His fingers left her breasts and moved down her belly to the snap of her jeans. She clutched his shoulders, feeling faint. Her desire had reached an all new high. His leg pressed up against her clit, and then he rotated his knee, grinding into her.
“Oh yeah. You smell so sweet, princess. Like candy I’m going to eat up. One lick at a time.”
She shivered, ensnared by the predator looking down at her like he owned her, everything forgotten but the hunger to have Dean inside her, filling her up.
A faint noise at the mouth of the cave intruded, the sound of something creeping closer.
Between one kiss and the next, Dean pushed her back and darted for the cave’s entrance. She’d never seen anyone move so fast, and if she hadn’t been Ac-taw, she would have missed his shift completely. In one fluid movement, he ripped through his clothes and turned into a russet-and-gold mountain lion.
He attacked in silence, but the yowl that escaped their intruder warned he’d hit feline flesh. The cat swiped at Dean with claws but didn’t do more than rake a slight trail of blood. Dean had the cat’s neck in his powerful jaws and wasn’t letting go.
Stunned to immobility, Stacey willed away the shock and started on the buttons of her blouse, determined to help, when the cat under Dean meowed a name Stacey wished she’d never heard.
Talk about complicated. She stopped unbuttoning her shirt. “Hell. Dean, let him go.”
Dean didn’t move. If anything, his mouth tightened around the throat of the large catamount beneath him.
“Dean, let him go.” Stacey swallowed hard. “He’s not here to hurt us.” I don’t think.
It took a moment, but Dean released the cat and stepped back. Then he prodded the other cat using the mental link most Ac-taw shared, the way they communicated when in their animal forms.
“Who the fuck are you?” he asked the cat, slapping him with a large paw.
“Ow! Damn it. Stop it.” The cat batted at Dean to stop. “My name is Jeremy. We’re watching out for you two.”
“Who is we?” Dean turned to her, his golden eyes narrowed. He snapped his tail, and she knew the time had come to tell the truth. Sort of.
“We involves Quince, Lex’s right-hand man. Quince and Lex are battling for the pride, and I agreed to draw Lex’s guys out so Quince could take him. He’ll end the threat against my family and take care of the danger to all of us.”
“And you didn’t think I should know?”
Dean’s fury poured from him in a low growl and the musky scent of danger.
The cat under him stilled, not moving a muscle. Stacey could only stare, never having seen this side of Dean before.
“First of all, you weren’t even supposed to be here. I tried heading out by myself. And Quince told me not to say anything.”
Dean hissed.
She took a step back and flushed, annoyed she’d instinctively backed down. “Quince said you wouldn’t agree to the plan, that you’d involve the pride and take away the element of the surprise. We needed to keep Quince’s involvement quiet so we can lure Lex out and take care of him, once and for all.”
“Yeah,” Jeremy agreed. “Damn, Chastell. Go easy with the fangs next time.” Bloody gouges marred his neck and flank. “I didn’t mean to interrupt, but I saw you two head in here and wanted to make sure you were okay. What with Lex involving Hunt—”
“Hungry predators out for blood,” Stacey interrupted. Oh wow. She hadn’t thought things would go from bad to worse. Quince had mentioned Lex had involved Hunters in pride politics. He hadn’t said anything about them being out here. If he had, she would have involved the pride, Miles and every Ac-taw in the vicinity, regardless of Quince’s warning.
She gave Jeremy a look he couldn’t miss. Dean could barely handle Quince’s involvement. If he knew Hunters were out here, he’d lose it for sure. It was all Stacey could do not to break down screaming. “We have allies watching our backs.”
“And what about the pride? Who’s watching them while we’re out here?” Dean looked from Stacey to Jeremy and back again. “Don’t tell me. More of Quince’s cats, eh? I can’t believe Miles went along with this bullshit.”
She glanced down and fiddled with her shirt.
“Jesus. You didn’t tell him either? What’s with this Quince character?” Under him, Jeremy shifted and tried to move. “Why are you trusting him, but not your own family? Not your new pride?”
She should have corrected him about Cougar Falls being her new pride, but the anger and hurt radiating from his deadly frame gave her pause.“I only did it because—”
“Because you don’t trust me to protect you. I know.” The bitter twist to his words burrowed deep. She felt an odd drop in her belly, as if she’d tumbled off a cliff. Uncomfortable and painful, because she’d hurt Dean. Really hurt him.
“That’s not it. I’m responsible for all this. Lex wants me. I should be the one to take the brunt of the danger, so the others can be safe.”
“Fuck that.” Dean snarled, and Jeremy again froze. Dean glanced down at him. “How many of you are out there?”
“Two dozen.”
“Good. Keep us in your sights but not too close. You don’t let a thing happen to her, got it?”
“Right.”
“Any sign of Lex yet?”
“His guys are about half a day south and moving closer. They’re going four-footed and keeping a low profile. The eagles you have circling have already spotted them.”
“Good.” Dean flashed his teeth.
“Eagles?” she asked.
Dean looked at her. “You didn’t think we’d just wander all over the mountain without backup? We have a few raptors and wolves around, just in case we need help,” he said, directing the warning Jeremy’s way.
“We’re here to help. I swear.”
“If you’re lying, I’ll rip your throat out myself.” Dean blew out a breath. “Keep me updated. Lex moves, I want to know where he is and how long he’s been gone.”
“Sure. Right.” Jeremy meowed. “Can I go now?”
Dean blinked down at his paw gripping Jeremy’s leg. “Yeah. Get gone.” He lifted his claws from the cat’s fur and they watched as Jeremy tore out of the cave.
Stacey didn’t know what to think. She’d never seen Dean so furious, so intimidating or so domineering. The lazy, tricky feline had turned into someone else entirely. Her cat couldn’t have been happier. The finicky beast inside her wanted her to shift, lift her tail and prepare to be mounted by the jerk glaring at her like his next meal.
A nightmare of epic proportions.
“What?” she snapped, hiding her confusion. “I did what I thought was right. I’m protecting my family, and I’m not putting any of you in harm’s way. So what if I might be in danger? Oh, wait. You’re angry because Lex now threatens your furry ass, is that it?” She was being totally unfair about it, and she knew it. But how else could she have handled all this?
Always being on alert, worried for her family and the pride, and missing the familiar day-to-day of work—the only thing that kept her grounded most of the time—wore on a girl. Not to mention her constant sexual awareness of a cat who’d never be able to give her what she needed. Hell, half the time he acted like he hated her. The other half, Dean tolerated her with leers or suggestive comments.