The Lion Within (Ghost Cat Shifters #1) (12 page)

She arched back into the delicious stretch. She needed fast and hard, needed him to slake the lust coursing through her. He gave her precisely what she needed, stroking deeply, again and again and again. He gripped her hair, tugging her into each thrust. They moved in a circle of surges, each one driving deeper. Pressure gathered inside, spinning tighter and tighter until it spun loose, sending sharp streaks of pleasure spiraling outward. She cried out hoarsely as her climax crashed through her. Daniel suddenly went rigid and drove deep one last time before emitting a low growl as he shuddered against her.

His hand loosened in her hair and slowly slid down her spine, his touch anchoring her, bringing her back to herself. She turned her head to the side, her cheek resting on the cool tile counter. After several long moments, the only sound the deep gusts of their breathing, headlights flashed through the front windows.

“I think that might be our pizza,” Daniel said, his voice low and gravelly.

She flushed to realize she’d lost herself so completely in Daniel she forgot they were expecting someone to show up any minute. She giggled as Daniel slowly pulled away, his hand squeezing her hip softly. He quickly disposed of the condom in the trash. They both straightened their clothes. Daniel stepped to her side just as the doorbell rang. He cupped her cheek and dropped a lingering kiss on her lips. When he pulled back, his eyes held hers. “Just so you know, you drive me wild,” he whispered.

At that, he turned away and strode to the door. While he paid for the pizza and exchanged friendly conversation with the delivery guy, she stood frozen in the kitchen, her fingers on her lips as if she could hold his touch there. The sound of the front door closing knocked her back into awareness. She dropped her hand and went to get plates out. She was filling their wineglasses when he walked back into the kitchen holding the pizza aloft. Daisy ambled along behind him and immediately sat at his feet by the table.

Hours later, they were lounging on the couch with the evening news on. The local late night news came on and announced a recent arrest of another local drug dealer. Daniel’s arm was curled over her shoulders and her legs were thrown across his lap. Daisy was on his other side, occupying most of the couch, with her head resting on Sophia’s calves. Daniel idly stroked her shoulder. “Hard to believe there’s problems with drugs around here.”

Sophia canted her eyes to the side, catching his. She considered for a moment if she should tell him of the shifter smuggling scandal in Painter and its threat to the secrecy that had kept them safe for centuries. Shifters were on tenterhooks of fear that if it was somehow discovered shifters were smuggling and how, it would expose them in the worst possible light. Though she hadn’t quite accepted how well Daniel could read her, he could. In a brief glance, she saw that he sensed her concern. She took a breath and let it out.

“There’s problems with drugs everywhere, but in Painter it’s an ugly shifter problem. You might as well hear it from me. I’ll try to keep it brief. A few years back, there were rumors that some shifters started smuggling drugs for money. I mean, a perfect cover really. Mountain lions are known for stealth and for staying out of sight. A shifter could cover a lot of ground and no one would think twice about even looking into it. Next thing you know, it balloons and we hear rumors about smuggling as far as away as Montana and even Maine. Catamount is the original shifter community back in Maine. They took down the local leaders there and pretty much shut it down. A few other areas have done their best to deal with it, but we haven’t had much luck here. Only low level dealers have been arrested, but the network keeps popping back up. Whoever’s pulling the strings has money and time to keep funding it and recruiting more shifters. The whole thing makes me sick. I hate talking about it because being a shifter is sacred, it’s an honor. These guys are bringing dishonor on all of us and putting us at risk. If shifters are officially discovered, it could make life nearly impossible for us.”

Daniel’s eyes widened as she spoke. He sat quietly for several beats after she finished. With a sigh, he ran a hand through his hair. “Well, damn. That’s a hell of a mess,” he said bluntly.

A wash of anger knotted in her chest as she considered the mess a small brush with the drugs floating through Painter had left for her brother. Logically, she knew damn well Heath was fully responsible for his choice to try to seek out illegal methods to manage his addiction to painkillers. But she was angry. Angry at the whims of fate that resulted in the car accident that put Heath in so much pain, angry at the doctors who didn’t make sure he had the support he needed when they started to wean him off of painkillers, and angry at the easy access to drugs in Painter with thanks to the shifters who brought them here.

Daniel’s eyes narrowed with concern. He angled his head to the side. “Is there something else?”

She sighed. “It’s a bit of a sore subject because of what happened to my brother.”

Daniel’s thumb stroked in a slow circle on her shoulder. He waited quietly. She took a gulp of air and quickly summarized the series of events that led to Heath’s arrest for trying to score heroin. “I mean, we had no idea how addictive those damn painkillers were. The doctors said they would decrease the dosage slowly to help wean him off, but it wasn’t enough. He had withdrawal symptoms. It was that bad. I’m not saying the way he chose to handle it was smart. It was stupid. Completely stupid. The only good thing that came out of it is he got the help he needed. He’s healthy and healing now. But the whole thing makes me sick. I don’t think he’d ever have gone the route he did if it wasn’t so damn easy.”

She had looked away, staring blindly at the television, while she recited Heath’s story. At the sound of Daniel’s voice, she turned to him, his face coming into sharp focus—the strong, angled planes, his dark brows, his navy eyes holding her in their gaze with warmth and understanding. “He’s had a rough year. Your whole family has. I’d be damn angry too.”

The knot of anger loosened in her chest. She shrugged and tried to smile, but it wobbled. Daniel stroked a hand through her hair. “You don’t have to try to make it seem okay. It’s not.”

She shook her head. “No, it’s not. It’s been a long, shitty year.” She took a breath, letting it out slowly. “Vivi and I have been doing some scouting around. We think we found a cabin where the smugglers are meeting.”

His hand stilled in her hair. When she glanced at him, his features were tight. She sensed he was concerned and was holding himself back. “Go ahead. You probably want to tell me to be careful and back off. No need. Heath already gave me that lecture.”

“Oh? What’d he have to say?”

“He told me to stay out of it. I’m not going to be stupid, but the police aren’t getting anywhere, so we might as well see what we can find out. Vivi’s a shifter too, so we can hold our own. We’re not going to do anything but scout. If we get some good leads, we’ll pass it on to the police.”

Daniel leaned his head back on the couch. “I don’t like it. I know we haven’t known each other that long, but you mean a lot to me. A. Lot. I don’t want to see you get hurt.”

Her heart clenched at the protectiveness thrumming under his words. Every moment with him stitched her closer and closer to him, so close she didn’t think she could consider anything other than being with him. He rolled his head to the side, his hand stroking through her hair again. “Promise me you’ll be careful.”

“Always. You could come with us, you know.”

He considered for a moment before a smile slowly spread across his face. “Maybe I will.”

Chapter 11

Sophia took a bite of her burger just as Vivi approached the table where she was sitting with Daniel. After several nights of nothing but each other, they’d decided on dinner at Quinn’s. As usual, Quinn’s was bustling. The tables were filled and a local band was getting set up to play later that night.

Vivi tugged a chair out and sat down with a grin. “It’s about damn time you showed up somewhere around town!”

Sophia finished chewing and took a sip of water. “I’m in town every day at Mile High. You know, the coffee shop I own?”

That got her an eye roll from Vivi. “That doesn’t count. You’ve been holed up at home with your new lover boy here,” she said, gesturing to Daniel with a sly grin.

Sophia flushed straight through. It wasn’t that she was hiding anything about her and Daniel, but she wasn’t used to being involved with anyone. Not to mention, he had her so hot and bothered all the time, she could hardly think straight. She took another bite of her burger to buy some time. Vivi turned her attention to Daniel.

“You’ve stolen my best friend, so you’d better be worth it.”

Daniel choked on the bite of food he’d just swallowed. Vivi helpfully pounded him on the back and left him laughing by the end of it. He shrugged ruefully. “I haven’t stolen her, as you say. I just happen to like spending time with her. A lot.”

Vivi’s eyes widened. Her gaze bounced between them. “Well then. If you adore her as she should be adored, then it’s okay. If you harm a hair on her head or even cause her the slightest pain, I’ll make your life hell.” She jabbed her finger at him and then let her hand fall. “You seem like a good guy though, and she really likes you, so I’m sure we’ll be fine,” she finished sweetly.

Daniel looked from Vivi to Sophia, as if unsure how to respond.
 

“She’s more bark than bite,” Sophia offered.

“Okay,” he said carefully.

Vivi burst out laughing. “I can’t help it. I have to make sure you know the deal, but no need to worry. I see the way you look at her.”

Daniel wasn’t bothered by her observation and shrugged, his eyes lingering possessively on Sophia.

“Okay, enough of this. Moving on. How about we go for a hike tomorrow?” Vivi asked, turning to Sophia.

Going for a hike meant walking far enough into the woods to shift and taking off to scout. Sophia had filled Vivi in on her conversation with Daniel the other night. She looked to him and then Vivi again. “Sounds good. Daniel might want to join us. Any news?”

Vivi shrugged. “Maybe. I have some ideas. I’ll fill you in on the drive out tomorrow. Okay?”

At Sophia’s nod, conversation moved on. Vivi was still sitting with them a while later when Heath walked into the restaurant. When his eyes landed on them, he headed straight for their table. “Hey, hey! I was hoping to find you here.” He leaned over and quickly hugged Sophia before turning to Vivi.

Vivi stood up and threw her arms around him. “No half-ass side hug for me. You’ve been gone too long.”

Heath chuckled as she stepped away and sat back down. “Mind if I join you?” he asked, catching Sophia’s eyes.

“Go right ahead.” She gestured to Daniel. “This is Daniel. Daniel, this is Heath. He’s my one and only brother,” she said pointing to Heath as he sat down.

Daniel and Heath shook hands across the table and exchanged greetings. Sophia savored the next little while. It felt like such a luxury to have her brother home and looking healthy and strong again. She’d wanted an opportunity for him to meet Daniel and this chance meeting eased the introduction. Heath was a typical older brother with the edge of a shifter. He could be overprotective if he sensed anything off kilter with any man interested in her. Since she’d yet to have much of a serious relationship, she’d been worrying over how he might respond to Daniel. She knew she couldn’t hide how much Daniel meant to her. With Vivi here as a buffer of sorts, they easily got to talking.

Sophia and Daniel left Quinn’s later. Daniel looped his arm over her shoulder as they walked outside. The air was chilly as summer evenings in the mountains tended to be. When she shivered, he tugged her closer, and she savored the warmth emanating from him. They reached his car, and he held the door for her. Once he’d walked around and started the car, he glanced over at her, his eyes intent.

“I’m hoping it’s okay if I stay with you tonight.”

As if she could contemplate anything else. She nodded and considered they hadn’t really talked much about what was happening between them. Meanwhile, desire galloped forward, tangling with emotions running unchecked and driven by a force of their own. In a blink of time, Daniel had woven himself deeply into her heart and body. She couldn’t imagine life without him now. She’d always heard this was how it would be when she met her mate, but she hadn’t quite realized the depth of power the connection could hold over her. Its power was so strong, part of her wanted to push back against it, while another part of her simply wanted to surrender to it.

He was watching and waiting. She cleared her throat. “We, uh, haven’t really talked about us.”

“No, we haven’t.” His words fell softly in the quiet of his car. “Do we need to talk?”

She pondered his question. “I don’t know. I don’t know how you feel…”

His words cut across hers. “I want you. Now and forever.”

Her heart soared. It was as if he’d thrown open a window into her heart and light and fresh air were pouring in. Her body set to humming, as it did whenever he was near.

Though she couldn’t seem to speak, her expression must have shown him how she was feeling because he leaned over and dragged the backs of his fingers along her jawline before tracing her lips. Goosebumps prickled in the wake of his touch. He caught her lips in a fierce, swift kiss before pulling back just as swiftly. Without a word, he started the car and drove to her house.

***

The following afternoon, she and Vivi hiked into the woods with Daniel. She’d never shifted with him, so she wasn’t certain how this would feel. In a way, she was relieved Vivi was with them. It would ease any awkwardness. She didn’t doubt her feelings for Daniel, or his for her, but it was all so much and so intense. When they reached the stream where they usually shifted, Vivi glanced between them, her eyes holding on Daniel.

“All we’re doing is looking. We’ll head to the bluff where we saw the shifters last time and see if we can get a little closer.”

Daniel nodded. “Lead the way.”

In a flash, they shifted. Vivi bounded ahead. Sophia paused for a moment and looked Daniel over. In lion form, he was strong, lean and muscled, just as he was in human form. He held himself proudly. In a way, the fact he didn’t learn about his shifter side until he was older almost made him purer. He wasn’t weighted down by expectations. He simply was… a glorious specimen of cat. His fur was on the dark side, the golden tipped with a hue of brown. He caught her eyes and flicked his tail before stretching and leaping to follow Vivi. Sophia followed swiftly, weaving between the trees to catch up quickly.