“Why?” Jordan tugged on his denim shirt, his dark jeans showcasing strong legs. He hadn’t run in two days, and the energy rolled off him in waves. As did his scent of cinnamon and oak. Wild, like the man himself.
Although miles underground, she knew the moon was rising high and strong. Something inside her screamed. Her muscles vibrated down her flanks, making even her butt twitch. “I injected myself with the catalyst.”
Jordan paled. “You. Did. What?” He staggered back a step, pure shock filling his tawny eyes.
Oxygen filled her lungs when she inhaled deeply. Not much in life scared her. The head of the lion clans stood at least a foot taller than her, with muscles earned by running and working his ranch. Jordan in full temper would scare anyone. “You heard me.”
Color slid under his skin, enhancing the dark hollows below his cheekbones. His roar reached every corner in the room. “Why?” His hands clenched at his sides, as if he didn’t trust himself not to choke her.
She took a step back. Although she’d known him nearly her entire life, she’d never seen such a look on his face. “I need to shift, Jordan. I can’t live like this. The catalyst sped up the virus in Maggie’s blood—so she can shift.”
His multicolored hair flew as he shook his head. “She’s a wolf shifter. We don’t fucking know how you’ll react.” Two steps and his hands clamped around her forearms. “I said I’d mate you.”
She yanked back, anger shoving fear to hell. “Thanks for the pity offer. I’m not mating out of charity, you arrogant ass.” She’d loved him forever. But she wasn’t a charity case. “I’m not stupid. I know about the political problems you’re facing with the clans because of me and my ... condition.” Pain made the words taste like gristle on her tongue. “Besides, there’s no guarantee that would work. Then you’d be mated not only to someone you don’t love, but to someone who couldn’t shift. Maybe couldn’t give you little rulers to raise.”
She sucked in air. Something demanded her attention. Immediately. Agony slashed into her abdomen. Clutching her stomach, she doubled over. Need. A hunger so harsh she couldn’t breathe. “Jordan.”
She felt a soothing balm, a necessary healing. The moon. But a shadow lurked—thick shadow—dark and compelling. It bellowed for her. “Outside. Please, take me outside.”
“Goddamn it.” Jordan shot a hand through his hair, pacing toward the wall. Catlike reflexes shot his fist into the padding. The protective covering split, sending white tufts flying.
A sparkling of colors danced in her vision, her tears morphing the shades like in a kaleidoscope. Her knees hit the floor. The rock ceiling pounded above her. The moon. She needed light. Pain reached the level of sound, a screaming filling her head. Her palm slid forward on the uneven mat, her head bowed. Agony made her gasp. “Please.”
Two paces had Jordan swinging her into his arms. Quick strides had them in the hallway and then running up the stairs to the top level. His boots pounded the concrete, the sound echoing throughout the stairwell. The air grew lighter the farther up they went. “How can you possibly think I don’t care for you?”
Her head swung around, need filling every pore. The calling got louder. Needles sprang up under her skin, slashing through, each filled with poison. She stiffened in Jordan’s grasp. “Hurry.”
His growl promised retribution. Yanking the stairwell door open, he ran toward two guards manning the outside elevator.
One held out a hand to stop him. “Wait—”
“Open the damn door,” Jordan bellowed.
The first guard jerked his head back, his gaze widening. Then he nodded, pushing the button. He tapped his earpiece. “Chalton, get Dage.”
Jordan jumped inside the cart, his breathing heavy against her cheek as Katie struggled to stay focused. She needed the moon. Was she going to change into a werewolf? Terror made her turn her face into Jordan’s strength as a soft sob escaped. Her limbs tingled with fire.
“You’ll be all right.” Jordan tucked his head around her, hurrying out of the elevator onto a rough cliff cut into the rock. The sea tumbled below, sending up the moist scent of salt. National forest protected the land around them. He laid her down on the smooth rock, allowing the moon to bathe her. Dropping to a crouch, he kept vigil.
Peace. Katie relaxed, her body going limp. She lifted her face to the moon—soft light, creating healing energy. Particles of the light washed over her skin, balming. Soothing. Protecting.
She closed her eyes and searched for the lioness inside her. Time to come out. A sputtering filled her ears, much like a car engine refusing to ignite. She tried harder. Her shoulders tensed. Was there still a lioness inside her? She lifted her head and howled to the useless moon.
High above, hidden behind a shield of trees ... something howled back.
Jordan leaped to his feet. “What the hell was that?”
She felt it. A craving ... a need. Dark, hungry, it wanted to reach her. It wailed, the consonants almost rolling into her name. She sat up. “He wants me.” A shiver shook her entire body. Whatever sought her didn’t want to chat. Hunger all but rode the airwaves down. Blood. The howler thirsted for her blood.
The elevator opened and Dage ran outside. “Emma told me. The catalyst.”
Katie rose to her knees, her eyelids heavy but the moon surrounding her in safety. Her head tilted, instinctively searching. Fear scented the air. Not hers. Not Jordan’s. The creature above ... even while it hunted, it feared.
What? Her?
Jordan grabbed her shoulders, hauling her up. She sagged against him. Sadness encased her limbs in heaviness. “The shot didn’t work. No werewolf, no lioness. I’m the same.” She refused to let tears fall. Later, when she was alone in her bed ... then she’d cry. “Let’s go back downstairs.” Away from the monster trying to ram into her pores.
The howling increased, skittering unease down her spine. Pins pricked at her brain ... some type of message. Darkness, longing, and a demand. She shoved it out, sliding shields into place, protecting her mind. Wind whipped clouds across the sky, a whistle competing with the keening from above.
Dage looked up. His jaw tightened, his eyes shifting blue through the silver.
Katie leaned into Jordan’s strength as she watched the king. Sometimes she forgot he wasn’t human.
He wore diplomacy and kindness like a shield. Every once in a while the animal within reared up, more deadly because of its unwilling slumber. He ignored her perusal. “Suit up, Jordan. Sounds like we’re going hunting.”
Katie trudged into the elevator. “He’s a werewolf. Strong. I sensed him.” Now she could sense beasts. Though she wasn’t one of them.
She wasn’t anything.
Chapter 24
Moira stretched her neck, limping into Conn’s quarters. The door shut behind her. The living room sofa whispered an invitation for her to sit and watch one of the many movies stacked on the shelves built into the walls. Squinting, she studied the titles. My Freckled Pony. Springtime Puppies go to Hollywood. The Pink Fairy. Apparently Janie and Uncle Conn spent time together watching movies.
There were also adult comedies and dramas on a higher shelf. Before choosing, she took a closer look around. The man had built a pretty cage.
Dage had been right. Beating the heck out of a punching bag had put things in perspective. She didn’t belong in a cage. Conn would have to see her abilities, and her need to fight.