"Mona Lisa. Please don't. It's Thaddeus, your brother. I need you!"
His words penetrated me. Thaddeus… Thaddeus… brother…
I shuddered, closed my eyes, and concentrated, bought against the ravenous beastly hunger that just wanted to rip and feed, and tried to understand.
Brother… brother… brother…
I looked into the cub's eyes. Shook my head.
"Mona Lisa… Please!"
The word. The name. Something connected within me.
With a rush of energy I forced myself to change. My skin prickled, shivered. Fur flowed, receded, disappeared. Bones stretched and changed, and it no longer felt natural to be on all fours.
I stood up and found blood covering my naked skin, blood that even now called to me. I fought not to lick and savor it like hot, sticky taffy.
I watched from a surreal distance as Amber covered me with his raincoat and buttoned it as I stood swaying over Sandoor. I noted with curious detachment that Gryphon stood next to Amber. That Rosemary clutched Tersa and Jamie protectively back against the trees. That empty clothes lay fallen on the ground next to piles of ash scattered about the clearing. Only Tomas still battled an opponent, big-headed Greeves. They were surrounded by Chami and Aquila, preventing any escape. Only Tomas was injured, a slicing gash along his left ribs, the reason why he was taking so long to finish off his adversary.
Tomas lunged suddenly, a piercing thrust of his sword through Greeves's stomach. Withdraw, lift, downward strike, and the head was severed from the body. I watched with a curious disconnection as light shimmered as it was released from the body, as the empty remaining husk disintegrated into ashes, as the clothes fell to the earth when nothing was left to support it.
A gurgle, a raspy indrawing of breath drew my attention back to what lay at my feet. Sandoor. Already his bleeding was slowing, the miraculous regenerative ability quickly closing in the previously gaping wounds. He was far from dead. He was healing, and I knew I could not let him live. He would be a threat to Thaddeus as long as he drew breath.
With a thought, I called Amber's sword to my hand. It sang from its sheath and flew to my grip. One clean downward strike and Sandoor stopped healing. Stopped ceasing to be.
Light scattered free, out of the opened body. I watched Sandoor disintegrate until only ashes and empty clothing lay upon the ground where his body had been.
I lifted my gaze to Amber, to the face that bore so striking a resemblance to the man I had just executed. "I'm sorry."
Amber's eyes were shadowless, blameless. "I am grateful it was not me," he said.
Suddenly weakened, I fell to my knees, onto my hands, feeling odd. The blade slipped from my hand with a sense of foreignness, as if I was not meant to hold such objects in my grasp. As if I was meant instead to feel the cushioning earth springing beneath my paws.
The call of blood lifted my head.
"Christ! Her eyes." I heard Thaddeus say, though the words held no meaning for me. Nothing had meaning but the deep, rich burgundy of blood against pale flesh. It drew me. Beckoned to me. I crawled to it and pulled myself up a lovely living body that bled. My tongue unfurled and licked that rich wine or life.
That living body moved, disturbing my enjoyment and I growled.
"Do not move, Tomas," Amber warned. "She's sliding back toward her beast."
"You want me to let her fucking eat me?" Tomas asked shakily.
I heard the creature's heart speed up, and tasted an emotion almost as mouth-watering as blood. Fear. A delicious spice to flavor the meat.
"Tiger's teeth are even sharper than human teeth. If you run, you'll trigger her chase reflex," Amber said evenly, carefully calm. "You do not want her to change back into her beast."
My fingers clenched my prey's lower back and full buttocks. I was surprised when claws did not pierce the soft tissue. I buried my face against the open wound along his ribs, lapped at the sweet bleeding flesh until I laved away all the blood, and felt the creature shake as I dug in with my tongue and nipped delicately at the tender meat.
A new, fresher scent drew my attention and lifted my face.
A line of blood on a pale limb waved tantalizingly in front of me in silent offering. I released my hold on Tomas, fell to the ground on all fours and grasped the proffered limb, lapping up the blood.
"That's right, darling," Gryphon crooned, "look at me."
The sound lifted my gaze to Gryphon's face. A surge of power prickled and lifted the fine hair along my entire body. My lips pulled back in a silent snarl that faded as I beheld the beautiful, sensual creature before me, irresistibly lovely with his rich dark fall of hair so dramatically black against white tender skin. A cloud of cinnamon-musk pheromones enveloped me, turning my hunger to a different direction. I looked at that full, red mouth, and I suddenly knew that lovely body could satisfy me in a different, more pleasing manner. I climbed up Gryphon's body until I could lick and eat from that succulent candy-apple mouth. He tasted like honey and I purred with delight. Purred even louder as his hands stroked along my neck, delivering spine-melting bliss to sensitive pleasure points.
A loud, jarring wailing and flashing of lights broke my attention.
"Oh, no, darling. Look at me," Gryphon murmured.
Another burst of cinnamon sweetness enveloped me, making me purr and rub against him. I wanted to rub my naked body all over his and wrap that delicious scent around me and roll on top of him like catnip. My arms twined about his neck and my legs wrapped around him, holding him captive. He began to carry me away, supporting me with one arm, the other continuing to stroke those exquisite sensitive spots along my neck.
"Amber, hide the clothes and weapons," Gryphon murmured as he kissed me in the responsive hollow behind my ear, causing me to writhe against him. "Then rid us of the policemen. Leave us in private."
We entered a dwelling. A quick ascent up a flight of stairs and then I was being lowered onto a large, soft, elevated surface. Gryphon freed us of our clothes and I was finally able to rub my naked skin against the velvety bareness of his as I had so desperately craved. It was wonderful. And then it wasn't enough.
Hands stroked down my body.
Yes, yes. That was what I needed. To be touched there, rubbed harder here, pinched there. I gasped, arched, lifted myself into his hands and spread my legs in silent demand as everywhere he touched built a terrible blissful ache in the center of me. I whimpered as he kissed his way down me, snarled when he lingered too long over my belly's hollow indentation, and clasped his head tightly when he finally reached that destination where the sultry need caused my body to weep honeyed tears. He lapped delicately, making me gasp and cry out, arching up against the torturing light pressure of his clever tongue.
"Yes, open wider, darling."
And when I did, he rewarded me by driving into me with that versatile oral organ, spearing me with delight, making my body-shudder and all the muscles in my body clench tight. Wild sounds escaped my throat as my head tossed and turned. And still it wasn't enough. I snarled with frustrated rage, wanting something more, and he gave it to me.
Two fingers slipped into me with ease, filling me, stopping the ache for a moment. But it returned all too quickly when those fingers stayed quiescent within me, unmoving. I rocked my pelvis violently against him, and he let me ride his fingers until the wildness eased so that I was able to slow my motion down to a more languid rhythm and enjoy it longer.
He rewarded me by slipping a third finger in me, stretching me even more and kissing my curly thatch, his dark shining eyes gauging me for discomfort or pleasure. I purred, the rumble deep in my throat as I rode the even fuller sensation for a long, blissful moment. Quick, hard thrusts of my hips at first, then slower, deeper, more savoring surges as I quickly caught on to his game. He gave a hot, pleased smile and rewarded me for my unhurried gentler rhythm by pushing a fourth finger in. He had to work it in slowly as I panted and growled and whimpered and widened my legs even more.