Hallie's Cats

An Ellora’s Cave Romantica Publication

www.ellorascave.com

Hallie’s Cats ISBN 9781419923289 ALL RIGHTS RESERVED Hallie’s Cats Copyright © 2009 Fran Lee Edited by Sue-Ellen Gower Cover art by Syneca Electronic book Publication July 2009 The terms Romantica® and Quickies® are registered trademarks of Ellora’s Cave Publishing. With the exception of quotes used in reviews, this book may not be reproduced or used in whole or in part by any means existing without written permission from the publisher, Ellora’s Cave Publishing, Inc.® 1056 Home Avenue, Akron OH 44310-3502. Warning: The unauthorized reproduction or distribution of this copyrighted work is illegal. No part of this book may be scanned, uploaded or distributed via the Internet or any other means, electronic or print, without the publisher’s permission. Criminal copyright infringement, including infringement without monetary gain, is investigated by the FBI and is punishable by up to 5 years in federal prison and a fine of $250,000. (http://www.fbi.gov/ipr/). Please purchase only authorized electronic or print editions and do not participate in or encourage the electronic piracy of copyrighted material. Your support of the author’s rights is appreciated. This book is a work of fiction and any resemblance to persons, living or dead, or places, events or locales is purely coincidental. The characters are productions of the author’s imagination and used fictitiously.

HALLIE’S CATS

Fran Lee

Dedication To my dear friends at Fran’s Place For all your enthusiasm and encouragement! You know who you are!

Acknowledgments I would like to acknowledge my two wonderful editors at Ellora’s Cave…

Helen, who had faith in “Cats”, and Suz, who led me by the nose to completion. My thanks and appreciation to two fabulous and sharp ladies! Helen made me care enough to send my very best… Suz made me believe I could do it!

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Chapter One Hallie yelped in shock as the pit bull came tearing out of the open ironwork gate ahead and made a beeline straight for her, its lolling tongue and wild eyes presenting a terrifying picture to a timid, cat-loving woman with absolutely no knowledge of canines. She opened her mouth to scream, waiting for the dog to rip a hunk out of her leg as it came barreling toward her at full speed. She had nowhere to run. The eightfoot-tall stone and ironwork wall to her right barred escape in that direction, and the empty street to the left had no conveniently parked cars to jump onto as a possible measure to avoid the animal’s reach. And she sure as hell couldn’t outrun a dog! Her arms were loaded with two straining bags of groceries, and she thought maybe if she dropped them the dog would go for the chuck steak she had just bought. No time to think! Just as she was steeling her nerves for the attack, the dog veered past her going eighty, and she fell back against the wrought iron grille in the stone wall, a whoosh of relief leaving her lungs as she released her tightly held breath. Her death grip on her groceries was threatening to pop the top off the plastic milk container. Her legs shook. Her mind whirled. And the last thing she needed at that moment was another fright. “You all right?” The quiet, deep voice was directly behind her. The unexpectedness of the question finished her. The milk exploded, drenching her in white, and she gave a shriek of shock, falling sideways onto the pitted sidewalk, her paralyzed body going suddenly limp. It felt as if her heart was going to explode like the damn milk! She knew the voice had come from the other side of the tall, wrought iron and stone wall, but the next thing she saw was a man bending over her, reaching out a hand to take her bags from her clenched hands. What the hell? She blinked up at the man then back along the sidewalk. There was no gate except the one the dog had burst from, and that gate was over a hundred feet or

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more away. He would have had to climb or vault over the wall, and that, even for an athletic man, would take some doing. “Sorry about Tigger. He isn’t dangerous but he can be pretty damn scary,” the deep, warm-honey voice murmured as she was relieved of her destroyed bag, then the intact one was lifted from her death grip. “Come on, and I’ll get you some towels.” Hallie reached for the lean hand dangling in front of her face, and allowed the stranger to drag her up from her ignominious repose on the milk-splattered concrete. She patted herself down for possible injuries before she blinked up at him and rasped incredulously, “You call that…that…thing…Tigger?” Visions of a sweet boingy critter almost made her laugh. It was then she saw him clearly for the first time, and she almost sat back down on the wet sidewalk again. Stunning dark gold eyes in a face that dragged her breath away and held it captive, forcing her to fight for air. Odd eyes on a man whose hair was jet black. And after she managed to get past that face, her eyes slid down the long length of a body so utterly mouthwatering, she was sure she’d died and gone to heaven. Because there wasn’t a man alive who could possibly look that frigging good in a ratty T-shirt and torn jeans. Those gorgeous eyes looked so concerned, she barely managed to restrain her raging libido before she blurted out something completely unsuitable, like a squeal of delight as she tackled him and abused him terribly. She had the insane desire to lick him. Nibble him! Yeah, he should be worried! Walking around unprotected from random female attackers who would love to get a piece of all that marvelous— Ooooh! Hallie dragged her milk-wet hand out of his and forced a shaky laugh. “Did my steak survive, or am I gonna have to go back down the hill and catch that bus back to the supermarket?”

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Dark brows drew together over those glinting topaz eyes, and his hand shot out to stop her from sagging sideways again. “You probably shouldn’t try to get up yet,” that delicious warm-honey voice said, somewhere just above her left ear. Why the hell am I sinking again? “No! I-I’m…fine,” were the last words out of her mouth before he tilted oddly and vanished from her sight. Whoa, she was back on the damn sidewalk again? Oh, there he was, leaning down and reaching to check her pulse. Why the hell was he bending over her again? Mmmm, she would love to reach up and drag his gorgeous body down to her level. And what the hell was he… “You think she’s sick?” a quiet male voice asked somewhere beyond her line of sight. “I think she got a good solid whiff of pheromones. She’s totally out of it. Here, you get the bags,” that lovely warm-honey voice murmured, and she was suddenly rising from the sidewalk, floating, and then she was nuzzling into a hard chest and inhaling the delicious, heady scent of the man with the golden eyes. Ooooh, he’s totally edible! “That’s not normal, is it?” That quiet voice again. “No. I think she’s sensitive to us for some reason. I feel like a fucking catnip mouse.” The warm-honey voice sounded irritated, but who cared, when he smelled so damn marvelous? “This milk is toast.” “You can get her another gallon. Toss it and see what you can salvage out of that bag.” “Why does it always have to be me who has to run places, and always you who gets to carry the girl?” The quiet voice was irritated. “Put a sock in it, kid. You’re too young to know how to do anything with any girl you carried home, anyway.”

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“Only because I haven’t had the opportunity, thanks to being an outcast with my brother, and Frea deciding not to stay with our clan. But I could always use the practice.” Were they talking about her? Hallie was so dizzy, she could barely figure out which way was up. She assumed that up was wherever that deliciously sexy warm-honey voice was coming from. Whoa, she felt like she was drunk! Could shock do that to a person? She lifted her hand and looked at her fingers. Were there actually eight of them? She shook her head and nuzzled her cheek into the delicious-smelling chest. And when she did, her tongue flicked out to see if he tasted as good as he smelled. Mmmm, even his ratty T-shirt tastes sexy. “Shit! Did she just lick you?” the other voice rasped. “Shut it, Cal! Get the fucking door. And then go drag Tigger away from his gal-pal and put him back in his kennel.” “Do this Cal, do that Cal!” the quiet, irritated voice mimicked. “One of these days, you’re gonna realize I’m an adult!” The voices stopped. The delicious-smelling man with the golden eyes shifted her weight and she found herself lying on a soft surface—felt like a sofa. She couldn’t be sure because her mind was a swirling mess of images of getting naked with the greatsmelling stranger. Oh yeah, she could sooo handle that. Damn! He was moving away! She blinked to try to clear her oddly unfocused vision. And after a moment she was fully aware of lying in a heap on a comfortable sofa, staring straight into the green eyes of a huge Persian cat. “Oh, h’lo, kitty. Did you see where the delicious big guy went?” She grinned crookedly, and tried to shove herself up into a sitting position. “Just stay down for a few minutes. You’ll be fine as soon as your system clears,” the deep honey voice said from some distance away. Hallie inhaled deeply. The delicious scent was gone. The voice was there, but the man was somewhere across the room. And as she lay there staring at the cat, which 8

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began to clean itself carefully on the arm of the sofa, she began to feel less giddy, less dizzy and breathless. As the minutes ticked by she managed to sit up, and saw the pile of towels in front of the sofa on the coffee table. “Um, thanks. I, um, I’m so sorry!” she mumbled in blushing embarrassment, reaching for the top towel to mop the milk from her face, hair and blouse. She felt like a soaked rat. “No problem. If you need more towels, I’ll get some.” Hallie lifted her eyes and found the source of the voice sitting in an armchair about fifteen feet across the large, luxurious living room. He still looked amazingly good, but she was now able to look at him without picturing him stripping off her clothes and fucking her, which was a bit of a letdown really, but far less shocking. He was watching her face closely. “Um, I guess I sorta…wigged out.” She shrugged, hot color flooding her face. “Thanks.” “You’re in the old Halleran place, right?” He spoke quietly, but she could hear every word, despite the size of the huge room. “Um, yeah. I’m renting it, um, from the estate…just until they find a buyer.” She found that her mind was almost working normally again, and she shook her head to clear the last of the odd cobwebs out. “It’s been vacant for a long time. I was surprised to see it occupied.” “I guess so. It’s pretty much a wreck, but I couldn’t find another place on such short notice. It’s cheap and it beats sleeping on the street.” She shrugged with a wry grimace. She frowned as she searched his face for any sign of emotion. He was like a stunningly gorgeous stone statue. Not a sign of emotion or concern. Except for that moment out on the sidewalk when he’d seemed concerned, wary. “I want to apologize again for my dog. He’s harmless, but there’s a bitch in heat a couple of miles down the road, and he literally climbs out of his kennel to get to her unless we close the top. I owe you a gallon of milk, and a lift home.” His voice was

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quiet, careful. “As soon as Cal gets back, he’ll take you the rest of the way home, and then he’ll bring you another gallon of milk.” Hallie shrugged, running the towel around her neck to catch the drops of milk that had settled under her hair. “I really appreciate that. Walking to and from the bus is the pits.” “You shouldn’t be on foot after dark around here. I hope you don’t think I’m butting in, but I’ve seen you walking home late, and it isn’t the safest thing to do, even in Rutledge.” Hallie blinked at him. “I have a car, but it’s dead in the water until I get some cash to fix it. But don’t worry about me. They say there hasn’t been a major crime in Rutledge in the past eighty years. Nobody even bothers to lock their doors. What is there to worry about?” Gar inhaled deeply. She had to be the most naïve and innocent female he’d ever met if she thought there was no danger in her walking late at night—alone. If it hadn’t been for his intervention on more than one occasion she’d have been toast by now. There was an element that had recently come into the area that took “crime” to the next level, and the only reason it was still virtually hidden was because Gar saw to it personally. He could smell her warm, milk-wet skin clear across the damned room. She was as delicious to him as he was to her, but he couldn’t take the chance of letting her get to him. For now, he was strictly an observer. Watching. Stepping in when necessary to keep the peace. To keep the good folks of Rutledge safe from too much damage. He’d never singled one out from the rest as a special case, and he hadn’t planned to this time either. Hadn’t planned to. Cal, being so young, was still pretty much immune to the blood-scent of humans. He had a few more years to go before he began to salivate when he was close to them. Gar, on the other hand, had no such youthful immunity, and he had been forced to 10

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develop the ability to desensitize himself to the allure of their scent. It made it much easier to protect them from their mutual enemies if he didn’t find their scent so fucking delicious. Of course, unlike the Lykos, his kind preferred to hunt less helpless food. Humans were the most helpless of the food chain, and Gar protected them because once, long ago, one of them had protected him and his. The woman seated across from him, for example—he had watched her trudge home from work after dark for weeks. He had caught her scent as far away as the bus stop at the bottom of the hill. This one had a scent that drove him to distraction. Many times he had followed her home, hidden in the shadows of the hedges and the trees along the deserted private road that led to three very old houses that had once been part of three great estates. Three deserted, unoccupied estates—except for his. That had been the very reason he’d selected the big house on Heath Row as his home—no humans in the near vicinity. He’d made it virtually impossible for the realtor who was trying to sell the Halleran place to find customers, by scaring the hell out of anyone who tried to buy the place. He chuckled inwardly as he thought of the “haunting” that kept humans away from this area of Rutledge. The terrifying ghostlike beast that prowled the estate in deep night. But then along came Hallie James—thirty-four years old, recently divorced, no children, no close relatives or friends in Rutledge because she’d moved from Omaha to escape bad memories. Hallie James with her delicious scent and her green eyes flecked with gold, who had the sexiest, most delicious walk, and who worked for peanuts at Rutledge’s only after-hours cafe and pub. Oh yeah! He knew everything there was to know about her, since she’d been the human who had dared to rent the Halleran place, despite the scary rumors. She had caught his attention, and she would never know how fucking close she’d come to ending up a statistic at least five different times since she’d moved in. They would have taken her down for food. That was all she and her kind were to the large group of Lykos who worked Rutledge and a couple of farming areas nearby,

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picking off stray hitchhikers and vagrants who happened into their circle, and sometimes runaway kids looking for a place to hole up and get away from parents who wanted them to toe the line. Faces on milk cartons and store bulletin boards—lost people who would never be found. But Gar didn’t interfere unless the Lykos ventured into Rutledge township. He and Cal and Frea had wandered a damned long time before they’d settled in the small town of two thousand eight hundred souls. And Gar owed a blood debt to the old man whose house they were living in, the old man who’d saved Cal’s life, and had given the wanderers a home without any questions asked. Thomas Hale had owned most of Rutledge when it was just a farming community. He’d lived in the town for all of his ninety-eight years, and had outlived his wife and all twelve of their kids. He’d taken in three homeless vagabonds, asking no questions, giving them food, shelter and his trust. The first human to have ever given Gar anything but pain and grief. In exchange for his help and kindness, the Seronta Clan had sworn an oath among themselves to protect Thomas Hale and his beloved town, and for the past thirty years since his death, they had continued to keep that oath. Gar had kept his clan separate from the humans of Rutledge, but he mingled with them from time to time to purchase essentials and to maintain legalities. He could mask his true form with an aging illusion so that no one would ask questions, such as why he never seemed to age. Cal wasn’t easily able to manage that kind of magik yet, so Gar kept him away from the humans except when absolutely necessary. Frea had found a mate three years ago, as she had come into her maturity, and instead of staying as matriarch she had chosen to join her mate’s larger clan, where she had a wider choice of males to service her needs. She came to check on them now and again, but she didn’t like to remain away from her new clan for long periods, so they saw her less and less. It had grown lonely over the years. And Cal? Yeah, he was going to have to take Cal and find him a mate sooner than he had thought. The kid was eyeballing human females too damned much lately, and 12

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he didn’t want to have the kid burst into adulthood and go berserk, fucking everything with a skirt in Rutledge. That would make some folks damned unhappy. And the kid had started looking in Hallie James’ direction the last couple of months, which didn’t sit well with Gar. Hallie James was special. He’d sensed it from the first time he’d seen her. And Cal would not get a fucking chance to seek first claim to her. As he gazed across the room at the human, he fought the blinding need to leap across the short distance and take her right there on the damn carpet, tear her wet clothes off and lick the milk from her skin. Lick every inch of her sweetly scented flesh, bury his cock in her succulent body as he buried his teeth in her shoulder to take a taste of her delicious life-spark. And that thought gave him a fucking hard-on from hell. He calmed his urges quickly, because the last thing he needed now was to give her another burst of his pheromones. She shouldn’t even be able to smell his musk. He hadn’t expected her to respond. Only others of his kind should be able to recognize his musk. He usually stayed far away from humans unless it was impossible. And when he had gotten close to her, he hadn’t intended to react so damn physically to her. When he had seen her paralyzed with fear of his dog, he had approached the fence, and her hot, sweet scent so very close to him had damn near undone him! When he’d spoken to her, and she had collapsed, he’d lightly leapt over the fence and had almost succumbed to the feral need to claim the human, to carry her into the woods and take her again and again until his raging hunger was sated. Carrying her into the house had taxed his willpower more than he cared to admit. And now, as she was coming out of her pheromone trance and she stirred the air with her mouthwatering perfume, he was once again having trouble protecting her from his lust! Where the fuck was Cal?

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Hallie shifted nervously on the damp sofa, hoping she wasn’t ruining the antique brocade with the milk. Reaching for another towel, she pressed it gently onto the material, sopping up what drops had managed to hit it. She certainly hoped the kid came back so she could get the hell out of there. Being in the same room with that man was sending her pulse rocketing and her pussy clenching again! Whatever his cologne was, it was more than a sane woman could handle. She was getting lightheaded again. “Um, look, I think I’ll just take my bags and go on now.” She chewed her bottom lip. “I hate to be a nuisance, and I’m afraid I’m ruining your sofa.” She got up and dabbed her chest with the towel again. Her damn blouse was plastered to her like a second skin. “I really have to get home.” She glanced around a bit wildly, and edged toward the archway where she was certain she would find the exit. She had to get out of there! The golden-eyed man rose slowly from the armchair and looked as if he were about to move toward her. With a little breathless laugh, she held up her hand and said “I can find my way out. Just have Cal drop my groceries off after he gets back with your…um…dog.” And without another word she whirled and moved faster than she’d ever moved in her life, hopefully toward the front door. She darted like a scared rabbit!

It was too fucking much for him to handle. If the idiot human had simply walked normally, his instinctive need to run her to ground would never have kicked in. Gar didn’t even think. He was after her in one, two easy leaps over the furniture, dragging her down and pinning her to the carpet, his body aching with need as she gave a yelp of fright and shock as he flipped her over. “Hallie, never run from a predator—it makes them unpredictable,” he grated, and his mouth came down on hers hard and fast, wet and hot as his tongue drove between her lips. She wriggled under his weight, and her hips bounced against his raging cock. “Hallie, baby, please stop! While I still have some control,” he breathed raggedly into 14

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her open mouth, filling her senses with his scent, while he held himself in tight, painful check. He had lunged after her and she hadn’t even gotten two steps before he had dragged her down like a cheetah taking down a gazelle. But the terror his action had created in her was melting fast into a damned hot, horny haze that made him want to tear her clothes off and molest her. The feel of her body crushed beneath his on the carpet of the entry hall was totally erotic, and then she blew him away when she lifted her head to devour his mouth hungrily, sweeping her own tongue against his with a whimper of lust. Whoa! Those damn pheromones again! “You know my name?” she whispered throatily into his hot mouth. “Who the hell are you?” “Gar,” he rasped, his arms clamping hard around her as he dragged her up from the floor and shoved her back into the corner beside the cheval mirror, upsetting the antique Louis lamp, sending it crashing to the marble tiles. “Hallie, please. Stop me before I lose it totally!” “What the hell is happening, Gar?” she whimpered helplessly against his lips. “I can’t stop.” Her hands slid up under his shirt to move hungrily over his shuddering muscles. He fought for control but lost the battle as she bit his neck and a shudder of heat ran through him. “Nothing is wrong! You’re just…responding…to my…pheromones.” His voice was a panting rasp in his throat, and his claws extended just enough to slice through her wet blouse, bra and jeans, before retracting to keep from drawing blood. “My clothes!” she yelped. “You ruined my fucking clothes!” “I’ll buy you replacements,” he growled, and his voice seemed to be coming from deep in his chest. His own shirt was gone just as quickly. He shoved her bare back into the cold wall and his hand reached between their bodies to tear open his fly. She groaned and wrapped her arms tight around his neck, 15

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her teeth sinking hard into his solid, heavily muscled shoulder as he drove his thick, steel-hard cock deep into her weeping pussy with one hard, powerful thrust of his hips. His breath hissed in through his teeth. Gar reveled in the pain, the ravening pleasure, and he licked her throat, running his teeth along the delicate veins. He wanted her blood. Burned to taste her. It must be precise, or he would kill her. He felt his fangs lengthen, felt her writhing to his deep, hard thrusts, felt her blood rushing through her veins as he chose the perfect spot, and sank his fangs into the muscle of her neck between her ear and her shoulder. Hallie screamed, in pain and then in pleasure as she orgasmed wildly, her body throbbing with a life all its own as he seemed to grow even larger, longer, driving deeper into her. He snarled against her skin, and then his fangs retracted and his tongue swirled and sucked at the punctured flesh, lapping at her hot blood as he tasted her life spark. He moved wildly, taking her hard, hot, voraciously. She tasted delicious! He gasped as he suddenly realized that she had taken his blood as well! Her hot little tongue darted over the torn skin on his neck where she had drawn his life-spark. Gar pounded into her succulent body like a wild thing, reveling in the clenching of her sheath around his cock as she climaxed and clawed at his back and chest in the throes of her orgasm. She was utterly adorable, overwhelmingly passionate, and he was so fucking close, so hot, rising, throbbing…and then he was in the shattering throes of his own climax, burying his cock to its root and feeling his hot seed exploding into her, filling her. Claiming her. The woman seemed horrified that she was doing this in the entryway of a stranger’s house. Horrified that she had bitten him and drawn blood. Horrified that he had bitten her! And as he leaned heavily into the corner, pressing her body into the wall, his cock still buried deep inside her, she squeaked breathlessly, “You bit me!” Gar gave a slow thrust of his hips, felt her arch and heard her whimper. “You bit me first,” his purring voice rumbled against her throat as he ran his mouth adoringly over the human’s sweetly scented flesh.

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Gar was amazed. And pleased. And terrified. She had tasted his blood. She had taken his seed. And she had somehow taken his will to escape her. He wanted nothing more than to give her pleasure, to take pleasure from her, and to keep her with him. She had accepted him as her mate. Whether she knew that or not, she was bound, as was he, by the ritual. Now all he had to do was make sure she didn’t try to escape him before he had completed the bonding.

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Chapter Two Hallie clung to the golden-eyed man whose name was Gar, her body unbelievably still craving the feel of his cock buried to its root in her. What the hell was wrong with her? Why was she acting like a wild nympho ho? She’d never acted this way in her whole life, and then, suddenly, a man had come out of nowhere and she was behaving like something out of the wild kingdom! Gaaah! And for Pete’s sake, she wasn’t using any kind of birth control! Oh, shit, shit, shit! Was she completely stupid, or simply temporarily deranged? Probably both. She had been praying that the missing Cal would arrive, but now she was praying that he didn’t interrupt. And damn! What would the kid think if he walked in on the two of them humping mindlessly against the damn wall like a pair of alley cats? He would likely be shocked out of his youthful mind. “Um, Gar. That’s your name, right?” She licked her lips and groaned as he squeezed her ass and nibbled her throat again, right over the place he’d bitten her. “Gar, we really…shouldn’t be…doing this…in the entryway.” Her voice was a whimper. “What if Cal walks in on us?” He murmured huskily against the skin of her shoulder, “He’s still looking for Tigger.” She ran her nails over his hard flat nipples as he caught her lips and nibbled, licked, then sucked her tongue into his mouth as if he couldn’t get enough of her. “Mmmph— Gar?” She dragged her mouth away and panted to regain her brain power. “I want you again,” he growled, licking the perspiration from her temple. “You sort of…still have me.” She sucked a breath in through her teeth as he flexed into her again. “And this wall is very uncomfortable!”

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He moved out of the corner, and she gave a little sigh of relief. He was still buried deep inside her. She couldn’t imagine him not being inside her. He held her easily with his hands, and flexed, and she closed her eyes, feeling his cock sliding against her deliciously swollen G-spot and over her hard little nub. She listened to the sound of her own quick breaths as she wrapped her arms around his neck and nibbled his jaw with little mewling sounds of pleasure. Her captor started moving slowly up the curved staircase to the second level, still clutching her body against his, still buried inside her. Hallie was oblivious to everything except his body, his mouth, his scent—that heady, delicious scent that rose from his skin with enough power to leave her mindless with desire. How could any man covered with a sheen of slick sweat from the exertion of making love smell so damned delectable? She wanted to eat him! And she almost had. She couldn’t believe she’d bitten him hard enough to draw blood. Which reminded her that he had bitten her too, and then he’d licked up her blood like a damn vampire! Hazy images flitted through her mind as he carried her up the stairs. Sandwiched between the need to fuck his brains out and her fear of what she was doing with a complete stranger came odd flickers of memories that were not hers. Memories of faces she’d never seen, of animals snarling and hissing. Big animals. A huge golden leopard with lush, dark-patterned spots—a whole bevy of leopards! And one of the leopards said in a quiet voice, “Khan killed Kara—we need to run!” She was sinking into something decadently soft, lush satin and puffy cushioning—a comforter. He was lifting her legs up over his shoulders, those massive, delicious shoulders, his cock driving hard and deep at an angle that blew her mind. Sweet mother of mercy! Her orgasm was enough to splinter her thoughts into a billion shards of hot, scintillating pleasure—pleasure so deep and lengthy, she thought she might have died and gone to heaven.

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And his warm-honey voice whispered against her skin that he wanted her to roll onto her hands and knees. She obeyed mindlessly, and he was inside her again, somehow harder, deeper, thicker, if that was at all possible. More memories flooded her. Golden-yellow cat’s eyes—no, not a cat, a huge black leopard! The rasp of a hot, rough tongue against her fur, the feel of fangs wickedly dragging with menacing slowness over her shoulder and the side of her throat, the hot tongue tracing her throbbing veins, aching to taste her blood, to clamp hard and hot on her neck and end her life. The feel of the huge cat on her back, surrounding her, pressed up against her, taking her, and she gave a scream of pain as fangs tore at her throat. Gar stopped moving, staring at her as she writhed in pain and terror beneath him. He caught her against him, rolling to one side, spooning his body around hers protectively, and pressed his forehead to her back, seeking what had gone through her mind. Sweet goddess! Kara! Don’t try to fight him! Run, Kara! No! Nooo… He drew back, his pulse pounding in agony as he realized what she was seeing, feeling, were Kara’s last moments of life. He couldn’t withdraw from her body to comfort her. He had to remain inside her until he ejaculated again to complete the bond, but he had to give her something to calm her. He scraped his fang along his wrist, and extended it to touch her mouth. His blood bore large amounts of pheromones during sex-play, and she had nearly been drunk with it earlier. Hallie felt his skin against her lips, tasted the hot flavor of his blood. Her tongue slipped out to lick. Her thoughts became less hectic. She was alive. There was no huge black cat humping her, no fangs tearing at her throat. Oooh God! How could any man feel so fucking good? Taste so decadent? Even his blood! She sucked the cut on his wrist, needing more, wanting more, and he began to thrust again, deep and hard, panting against her nape as she exploded with yet another mind-bending orgasm, feeling his heated explosion inside her body as he joined her.

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Gar sensed what was happening but he couldn’t wrap his mind around it. Couldn’t believe it was possible! The leopard scent he couldn’t resist coming from the human. The way she could smell his pheromones. The way she had instinctively taken his blood. He calmed his thoughts and his body with difficulty. The human was his physical mate, but could she also possibly be…his soul mate? Kara? The one true mate who would be with him eternally? Who had died so brutally so long ago? He had thought her lost to him, destroyed because she’d refused the courtship of Prince Khan of the Seronta Clan. That had been so long ago, but he remembered it as if it had happened yesterday. Kara, I love you, but I do not have the strength to defeat Khan! Not yet! I don’t want Khan, I want you. He may be of the royal line, but I will not take him as my alpha mate. I am free to choose! You are the mate I want in my life. I hate Khan. He wants only my status as alpha female when my mother is gone. To breed with me brings him higher status. If you choose me, he will challenge your choice. The law gives him the right. I have no royal blood. If you refuse him, he will challenge your choice, to the death, and I don’t have the strength yet to take the challenge for you! I don’t care. I would rather die than have him touch me! Never say that! You need to mate soon. Your time is near. He is the clan’s only remaining prince, and can ask for you. Perhaps I can be one of your consorts. You’re strong. You can survive a mating that is not your choice. When I’m strong enough, I’ll challenge him for you— when I can kill him. You would walk away, let him have me? You said you loved me! We can leave together. I can run as fast as any! Cal and Frea are fast too. Khan could never catch us if we left now. He will forget me once I am no longer alpha female here! With the younger ones we can rebuild. Perhaps they will choose to mate. If not, I will take both of you and we’ll find a harem for Frea. There are always lone males looking for mates. You will be my alpha, Gar. Gar hugged the woman close against his trembling body. He licked her shoulder. He placed one large palm over her heart, drawing her back into his own heart. The

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familiar deep hum of attuned senses made him weak with joy. Kara! But he knew that, although his little human carried Kara’s spirit and heart, she was still an entirely new, entirely different creature. Her body was Hallie. And although he had loved Kara, he had never tasted the delights of the mating ritual with her. Had never felt the deep, aching need, the stunning pleasure of joining with her body, their bodies moving in heated union. Now it was Hallie’s sweet body that was giving him that delight. In his mind, he gently renamed his soul mate Hallara, in honor of the one he’d loved and lost, and the one who held him captive now with her delicious, delectable body. And the heart under his hand leaped and pounded faster, as if she knew and accepted his thoughts. He placed his lips next to Hallie’s ear, against the sweat-damp curls at her cheek, and he whispered in his soul-voice, You are mine, Hallara. You have become a part of me, and I a part of you. Give yourself to me now to seal our life bond, give me your body and your life to care for as I would care for my own, give me pleasure and take pleasure from me, for we are one. Hallara? Had he just called her Hallara? So weird. But it sounded so right. Hallie felt his words, felt the hum of her senses reaching out to his. Wow! What a frigging rush! It felt as if he was inside her, inside her head, inside her arms and legs and body, as if he were melded tight into her DNA. A wave of need hit her like a bolt of white-hot lightning—lust, pure and delicious and unstoppable. She twisted in his arms, and without a word she grabbed his shoulders and shoved him over onto his back on the rumpled satin comforter. Hers. He was hers! She pinned him to the bed and straddled his rippling abs, and the need to take control of their joining was too desperate to resist as she bent to take his mouth savagely. A growl rose in her throat as she bit his lip, drank in his tongue, ravaged his mouth like a starving animal. Her body was trembling with pent-up need. She shoved up and stared down into his rapt face. He was waiting for her, waiting for her to claim him.

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He seemed to know she would take him hard, viciously, violently, and he wanted the pain, the glory, the joining. He watched her face as she stared at his throbbing veins, licked her lips hungrily as she chose the one she wanted. She was turning, changing. The blood exchange had made her strong, and he wanted her to subjugate him to her will. Wanted it desperately! He hissed as she lifted her body and caught his cock in one hand, feeding it into her hot, so wet pussy, groaned and cried out as she surged downward hard, fast, before she fell on him and her teeth sought his shoulder. He felt fangs piercing his flesh, clamping hard into his hot muscle, locking her to him as she bucked on him with a delicious determination to possess him, body and soul. He tried to grab her, but her hands held his arms splayed out on the bed. He was helpless to resist her once she hit the bonding stage—she was far stronger than he! He snarled and licked her cheek, desperate to taste her. Her snarl of total possession ripped from her throat. Blood seeped from under her lips. She sucked hard. Her pussy clenched, pumping, milking his cock, to take her pleasure from him as he lay helpless to stop her, helpless to keep her from draining him and killing him. He wanted her to take from him, to grow strong and join with him completely. But if she didn’t stop— Hallie was insatiable! She heard his thoughts reverberating inside her head as she ravished him—him urging her to slow her bloodlust, to take her pleasure, but to leave him alive to pleasure her another day. She was holding him down! Hallie James was holding a man twice her size down, controlling his body beneath hers. Wicked! Another voice whispered in her mind, a female voice, telling her to take her time, to take her pleasure, to claim her mate. She lifted her head from his skin and stared in horror at the damage she’d done with her teeth. Her teeth? Sweet Jesus! She had fangs! Was she turning into some kind of kinky, horny vampire? She released his wrists and reached to feel her teeth. No, they were back to normal. And then his hands were on her breasts, her belly, teasing her

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clitoris as she humped him madly. Okay, so she wouldn’t grab his hands again—she liked what they were doing. He was panting raggedly, his body straining up to hers with each downward plunge, and she ran her nails over his nipples, feeling the shudder of ecstasy beneath her surging pussy. Oh, he felt sublime! She arched and whimpered with bliss as she rode him hard, fast, hot. His face was contorted with pleasure as he arched upward and gave a deep, throaty cry of release, and still she rode him. Seeking her own pleasure, seeking her own fulfillment. His voice was a rasp of need as he hissed, “I want your nipples so fucking bad!” She leaned forward, offering him her bouncing breasts as she continued to ride him wildly. He caught her full breasts in his palms and lifted his head up to capture one puffy, pearled nipple, then the other, sucking hard and tugging each one into his mouth as if he were starving. The deep, delicious tingling that his mouth gave her threaded through her belly, drove her mad with the delight and, with a feral scream of release, Hallie stiffened and plunged downward, taking her pleasure hard and deep.

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Chapter Three She lay on his sweat-slicked body, panting and licking his skin, nuzzling her face against his throat. Inhaling his heady scent. She rasped, “I can’t believe I actually bit you like that!” Her lips traced the healed marks that were torn and bleeding just moments ago. “Dear God! I must be losing my mind. I feel so…weird!” Gar was fighting for breath. She had drained him of every drop of his seed. She had claimed him, completely and irrevocably. They were bonded for life, and hopefully that life would be long and fulfilling. He lifted his hand to caress her face and ran a thumb gently over her bloody lips. “It didn’t hurt. It was…incredibly arousing.” She stared into his face and whispered huskily, “Why do I feel as if I know you?” He pulled her face down to kiss her, gently at first, then in a heated tangle of hot tongues and desire. “I can’t get enough of you,” he growled. Hallie drew back, her eyes moving over his face, and she breathed shakily. “I want to do something to you but I’m not sure you’ll like it.” He smiled. She wanted to subjugate him, and he would allow it. He would revel in it. No matter what she did to his body, he would accept her wishes. “Is it kinky?” She blushed warmly. “Yep, kinky to the max.” My body is all yours, Hallara. I am yours to do with as you wish. “Roll over onto your hands and knees,” she breathed. As he obeyed, she shoved his massively muscled thighs wide apart, and reached under him to pull his cock downward, to where it was visible between his legs, draped softly by his heavy sac. He closed his eyes and shivered with anticipation. When her fingers slid between his taut butt cheeks, and her fingertip traced over his anal rosette, he inhaled sharply and bit the pillow hard. And then he felt her hot tongue slip over his

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ass, delving, seeking, tasting, and he snarled in pleasure as she slipped the tip of one of her slim fingers into his ass. He came almost instantly but she controlled him, squeezing the head of his cock hard to stifle his ejaculation, holding him where he knelt. His cum seeped through her fingers, filling her hand. She was strong! And he loved her ability to control his size and strength. When her other hand slid to the base of his cock, he groaned and hissed and writhed, wanting, needing—oh gods! Please don’t stop!

Hallie leaned down and licked his ass cheeks then bit them, reveling in the power, the sexy way he gasped and begged her to keep going. And then she realized that he hadn’t spoken at all. She had heard his thoughts! Groovy! She released his cock tip, and heard him hiss and snarl into the pillow as he sagged to the bed. She slid her finger from his tight sphincter to reach for his balls. He groaned as she cupped then squeezed his sac—hard. He gave a shout of pleasure and jerked back onto his hands and knees as she drove her cum-soaked fingers deep into his ass, feeling for the sensitive swelling that was his prostrate, instinctively knowing he would feel deep pleasure if she massaged it. He was trembling like a leaf as she hissed and bit that muscular ass hard, once more drawing blood, and then licking his hot blood off his delectable skin. Sliding her hand from his sac to his shaft, she began stroking his cock hard and fast as she found his sensitive gland and worked it with her fingertips. She felt him practically launch himself off the bed with a savage, snarling orgasm that made her hot just seeing it. He collapsed onto his face beneath her, panting like a cat, short and hard. What should I do to you now, my slave? Shall I take you with my mouth? Do you have the courage to let me suck on your cock, and not bite it off you? Her words sounded like a breath of wind in her mind.

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He rolled onto his back, and she ran her palms over his marvelous body. “If you choose to take off what you enjoy so much, I give it freely. But you may miss it,” his voice rasped with deep laughter. Hallie shook her head. Had she just spoken to him mentally? Because she hadn’t spoken aloud! Even groovier! She arched and rolled onto her back, and spread her thighs wide. “You lick mine, and I’ll lick yours—and I promise not to bite it off you.” He obeyed without hesitation, straddling her head and lowering his hot mouth to her pussy, spreading her wet folds with his lean fingers as he licked, laved, swirled and sucked her clitoris into his hungry mouth with a growl of pleasure. And when she took him into her sweet mouth, he shuddered with pleasure. She sucked, stroked, cupped, circled and squeezed, driving him to a lather of passion as he reciprocated, his mouth hot and ravenous on her pussy. Then suddenly he lifted his mouth and gasped, “Hallara! I can’t hold my shape! I’m gonna lose it! I can’t stop my shift!” Hallie blinked, and inside her thoughts she instantly understood what he meant by “shift”. She had heard his thoughts, seen his fear, and she scooted quickly up the bed to the headboard just as the man she had been making hot love to seemed to explode in all directions. She scrambled from the bed and darted behind a chair that stood by the window, and her heart hammered hard against her ribs as the delicious golden-eyed man who had been giving her incredible orgasms flashed like a frigging neon light and turned into a huge, fucking black…cat! The memory of the cat that had torn her throat out washed over her, and she whimpered in terror. She cringed behind the chair, staring into a pair of incredibly familiar golden eyes. And the giant black leopard lolled his long, raspy tongue out the side of his mouth and panted, then sort of whined deep in his throat. She blinked as the huge animal rolled onto its back and gave a purring growl of pleasure. Gar? Oh my God! Had she truly been having mind-blowing sex with that?

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She shook her head. Of course not! He had been a man. Then she watched as the cat rolled up and shook all over, and hopped lithely from the rumpled bed, padding slowly toward where she hid behind the chair, the totally inadequate chair that the creature could easily bite in half with one nip! The animal closed his eyes and sniffed, and purred with an odd, deep Hunh runh hunh runh. She knew then that he wasn’t going to hurt her. She rose slowly from her crouch and bit her lower lip as the great cat rubbed his sleek, amazingly soft fur against her thigh, and gave a long, hot lick to her butt cheek as he padded past her and slid to the carpet a few feet away, rolling playfully onto his back and purring again. She stared at him in amazement then whispered, “O-kay, so I won’t put my fingers in your ass again.” Gar laughed deep in his chest. It felt so fucking good to be himself for a while. It had cost him far more that he had thought to maintain his human shape while having mind-bending sex. But he liked having sex in human form. It was so much more varied and far more enjoyable. In his cat form there was only one way to take his mate, and he rather enjoyed the versatility of his human half. In this form, he could be playful. His cat side loved to play! He pawed the air in invitation, and his small, delectably naked mate dropped her to knees and ran one small hand over his fur, smiling with pleasure at the feel of his coat. I love having my belly scratched. Hallie laughed and shook her head. “If I do that, you’re not gonna try to hump me while you’re like that, I hope.” As long as you keep your hands away from my cock. She obeyed his request, and he arched and purred harder. “So, what exactly are you, Gar?” Hard to explain. “Try.”

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I’m what is called a shifter. I am human—and animal. I was born human, shifted to leopard a few years before I went into puberty. Our life spans run differently from those of humans. I went into puberty at what in human years would be age thirty-six. Spent a few years running on four legs then found the magik to make the shift back and forth at will. Hallie drew a deep, incredulous breath. “Why can I hear you thinking? And why did I have that horrific urge to bite you and devour you?” Gar gently rolled over and sat up. You aren’t completely human yourself, Hallie. She stared at him in shock. “I’ll have you know both my folks were real, honest-togoodness humans! And my grandparents were too! What do you mean, I’m not completely human?” How do you feel when I am close to you? She licked her lips. “Dizzy—excited—um, horny.” Only a leopard shifter can smell the pheromones from another leopard. You get dizzy and a little high, and very excited. Excited enough to want to bite. Hallie made a grimace of distaste. “I bit your ass!” And I loved it. She stared at him in shock. “And you bit my neck! Did you make me into a vampire?” Blood exchanges are common among the clans when mating. “Whoa! What d’ya mean, mating?” Her eyes were huge. “Like really mating, like…getting married or something?” He could hear her heart pounding wildly. “You didn’t just go and hogtie me, did you? No fucking way! I just got out of one bad relationship, and now I’m stuck with some…some huge— No way!” Gar sighed deeply. The mate you had was not your soul mate, Hallara. This time will be far different. I will protect you, care for you. I would die for you. She paced jerkily across the room before whirling to glare at the huge cat. “You didn’t even ask if I wanted to do something like that!” Her voice was angry and

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shaking. “Is that the way you…you people do things? Just kidnap someone and trick her with your, um, phero-stuff, and…and—” She stormed to a breathless stop as he rose from the carpet and padded toward her. “Okay, don’t eat me. I’m shutting up!” She backed away, her hands out like shields. If you recall, we were “eating” each other when I lost the ability to remain human. And I would dearly like to try that again, as soon as I can shift back. But for right now, you need to accept that I have become a part of you, and you are a part of me. You have taken my essence— blood and seed—into your body, and you are slowly but surely becoming exactly what I am. It’s only a matter of time. You hold the heart and soul of a leopard. Your body is human, but you are leopard too. When you took my blood the second time, did you not feel your fangs shifting? When you accepted my invitation to subjugate me to your will, did you not instantly do so? Look inward, Hallara. You will see. Hallie swallowed hard, and shivered as the huge cat pressed his head into her stomach and licked her thigh with that long, raspy tongue. “You just fucking weirded me out! And you think a little tongue is gonna make me forgive you?” Gar chuckled again, the sound coming from his throat as a rolling grunt. He wrapped one paw around her waist and gently rolled her onto the carpet, his claws retracted carefully as she gave a little yelp of shock and shoved at him. Relax. I’m not planning to introduce you to cat sex. I greatly prefer sex as a human. I want you to close your eyes and look inward, seek your inner animal, relax. Hallie swallowed hard, and allowed the weight of that huge paw to press her back into the lush carpet. She reluctantly obeyed, forcing her thoughts to turn inward as her body drooped into a state of utter relaxation. She was surprised how easily she managed that, considering that a great big cat was holding her to the frigging rug. She listened to his raspy breath and felt the warm heat of his shoulder resting against hers as she tried to picture herself as a…cat.

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You are mine, Kara. I chose you as mate by royal right, yet you dare refuse me? Then by right I challenge your choice. You are willing to face death to remain with your young lover? He is not my lover, Khan, he is my soul mate. I understand the honor you have bestowed in choosing me but I must refuse. It is entirely my choice. Then you have only one choice. Fight for your choice little traitor. Fight me and die. No. Wait! I will give you your freedom, if you can make it to the forest before I kill you. He was going to give her the chance to run? He was right. If she chose to fight, she would die instantly. Without questioning his sudden change of heart, she whirled and leapt toward the safety of the trees. He let her get halfway there before releasing his fury in a blinding burst of speed she would never have believed any male capable of. She saw the terror in the eyes of the clan as Khan leapt after her. She saw Gar, watched the horror in his golden eyes as the heavy weight of the huge male behind her slammed into her, felt the powerful body surrounding hers, felt the bite of long claws pinning her beneath him as she spat and clawed for her freedom. Once again she felt the heat of that mouth, felt the drag of fangs as he toyed with her, felt his phallus prodding to gain entry as he positioned her for mating, and she hissed in fury, I would rather die than accept you as my mate! Then you shall die. The voice was the last thing she heard before his huge jaws crushed her spine. She fought to sit up, but a hand held her flat to the carpet. She screamed and struggled, and then realized that the huge cat was once again a man, stretched out with his upper body pinning her to the floor gently as he stroked her wet hair back from her face. “I-I was a leopard! And this humongous other black one killed me! How can it be anything but a dream? I’m right here!” she gasped, her body shaking with reaction. “You didn’t die, Hallie. Kara died. She died rather than accept Khan as her mate.” His voice was low and intense. “You somehow have Kara’s heart, her soul, inside your human body. You are seeing these things through her eyes.”

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Chapter Four Hallie stared up into that too-handsome face with his stunning golden eyes, and she saw something, some emotion deep in his gaze. “Who was this Kara?” He swallowed hard and frowned. Wow! A visible emotion! She shoved at his chest and was completely surprised that he allowed her to move him off her so she could sit up. “Was this person someone special to you?” Another deep frown. Searching her eyes. Looking for something. When he finally spoke, his voice was numb. “Kara was my soul mate. We never joined. Khan robbed us of that, but somehow, she came back to me in you, Hallara.” Hallie realized his meaning, and it felt as if a huge fist had slammed her in the gut. That was the reason for this wild monkey sex? She was not someone special, she was a…what could you call it? A recycled soul? All this had been because she was supposedly his soul mate. Woman. Cat—whatever! She launched herself from the floor with a snarl that shocked even her! “Sorry, pal, but my soul is mine. I’ve had it since birth, thank you very much, and I think I would know if I was some sex kitten reincarnated!” Her eyes were furious as she glared at him. She was certainly not going to make this any easier for him! He watched her as she backed toward the bedroom door, and he shook his head slowly. “Running won’t change anything, Hallara. You must try to accept what is happening. When you change the first time, you will kill unless you are with other leopards. The desire to kill is rampant the first time you shift to leopard, and you do not want to kill anyone you know, now, do you?” “Change? Change into what? A big house cat? No way! I’m leaving now. And you destroyed my fucking clothes!” 32

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Gar rose to his feet and moved carefully toward her. “I’ll get you clothes, but you really can’t leave tonight. Tonight is critical. You saw what I become. You will change also. What if you change in front of humans? They would panic, call the police. Rutledge would be terrorized.” Hallie swallowed hard. His damned sexy scent was invading her head again. Was the jerk purposely doing that to her? Her senses reeled. She felt saliva begin to fill her mouth, and she swallowed convulsively. His sinuous, slow walk was making her feel hot, needful. And then he was pulling her into his arms, up against that totally hot rippling body. And then her body began to burn, tremors of something hot, terrifying, flooded through her. Her eyesight shifted oddly, as if her eyes had suddenly changed, and her voice tore from her throat in a…snarl, a coughing, vibrating snarl, and she screamed, but instead of a scream of terror it sounded like a cat shrieking in rage. She smelled blood, and her eyes focused on the naked male body that she was holding to the carpet, and she saw her paws, her huge, golden paws, and she saw his eyes as he smiled up into her face. My God! Had she just attacked him? Her eyes darted to his blood-smeared chest. He was bleeding from three long, deep gouges across his chest, and she silently flexed her powerful claws, the ones that were covered in his blood, and lifted the paw to lick the red mess from her claws. Serves you right, you bastard! How do you feel? How the fuck do you think I feel? I feel like a fucking big cat! I’m licking blood off my paws, for chrissake. And next, I’ll probably be licking my ass! I’ll do that for you. No you won’t! As soon as you turn me back to a human, I’m outta here, buster! This isn’t funny! So turn me back, okay? You’ve had your fun. And being covered in fur is not my idea of a great wardrobe! Some women would kill to wear leopard fur. 33

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Well this one would kill to get out of it! Get the hint? But instead of cringing in fear at her veiled threat, the naked man beneath her shifted into that huge black cat that was a lot bigger and meaner-looking than she felt, and yet he lay on his back beneath her paw, oddly allowing her to keep him pinned. You belong with me, Hallara—you are mine as I am yours. You can shift at will. It simply takes time to perfect the process. Anger, fear or sexual arousal can bring on a shift, so you must always control your moods. One shift in front of humans will be fatal. If you wish to shift back, you must simply imagine yourself as a human woman. Imagine something you want to do in human form—and concentrate. Hallie sniffed the huge black cat slowly, her sensitive nostrils suddenly able to differentiate smells that would have gone unnoticed as a human. She rose from his form and padded across the room to the huge mirror over the dressing table, and as her cat form came into view, she felt a tremor of terror then elation travel along every nerve. She was a frigging BIG cat! Kewl. She hopped easily up onto the top of the dressing table, scattering the hairbrush and combs and aftershave to the carpet, and she looked back at him where he still lay, his paws in the air, his head turned toward her, and his eyes on her. Why do I feel like I want to eat raw meat? Does this mean I won’t like coffee and croissants and bacon anymore? That thought made her sick at heart, and the idea of having to kill something to have a meal wasn’t exactly her idea of gourmet dining. You can shift and eat anything a human would eat. Or you can hunt with me and we can share a hot, fresh kill. It’s up to you. Hunting your own prey can be very exhilarating. Ugh! Sorry, but that thought is enough to make me puke. You will find such things won’t bother you after a short time. Oh God! What about my job? I sure as hell can’t show up at work like this! You have no need to keep your job, Hallara. As my mate, you will live here with us. I have accumulated a great deal of wealth over the years. No more walking to the bus. No more being forced to slap men’s hands off you while you serve them drinks. 34

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You know about that? What? You spied on me? I…observed. I was curious. I began following you at night—not to spy, but to protect you. More than once I prevented you from becoming a victim. Hallie growled low in her throat, shivering at the sound. She was downright scarysounding! What do you mean, you prevented me from… Enemies that you are unaware of, Hallara. Creatures that destroy and devour have begun to proliferate and grow powerful around us. But I am stronger. They could not harm you with my protection. Other shifters, powerful, and deadly to humans. They use humans like humans use cattle and hogs. Humans are their food source. Dear God! I have to warn people. I have to… Hallara, my mate, you must learn how to control your shifts before you can warn the humans. The humans? You mean, I’m no longer one of them? You are a leopard shifter—you were never fully one of “them”. I sensed that you were different, but I never realized that you were one of us until you came into your time. Being close to me triggered your transformation. You can live among them, as we have. But now that you have learned your true self, you will have to discipline yourself, learn to control the power within you. But you will never be simply one of them again. You will be their protector, or you will be their enemy. You will protect them, or you will prey upon them. But to survive, you must learn to control it. How do I shift back to being a woman? Is that what you truly wish to do? Yes. This form scares the hell out of me! You must picture your human form. Think of being human, think hard, concentrate. It will take practice, but you can do it. Think of seeing your human face in the mirror, Hallara, think of hands instead of paws—think of yourself. Hallie wanted nothing more than to be human again, not this—cat thing! She inhaled deeply and hoped she could manage the reverse shift. She stared at her cat face 35

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in the mirror, and fought to picture a face that had regular human teeth, no whiskers, no long, lolling pink tongue, and no fur! That was pretty difficult, confronting that scary image in the mirror, so she closed her eyes, which made it better. She squeezed her eyes shut and wanted to be rid of these damn claws, wanted to open her eyes and see a normal human woman without a fur coat! Her body burned, trembled, and she continued to think of the form she wanted. Owwww! “Open your eyes,” Gar’s voice whispered, and hands slid down from her bare shoulders to her arms. Hallie blinked at the reflection she had wanted to see. She drew a shaking breath and sagged back against his naked chest. “Thank God!” “You will be able to shift back to your leopard form when you need to, but be careful to avoid anger, because that is an instant shift trigger. So is fear. To make the shift to leopard, you need only release the inner animal.” His lips brushed her shoulder, making her shiver. “It can be accomplished in the blink of an eye. It takes more control to remain human. But remember that shifting from human to animal destroys any clothing you may be wearing. Unless you want to be naked when you shift back, you will need to make certain you have extra clothing with you in case of an accidental shift.” His golden eyes met hers in the mirror, and that was when she realized that her own eyes were no longer her familiar green. “Why are my eyes so weird?” she breathed, her thoughts numb, blinking and then opening her eyes wide to stare at them. A deep coughing laugh warmed the back of her shoulder, and his eyes swept her body in the mirror. “It isn’t just your eyes that are different, mate. Look at yourself. You are perfect!” Obeying his quiet command, she let her eyes drift down the full length of her naked body, and gave a little cry of shock. Those were absolutely not her boobs! Hers were a bit smaller, and the nipples were not that pink and ripe-looking! And her skin was…amazing! Creamy and smooth, none of those ugly stretch marks from when she’d 36

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suddenly gained those twenty extra pounds ten years back. As she stared, she realized that she was actually seeing herself as she’d been when she was about eighteen! Those extra years had camouflaged her body in adipose tissue and age-related issues, but this body… Oh. My. God! “I don’t believe this is happening!” she whispered shakily, her lips trembling. “I mean, I like looking like this, but how? I’m thirty-four freaking years old, and I look like I’m eighteen again!” Gar ran his palms down over her glorious body, and he whispered hoarsely against her ear, “I’m one hundred and twenty-six years old. We age at a different rate. Humans age faster, die of old age at the time we are barely beginning to come into our youth. Your heart and lungs and organs work a hundred times more efficiently than they did as a human. You can’t catch a cold, get the flu, or get cancer. You can’t contract venereal diseases. You recover from what humans call fatal wounds almost overnight. Look at the mark where I bit your neck—it healed almost instantly.” Hallie placed her palms on the cool glass, and leaned in to stare at the tiny scar that was all that remained of the bite mark she’d felt as he’d mated with her. Her eyes lifted to his in the mirror, and she saw his eyes dilate slightly. Her own eyes were now a deep amber gold. Like his. His cock was swelling against her ass as she leaned back against him, away from the glass. “Am I always gonna be horny like this?” she whispered, her body trembling from need as his hands slipped down to the parting of her thighs, and delved into her swollen, slick folds. “Hallara, my love…females are often so ready for sex that they require more than one male to sate them.” His voice was a rasp as he licked the back of her neck and nipped her other shoulder gently. “Unlike tigers, leopard clans often have one matriarch and sometimes up to a half-dozen males to attend her needs. But she only breeds with her mate. You already have the beginnings of your harem.” 37

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She stared at him in the mirror. “What does that mean?” Another male voice came from the open bedroom doorway, and Gar glanced back at Cal, who was gazing at them where they stood pressed together. “He means that you may wish to enjoy another male—if he can’t satisfy you.” Hallie gave a little cry of shock and pressed back against the solid male muscles behind her, trying to hide her nakedness from the younger man standing in the doorway. “But she cannot conceive young with any but her mate,” Gar breathed against her temple, his eyes resting on Cal in the mirror. Hallie stared in shocked embarrassment at the naked body of the young shifter as he stepped across the carpeting and stood beside them as they faced the glass. He. Was. Seriously. Hot! And he seemed to recognize the fact that she found his body attractive. His cock was standing at rampant attention, and her gaze dropped to it unwillingly, before jerking back up to his smooth, too-handsome face again. “I think I just hit information overload here,” she gasped, struggling to turn into Gar’s concealing embrace. “I thought Cal was supposed to find a girl of his own or something!” Gar chuckled softly, which irritated her. “Cal might someday find a mate, but until he does it is only courteous to allow him to share mine, especially while you are under the stress of the change. Cats are not strictly monogamous, but before I would ever share, I had to complete the bonding, or you might have preferred to bond with him. He is far younger, and has a great deal of eagerness to mate even if he is inexperienced.” Hallie stared at both men’s reflections in the glass, and realized that she was getting very, very horny watching both of them staring back at her. “That’s just not…right!” she whispered shakily. “Humans don’t share!” Cal inhaled deeply and glanced at Gar, who nodded to him in the mirror. The younger shifter reached out gently to run his fingertips down her arm to her hand, 38

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twining his strong fingers with hers. His quiet voice shook just a little as he said, “Would you deny me? I have not had the good fortune of finding a female to be my mate. I might never find one. I have reached my maturity. I can please you, if you will just let me try.” Hallie chewed her lower lip as Gar gave her a gentle nudge and released her. Then he was gone, and she was standing only inches from Cal, his eager erection begging for her touch. “I-I don’t know.” Cal drew her gently into his embrace, almost as if he might break her. “I need you, Hallara al Gar. I would never harm you. You will have to teach me what you want me to do, but I’ll learn quickly. You will be my first.” Hallie swallowed hard, blinking rapidly as her brain panicked. She glanced quickly around for Gar, but he had left them alone in his room, the door closed. “Um, look, Cal, no offense, but, um, I have enough trouble, ah…” Her breath caught in her throat as the young shifter leaned into her, his cock pressing suggestively into the wet curls between her thighs, rubbing slowly over her throbbing, ultrasensitive clit. Her eyes dropped shut and she gave a strange little mewl of need. Cal sought her throat with his mouth, and began to lick and suck her skin, his breathing ragged. “I will do whatever you want, if you will just let me pleasure you.” His voice was a purr of desire against her collarbone, and her pussy was aching to take him in. She groaned and hissed a breath in through her teeth. “You really have never had a woman?” “Only in my fevered dreams, but instinct tells me what to do, Hallara al Gar.” She shoved back from him and frowned. “What’s all this ‘Hallara al Gar’ stuff?” Cal licked the curve of her jaw and ran his lips over her cheek. “It is a term of respect since you have bonded with Gar. It means that he is yours as your mate.” His eyes were hot and hungry as he ran his palms down her ass to cup and stroke her butt cheeks. “Will you allow me this honor? Will you allow me this pleasure?”

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Hallie glared at him and he lowered his eyes, and then he did the oddest thing! He dropped to his knees on the carpet and buried his forehead in her stomach, his lips touching her belly as he breathed shakily, “I am yours to command, Hallara al Gar. I have been too demanding. Punish me.” A sudden hot need flushed along every vein in her body, and her hands twisted into his thick golden hair. His topaz eyes widened as she dragged him up from the carpet and jerked his mouth down to hers, forcing his lips apart with her tongue, and the deep groan of pleasure he emitted made her hotter still. She shoved him backward onto the rumpled bed, her hands spreading his arms wide. His cock was huge! Hard and thick, and she ground her pussy down on it as he dug his heels into the coverlet and thrust upward to feel her. “Gods, please…please let me…” His words were a choked rasp against her lips, and then she rose over him and grabbed his cock in her hand and guided him to her slick, hot entrance. His next sound was a deep, wailing snarl as she surged down on him, burying his shaft to its root inside her throbbing, clenching sheath. The sound of his raw pleasure set her afire. She plunged again and again, leaning down and brushing her hard nipples over his mouth, until he caught her breasts in his hands and devoured her hungrily, his mouth moving from one pouty tip to the other as he sucked her nipple deep and drove his hips up into each downward thrust of her body. Her own climax was earth-shattering. She moved on him mindlessly, her own scream echoing his shouts of exultation as he exploded inside her, and she felt his hot, strong jets of cum flood her. His incoherent words of gratitude as she fell across his throbbing body made her smile, and she ran her tongue over his massive, gorgeous chest, feeling him jerk to life again inside her. “Don’t thank me, Cal. I’m not done with you yet. You may be begging for mercy!” she growled against his sweat-slick skin just as she sat upright and leaned back, putting a wild torque to his cock as she flexed her hips, forcing his engorged glans ridge to drive against her G-spot as he threw his head back and clutched the head of the bed

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with a feral snarl of pleasure. The shift of position was amazing, and his body clenched beneath hers, his massive muscles undulating with breathless abandon as he used the headboard for leverage and began to lift her off the bed with each upward drive of his hips. She reached back to brace her hands against his muscular thighs. Cal sat up and wrapped his arms around her body tightly, burying his mouth against her throat, his teeth poised to take her blood. Her shift was so fast, she couldn’t believe that the young shifter was suddenly clasping a bundle of spitting, snarling fury in his powerful arms, and the look on his startled face was priceless! His instinctive attempt to blood-bond with her was lost in his deep yelp of shock as her claws scored four long gouges along his chest. He was off the bed and shifting to defend himself. Like her, Cal was a golden leopard with dark spots, and even though he was larger than she in her cat form, she somehow knew he was no match for her strength, and apparently so did he. He instantly rolled onto his back in a submissive posture, and she placed one paw on his heaving chest over the bloody scores, her claws still extended in warning. You wanted to bite me! No way, asshole! Once was enough as far as I’m concerned! Forgive me, Hallara al Gar! I lost control! I have never had a female before. It was instinct. But you are so—so exciting, delicious! Maddening! Try that again, and I’ll turn Gar loose on your sorry ass! The body under her claws shifted to human form again, and she knew that he was laying his life on the line. She could easily bite his throat out and kill him. His golden eyes met hers, and he whispered hoarsely, “I never dreamed it would be so amazing!” She took her claws off him, and tried very hard to picture herself as human again. Pain, burning, dizziness, a bit of disorientation. She opened her eyes and lifted her hand to stare at her bloody nails. Her gaze shifted to Cal’s sweat-beaded face. “Be damn glad you were as good at pleasing me on your first try, or I think you’d be history, kid.”

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The young shifter nodded jerkily, and his eyes slipped over her bare body hungrily. “We didn’t finish,” he panted. Hallie gave the kid a twisted grin. “You bite, and you lose that,” she nodded at his painfully erect cock. He swallowed and nodded, and his eyes grew huge as she lay back on the pillows, inviting him to slide between her welcoming thighs. It took only a moment for him to be inside her again, his thick, beautiful cock filling her completely, his mouth on hers as he devoured her, his tongue thrusting with each driving plunge of his cock into her body. Hot cream seeped from around his huge shaft as he made feral growls of pleasure deep in his chest. Hallie wrapped her arms around him. Her palms clutched his ass cheeks, dragging him closer. Oh, he felt wonderful inside her, as long and thick as Gar, but not as experienced. As she thought of the black leopard shifter, he was there, beside the bed, and he was watching Cal arching so blissfully into his mate’s writhing body. In human form, Gar was the epitome of masculine perfection. His own cock was hard, and he was gently stroking it. Hallie reached out and grabbed it, and she twisted her face away from Cal’s consuming kiss, her tongue flicking over her lips as she moaned, “I want to suck on you.” Gar moved to the side of the bed, and Cal dragged her closer to the edge to accommodate his brother as Gar knelt on the mattress, and she turned her head and pulled his cock into her hot mouth and began to suck and lick hungrily, her teeth grazing his steel-hard erection as he groaned and hissed in pleasure. Cal grew even harder inside her as she sucked on his brother’s massive cock. She whimpered and groaned as Gar clamped his palms over her bouncing breasts and gently squeezed, rolling the puffy nipples between his thumbs and forefingers. Hallie whimpered with sheer pleasure as Cal’s hands moved over her throbbing clit, while his massive cock pleasured her with deep, flexing thrusts. Gar’s cock tasted salty and the drop of pre-cum that escaped into her mouth was hot and spicy-tasting.

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She moaned and grabbed his balls, squeezing as he hissed and stiffened. Gar nodded at Cal as she stared up at him, and without speaking, Gar pulled his cock from her mouth with a soft pop, while Cal wrapped his arms around her body and sat back on his heels, dragging her into a sitting position on his lap. “What are you—” she gasped, until she felt Gar’s lean, strong fingers spreading some of her cream over her small puckered rosette with a whispered request that she relax and enjoy. “You’ll tear me apart!” she groaned, as his long finger slipped fully inside her ass, and she stiffened at the unfamiliar pressure. His brother slid to the edge of the mattress and rose to his feet, supporting her ass in his palms. Spreading her cheeks. Gar’s finger probed gently, and then two fingers entered her, and she arched and closed her eyes as Cal kissed her mouth hotly. She felt Gar’s hot breath against her nape as the shifter at her back slowly bent his legs and lifted his body upward as his cock slid slowly, gently, into her tight, throbbing ass, pausing when she gasped and stiffened, then slipping deeper as she relaxed. “Ooooh!” Her voice was a moan of pain and pleasure as she felt both cocks dueling for space inside her body. And then Gar and Cal were coordinating thrusts—as Cal would draw out for another slow, deep thrust, Gar would drive deep. The stretching, aching pleasure-pain was turning into something hot, heady, delicious, and as Gar’s hands gently pinched her nipples from behind, and Cal’s tongue drove her wild as he devoured her mouth, she lost it. With a keening cry of pleasure, she clenched hard around both cocks, shuddering and writhing as an orgasm that measured eight point five on the Richter scale overtook her. Moaning and whimpering, she could hardly breathe, and Cal wasn’t far behind her as he stiffened and exploded. Gar joined them a moment later, and his climax throbbed inside her ass for several seconds as she fought for sanity. When they pulled reluctantly out of her, it took a moment for her body to stop aching. She leaned back into Gar’s warm embrace, staring at Cal’s sweaty face, as both

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men stood there shaking, her body suspended between them. And then she smiled and whispered, “That was…completely amazing. Thanks!” She tipped her head back and accepted Gar’s deep, hungry kiss, thrilling to his tongue tangling with hers as his hands slipped over her belly and hips. And then Cal dragged her upright and kissed her, as he slowly lowered her feet to the lush carpet.

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Chapter Five Hallie awoke slowly, her body still aching pleasantly from her amazing orgy with Gar and Cal. Her thoughts returned pleasantly to the hours that had passed after they had fucked her in both ends, when the shifters had bathed her in their huge marble tub, and had massaged her seductively with scented oils, while each took turns lying between her spread thighs, licking, sucking and lapping at her sore, throbbing pussy. She had never thought herself to be multiorgasmic until now. Gar’s saliva had taken away the soreness, as he had driven his long, talented tongue into her wet pussy, dipping into her tender sheath that throbbed from their tandem fucking earlier. Not only had the soreness vanished, but she had experienced several earthshaking orgasms, and had thought she might die of pleasure. Cal’s saliva had eased the burning soreness that Gar’s cock had created when he had taken her anally. At first, she had protested when he had spread her cheeks gently and run his long tongue over her stretched, raw anus, dipping gently into her and licking the tender tissues until the pain had disappeared. She had writhed beneath his gentle ministrations, until his fingertips had gently spread her pussy lips and had teased her clitoris sweetly until she convulsed in another series of amazing orgasms. Now she had a hazy idea of why cats licked their butts—it was medicinal. She had fallen asleep sandwiched between their hot, sleek bodies, her bottom pressed warmly into Cal’s swollen groin as the younger shifter spooned around her, and her head resting on Gar’s heavily muscled chest. His slow, even heartbeat had finally lulled her to sleep. She stretched and yawned, and sat up slowly, looking around the luxurious room they had all shared last night. She scratched her head and rolled out of bed, and padded into the huge bathroom to use the toilet and run cold water into her hands to splash

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over her face. The mess from her bath was tidied up. Fresh towels were on the racks. She padded back into the bedroom and saw that the evidence of their nightlong orgy was cleaned away, and a pile of boxes sat on the desk beside the bedroom door. Curious, she stepped over to the desk and opened one box to find new clothes. As she tore into the pile of boxes, she realized with pleasure that Gar had been as good as his word. He had replaced the clothes he had destroyed. And how! Her purse was there, with all her money and cards intact. She found silky underwear, pseudo-designer slacks from the only nice department store in Rutledge, shoes, and soft silk blouses. She dressed in a beautiful aqua-blue ensemble and took the brand-new toothbrush and hairbrush into the bathroom to finish her toilette. Then she left the bedroom to explore. The place seemed to be abandoned. She called out their names as she went from room to amazing room, but she was alone in the huge old house. Irritation replaced her euphoria after an hour of exploring the immaculate kitchen, gorgeous rec room, several beautiful bedrooms, each with its own bath, and a well-stocked library. She gave a sigh of frustration and headed back upstairs to get her purse, and head home. She frowned. They were gone. No note. No “thanks”. No nothing. And after they had given her the most amazing night of her life. Men! Or were they? She found it very hard to believe the shocking happenings of the prior night in the cool, cheery light of a bright day. Had they really been leopards? Had she? She stared at her face in the mirror and swallowed hard. The eighteen-year-old face stared back at her. But where were they this morning? She drew a shivery breath and shrugged. It was probably best if she went on home. If Gar wanted to talk to her, he knew where he could find her.

***** The walk up the hill was amazingly easy. Even carrying the armload of boxes from the bedroom and her heavy purse, she found that she could walk extremely fast, and she even ran the last block to the sagging gate that led to the old Halleran place. There

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was something to be said for being eighteen again, even if she couldn’t quite believe what Gar had told her. Even if she couldn’t quite believe what she’d witnessed last night. If it hadn’t been some wild dream, that is. She unlocked the old door and carried her things inside, shoving the door closed behind her as she moved into the dank entry hall. The smell of mildewed wallpaper and rotting timber hadn’t been so strong before, had it? Or were her nostrils simply so damned sensitive now? Scents assaulted her that she hadn’t noticed earlier, and the smell of decaying flesh reached her nostrils. She made a face and set her boxes down carefully, following the rancid scent into the kitchen until she found the source—a dead mouse in a trap. She picked up the foul thing and dropped it into the incinerator out in the backyard, and then opened up all the windows to air out the house. She took her boxes up to her bedroom and tossed them onto her narrow bed. She glanced around at the sadly dilapidated room that certainly once had been as luxurious as the one she’d spent last night in, except that it had been allowed to simply fall into ruin. No one to care for it and fix it up. Such a damn shame, really. Her keener vision picked out the faded colors in the old, tattered wallpaper, and the beauty of the turn of the century beveled glass windows over the arched doorway. The cracked and unpolished cornices and the faded, chipped wainscoting. This old house needed a loving, rich owner. Someone who had the cash to bring it back to its original beauty. She sighed. That was not going to happen. Not with the economy the way it was. Someone would buy the place, tear it apart inside, and refurbish it in a modern fashion. Nobody cared for antique beauty anymore. She turned her head quickly at the soft sound of a footstep on the stair. Who was in her house? She moved so swiftly and silently, she could barely recognize her own movements as she slid into the shadows behind the partially opened bedroom door, and listened to the stealthy feet climbing the worn carpeting of her stairs. Normally, the thought of a stranger coming into her house without invitation would have terrified

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her. She would have been in a dither, calling 9-1-1 on her cell phone. But instead she waited calmly, her body coiled in a slight crouch, her senses keyed to a fever pitch, waiting for the intruder! “Hallara al Gar? Please don’t attack me. I’m just bringing your groceries.” Cal’s quiet voice made her smile ruefully, almost disappointed that it wasn’t a burglar. “You could have knocked, you know.” She stepped out of the room and he stopped at the top of the stairs, his arms full of plastic bags. “And the kitchen is downstairs, not up here.” His topaz eyes slid down over her new clothes, and he inhaled deeply, his shoulders rising and his chest expanding as he ran his tongue over his lower lip. Hallie knew what he was hoping for. He lowered the bags to the worn carpet of the hallway, and wiped his damp palms on the thighs of his jeans. “I-I wondered if maybe…” “Go put my groceries in the kitchen and fridge, and come back up. Then we can discuss some ground rules.” Her body was responding naturally to the look in his eyes, the hunger in his stance. But there was still the issue of her “mating” with Gar. It still felt awkward and wrong that she should feel so frigging horny for two men! Cats. Whatever. Cal wasted little time with the task, and was back in the doorway of her bedroom before she even got her boxes unpacked. He stepped into the room slowly, looking around with distaste. “Why did you come back here? Gar said you were to stay with us. Don’t you like our house?” She hung up the blouses and turned to face him. “I guess I’m still too ‘human’ to accept the fact that I’m no longer a free agent. I like being independent. This place isn’t the fanciest, but it’s mine as long as I can make the rent, which I can’t do unless I work. So I have to get ready to go to my job. Which brings us back to you coming here hoping for a quick toss in the hay.”

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Cal’s confused eyes made her sigh and shake her head. “I really loved what you did for me yesterday, Cal. Even for your first time, you were amazing. You were extremely sexy, and I enjoyed making love with you. But there’s more to life than fucking.” His eyes darkened, and he stepped closer. “What time do you have to be at work?” She laughed aloud. “I have an hour, not nearly enough time to really enjoy you the way I want to, Cal. But if you come back later after I’m home, I can pretty well promise you I’ll be very happy to oblige.” “Shall I bring Gar?” Cal asked softly. The sheer beauty of the shifter’s body made her mouth water. “That’s up to you. If you want him to be here when we take our clothes off, then invite him.” Cal nearly swallowed his tongue. He licked his lips and nodded tersely. “He is your mate. I will ask his permission. He may insist on coming with me.” Hallie gave him a twisted smile. “Fine by me. But tonight, I don’t think I want to be in the middle of a sandwich. It’ll have to be one at a time. Got that?” Cal nodded jerkily, his face flushed. She could see that he was suffering from a massive erection, and when he started to walk back toward the door, she sighed and said softly, “Come here.” She was dropping her slacks and stepping out of her panties when he turned back to her, and he almost shot in his jeans. She shrugged out of her blouse and dropped her filmy blue bra on the floor. “I hope you have a car, because I’ll be late for work if you don’t.” He stripped to the skin without hesitation. He lifted her into his arms, settling her over his rampant cock, feeling her guiding him home as he gave a deep growl of pleasure. He felt his cock slide deep, her slick, hot body so deliciously tight around him as he pressed her into the wall beside the bed and flexed his hips again, then again, his cock sliding almost out to the wet tip before plunging deep again.

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Her little whimpers of need fed his passion, fuelled his fire as he kissed her hungrily, sweeping his hot tongue into her mouth and thrusting in time with his hips. He was burning, aching, throbbing with need of her. He had dreamed of finding a female so beautiful and delicious, but his brother had claimed her first. Which was fine with him, as long as he was able to take his pleasure as often as he needed it. And Hallara al Gar was sweetly willing, passionately accommodating, and oh, so fucking delicious! Cal’s cock was hot, hard and thick. So damn big! Stretching her, filling her. She wanted so much, wanted it to go on forever, wanted this heated need to be sated, and he gave all she hoped for. When he exploded inside her, his hot cum drove her from one heady, shattering orgasm to another, then another, and when he slowly pulled his half-hard cock out of her body and his pearly semen flowed down her thighs, she nipped his chest and licked his taut, flat nipple gently. “Mmmm, you are so delicious.” Cal shuddered and closed his eyes. “Thank you, Hallara al Gar, for sharing with me.” “Go and get your car, Cal. I have to grab a quick shower and you have to get me to work before I get fired!”

***** Gar frowned ominously as he watched the door of the little pub, keeping to the shadows as a man staggered from the door into the night, humming off-key. How could she come back to this shabby dive when he had offered her his home, his protection, his wealth? When Cal had told him that she was back in her own shabby house and had gone to work, it had taken all his control to keep from shifting and going after her. Now he was waiting for the place to close, and they were going to have a very serious talk about her “independent nature”. He watched as three more stragglers left the lounge, and saw her inside the small bar area, cleaning up the mess. She worked nights alone because there hadn’t been a

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major crime in Rutledge for over eighty years. Not until the Lykos arrived, anyway. He scanned for intruders and sniffed carefully. There had been no incursions during the past week, but the scent was definite. They were getting closer. He knew Hallara could defend herself easily from one of the pack, but this pack didn’t attack singly. He had no intention of his mate having to fight off a pack of Lykos, no matter how strong she was. And besides, he knew that Cal had approached her for sex earlier, and although he didn’t mind sharing, he wanted to keep his mate close tonight, and private. He saw the last patron weave his way out of the lounge, and he was across the narrow street soundlessly, and stepping into the dimly lit little pub. She looked up at him to tell him the place was closing, and as she recognized him, the look in her gold eyes was enough to give him an instant hard-on. He knew Hallie could smell him before he got one step into the pub, and her body began a slow, sensuous dance of invitation. She glanced up at him as he closed the door behind him, and she breathed, “Lock it.” He obeyed and drew the shade down over the door glass. Then he smiled at her wickedly and twisted the slat blinds closed on the big windows before he shrugged out of his leather coat and dropped it onto an empty booth table. When he lifted his eyes back to see her expression, he nearly shot in his leather pants. Hallara was dropping her last article of clothing on the stool beside the bar, and she hopped lightly onto the leather roll that edged the front lip of the bar, and spread her thighs wide as she placed her feet on two leather stools. “Wicked, lovely little mate. That looks extremely inviting. Maybe I’ll leave the argument until after I fuck you blind.” She frowned at him, and started to draw her legs together, lowering her feet from the stools. But he was between her legs before she could slip off the bar, and he shoved her slowly back across the just-washed surface, his big palm on the middle of her chest as he unfastened his pants and unzipped, then released his belt to allow his pants to slide down to his thighs. 51

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“No, Hallara. You took pity on Cal earlier. Now it’s my turn, and I’ve been waiting out in the shadows for hours for this moment.” His mouth caught her taut nipple and he sucked it deep, hard, his tongue swirling over the puckered tip hungrily as she arched upward and moaned. His lean fingers found her wet center, and she jerked her hips up to meet them as they stroked deep into her sheath. “Wet, so fucking wet for me,” he growled against her lips as he pressed his thumb against her hard clit and found her G-spot with his fingertips. “Oh please. I want you inside me!” she groaned as he ran his lips down her chin to her throat. “I need…I want—” she whimpered as he buried three fingers inside her, and her hot cream covered his hand. “You want this?” he whispered, nudging his engorged, swollen glans against her weeping pussy, waiting for her reply. She nodded jerkily, unable to speak. Gar took the cream from his hand and swept it over his cock, and then with one hard thrust, he buried it to its root in her sweet, hot body. He dragged her ass down from the bar, her feet still on the stools, and he pumped in and out with hard, sweeping plunges that sent him so deep, he could feel her cervix caressing his sensitive tip. Her gasps and whimpers of pleasure were music to his ears as he caught her lips and kissed her savagely, tangling his tongue around hers and sucking it into his mouth hungrily. Her first climax clenched her pussy tight around his shaft, almost making him explode. He fought the pleasure and slowed slightly, and when the tremors of her orgasm subsided, he reached between their bodies and thrust his fingers over her throbbing clit as he fucked her hard and fast, letting his climax come as she screamed and bit his shoulder through his shirt in her ecstasy. He hissed at the pleasure and pain of her fangs, and rasped, “That’s it, my beautiful little mate, take me, body and soul—you’re mine.” Hallie convulsed yet again as his hot blood filled her mouth, and she lapped it in delirious ecstasy. He continued to plunge into her after he came, his voice hot and sexy 52

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against her ear as he spoke of wicked pleasures, of dark needs, and of what he planned to do to her once they returned to his home. She clung to his powerful body and wailed with another massive, shattering climax that rocked him so hard, he thought he would stop breathing. Gar drove into her trembling sheath one last time and, with a sense of shock, felt his body explode one more time. Impossible! Yet he was shuddering and spurting hard again, and his balls ached with the pleasure of it. What was it about his mate that gave him more soul-deep pleasure than he’d ever felt before? As they clung to each other and subsided to a shuddering, panting heap of tangled mouths and bodies, he lowered her to the floor, and when her mouth left his, he growled, “You owe me a shirt.” Her shaky laughter made him hard again. He handed her the discarded bra and panties, and then pulled himself back inside his leather pants and fastened them with still shaking hands. “Why are you here tonight?” he asked quietly. “Because I work here. I have rent to pay. Just because we fucked, that doesn’t make me your personal property, Gar.” Her hands trembled as she dressed. He swung to face her with a foul expletive that made her wince, and in one stride, he had her pinned against the bar, wearing just her lace panties and dangling her bra from her hand. “You. Are. My. Mate!” he grated between clenched teeth. “You bonded with me. I own you and you own me—got that?” She shivered at the feral look in his eyes. He was hovering one breath away from shifting, and she bit her lower lip as he surrounded her with his mass of muscles and heat. “I don’t believe all the things you told me, Gar. Last night was like some wild, fantastic dream!” Gar inhaled her warm scent. His body was shifting. He knew he was on the verge, and he shoved away from her with a spitting snarl of anger as his body burned and exploded into a black, hissing fury. Hallie swallowed hard as the huge black leopard sank onto his belly on the dance floor of the little pub, his ears flat back against its skull, his lips lifted from his huge 53

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fangs as he flexed his claws and dug furrows in the polished wood. It hadn’t been a dream. This was real. And she was one step away from being clawed to pieces by a furious, nondomestic cat! You are mine, Hallara, and like it or not, I’m yours. You have no idea how far you just pushed me. Not hurting you is taking all the control I possess. Get dressed and walk away— now! She dragged her clothes on with shaky hands, her eyes wide and confused. Gar seemed to calm himself with difficulty, and then he shook his head slowly. I must return to the house as a leopard. Take my clothes with you when you leave. I did warn you what happens to our clothing when we shift, didn’t I? Hallie nodded slowly, quickly snatching up the torn remnants of his leather pants and his shirt. “Did you drive?” My car is across the street. The keys are in my pants pocket. You drive home. I feel the need to run off some anger here. I’ll be there later. And, Hallara? “Yes?” If you return to the Halleran place, I’ll only follow you. I would prefer to share a bed with you in comfort, but if you sincerely wish to have the discomfort of sleeping two in your tiny bed, I suppose I can manage. Hallie flushed. “I have to get my things. I can’t just move in with you when all my things are at the house I live in.” Then go and bring what you need to my home. I’ll follow you to make sure you are safe. She swallowed to ease her tight throat. “You think I’m in danger?” I am certain you are. There is a strong scent of Lykos tonight. Hallie frowned. “Lykos…as in…werewolves? You were serious?” Her eyes widened. Do you still doubt your own eyes, Hallara? Do you still believe that creatures such as shifters and werewolves do not exist? Unlike us leopards, the wolves tend to think more with their animal brains. They live off the land, running as a pack, sleeping under the moon and 54

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taking what they need for food. They only shift to their human form to infiltrate and spy, to seek out the weak and the easy prey. And for sex. Sex in human form is pure pleasure. If they saw you alone, they might think you a human female, and you would be in grave danger. “But if I’m not human, and I’m strong, wouldn’t I be able to defend myself?” You are extremely strong right now, but still no match for seven or eight full-sized wolves. And you have never fought before. Never killed. They would tear you to shreds. She inhaled deeply and shuddered. “Can’t we call the police? Can’t they shoot them—or something?” Shifters and werewolves are hard to kill. It would take more than bullets. She stared at him in surprise. “You mean, if someone shot me with a bullet, I would survive?” Cool! Gar gave a cough of disgust. You would be sore, and inconvenienced for a short time, but it would heal. That does not mean you should try to get yourself shot at! But if you got yourself torn to pieces, if your throat was ripped out and your head severed from your shoulders, you would die. A hunting pack would be able to kill you. She sank to her knees on the floor. “But you and Cal have fought them, and survived?” Not many creatures can take me in a fight, Hallara. And Cal is very powerful as well. But we pick our fights. I would never be foolish enough to attack the entire pack. Pick off one at a time. Go for the alpha to confuse the pack. But if the pack came upon you, I would have no choice but to attack them all at once, to allow you to escape. She crawled across the wooden dance floor and sank down beside Gar, her hands running over his glossy black pelt. The feel of heavy, rolling muscles under his fur was pleasant beneath her palms. His distinctive rough purring hunh-runh hunh-runh made her smile. He was so like a very oversized house cat, and she loved cats. She fisted her hands around his ears and pulled his whiskery face to hers to plant a soft kiss on his wet nose. “You are so protective, and I think I like that.” Keep feeling me up and I might show you something you don’t like—cat sex is painful. 55

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She grinned into those golden eyes. “I think I need to get you home and to bed, Gar. You sound peaky and tired.” Her pursed lips brushed his forehead gently, and she found herself being rolled gently onto the floor by a huge paw, as he gave her neck and throat a long, slow lick. If you aren’t willing to shift, Hallara, I would suggest you stop teasing the nice kitty. Cats claw and bite when they have sex, and I don’t think your human body can live through what you’re asking for… She ruffled his fur playfully and shoved his massive paw off her chest, sitting up and climbing to her feet. “Okay, I’ll drive to the Halleran place and pack my stuff, and I’ll see you in an hour.” I’ll follow you. Cal is waiting outside the old place for us. If the wolves are close, we won’t take any chances. Hallie nodded, her brows drawing together in concern. “You think they really might be that close?” Their scent is close. After you are safe at home, Cal and I will patrol and see if we can find any loose pack members. Hallie grabbed up his leather coat and his torn things again. She let Gar out the back way and locked up, making her way to the gleaming black pickup truck that he had referred to as a “car”, and climbed in. She gave a sigh of pleasure as she bounced on the lush leather seat, and adjusted it to fit her shorter legs. She started the truck, surprised at the quiet, powerful purr of the engine when she expected a roar of sound, and headed home.

***** She couldn’t see Gar anywhere along the road, so she supposed he was taking a shorter route, across yards, over fences—whatever. In the blessed warmth of the truck’s luxurious cab, she made the long trek across Rutledge in only ten minutes, as opposed to the bus and walking taking her over an hour and a half. And the bus only came once

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an hour after ten p.m. She pulled into the pitted driveway of the old Halleran house and slid out of the truck, hurrying up to the door and shoving her key into the lock. She glanced nervously around, wondering where Cal and Gar were. Had she gotten there faster than they had? She slipped in the front door and hurried up the stairs to her bedroom, dragging out her suitcases and filling them rapidly. She made sure everything important was packed, and then hefted both suitcases and jogged back downstairs, grinning at the ease with which she carried two huge suitcases that she had grunted and groaned carrying up when she’d moved in. There was definitely something to be said for being a powerful creature.

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Chapter Six She decided not to bother with the groceries. She could get those tomorrow. She thought about waiting for the guys, but why wait? She could manage the suitcases without help, and she was driving a truck, for Pete’s sake. She carried the luggage to the door, and lowered one to the carpet as she reached for the door. And then she caught the scent… “Going somewhere, sweetie?” The deep, raspy voice startled her. She lost hold of both handles as she jerked around to stare into eyes so black, she thought the speaker had no irises. The scent had reached her before the voice. It was musky, hot, rangy! Like a wet dog! Eyes slid down her body hungrily. She wondered numbly if he could smell the musk of sex on her from her joining with Gar. At this distance, he could tell she wasn’t human. So why had he hesitated before attacking her? “I always wondered what their females tasted like. They killed my mate. Did you know that, sweetie?” The werewolf in front of her was in his human shape, naked—and huge! He must have shifted in order to open the door and gain access to the house. His arms and legs were knots of corded muscle. His long dark hair was full of matted dirt and leaves. And his cock was standing at rigid attention! Her eyes widened at the sight of it. He couldn’t be thinking… Hallie backed up a step, thinking quickly. If she shifted, he would shift too. And she wasn’t completely sure she could take him out alone. He was a giant! “You should really be getting on your way. My mate and his brother are close.” Her voice was calmer than her thoughts. “They owe me, and I intend to collect what they owe. They won’t be helping you, little leopard. They’re pretty busy with my pack just now, sweetie. And I don’t think you’ll want what’s left of them. So why not just relax and enjoy what I have planned for

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you, and then I’ll make the kill quick and painless. You won’t feel a thing. At least, not when I kill you. I’ll make certain you feel everything I plan to do to you before I kill you.” Hallie had no illusions about what he planned to do to her before, and she wasn’t willing to relax and enjoy what she expected would be humiliating, painful and vicious! She stopped worrying about being smaller than her opponent. She shifted with a hiss and a snarl, and left a swath of bloody claw marks furrowed across his muscled abs before he managed to shift into his wolf form. That was stupid, little leopard. Now you’ll feel nothing but pain and agony before I tear your head off! Fuck you, big boy—NOT! Hallie leaped easily to the second-floor railing and glared down at the huge black wolf, which instantly bounded for the stairs to follow. She raced through her bedroom toward the window—the glass had been replaced with thinner sheet glass after vandals had broken the original hand-blown glass. Closing her eyes, she leaped across her narrow bed and right through the flimsy glass, feeling sharp slices on her pelt as she leaped out into midair and gave her head a mighty shake to clear any shards from her face before opening her eyes to see where she was going. Shit! She hoped she was like a real cat, and would land on her feet! The ground rushed up at her and she landed with a thud, on her back! Needed some practice on the landings. But she was alive, and basically unhurt. She rolled to her paws and looked back at the shattered window, where the black wolf was snarling down at her. He looked like he was going to—oh shit! He bounded out the window and she leaped for the cover of the trees. Cats could climb! She heard his heavy thump behind her, heard a yelp of pain. Good! Hoped he’d broken his damn neck! Then she heard him racing after her. No such luck! She didn’t look back. She could outrun the wolf—leopards were faster. But she had to find Gar and Cal—they were fighting the entire pack!

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Dragging in deep breaths through her nostrils, she caught the scent of blood that was not her own, of heat and fury. She veered toward the smells and bounded wildly onward, leaving the black alpha wolf far behind. Her heart thumping wildly in her chest, she could hear the fight before she saw it, and when she burst from the trees into the moon-washed clearing, she quickly took in the three dead wolves, as well as the fact that two were on Cal, and three more where pinning Gar to the ground, snarling and ripping. She gave no warning. She leaped onto the gray female that was the closest, and sank her fangs deep into the wolf’s neck, the element of total surprise on her side. Her hind legs came up instinctively between the wolf’s back and her belly and she extended her claws to shred flesh and tear the spine from the shifter’s back. The shifter gave a gurgling yelp as Hallie felt her neck bones snap. Remembering that she had to tear the head off to kill, she closed her eyes and gave a wrenching jerk of her jaws, feeling the muscles and bones separate. She dropped the shuddering carcass and wheeled to leap for the brown wolf that was rolling away from the pile of writhing bodies atop Gar, and now that Cal had only one adversary, she intended to even the odds for Gar. The brown wolf saw her coming, and must have decided that the odds were too even to fight. The wolf wheeled away and headed for the trees on the far side of the clearing, leaving her free to leap in a furious ball of screaming leopard onto the tancolored male that had Gar’s throat in his jaws. The hold broken, Gar managed to squirm out of the heap of bodies and go after the other attacker. Hallie was busy with her own. The male was huge, and he was powerful, and he was stupid if he thought she wasn’t going to hand him his ass for biting Gar. She crouched and circled her quarry as the wolf snapped and bared his red fangs, red with her mate’s blood! Hallie leapt with a hiss and a yowl of fury, but instead of attacking head-on as the wolf expected, she feinted left and came in under his guard, going for his thick throat.

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I hope you enjoyed your taste of leopard, asshole—it’ll be the last thing you ever taste! The tan wolf clawed helplessly as she lifted her hind legs and gutted him, her jaws crushing his windpipe. Too easy. But as she ripped and severed the head, a freight train plowed into her back, and fangs sank into her neck as a huge black body enclosed hers and shoved her flat to the ground beside the dead tan wolf. The pain, the weight—it was the alpha. He’d finally caught up with her, and she was going to die. Flashes of memory, of Khan on her, his long fangs buried in her throat—she shrieked in fury and pain, and heard the cracking of neck bones.

Was she dead? No pain. The inky blackness surrounded her. She had to be dead. She flexed her claws. She struggled to open her eyes. It was too hard. She was too exhausted. And then she felt the pain. Oh shit! She had to be alive. Dead people didn’t hurt this damn much. Pain wrenched through her shoulder. She struggled to rise, and felt a heavy weight holding her down. Teeth were buried in the loose skin on her back, claws held her to the ground, but something was different about the pain. About the soft growling above her back. The heavy long body settled against her, and she shifted her tail to one side—yes, oh yes, this kind of pain she could handle. Then the memory of the black alpha roared into her thoughts, and she hissed and struggled. No way! Interracial sex she could handle, but not interspecies! He’s dead, Hallara, you’re safe—except from me. Gar’s thoughts entered her mind in deep waves as his phallus found and entered her sheath, and she gave a shrill shriek of pleasure as she spat and struggled under him, easing his way with each twitch of her back and hind legs, which were drawn up and spread wide to accommodate him. His teeth shifted to another area of her neck, gently nipping, securing her under him, but not enough to draw blood. His powerful length weighed her down. She curved her back and welcomed him deep into her throbbing body. So this was what cat sex felt like—not so bad. 61

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Mmmm. But in spite of his size and depth, she felt only the pulsing need, never completion. No. She preferred human sex. She wanted an orgasm. And she was going to get some, very soon. As good as this feels, Hallara, I agree. As soon as my cock shrinks to normal and I can pull out of you, I am taking you home. The alpha? Dead. The second he was on you, I was on him. I thought…I was afraid he’d killed you. When I got him off you, and found you were alive, I lost it. I had to take you. But I’ll make it good for you next time. And, gods, but I am sorry that this will cause you pain. Hallie felt him surge deep and felt his body tense as he sent his cum pulsing into her sheath, hard and hot. And then he was pulling out, and she felt as if her pussy was being ripped out with his limp cock! She screamed in agony, and spun to strike him with her claws. What the fuck was that? You trying to kill me? Her fangs bared, her claws buried deep in his shoulder. If you ever do that again, I’ll tear your head off! Gar lay on his side panting, her claws buried in his flesh. It won’t happen again—ever. That is why we shift to our human form for sex. Cat sex is extremely quick for the male, and extremely painful for the female. I am sorry, Hallara, it was the madness of the battle then seeing you alive. Forgive me! It has been a very long time for me, and I had forgotten… She lifted her lips in a ferocious snarl, just as Cal flopped onto his belly beside her. I think we should go now. The noise might draw observers. Hallie fought the urge to bend and lick her poor, abused sex, but decided that she genuinely didn’t care to do that, even if she was a cat! She glanced at Cal, and panted with the pain. He was very quick on the uptake, and she felt his long, hot tongue rasp gently over her bleeding vulva. At least one of you has a streak of gentlemanly ethics. Too bad it wasn’t the one who thinks he’s my frigging mate! Cal was euphoric, and almost mounted her himself after a minute or two of frenzied licking. But Hallie snarled at him and rose, gave her bloodstained pelt a hard 62

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shake, and whirled to dash back toward the Halleran house and her clothes and the truck. Go to hell, Gar, and stay away from me until I actually ask for sex!

I think she’s very pissed at you. Stuff it, Cal. You damn near did the same thing I did, so don’t look so fucking innocent! Yeah, but I’m young and stupid, remember? Gar hissed at him and rolled up to follow Hallie’s trail at a ground-eating run. Cal cast one last look at the bloody carcasses strewn around the meadow, and then leaped after him. He’d seen enough wolves to last a lifetime.

***** Gar shifted as he reached the house, and stepped inside the bathroom to take a look at the damage the wolves had done. He had wounds all over. They were healing fast, but he still felt as if he’d just exited a war zone. Cal was in better shape. Only two of them had piled on to him, and Hallara had taken out one of them. And he’d thanked his mate by taking her in the dirt as a cat, and causing her excruciating pain. He swore at his reflection in the large mirror, and Cal turned to shoot him a questioning glance. “You gonna let her stay at the Halleran place tonight, or should I go get her?” Cal’s voice sounded eager. “Leave her alone tonight, Cal. She isn’t used to two males trying to fuck her brains out, with or without her cooperation. I’ll go to her. I owe her a groveling apology.” The young shifter lifted his golden brows and sighed. “I didn’t know it would hurt her—as a cat, I mean.” “It’s been so fucking long for me, I forgot. Eighty years does that to your memory. You lock up here in case those two that got away try to come back for seconds.” Gar stepped under the shower to clean the blood off, then pulled on jeans and a T-shirt and shoved his hands through his hair to move it off his face. He slipped from the house

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and ran the two blocks to her place, and was relieved to find the truck parked next to the sagging porch, and the lights on in the house. He tried the door and found it locked. He pressed the doorbell. Then he knocked. Her voice came from above his head, and he blinked up at her through the shattered window. “Go away, Gar. I don’t want to see or talk to you right now. You hurt me! After I saved your ass from those wolves, you rewarded me by hurting me!” Gar ran his hands through his hair and planted them on his narrow hips as he gazed up at her from the steps below the porch. “Hallara, I-I didn’t mean to hurt you. All I can do is apologize, and I will gladly grovel to ask your forgiveness. Chalk it up to male stupidity. And believe that I would never purposely hurt you, would never cause you pain. I was overcome by…by…” Hallie raised one hand to stop him. “Overcome by lust? I noticed. Even Cal lost it and tried, and I can’t live with two men—cats…whatever you are—who want to hurt me!” Gar started to speak, but Cal’s quiet tones came from just behind him. “Hallara al Gar, he means it. Both of us were stupid, but it will never happen again. Gar hasn’t been with a female in eighty years, and my excuse must be that I’m a stupid virgin. Please don’t leave us. We need you.” Hallie stared down at the two stunningly gorgeous males, and her heart clenched. Gar was staring up at her with eyes that tore her heart out. Cal was adorably contrite. She felt her pussy tighten as she thought of sharing her life with these two completely delicious males, and her anger dissolved in a rush of hot need and desire. She turned from the window and made her way down to the door, opening it slowly to glare at them, standing side by side on the porch, one golden, one dark as sin. Gar and Cal stared down at her. She had donned a skimpy peasant blouse and jeans. The cuts and scrapes from the wolves were nearly healed. The bruises on her face and neck were gone. She stared up at them thoughtfully for a long moment, making both of them hold their breath. 64

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The she drew a deep breath and reached to hand each of them a heavy suitcase. “You’re both on strict probation. Let’s go home.”

***** She awoke before dawn, despite the extremely late hour they’d gone to sleep. She had refused to let them sleep in the huge bedroom. Served them right. She was still a trifle sore from the abuse Gar had given her after the fight. But she knew it would pass. She rolled over and stretched and yawned, and then slid out of the lush cotton sheets to walk to the window and swing open the French doors that led out to her balcony. Hallara al Gar? What? Gar is sorry. So am I. Can we please come in? The door isn’t locked. We didn’t want to enter without your permission. Hallie smiled and turned to face the slowly opening door, her eyes taking in the breathtaking beauty of the two males who stepped through into the bedroom. Cal was still wet from a shower. Gar was tense and wore a nervous look on his gorgeous face. “You know I can’t stay mad at you for long. Have you eaten?” Her body burned at the pleasant thoughts that flitted through her mind. Gar swept her naked form with his golden eyes and he inhaled deeply. “We’re starving—for you.” She watched them pace across the carpet, two huge predators stalking her, their bodies two masses of hot, rolling muscle, their eyes hot and hungry, and when they reached for her, she almost orgasmed right there. They surrounded her with heat, hands moving everywhere, mouths on her shoulders, her throat, her breasts, pressing their hard, inviting erections into her back and belly. A low moan of need came from deep in her chest as Cal knelt behind her and spread her ass cheeks to run his long, talented tongue over her tight anus, while Gar dropped to his knees and pressed her 65

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legs wide apart to run his mouth slowly over her weeping pussy. She clutched the blond mane behind her and the black hair in front of her and whispered hoarsely, “I want you both—now!” A hot tongue thrust deep into her pussy as Cal’s lean fingers drew cream from her slit toward her anus, slipping one long finger gently into her body as she gave a cry and trembled. “Yes! Oh God yes!” she hissed as Gar slid up her body and lifted her gently onto his rigid cock, settling her down over it and lifting her ass up to accommodate his brother. Cal slowly entered her ass, his hands cupping her breasts from behind so that Gar could suck hungrily and still hold her level with both cocks. Teeth nipped and nibbled at her throat as Cal hissed with pleasure and buried his cock to the root inside her. Both men were inside of her fully, and she was stretched to bursting. She moaned and gasped with the pain and pleasure of them filling her, and as she clutched Cal’s blond head and kissed him over her shoulder, the young shifter groaned and began to move. Gar gave a yell of delight, and as she leaned forward to take his mouth, he began to drive in and out with the opposite rhythm his brother used, so that they were rocking her between them, alternately filling and retreating, until she was screaming with delirious pleasure, and both males climaxed deep in her body at the same time, flooding her with their hot, spicy cum. They stood locked together for many minutes, enjoying the way her body milked them, whispering words of adoration and approval against her throat and temple as they worshipped their shared female, and Hallie whispered huskily, “I always knew I adored cats. I just never knew why.” And she gave them a loving squeeze as they began to rock once again.

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About the Author Fran Lee began writing romance novels at the age of 14. Life intruded on a budding writing career—namely, paying the bills, raising a family and the usual run-of-the-mill things that leave a writer no time to pursue a career as frivolous as authoring romance books. Or so everyone told her. But she never gave up on her childhood dreams of writing. Other things caught her fancy over the years—horses, eBay, martial arts, not necessarily in that order. Over the years, her childish dreams were set on the back burner over and over again. But the things that caught her fancy blossomed into selfconfidence—she achieved her black belt in her chosen martial art, spent a fortune on eBay and had the great pleasure of owning a number of wonderful equine friends. Now she concentrates on her various fancies by collecting horse statues and figurines, teaching karate to kids, and spending time dragging out those old romance novels and bringing them up to snuff for the 21st century. The dream has come true— and it was well worth the wait.

The author welcomes comments from readers. You can find her website and e-mail address on her author bio page at www.ellorascave.com.

Tell Us What You Think We appreciate hearing reader opinions about our books. You can e-mail us at [email protected].

Also by Fran Lee Out of Her Dreams

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