked him.”

“I’m guessing you didn’t know she was human at this point,” Nick said dryly.

Duncan cleared his throat in discomfort. “No, that didn’t come until later.”

Aliyah still lay quietly in his arms. Too quietly. He glanced down to see a troubled look set deeply into her features.

“What’s wrong, honey?”

“It’s not safe for me here,” she said in a quiet voice.

No, it wasn’t, but the alternative was her leaving, and he didn’t want to think about that. He hated the fact that he couldn’t guarantee her safety.

“Hell, it’s not safe for you anywhere,” Nick muttered. “How could it be?”

Duncan quickly relayed how Aliyah had come to be in the Colorado mountains, but even he knew the details were sparse, lacking a whole lot of history, like how Aliyah came to be in the first place, and if there were others like her.

Nick shook his head in amazement. “What do you we do, Duncan? We can’t let those bastards keep getting away with what they’re doing. And fuck, if Aliyah is a cheetah, then what about all those other animals they’re hunting? Are they humans too?”

Aliyah shook her head somewhat sadly. “There are very few of us left.”

Duncan suddenly wished they were alone, because he wanted to know all there was to know about her, and he felt for the first time that she trusted him enough to confide in him.

He turned his attention reluctantly back to Nick. “I went up with Cal in the chopper yesterday. Didn’t see anything. We’re going to have to go in on foot.” He hesitated for a moment. “I need to keep this as quiet as possible because of Aliyah. If we can gather the men needed to take down the ring ourselves then that’s my preference. However, if we can’t find it ourselves or it becomes too risky, I won’t have a choice but to call in federal law enforcement.”

He glanced at Aliyah as he spoke. “I won’t let this compromise you,” he said softly. “You have my word.”

“I could help,” she said in a quiet voice.

“No,” Duncan said firmly. “Absolutely not.”

She gathered the blanket tighter around her and leaned away from him so she could look into his eyes. “The cheetah could help, Duncan. I couldn’t lead you back to where I was held, but she could. She knows their scent. I’m fast and I’m careful. I would only remain in cheetah form long enough to guide you to the hunters, and I could stay back, wherever you put me. I don’t have any more desire to put myself in danger than you are to put me there, but this is something I could do with minimal risk.”

“She’s right, Duncan,” Nick said thoughtfully. “If I headed up the team of our men with Cal’s, you and Aliyah could go ahead, lock onto the location and radio back. That way she stays out of sight.”

Aliyah touched her hand to Duncan’s face and stared up at him, her golden eyes seething with emotion. “I want to do this, Duncan. They stole from me. They stole my freedom. They stole those other animals from their rightful homes. Some of them are dead. If it can be done safely, I’d like to help you put them away.”

He captured her hand in his and turned his head so that his lips came into contact with her fingers.

“I want you here,” he said hoarsely. “Where I know you’ll be safe.”

She stroked her fingers lightly over his lips then cupped his cheek in her hand. She nestled her body closer to his, cuddling into his chest. “But I’ll be with you, Duncan. And that’s the place I feel the safest. With you. You know what I am. You won’t allow anyone to hurt me. I have faith in that.”

The stalwart belief in her voice shook him, humbled him.

“I won’t let the others get close to you, Duncan,” Nick said. “You’ll radio your location to me. I’ll radio that we’re coming in. That should give you plenty of time to make sure Aliyah is in a safe place.”

The plan made sense, and it could work. The thought of Aliyah in danger made him ill. As long as the hunters were out there, she wasn’t safe.

“All right. We’ll do it. I don’t like it, but we’ll do it.”

He glanced down at Aliyah and kissed her tenderly, not caring that Nick was sitting a few feet away. “You’ll do as I say. You won’t place yourself in danger nor will you take any unnecessary risks. If anything, and I mean anything happens to me or things go wrong, you’re to get your ass out of there.”

She wrapped her arms around his neck and kissed him fiercely. “Nothing will happen to you. I’ll make sure of it.”

CHAPTER 15

“Tell me about your people,” Duncan said as he returned to the couch after seeing Nick off.

He sat down next to her, and she automatically curled into his arms, not caring that she was still naked beneath the blanket. His arms came around her, strong, comforting, and she laid her cheek against his chest, feeling the strong beat of his heart.

“Why haven’t you contacted your parents? They must be so worried.”

She inhaled a deep breath and pulled slightly away so she could look at him, though his arms remained wrapped around her.

“I did try to call them while you were at work. I wasn’t sure I could trust you at first,” she said simply.

“And now?”

His brown eyes bore into her, a flicker of hope warming the dark orbs.

“I trust you.”

Satisfaction glinted though he showed no other outward reaction to her statement.

“Then tell me,” he said.

She did trust him. Unwavering determination reflected in his every action, his every word. She knew he’d protect her and wouldn’t betray her. And that had an unnerving affect on her. She wanted this man. She wanted him with a painful longing. One that had built and swelled within her since the moment he’d gathered her in his arms.

She licked her lips, knowing she would tell him all. Tell him things she’d never told another soul.

“My father is the great Kodiak bear. My mother, a majestic eagle. It’s why we lived in Alaska at first. They could move in relative obscurity because the island we inhabited had a healthy population of both.

“Then my sister was born, and the spirit guide gifted her with the cougar. And then I was born and was given the cheetah. As a child, I spent more time in animal form than other children of my race. I was playful and mischievous, and my parents feared that I would be discovered, even as remotely as we lived.

“And then…” A surge of pain threaded through her chest. It had been so many years, but the loss still felt fresh and vibrant in her mind.

“Then what,” Duncan asked gently.

“My sister was taken. We believe she was taken. She simply disappeared, and we never found her. My parents were distraught. It nearly destroyed them. And then there’s me, spending more time in cheetah form than human. The cheetah has always been strong within me, and I was too young to learn dominance.

“We spent a year searching, hoping, but then my parents had to face the fact that she was gone, and they were so afraid the same would happen to me. So we moved to Africa.

“One of our kind manages a game preserve. He’s a lion shifter. We went there so I would be safer, so I could be with more of my own kind. It was hard on my parents because now they were the ones forced to be so careful. They spent much time in human form, but our animal self has to be nurtured or the relationship suffers. There is trust between human and animal. A bond that cannot be broken.

“When I was old enough and mature enough to better control the divide between human and cheetah, we moved back to Alaska. My parents and I operate a lodge for travelers. It was during a visit back to Africa that I was captured by the hunters.

“Ironic, isn’t it?” She laughed but it cracked and came out feebly. “The one place I felt truly safe. Free. Was the place I was captured. I was stupid and careless.”

Duncan smoothed her hair from her face and pulled her back against his chest. “You have such an amazing life. Such an incredible story. I can’t even fathom that there are people out there just like me only they’re animals.”

He stopped for a moment, and she could feel another question brewing.

“How is it you’re all so different? I would have thought it was genetic, and yet your parents, you, your sister, you’re all completely different. An entirely different species.”

She smiled. He was logical, and she’d just shattered his understanding of the world he lived in.

“We aren’t born a certain animal. It is a gift bestowed to us. What our parents are has no bearing on what a child becomes. When a woman becomes pregnant, she is visited by the spirit guide. I suppose you could call him God. Is he your God? That I can’t answer. Maybe they’re one and the same.

“There is a scripture in the Bible, though, that I’ve always carried with me. Before I formed you in the womb I knew you. Because when a woman is pregnant, she is given a vision of what gift will be bestowed on her child. That scripture has always resonated with me. The spirit guide knew me before I was placed in my mother’s womb. He knew what gift I would carry with me. I find that comforting.”

“And when you have children? Will they carry those gifts as well? Are you required to marry within your race for it to be passed down to your children?”

“There are no rules, Duncan. We are few. Fewer now than ever. I don’t know why. Not every child is gifted with the ability to shift. Some parents who are both shifters give birth to fully human children while some of the very few who have partnered outside our people have borne children who were given the ability.”

“So it’s random?” Duncan frowned. “That doesn’t seem very logical.”

She shook her head. “I don’t believe it’s random. I don’t think anything is. I firmly believe there is a reason why some are gifted with the ability and others aren’t. Some things are beyond the scope of human understanding. Some things just are.”

“But where did you come from? You speak of people of your kind, and yet you’re scattered.”

She sighed. “We are an old race. We arrived in America before the first Native Americans. I suppose you could say we’re the original Native Americans. We were small and secretive. Instead of engaging when others encroached on our land, our territory, we would simply move on, seeking out other places where we could be free.”

“You speak as though you were there,” he murmured.

She smiled. “No. But stories have been passed down from generation to generation. Carefully safeguarded, meticulously retold. We fear putting anything in writing.

“It was that same fear that eventually caused us to disburse and go our separate ways, no longer living as a community. Many of us have lost touch. Our numbers aren’t known. Smaller groups of us keep touch and help each other when we can. We fear…” She swallowed against the knot growing in her throat. Duncan’s hand continued to soothe down her hair, over her shoulder and down her arm.

“What do you fear?” he asked.

“Extinction,” she whispered.

He kissed the top of her head, and she lay there for a long moment, resting her cheek against his chest. His heartbeat thudded comfortingly next to her ear. Strong. Steady. Like him.

Slowly, she pulled away and stared up at him, her heart in her throat. “I’d like to call my parents now if that’s okay with you.”

He nodded. “Of course, honey. You stay here. I’ll get you the phone.”

Butterflies winged their way through her stomach and into her chest. Tears stung her eyes. She wasn’t even sure she’d be able to form a coherent sentence. Let them be there this time.

When Duncan returned, he settled beside her and touched her gently on the cheek. “Tell me the number, and I’ll dial it for you.”

She related the number in a shaky voice then looked up at him fearfully as he handed her the phone. She waited anxiously as the phone rang, and her breath caught and held when her mother’s voice came over the line.

“Mama?” she whispered. “Mama, it’s Aliyah.”

There was a moment of stunned silence before her mother began babbling in her ear. They were both sobbing as Aliyah poured her story out, and then her father picked up, his gruff, deep voice shaken with emotion.

“Where are you, baby? We’ll come get you.”

Aliyah frowned. She didn’t even know where she was. Colorado. She knew that much. She couldn’t even tell her parents how to come get her. She looked to Duncan for help and then told her mother to hold on for a moment.

She held the phone out to him. “They need to know where I am so they can come get me. I-I don’t know how to tell them.”

Duncan’s hand closed over hers as he took the phone. “Don’t worry, honey, I’ll tell them what they need to know.”

Aliyah listened as Duncan politely introduced himself to her parents and then assured them that she was okay and that she was safe with him. There was a moment of uncomfortable silence when Duncan told them that he was well aware of what Aliyah was and that it didn’t make a damn bit of difference to him because no one was going to hurt her.

Finally, he gave them the information they needed before he handed the phone back to her.

“We’ll be there as soon as we can,” her mother said. “We’re leaving now. Your father is calling the pilot to get us to Kodiak, and from there we’ll book a flight into Denver. We’ll see you soon.”

“I love you, mama,” she whispered.

“Oh, I love you too, my baby. I’m so glad you’re alive.”

Aliyah hung up and closed her eyes. Tears slipped from underneath her eyelids and trickled down her cheeks. Warm lips sipped them from her skin and kissed a path up her face until he pressed his mouth to one closed eyelid and then the other.

She reached blindly for him, wrapping her arms around his neck. “Love me,” she whispered.

They only had another day. Tomorrow she would lead Duncan to the hunters, and her parents would arrive soon after.

He gathered her in his arms, letting the blanket fall away. He carried her into the bedroom and laid her gently on the bed. He followed her down, pressing his body to hers, kissing her, nibbling delicately at her neck and jawline.

“I need you so much.”

He swallowed her words into his mouth, and he ravished her lips. He pulled at his clothes, never leaving her but for the briefest of seconds as he tossed his shirt and pants across the room.

She was waiting with open arms when he returned, lowering his body to hers. Skin on skin. Warm. Soft against hard. Loving. So tender. So gentle it made her heart ache. For all their erotic romping of the night before, this was, in effect, their good-bye.

She ran her fingertips up his sides then over his back until they dug into his shoulders. Her head fell back as she bared her neck to his seeking lips.

They traced downward, over the column of her shoulder then down to her breasts. Warm, liquid desire, like a cup of hot chocolate on a cold winter night seeped into her veins, heating her body. Her breasts swelled and ached, the nipples tightening to rigid points.

He licked at one then the other, alternating the swipes of his tongue with sharp little nips of his teeth. She wiggled and squirmed, but he held her fast, her body laid out like a feast.

“I want inside you so bad,” he murmured. “Give me a minute to get the condom.”

“No,” she protested, wrapping her legs around his waist. His cock brushed against the damp flesh between her thighs, and she quivered. “Please. I want you now.”

His gaze focused on her. “Aliyah, honey, are you sure?”

“Please. Let me have all of you tonight.”

He slid into her wetness with a groan. She cried out at the fullness, in shock at the exquisite feel of his flesh against hers, no barrier between them.

He slid his hands underneath to cup her buttocks. He squeezed and spread her wider as he planted himself deeper and deeper still with each thrust.

“Open for me, sweetheart. Take all of me, just like before. Relax and let me have you just as you have me.”

His words sent a shockwave of desire soaring through her belly. She arched into him, opening, surrendering, letting him take everything she could give him.

“Give me more,” he growled.

And she felt herself open for him, accept all of him as he slid deep, touching the deepest part of her soul. Her body cradled his as he took her over and over, possessing her, owning her.

I love you.

At first she thought she’d said it aloud, but it welled up from the depths of her heart. Her mind screamed it, her heart accepted it.

“Take me,” she whispered. “I’ll always be yours.”

He shuddered above her and poured himself into her welcoming body. Her world fractured. Splintered as tiny fragments of pleasure burst around her. She felt his warmth fill her and found peace as she slowly fell back to earth.

She held him tightly against her, refusing to let go. Not wanting their time together to end.

CHAPTER 16

They gathered at dawn. Nick, Duncan, and Aliyah stood in the cold morning air, their breaths coming in puffs in the pale light.

“You go meet with your team, Nick. I’ll take Aliyah, and we’ll see if we can find their trail. When I have a location, I’ll holler. You’ll move in, and I’ll make sure Aliyah is safe before I join you.”

Nick nodded and started to climb into his truck. He paused with one leg inside and turned to Aliyah. He started to speak but shook his head.

“I don’t even know what to say. I guess good luck will have to do. I hope we meet again some day.”

She smiled. “Thank you, Nick. It was very nice meeting you. Even if you did scare the living daylights out of me.”

He winced and then got into his truck and drove away.

Duncan wrapped his arm around her shoulders, and she gazed up at him. “Are you ready?” she asked.

He stared at her for a long moment. “If I’m honest, no. I’m not ready. I don’t want you involved. I want you here where I know you’re safe.”

She reached up on tiptoe and kissed him. Then she crawled into the truck on his side and scooted over to let him in.

They drove back out to where Duncan had first found her. They parked as close as he could and they hiked the rest of the way. When he thought they were far enough to avoid being seen, he turned to Aliyah. And he nearly called the whole thing off.

He didn’t want this. Didn’t want her to do this. The whole thing had a very bad feel to it.

She put small hand on his arm. “Duncan, it’ll be all right. You’ll be with me.”

Him and his damn arsenal. He’d brought his rifle, two pistols, and a compound bow, just in case. He wasn’t taking any chances with her safety.

Without any hesitation, she peeled the layers of her clothing off and handed them to him so he could stuff them into his bag.

Her golden eyes, so beautiful, stared unblinking at him, and then they flickered as the change came over her. She seemed to embrace it with more ease this time, as if she had more control. She fell gracefully to the ground as her skin rippled and was replaced by tawny fur.

When she was fully cheetah, she rose and padded over to him to rub against his leg. Her throat rumbled with purrs as she nuzzled closer.

He knelt and dug his fingers into her fur, and she licked his face before rubbing her jowls against his cheek.

“Let’s go find our hunters, girl,” he murmured as he rose once more.

She picked up the trail quickly, but she seemed to be locked on the memory of where she had been rather than relying solely on scent. She was tense, wary, and on alert as she guided him further into the mountains.

Three hours later, she stopped and growled, her face lifting into the wind as she sniffed. Duncan put his hand on her, a command for her to get down. She readily complied, lowering her body until she was lying on her stomach.

He got out his binoculars and focused on the cabin in the distance. It was in a good location, sheltered on three sides by natural cover. He frowned when he got a glimpse of several empty cages on the porch. A moving truck with the back opened was parked close to the front door. A moment later, three men carrying a cage with what looked to be a tiger came out and hoisted the cat into the back of the truck.

Bingo.

He took out his radio and GPS and quietly relayed the coordinates to Nick. Nick radioed back that they were at most an hour away and would close in rapidly. They set up a rendezvous point and signed off.

Duncan put his hand on the cheetah, and she looked lazily up at him before shifting her head so she could lick his hand. He reached for his pack and pulled out her clothing, hoping she’d get the hint that it was time to shift back.

A few seconds later, she lay on the ground, naked and shivering. Duncan quickly helped her get dressed then urged her away. He had to find a place to shelter her. A place he could stash her so she’d be safe until he could return for her.

The hiked back about half a mile in silence until he found an area surrounded by thick brush with several boulders she could huddle behind. He pulled a blanket out of his pack and wrapped it around her as he settled her as comfortably as he could.

He squatted beside her and left the pack beside her then handed her his radio. “If you have any trouble, you call for me or Nick. Hopefully this will all be over soon, and I’ll be back for you.”

He leaned in and kissed her forcefully. She reached up to cup his face and kissed him back just as hard. His hands trailed down her body, touching her, reasserting his claim. Her lips trembled under his, and she pulled away.

“Be careful, Duncan. Please.”

“You bet.”

He stood and gave her another long look before finally turning away. With each step, he felt more dread creep over him. But he had a job to do. He had to keep Aliyah safe and make sure this sort of thing didn’t happen to her again. Those bastards would pay.

Aliyah tried to relax. She knew she was in for a long wait, and she was determined that she wouldn’t give Duncan any cause for concern. He had enough to do with taking down the poaching ring.

She dozed for awhile, though it was an uneasy sleep. As the sun rose higher overheard, warmth filtered through the trees and provided more heat. She checked the time on the GPS unit and saw that a few hours had elapsed.

She stretched, shifting her position then froze when a light sound carried to her on the wind. The cheetah within her stirred, her instincts riled. Aliyah sat unmoving, listening to the disturbance she felt more than heard.

There, again. A sound, a human sound moving through the brush. It wasn’t Duncan; he would have called to her.

Fear took hold, and the cheetah protested, immediately rising, wanting to protect. Aliyah forced her back and tried to control her panic. It could be nothing.

She edged around one of the boulders so she could get a view downhill.

A hunter.

She recognized him as the one she’d attacked. He was moving stealthily, looking back as if someone were pursuing him. Then she heard a voice, heard someone call out to him.

Shit.

There were two of them, and they were headed directly for her. No way they wouldn’t see her.

She reached for the radio and eased it up. She raised it to her mouth and whispered into the receiver.

“Duncan, Nick, it’s Aliyah. Don’t answer. There are two hunters. They’re close. I don’t want them to hear.”

Her heart pounded viciously against her breastbone, and her breathing ratcheted up. The cheetah within howled, wanting to break free, to flee. Aliyah tried to push down the urge to shift, but she knew she fought a losing battle. The cheetah rose up, forcing its will on the human, the need to protect all consuming.

The change crawled over her body with amazing speed. Adrenaline surged through her veins as her limbs reshaped and her back arched.

She shot from her hiding spot, knowing she’d have the element of surprise. Hopefully she would be away before the hunters could react.

A shout of surprise sounded behind her, and she knew she’d been spotted.

One rifle shot cracked the air, and then another. She leaped forward, pushing her body to its limits. Another shot echoed and pain exploded in her shoulder. She fell hard.

She struggled to get up, but she was losing blood fast. Still, she crawled forward, trying to reach the ravine she and Duncan had passed. She could slide down and into the river and let the current sweep her away.

As she reached the edge, she looked back to see the two hunters staring at her down the sites of their rifles. Despair washed through her. She didn’t want to die.

“That’s the cat that mangled my hand,” one of them bit out. “I want her hide. No, I want her stuffed and mounted.”

She only had one chance. The river. With the last bit of her strength, she vaulted to her feet. Pain lanced through her body, nearly causing her to collapse. She held on by sheer force of will. The will to live.

Another rifle shot exploded as she hurled herself over the edge of the ravine.

CHAPTER 17

Duncan handcuffed another suspect and unceremoniously stuffed him into the back of one of the SUVs. He was seething with impatience to get back to Aliyah.

He looked up to see Nick hurrying toward him, a grim expression on his face. Duncan held up a hand. “I don’t have time for whatever it is, Nick. I’ve got to get back to Aliyah.”

“Aliyah radioed, Duncan. She’s in trouble.”

Duncan slammed the door and rounded on Nick. “What happened?”

“She radioed and said there were two men, two of the hunters closing in on her location. She didn’t want me to answer so they must have been close.”

A distant rifle shot sounded. Then another. Then silence and a third shot. From the sound, it had to be at least a mile away. Maybe two. But it was undeniably the sound of a high-powered rifle.

Fear nearly paralyzed him. He grabbed Nick’s shirt. “You’re with me.”

He shouted a quick explanation to one of the other deputies, and he and Nick jumped on two of the ATVs confiscated in the raid. Duncan tore off in the direction he’d left Aliyah with Nick following close behind.

It took an eternity to backtrack to the area he’d left her. When they finally reached the spot, Duncan leaped from the four wheeler and scrambled over the rocks to where he’d left Aliyah.

His blood became ice when he saw the tattered remnants of her clothing lying on the ground. The radio and GPS unit were on the ground next to the blanket and his bag, but there was no sign of Aliyah.

“Duncan,” Nick called. “You need to see this.”

Duncan looked up to see Nick fifty yards up the incline staring down at the ground. He didn’t like the one of Nick’s voice at all.

He ran.

When he saw the blood on the ground, his heart nearly stopped. “No. Oh God, no.”

“There’s fur, Duncan.” Nick’s voice was grim. “She was in cheetah form when they shot her. I have fur and blood. A lot of it, and it heads toward the ravine.”

Nausea welled in Duncan’s stomach as he stumbled after Nick. There was a distinct blood trail, and he could see the paw prints, and then an indention where she obviously fell.

She’d been trying to make it over the edge.

“The blood stops here, and there’s a lot. It pooled here,” Nick said. “She stopped here, probably fell.”

Duncan stared at the ground, searching for more evidence, something to tell them what else had happened. Boot prints. Humans. Blood mixed in. They’d followed her up here. Then what?

He spotted another splotch of blood closer to the edge of the ravine, and panic squeezed his chest. He bolted the remaining steps to the edge, looking down at the distinct blood spatters.

The trail led right to the edge. There were scuff marks in the dirt, paw prints right to the very last. As he glanced down the incline, he could see more blood smeared on the rocks. She’d gone into the river.

“They headed south, Duncan,” Nick called.

Duncan tore his gaze from the river and hurried over to where Nick stood.

“She went into the river,” he said hoarsely.

“You go after her,” Nick said. “I can call for backup and we’ll head after the hunters.”

Duncan hesitated. “Don’t go after them alone,” he ordered. “Call Cal. Have him meet you here with at least two deputies. I’ll have the radio. If I find her…if I find her alive, I’ll take her back to the cabin, and then I’ll double back to help finish up.”

Nick eyed him levelly. “Go, Duncan. We can handle this without you. She’s hurt, and she needs you. You can’t leave her.” He thrust his pack at Duncan that held medical supplies and survival gear.

Duncan grabbed it and ran back to the ravine. When he reached the edge, he got down on his knees, rotated around and dropped his feet down.

The pressure in his chest was unbearable. He felt a sense of dread he hadn’t felt since the day he’d been told his parents were gone. Aliyah had to be alive. He couldn’t lose her this way.

He scrambled down the rocky incline, the sound of the water growing louder in his ears. It would be dark soon, and it was growing colder. If she’d taken a dive into the river, and if she shifted back to human, she could be hypothermic in short order.

When he reached the bottom, he scanned the bank, looking for any indication she had merely run along the side. No blood. No fur.

He closed his eyes and swallowed the panic back. Aliyah was counting on him. He’d already failed her, broken his promise to keep her safe.

He unclipped his flashlight from his pants and started down the rocky bank, a fervent prayer spilling from his lips. He followed the winding path as it curved through the small valley. At one point it narrowed as it cut through a gorge and then plunged outward again as the terrain flattened. In another quarter mile the river shallowed to a point where the current couldn’t possibly carry a body, cheetah or human.

His breathing ratcheted up until his vision blurred. Would he find her lying in the calmer pools? He charged ahead, nearly running now. His chest burned as he pushed himself harder.

As he rounded the bend of the last series of rapids, his gaze locked onto the smoother waters only ankle deep. He didn’t know whether to be relieved or scared to death when he saw no sign of her anywhere. The water rippled along as though no disturbance had ever occurred.

And then he saw it. Blood. Just a small splatter on the rocks in front of his feet. He shined the flashlight on the ground. Adrenaline rocketed through his veins when he saw another small splotch on the rocks heading into the woods.

She’d survived the river.

Resisting the urge to charge into the trees after her, he forced himself to follow the blood trail. He hands shook as he saw the blood increase the further from the river he went. She was still bleeding heavily.

He stopped when he came to a large blood smear, heavier than the prior trail. His heart began pounding furiously. She’d stopped here.

He swung the flashlight in a tight radius, and then he saw it. A human footprint in the bloody soil. She’d shifted.

“Aliyah,” he called. “Aliyah!”

He narrowed all his focus to following her footprints, relying on blood when the terrain was too rocky to register the indention of her feet.

“Aliyah!” he called again as he navigated the next rise. He swung his light downward and across the area in front of him. He froze, his hand stopping the sweep when the pale light of human flesh reflected in the glow of the flashlight.

He scrambled down the hill and dropped to his knees in front of Aliyah’s still form. He reached for her neck, feeling for a pulse. Her skin was still warm to his touch even amidst the chill of the air. He nearly wilted in relief when he felt the faint tremor against his fingers.

He turned her body over, looking for a wound. As he gently rolled her and shined the light across her torso, he saw the jagged wound in her shoulder. Blood still oozed from the wound, but at a much slower rate than the earlier trail had suggested.

“Aliyah,” he whispered as he trailed a hand across her cheek. “Aliyah, honey, wake up.”

Knowing he had to move fast if he had any prayer of getting her back to the cabin, he tucked the flashlight into the waistband of his pants and hoisted her gently into his arms. When she was high against his chest, he moved her up and over his shoulder in a fireman’s carry.

He reached first for his radio with his free hand.

“Nick, do you read me?”

There was a long silence, and then the radio crackled.

“Duncan, yeah, I’m here. What’s going on?”

“Target acquired. I’m proceeding with the plan as I outlined.”

Again there was a pause.

“Roger that. We’ve apprehended two suspects. I’ll be down at the station processing them. I’ll see you when I see you. And Duncan? Good luck,” he finished softly.

Duncan shoved his radio back onto his clip then snagged the flashlight from his pants. He shifted Aliyah’s weight and started back to the river. If he followed the bank another mile, it would lead him to an old national forest road that would take him just a quarter mile from his cabin.

He curled his arm over her legs and focused on each step. One foot in front of the other. Aliyah depended on him. He wouldn’t let her down again.

An hour later, he staggered from the national forest road onto the county road that would lead him to his cabin. His shoulder ached. Pain splintered down his spine, but still he continued on.

Aliyah’s head bumped against his back, and he slowed his walk so he didn’t jostle her more than he had to. Sweat rolled down the back of his neck even as the cold evening air made him shiver.

He caught the lights of his cabin ahead, and he redoubled his efforts, lengthening his stride. When he turned into the gravel drive and saw the silver Ford Expedition parked close to the door, he stopped cold.

A multitude of expletives bubbled in his throat. He tossed the flashlight and reached for his gun. Ducking as low as he could while still carrying Aliyah, he crept closer to the house. He had no choice but to stash her outside and go in to secure the cabin.

He laid her gently on the ground behind a clump of bushes, shrugged out of his jacket and laid it over her. He reached for his radio again.

“Nick, I may need backup. I have an unknown vehicle parked in front of my cabin. I had to leave Aliyah on the ground out front. I’m going in.”

“I’m on my way,” Nick said shortly.

Duncan pocketed his radio again and crept toward the cabin. He stopped near the front window, pressed himself against the wall and peered around the edge. Through the sliver the curtain bared, he saw a middle-aged couple standing in the living room.

He relaxed a fraction. Aliyah’s parents? Whatever the case, they didn’t appear to be armed. He pulled his radio out.

“Nick, stand down. I’ve got it from here.”

“You sure?”

“Yeah. I’ll check in later.”

Duncan raised his gun and hurried for the door. He put his free hand on the knob, twisted and burst in, weapon pointed at the couple.

The man shoved the woman behind him and immediately raised his hands.

“Who are you?” Duncan demanded.

“Lawrence Carver,” he replied. “We’re here for Aliyah.”

Duncan lowered his weapon. “Stay here. I’ll get her.”

The woman darted from behind Lawrence. “Where is she? Is she all right?”

Duncan held up his hand. “Stay here, Mrs. Carver. I have to go back for Aliyah.”

He turned and hurried back to where Aliyah lay. He holstered his gun and quickly picked her up. As he strode back to the cabin, he heard Mrs. Carver’s anguished cry.

They stood back so Duncan could pass through the door. He walked over to the couch and laid Aliyah down. Her mother flew to her side and knelt on the floor beside her. Her hands fluttered over Aliyah’s face.

“What happened?” she asked.

“Merry, she’s alive,” Lawrence said as he sank to his knees beside his wife. He touched Aliyah’s wound with trembling hands then turned his gaze to Duncan.

“What happened?”

“Hunters,” Duncan said grimly.

“But why was she out there?” Merry asked desperately.

Duncan scrubbed a hand over his face as he faced her parents. “She helped us locate them,” he said quietly.

“You were supposed to protect her. You were supposed to keep her safe until we got here.”

The accusation in her voice made Duncan flinch.

“You have to take her away,” Duncan said. “She’s not safe here.” His gaze swept over her wound, and he took in the worried stares of her parents. “Will she heal?” His voice cracked, and he swallowed the knot building in his throat at the idea that this would be the last time he saw her.

“It will take time,” Lawrence said in a quiet voice. “She will need to once again find the balance between herself and the cheetah. It will aid her in her recovery. We’ll take her home at once. You have our undying gratitude not only for saving our daughter but for keeping her…our secret.”

“I have to go,” Duncan said. “We made several arrests. I brought her back here to shield her from scrutiny, to keep her out of the case. It would be better if she weren’t here. I don’t know what all the hunters saw.”

Lawrence nodded and the ache in Duncan’s chest grew. He moved hesitantly toward Aliyah. Her mother stood and moved back a step as if sensing his need.

He knelt by the couch and put his hand gently over her forehead. He smoothed his fingers through her hair and pressed his lips to her brow.

“Good-bye,” he whispered. “Be safe. I –” He broke off and turned away, rising to his feet. He cast a quick glance at Aliyah’s parents. “Tell her…tell her I’m sorry.”

He turned and walked out of the house to get into his personal truck. For a long moment he sat behind the steering wheel, watching as Lawrence Carver carried his daughter from the cabin and put her inside his vehicle.

His fingers curled around the steering wheel, and he felt the quiet rise of despair. He keyed the ignition, put it in reverse and backed out of the drive.

CHAPTER 18

He missed her. No two ways about it.

Duncan shed his coat and tossed it on the couch then followed it down with a weary sigh. The last few weeks had been a pisser. Elk Ridge had made national news, and as a result, the media had been swarming over the small town, interviewing the locals and everyone who’d ever claimed to visit the region.

Arrangements had been made for the animals recovered in the sting operation. Arrests had been made, and the poachers awaited trial on a host of federal charges. It had been a circus, but now things were finally quiet again.

And here he was, home, alone, thinking about a golden-eyed temptress and missing her with his every breath. It was pretty pathetic, and he was fairly certain it made him a pussy.

He hadn’t heard from Aliyah or her parents, a fact that made him crazy. He didn’t know how she was doing, if she was hurting, healing, but then he hadn’t tried to call them either. He didn’t want any chance of a link being discovered between him and Aliyah and the possible questions that could arise were it found out that she had been here when the raid went down.

You love her, fool.

Yeah, as crazy as it sounded, he’d fallen and fallen hard in the few days they’d been together. He’d even managed to get around the fact that she spent part of her time as a cheetah. Yep, he’d lost his mind. Or his heart more accurately.

He rubbed tiredly at his neck and briefly contemplated hitting the sack early, but going to the empty bed that awaited him in his bedroom wasn’t remotely appealing.

A light scratching noise interrupted his self-absorbed malaise. He cocked his head, thinking maybe he’d imagined it, but then he heard it again. Coming from his front door.

With a frown, he got up and walked cautiously to the door, his hand reaching for his sidearm that he hadn’t yet taken off.

There it was again. Definitely something outside his door and getting louder and more persistent.

He cracked open the door but before he could even look out to assess the potential danger, he was flattened by a flying fur ball.

He fell back as a cheetah pounced on him. His back hit the floor with a resounding thump as a golden-eyed cat licked him and nuzzled his face.

Aliyah.

His surprise turned to complete and utter joy. Relief.

And then suddenly he found himself holding a gorgeous naked woman in his arms.

“You’ve really got to stop doing that shit,” he grumbled. “It’s disconcerting and it looks painful.”

“Aren’t you glad to see me?” she asked as her lips met his.

“Oh, honey,” he groaned. “If you only had any idea how much I’ve missed you.”

He stretched his leg out to kick the door shut then wrapped his arms around his woman and proceeded to kiss her senseless. Her lips were cold against his, and she’d never tasted sweeter.

Her hair fell over his face, and her breasts pressed against his shirt. He smoothed his hands over her body, wanting to touch her, absorb her, make sure he wasn’t in the midst of a dream. One he’d had many times since she’d left.

And then it hit him. She was here. And she shouldn’t be here. She should be safe in Alaska. With her parents. Not here where she risked discovery.

“What are you doing here?” he asked even as he stroked her skin, touched her face, twined his fingers through her hair and stole another kiss. “You shouldn’t be here, honey. It’s dangerous.”

“I love you,” she said simply, and his heart nearly stopped. He actually felt light-headed, which he was sure made him even more of a pussy than all the mooning he’d done.

And yet she said it as though it answered the mysteries of the universe, as if those three simple words held the answer to all things and by virtue, her appearance made total sense.

It didn’t.

“As much as I love lying here on the floor, on my back, on the hard floor on my back with my arms full of a gorgeous…” He stopped to kiss her again. He simply couldn’t help himself. “…could we move this conversation to the couch?”

She grinned and crawled off of him then extended her hand down to help him up. As soon as he was standing, he pulled her into his arms and held her tightly even as he maneuvered toward the couch.

He sat down, pulling her down on his lap so he could hold her. God, he just couldn’t stop touching her. And of course he was going to have to open his mouth and say something stupid. Something he didn’t want to say but needed saying nonetheless.

“You shouldn’t be here. It’s dangerous. Aliyah, what if you’re discovered? How do your parents feel about this? They must be freaking out.”

She put a finger over her lips then nuzzled closer to him and kissed him, long and hot. Her tongue swept over his lips and then inside, rippling over his, teasing, taunting. And he promptly forgot what he’d been trying to tell her.

When she pulled away, her eyes sparkled with laughter, with happiness.

He put his hand to her shoulder as it suddenly occurred to him that she might not yet be fully healed.

“I’m fine,” she said huskily. “See?” She turned her arm so he could see that not a single mark marred her sun-kissed skin.

He kissed the area where he’d last seen the angry, bloody wound. “You scared me,” he admitted. “I was afraid I’d lost you. I did lose you. You shouldn’t be here.”

She laughed. “You aren’t going to lose me any more than I’m going to lose you. You’re mine, Duncan. And I keep what’s mine. I’m very possessive that way.”

“But honey –”

“Do you love me?” she asked, her gaze earnestly searching his face.

“Yes, but –”

“No buts. Do you love me? Do you want me?”

He crushed her to him. “God yes, I love you. I want you so damn much. I don’t want you to ever leave. I want you here with me always. I love you. I love you so damn much it hurts.”

Her arms crept around his neck, and he could feel her tremble against him. Her soft lips kissed the pulse at his neck and then she pulled away.

“Then that’s all that matters.”

“It matters if I can’t keep you safe,” he said.

She smiled, her eyes shining bright with such faith that it humbled him. “You’ll keep me safe, Duncan. And I’ll be careful. We’ll be careful. It will take sacrifice. I know that I won’t be able to shift when I want and where I want. I know that there will always be a risk if we’re together, but I can’t live without you. I don’t want to be without you. I’m willing to risk anything to be with you. Always.”

When she put it that way, how could he argue? She was willing to risk everything. She was willing to sacrifice her freedom to be with him. He didn’t feel worthy of her, but damn if he was going to let that get in the way.

“I love you,” he said hoarsely. “I don’t want you to go. Stay. With me. We’ll make it work. I’ll protect you with my life.”

She cupped his face in her hands. Tears shone in her eyes making the gold liquid and glistening. “I love you, too,” she whispered. “I’ll stay. Always.”

Content

Golden Eyes
Amber Eyes - 0.5
by
Maya Banks

CHAPTER 1

CHAPTER 2

CHAPTER 3

CHAPTER 4

CHAPTER 5

CHAPTER 6

CHAPTER 7

CHAPTER 8

CHAPTER 9

CHAPTER 10

CHAPTER 11

CHAPTER 12

CHAPTER 13

CHAPTER 14

CHAPTER 15

CHAPTER 16

CHAPTER 17

CHAPTER 18