CARNAL INSTINCT

By

Michelle M Pillow

Dedication:

To Mandy Roth, my other writing half, the pain in my backside, the ... ouch! What’d I say, Mandy?

To Jaycee Clark, I’d like to take this opportunity to ask you a very important question. You know those cookies I got from you for Christmas? Got any more and can I get back on the ‘nice’ list for next year?

Chapter One

“Oh, like I care how much protein you consume in a day,” Fiona LaSalle mumbled, glancing up from her clipboard through the fencing that kept the lion on his side of the cage. What was she doing here? She didn’t belong in a job that required her to take care of animals. The only pet she’d ever had was a goldfish when she was five. The poor thing only lasted a week before she found it floating at the top of the fishbowl. It was only later that she learned goldfish don’t eat pancakes and powdered sugar.

Fiona sighed, unenthusiastically checking boxes on her sheet. The bright sun shone overhead, beating down on her until she could feel rivulets of sweat working their way down her spine. She’d give anything for a cooling breeze. The polyester uniform of the Jameson Wild Life Rescue and Preserve was chafing her delicate skin and the sunshine was really starting to take its toll on her creamy white complexion. So much so, she’d found freckles starting on the bridge of her nose that very morning. Fiona hated freckles, but they were the curse of the redhead and both she and her sister had it. Just like their mother, the two LaSalle sisters had dark auburn locks. Their green eyes were from their father.

A long cement clearing made up most of the lion’s den and it was populated with only two cats. Mia, the lioness, didn’t move. In fact, the female cat always ignored her. The virile male lion was a different story. Almost as if he could understand her, the lion lifted his head and made a grumbling sound. His bushy hairdo shifted as he kept his eerie yellow eyes on her. Fiona shivered. If she didn’t know better, she’d say he understood every word she said to him. Every time she came near his cage, he looked at her like that and every time she spoke, he looked at her--studying her so intensely she wondered if he was getting ready to pounce.

Making a few notations on the clipboard, she continued, “They need a ‘lazy’ check-box and a ‘smells funny’ one too. And no offense King, not that you would really care anyway, but you’ve got this so ugly you’re cute thing going on. I think it’s the hair. Care to tell me how the hell you get it to look that good?”

King lifted his head and shook it slightly, sending his bushy locks rippling. Fiona made a face at the lion. “Show off.”

The lion seemed to be smirking at her, its yellow eyes shining. Either that or he was still hungry.

“Great, the sun’s starting to get to me,” she mumbled, half heartedly looking over the den. The fact she thought a lion could smirk was not a good sign. Seeing King still eyeing her like she was the next piece of meat on the menu, she grumbled, “I know how you get your hair so shiny. It’s from basking in the sun all day licking your balls. Guess I’ll just have to stick with deep conditioning, won’t I?”

Well, she thought, shrugging. It isn’t like he’s going to tell anyone I’m being mean to him and it’s not like the preserve has security cameras installed. No one will see me teasing the lion.

Not that it mattered about the cameras, even she wouldn’t strike an animal. Verbally goading an obnoxious one was an entirely different story. Besides, King started it--always growling and acting weird whenever she did her rounds.

Okay, she wasn’t being completely fair. Her bad mood had nothing to do with the lion staring at her, or the fact that she was wearing polyester, or the fact that she had to work out in the sun. She was mad at herself. However, since berating herself on a daily basis for being a trusting fool had gotten old, she’d taken to venting toward the lion. The way she looked at it, it was good therapy. She got the aggravation out by grumbling at him and no one got hurt by her comments. Besides, there was just something in the way he looked at her, all cocky and knowing.

Fiona took a deep breath. Life really was depressing. Her ex, James, had cleaned her out--bank accounts, trust fund, jewels, cash, furniture, even some of her clothes. What did the man need with her high school prom dress? She didn’t even really like the awful pink thing.

He’d even thrown her vibrator in the trash! What kind of man got rid of a woman’s vibrator when he was dumping her? Hell, when he was robbing her blind? His lazy ass had spent three months on her couch whining about backaches and all the time he was scheming to take her to the cleaners.

“I’m such a fool,” Fiona whispered. She knew she was in a funk, but she couldn’t help it. Life really sucked right now. She’d had to go crawling back to her father for help after James left. As if the ‘I told you so’ wasn’t bad enough, she had to get a jobof his choosing before he’d even think about helping her get out of the credit card debt James had run up under her name. Apparently, her ex had applied for every card that came in the mail without telling her. “I am such a fucking idiot.”

Feeling feisty and definitely needing to vent today after receiving another bill for nearly six thousand dollars at twenty seven percent interest, Fiona looked at the lion and added, “You’re as bad as my ex-boyfriend, you know it? He also had a thing for laying around and pretending to be the boss. From what I remember being said about male lions in elementary school, you’re the laziest of the cat breeds.” She dropped her voice into a condescending tone as if she were talking to a child. “Aren’t you? Yes, you are. You’re a lazy little bastard, aren’t you? Just like James always bitching about how his back hurt. Oh, oh, poor me, my back hurts.”

The lion lowered his head and snorted. He didn’t look too amused. Fiona chuckled at him, unable to stay mad. She was taking her bad mood out on a cat, but she couldn’t help it. Whatever she said to King wouldn’t hurt his feelings.

“Ah, I’m sorry, boy,” she mumbled, eyeing the lion. The creature tilted his head and slowly stood. He took a step forward and she lightened her tone. It was the first time he’d ever approached her. “That’s not fair to you, is it? I didn’t mean it, honest. You are so much better than James. Snakes are better than he is. Horse dung is better than he is. And you’re much prettier. You really will have to tell me how you get your hair so silky. I’d make a fortune selling whatever it is to women. Maybe then I’ll get out of debt.”

When she said ‘prettier’ the lion snarled as if offended by the girly word, but continued to make his way forward. Fiona clutched the clipboard to her chest and kneeled down to his eye level.

“All I wanted was to be appreciated, you know? And James really seemed to do that.” Fiona shook her head, thinking more about the past than looking at the wild beast coming toward her. “He said he believed in me. No one had ever said that to me before but my mother. I just thought if I gave him time and believed in him that he would change, you know, get better.” She snorted. “Stupid, huh?”

It had been two months since he left and even some time before that since they’d had sex. Only afterward, did her neighbor confess to the cops that he’d been fucking her as well--apparently with no back problems holding him back. By that point, Fiona could believe just about anything. James was definitely not the man she thought he was. Or maybe he just wasn’t the man she’d hoped he was.

“I’m tired of being alone. My problem is that I give people the benefit of the doubt--trusting them blindly first only to get hurt in the end.” She continued, looking deep into the creature’s yellow eyes. They were so calm, almost understanding as they looked at her. She felt herself melt a little. “You know what I think my deal is? I need to get laid. I need to go out tonight after work and screw the first man I come across.”

The lion stiffened at her words and she giggled.

“You won’t tell anyone, will you, King?” she asked, grinning. “Man, it’s been so long and I hate to admit it, but that’s one of the things I actually miss about being in a relationship. James was far from being a saint, but he was definitely good in bed. You know what I mean?” The lion growled low in the back of his throat. She took the sound as an answer and continued. “The sex was great, not phenomenal, but really good. It was the only time he didn’t seem to be complaining about his back and his fake illness did give me the advantage of always being on top.”

All of a sudden, the lion roared viciously. The sound sent chills of dread down her spine, startling her. There was something in the beast’s eyes. He was angry. No, not just angry. He was outraged, pissed to the point that he wanted blood. Lunging at her, the lion crashed into the cage. Fiona screamed as the chain link swayed under his great weight. The clipboard dropped from her hands as she struggled to get to her feet. The lion continued to attack the fencing as if he wanted desperately to get at her. She screamed again, loud and long as she ran from the lion’s den as fast as her feet would carry her.

* * * *

Fiona looked at the floor in shame before staring desperately at Dr. Eve Matthews from the woman’s office door. “I’m really sorry, Dr. Matthews. I didn’t mean to scare the kids by running and screaming through the preserve. I promise it won’t happen again.”

Eve was the veterinarian who ran the preserve with her Russian-born husband, Viktor. They were newly married and in the process of building their dream home on the preserve. Viktor was dark and mysterious and so tragically cute. He was also very much in love with his wife.

The doctor was moving her stuff into her new office--a room cluttered with piles of books and stacks of boxes. It was part of the newer complexes just built by the preserve’s new owner, Finn O’Conner. Finn was a friend of her father and it was because of that relationship that she was even considered for this job. Her father wanted her to learn the value of manual labor--or so he said. Fiona knew he just wanted to punish her for striking out on her own against his wishes.

“But please take a moment to listen to my side, doc. I’m telling you, there’s something wrong with King. I go by to do my checks every day and every day he watches me with those ... those intense eyes of his and then today he actually charged the fence. I think he wanted to kill me. I saw death in his eyes. I wouldn’t be surprised if he’s gotten loose. We should send out a search party for him. There are kids still on the grounds.” Fiona took a deep breath, well aware that she sounded like a madwoman. She couldn’t help it. Picturing the look on the lion’s face gave her chills.

“Actually, the kids have all been taken home. They were too shaken by your performance to stay and finish the tour.” Eve took a deep breath. “And I’ve sent Fletcher out to check on King. He assures me the lion is in his cage, sleeping peacefully.”

“Dr. Matthews, please, if you had security cameras installed, you’d know that I--”

“I have no doubt the lion got a little....” Eve paused as if struggling for the right word. “Ah, rowdy, but I can assure you he wasn’t trying to kill you. I’ve had King here for five years. Trust me when I say I know him well. His diet’s been changed and he’s probably just temperamental because of it. I’m sure that’s what you’ve been noticing.”

“I want to change assignments again, please.”

Eve studied her, her gaze calm.

“Please, Dr. Matthews, I know I’ve asked for several changes in assignment, but I swear this time it’s....” Fiona paused. Eve quirked a brow. “Please. King’s got it out for me. I know it. And didn’t you say you didn’t want to stress the animals out? If he doesn’t like me, doesn’t that count as me stressing him out by going by there?”

“Fiona,” Eve said, taking another long, deep breath. It was clear the woman was put off by her, but Fiona couldn’t help that. They were just different people with very different personalities. This place was Eve’s life. To Fiona it was just a job she was forced to endure until her father picked a new one with which to torture her. “You know, working with animals isn’t for everyone. There’s nothing wrong with that. Now, when I hired you, you said that you didn’t scare easily and that you were up to the challenges we face here every day. I gave you a chance, but--”

“No, please,” Fiona interjected. She knew what was coming. Eve had the ‘I’m so sorry, but I have to fire you’ look on her face. Unfortunately, Fiona couldn’t blame the woman. “I need this job, Dr. Matthews. I can’t lose it. If I lose another job my father will disown me. I’m not complaining. I promise I’m not.” She took another deep breath, trying to calm her nerves. “I just want to put in for a transfer to a different section of the preserve. But only if one happens to come up.”

“Everyone helps everyone here,” Eve said. “You go where you’re needed. Now, I already excused you from dealing with tour groups--”

“They asked too many questions I couldn’t answer,” Fiona interrupted. “I thought it might look bad for the preserve.”

And I was tired of looking stupid--being shown up by second graders when it came to big cat knowledge.

“And I excused you from working in the lab,” Eve said.

“I already said I’m sorry for fainting. I had no idea there would be that much blood involved.”

“It was a surgery,” Eve said dryly.

“You know what? Can we just forget I was here? Please.” Fiona slowly backed out of the office. She cursed silently to herself, knowing she couldn’t lose another job--not after the strings her father had pulled to get it for her. Was it her fault she hadn’t found her calling yet? “I’ll stay where I’m needed and you won’t hear another peep out of me on the subject, okay? And I’ll never, ever, ever scream again in the preserve. Even if I’m being eaten alive by one of the tigers. Promise.”

Eve sighed and opened her mouth.

“I promise.” Fiona drew an X over her heart in the childhood gesture of really promising and said, “Cross my heart.”

“Fine,” Eve said, though she sounded reluctant. “One more chance. Just ... don’t get eaten, all right.”

Fiona nodded eagerly and hurried out of the office before the woman could change her mind. To herself, she mumbled, “Good going, Fiona. You being a fraidy-cat almost got you fired.”

* * * *

“Okay, Cade, what’s up?” Eve asked, looking in at the lion. Her husband Viktor was by her side, paying more attention to the way the setting sun reflected off her shoulder length blonde hair than what she was saying. Viktor was a cat shifter--half man, half black panther. Eve was his human turned immortal wife who ran the preserve. The woman had a kind heart and was loved by all the shifters and non-shifting big cats under her care.

Cade let his body begin to shift from lion form so he could stand before Eve and talk with his human voice. He liked spending his days lazing around in the sun at the preserve. Human life was much too complicated for his liking.

Besides, he thought, glancing back at the lioness with whom he shared the cage. Mia needs me. I can’t abandon her now.

Tan fur rippled into waist length blond hair, automatically blowing forward over his naked chest. Eve averted her eyes. He thought it funny, the way she got embarrassed by their nakedness. After centuries of changing form, all the cat shifters had gotten used to walking around naked. Besides, being half cat kept them trim and lean and most looked damned good in the buff. They had absolutely nothing to hide.

“Howdy, doc,” Cade drawled, grinning widely as he crossed over to her. He put his hands on his hips, standing proudly, his cock nestled between his thighs.

“Uh, Cade, do you mind, buddy?” Viktor asked, pointedly. “You’re embarrassing my wife.”

“Can’t help it,” Cade laughed. “She’s so cute when she’s red.”

“Cade, get dressed,” Eve said, her face turning a darker shade. “Or so help me I’ll shave you in cat form just to see if those pretty locks of yours fall off.”

Viktor looked down at Eve’s blushing face. The pheromones he was emitting were potent enough for the whole preserve to smell. His voice dipped and his voice became husky. “Yeah, she is cute, isn’t she?”

“Eh, come on,” Cade grumbled, waving his hand in the air in a feeble attempt to get rid of the pheromones. “Give us bachelors a break, would you?”

“One of the girls who works for us says that King’s been intimidating her,” Eve interrupted their teasing. Viktor chuckled lightly, but kept quiet. “Care to tell me why you’re harassing the help?”

“Oh, her.” Cade frowned and crossed over to the small cave. He was still angry when he thought about the woman telling him how she’d slept with another man. Pushing on a fabricated rock, he waited for a secret compartment to open. The preserve was closed and he felt like getting out of the cage. Taking the clothes he found inside the compartment, he pulled on a T-shirt. Tight blue jeans were soon to follow.

“Yeah, her,” Eve said, tapping her foot. “Care to explain?”

“I hope you fired her.” He shook his head. That woman was annoying as hell, putting him down one minute as if she actually knew him and then talking about fucking another guy the next. It didn’t help that just seeing her walk near his cage made his body tight with desire. Everything about her was a distraction. His cock twitched, wanting to rise to full length. He was glad he’d dressed, not wanting Viktor to mistake the reaction for Eve. Eve was beautiful, but she was also very much taken. Catshifters respected each other’s territory.

“Well, no, I didn’t,” Eve said. Cade wondered at the relief he felt at her statement. “I know Fiona is a handful, but Finn’s been insistent that we keep her on. He says it’s a matter of great importance and the truth is I have nowhere else to put her. I’ve tried everything. She can’t cook so the small café’s out, she’s useless in the lab and all the other cats aren’t as patient as I know you can be. I put her in this section because I thought you’d be nice to her.”

“Vik, tell your wife to turn off the flattery and batting eyelashes,” Cade said, even as he felt himself softening to Eve’s dilemma. She really was a good person and he hated to see her so upset--especially in her so recently delicate condition. “You should talk to Finn and tell him her attitude is all wrong for this place.”

“I will,” Eve promised, “just as soon as he gets back from Europe. So, can you do me a favor and put up with her until then? Please? For me, Cade?”

“Well…” He hesitated, his resolve crumbling. Damn, but he was weak when it came to his female friends. “Okay, I’ll stop harassing her.” He paused, giving a meaningful look down to her flat belly. “But only if you name the baby you’re carrying after me.”

Eve looked confused and Cade knew Viktor hadn’t told her yet. She turned to her husband in surprise. Viktor shot him a look of slight annoyance, but Cade didn’t care as he gave an insolent grin. With a light jump, he hopped over the tall fence with ease and strolled down the path. As he walked away, he heard Viktor say, “I was going to tell you, my love, but there wasn’t time. It just happened this morning.”

Best Intentions 2:

DANCE OF SOULS

By

Mandy M. Roth

Chapter One

Mason Blackwolf sat in the back booth of the bar he’d stopped at on his way home and watched the patrons closely. His ever vigilant eye had picked up on a number of oddities in the bar. Nothing that would send him running but enough that Mason knew to be on his guard. He sat there, peeling the label off his beer, wadding the moistened paper into tiny balls and depositing them into the ashtray. He took another swig of the dark amber substance, savoring its rich brew but wishing it was stronger than it was.

Why his best friend, Brayen, and his grandfather, Running Elk, had sent him on a wild goose chase was a mystery to him. They had to have known that the rogue werewolf pack in Virginia had been captured and brought to justice. Everyone else seemed to know. They’d come just shy of laughing in Mason’s face when he arrived. Why the hell did they still send him? Sure, a vacation was nice but even he had to admit that he missed being home.

He hated to fly and had opted to drive instead. If the gods had intended him to fly, they’d have made him a werebird of some sort, not a werewolf. With a ridiculous amount of miles under his belt, Mason was ready to climb in his own bed and not look back. Unfortunately, he had a distance to travel before that could happen. The need to stretch his legs and relax had been great. The pull to this particular place had been all consuming--bordering on obsessive. He’d given into it and stopped. Now, he just had to figure out why.

Mason looked around, doing his best to put his finger on the problem. The smell of whiskey filled the air, coating it like a thin blanket of gasoline, no doubt as ignitable as the tempers of the occupants.

Nothing in the bar seemed out of the ordinary. It was the same run of the mill, clean place with a gritty clientele he was used to. Though, his normal hang-out didn’t have humans roaming about it. This one did. That didn’t surprise him. Ninety-nine point nine percent of the places Mason went when he wasn’t home had them in it.

A row of pool tables flanked one side of the bar while a long bar ran the length of the other side. Tables filled the area in between and in his darkened back corner, sat several booths. The place wasn’t bad. It wasn’t extraordinary either. Mason couldn’t understand why he’d had the urge to stop here.

“Come on, baby. Give daddy some of that sweet ass,” a drunk called out from a table full of men.

Mason watched the brunette waitress who had caught his eye earlier as she did her best to ignore the heckling that had been going on since he’d first arrived. The bartender seemed to be leery about the group of men that had pushed several tables together and were taking up a large portion of the center of the bar. If he had any clue what the hell the guys truly were, he’d have kicked their asses out long ago.

With a rifle loaded with silver bullets in his hands no less.

The music, pumping out of a jukebox up near the stage, varied from country to classic rock. It served to drown out some of the ruckus. Unfortunately, not enough to give Mason the peace he so desperately sought. Was it too much to ask for a break? Apparently so.

“Jeanie, you okay?” the bartender asked as he served an older man at the bar a beer.

Of course she’s not all right. The woman is being harassed by shifters, jackass!

The woman nodded as she went to collect dirty glasses and empty bottles from the table full of rowdy men. “I’m fine.”

“Yes, you certainly are fine,” a man with short, sandy brown hair said as he reached out and grabbed her ass. “Mmm, come on, sugar.”

She pushed away from him and scurried towards the bar. Mason groaned as he set his beer down. As much as he wanted to enjoy his time off, he wasn’t about to let a woman be manhandled by a group of drunken assholes. Shifters or not. The fact they were supernaturals only meant he could fight them head on and not have to hold as much back.

It’d be a real shame to kill one of these assholes. He snorted. A real shame.

The bartender put his palms down on the bar top and glared at the group of men. It was clear to see the man would attempt to protect his waitress; he was just playing it smart--avoiding a conflict if at all possible. It’s what Mason had been trying to do but suspected his attempts were in vain. He smiled.

Oh, well, kicking the shit out of someone will help me sleep better.

The door to the bar opened and Mason’s heart stopped for a fraction of a second as his gaze ran over the most beautiful creature he’d ever seen. The woman had to be at least five-eight and at six foot two he liked to avoid having to bend nonstop to kiss them if at all possible. She’d work just fine.

The low-rise, boot-cut jeans she had on caught his attention immediately. Her toned abdomen showed, revealing a silver bellybutton ring. It was perfect. She was perfect. Gathering her up in his arms and spending the remainder of the night and most of the next day fucking her senseless chased his homesick blues away, replacing them with a rather optimistic outlook.

Long, shiny blonde hair stopped just before the small of her back. It was hair that a man would pay money just to be allowed the opportunity to run his fingers through and see it fanned out on the bed while sliding in and out of her. The very thought made Mason’s dick hard.

She smiled, making her classically beautiful face even more appealing. Her high cheekbones, narrow, slightly upturned nose and full rose-colored lips made his body throb with need. As his cock began to dig painfully into his black jeans, he instantly regretted not shacking up with the last hottie he’d crossed paths with. She’d been easy on the eyes and more than willing to have some fun but he felt compelled to get on the road and head home. That wasn’t something he normally passed on.

The bizarre urge to get on the road and head home had stayed with him and gotten stronger and stronger until he’d neared here. He’d given in to the compulsion to pull off, find a bite to eat and grab a beer. Somehow, he’d ended up here. It wasn’t as though the bar was close to the highway. No. Mason had driven a good distance off course before stopping. It wasn’t like he even had a choice. Something here had called to him. If he was right, it was the blonde.

“Hot damn,” the man at the table full of assholes said. “Take a look at the legs on that one. The rack isn’t bad either. How you doin’, sugar?”

Instantly, Mason found himself fighting the beast within, doing his best to keep the wolf caged. The urge to kill every one of the men for daring to look in the woman’s direction was so strong it shocked him. He clenched his fist, digging tiny crescent-shaped wounds into the palm of his hand and not caring in the least.

Jeanie went to the blonde quickly and Mason made sure he utilized every ounce of his supernatural gifts. First up, his ultrasensitive hearing. “Chan, you’re here! Ohmygod, I can’t believe it. When did you get in? Hey, I thought you weren’t coming until ten.”

The blonde smiled and his stomach did a flip-flop. If her flashing her pearly whites had that effect on him, he was screwed. Hopefully, in the literal sense if he played his cards right.

The blonde winked at her friend. “Hon, it’s eleven now. Don’t worry. I thought I’d head down and see if you needed a lift home or a little help?”

Her voice was every bit as smooth and sexy as she was. The need to hear her whispering sweet nothings in his ear while he fucked her left Mason fighting the urge to run to her and toss her over his shoulder. Fucking her was definitely something he would be doing before he left for home.

“Chandra Holbeck, are you telling me that you actually drove here for once?” Jeanie asked, sounding shocked.

Chandra. Chan. Mason let the name roll around in his head, taking more pleasure from it than he should.

Fuck, even her name makes me horny.

She laughed. He cupped his erection, praying for relief. When she spoke, she offered no such thing. “Uhh, please, Jeanie. You know me better than that. I didn’t drive. I walked. It’s gorgeous out. I can’t get enough of the fresh mountain air.”

Mason wanted to jump up and shout at her for being stupid enough to walk around at night, alone with shifters frequenting the area--drunk ones at that. Somehow, he managed to hold back. It wasn’t easy. Maybe the beast within him wanted to be fucking her tonight as bad as the man so it didn’t want to risk the opportunity by opening his mouth and inserting his foot.

Oh, we are so getting a piece of that tonight, my friend.

The woman slipped the jean jacket she had on off, leaving her in a tiny red fitted tee shirt. The cream-colored swells of her breasts showed due to the deep V-cut of it. Never before had Mason wanted to cover a sexy woman’s body but now he did. Wrapping her in a blanket and taking her home to peel back the layers and unwrap the prize inside in privacy was all he wanted to do. None of these men deserved to look upon her. She was special.

Special? What the hell am I thinking? She’s just another piece of ass.

Even as the words entered his mind, Mason knew they were a lie. She was more than just a piece of ass--way more and that scared him. Thankfully, the very idea of having his dick sinking into her lush body more than turned him on. It managed to set him on the verge of a full-shift and with his position as alpha male and right hand to Brayen, the guardian of the wolves, that was something that didn’t happen to him. He was stronger than that. Or so he’d thought. The blonde before him challenged that at an alarming rate.

Chandra glanced around the room, seeming to soak it all in with a childlike wonderment that made Mason smile. “Man, I missed this place. It’s packed.” Her brow creased. “Bertin, where’s Diane?”

The bartender shifted awkwardly. “She never showed up for work and I haven’t been able to get her by phone,” Bertin said, sounding anything but pleased. “It’s good to have you home, Chan. The place wasn’t the same without you.”

Something passed over Chandra’s face. She walked quickly to the bartender, slid her arm around his waist and sent spikes of jealousy ramming through Mason’s body. “If you’re worried about Diane, which I can tell you are, go look for her. I’ll take care of things here while you’re gone. And it’s good to see you too, Bertin.”

He wouldn’t dare leave two women alone to run this bar with those assholes here.

Bertin nodded. “Okay, I’ll be back as soon as I can. You sure you’ll be okay?”

What? Mason had to fight not to fall out of the booth from sheer shock. There was no way in hell any man in his right mind would leave two women with the likes of the characters in the bar. The man was clearly insane.

Chandra did a rather long, sensual blink that had Mason’s entire body reacting to it as if it were hard-core porn. If she could do that to him with no more than a look, imagine what she could do with a touch. The very idea left his cock throbbing.

“Go on, we’ll be fine. I promise,” she said softly.

Bertin smiled and Mason considered ripping his head off and pinning it to a dartboard. He’s noticed several of them on the wall nearest the pool tables on his way in. They’d work nicely.

“Thanks, Chan. Keep an eye on the big group. They’re a bit rambunctious tonight. Jeanie is nervous dealing with them and I think they know it.”

A bit rambunctious? They’re psychotic.

Chandra nodded and patted Bertin’s shoulder as she walked behind the bar to pick up where he’d left off. Bertin hesitated just a moment before turning and glancing directly at Mason. Their gazes locked. The slight nod the bartender gave him had Mason wondering what the hell was going on. Had the man sensed that Mason wasn’t human? Did he know Mason could and would protect the women at all costs? How could that be? Mason wasn’t even positive about what was going on--why the need to protect the blonde especially was so great. How the hell could some stranger hold the key?

All he knew for sure was if one of those assholes so much as sneezed in the blonde’s direction, it would be the last thing he ever did. Mason raked his gaze over them, coming close to daring them to try something. He felt like fucking the blonde until one of them passed out. Considering his legendary stamina, Mason had little fear he’d be the first one to fall asleep.

“Jeanie, how about something a little more upbeat? I really don’t want to hear some guy sing about losing his wife, job, dog and pickup truck tonight. It’s depressing,” Chandra said, as she leaned forward and put her hand over the older man’s at the bar. “Hey, Grandpa. How are you doing tonight? You’re not getting yourself into any trouble, are you? I’ve been worried sick that you’d go causing an uproar while I was gone.”

Grandpa?

Jeanie headed towards the jukebox quickly and selected a new sequence of songs. The first one that came on was about a young girl having issues fighting the moonlight. Mason couldn’t help but smile. Being a werewolf left him having roughly the same problem, though he’d never once thought to write a song about it.

“Yeah, Grandpa,” the man who had been hassling Jeanie mocked as he lifted his beer in the air. “Have you been a good boy tonight?”

The old man glanced over his shoulder but said nothing to the group. He simply stared at them with a look that would have been intimidating if it wasn’t coming from a man who looked to be pushing ninety.

I’m not exactly a spring chicken. Thank the gods I don’t look my age.

“Damn, Fisk, that looked like a challenge to me,” a buzz-cut blond said. He sat next to the one called Fisk and grinned from ear to ear.

Mason could no longer hold back. He eased forward in his seat, ready and willing to kill something. If he was lucky it would be a table full of assholes. After he was done with them, he’d take Chandra, get a room, and spend the night fucking her brains out.

His brashness made him cringe. Someone, even thinking about her in terms like that, sickened him. You don’t make love to women, idiot. You fuck them. Get over the self-imposed guilt trip.

He locked gazes with the old man at the bar and an unseen force slammed into him. It stole his breath. Mason tried to stand, only to find himself pinned to his seat.

What the hell?

* * * *

Chandra glanced at her great-grandfather and shook her head. The man was mischief in the making. Regardless of what he was doing, he seemed to get himself and everyone around him in a jam at a moment’s notice. Normally, they were good-natured predicaments that left all included laughing with a string of stories to tell. This didn’t feel good-natured in the least. “Way to egg them on, Papa. You just want to watch me kick the crap out of them. You get some sort of sick joy out of me leveling big guys.”

Grandpa winked. She laughed. The man would never change. He’d never once backed down from a fight and never would. It was part of who he was, his charm, and she loved him for him that.

“Is that true, old man?” a large man with short light brown hair said as he stood in the middle of the large group Bertin had warned her about. “Are you challenging me?”

“Whoohoo, Fisk, give ’em hell,” another man called out, his speech slightly slurred. “Be careful, he might have a cane.”

Laughter sounded from all directions.

Yeah, real funny.

Fisk glanced in Jeanie’s direction and a slow smile splayed over his face. Chandra wasn’t about to allow anything to happen to her friend. “Hey, Jeanie, we’re out of lemons. Could you run in the back and find some more? And whatever you do, don’t leave me in charge of slicing them again. I’ll take a finger off or something.”

Jeanie eyed the table full of men cautiously as she headed towards the back. “Call me if you need anything, Chan.”

It was so very like Jeanie to think she could help. In truth, she’d only be in the way.

Chandra wrinkled her nose. “Take your time. I’ll be fine. I could run the place with my eyes closed. It’s a side effect from having spent my life growing up here,” she said, winking at her grandfather. It was his bar.

The smile that moved over Jeanie’s face was priceless. “Yeah, you may have grown up here but you’ve seen other places, Chan. You’ve gone away. I’ve never been off this mountain and probably never will.”

It broke Chandra’s heart to hear her best friend speaking the truth. At the rate she was going, Jeanie never would see anywhere else. It was safer for an unmated female werepanther to stay close to her family and protectors.

“Jeanie, I only left to study, nothing earth shattering.”

“Did you meet new people? Do new things? See beautiful places?” Jeanie asked, as a faraway look came over her face.

Nodding, Chandra put her hand out to her friend. “Remember the dance I taught you when I got back?”

“The one that some Indian Shaman taught you?”

Chandra sighed. “Native American, but yeah, that one. You learned it right away. I bet you can still do it. I haven’t done it since the last time I was home and showed it to you.”

Jeanie beamed and Chandra knew her friend had practiced it daily. She’d heard the rhythmic sound that seemed to accompany it as she’d walked past her friend’s house many times. Plus, Wesley had told her about it each time they spoke. He was good about keeping her up-to-date on her friends.

As Jeanie took her hand, Chandra smiled and winked at her grandfather. He winked back and the music changed suddenly. It was laced in chants, drums and some sort of a wind instrument she couldn’t place. “Would you look at that? The darn thing must have known we wanted to dance.”

Jeanie’s eyes lit and she twisted a bit, never catching on that Grandpa had used his magik to make the music change to a song that didn’t even exist in the jukebox. “Do you think it really works? Do you think it will bring your,” she glanced around the bar nervously, “one true love to you? Your mate?”

It was hard for Chandra to not be envious of Jeanie in that area. Jeanie had a mate out there somewhere. A man who would love only her. In theory, so did Chandra but it wasn’t very likely she’d ever find him. No. Mr. Wonderful wasn’t beating down her door. “Yes, it’ll work for you.”

“I’ve been doing it for months and he hasn’t shown up yet, hon. And why did you leave out it working for you, too?” Jeanie pressed her lips together. “Hmm?”

“Because,” Chandra said, beginning to move her feet to the steps the Shaman had taught her. “Well, you know why. I’m not like you, Jeanie. I don’t think I’m like anyone.” She began to sway her hips just enough to look provocative. Jeanie laughed. Chandra shrugged. “Hey, I know it doesn’t belong there but it feels like it should. Doesn’t it?”

Grandpa laughed. “What else does it feel as though you should be doing right now, Chan?”

“Honestly?”

He nodded and she didn’t hold back. She knew she didn’t have to. “It feels like I should be doing this outside under the light of the full moon, around a fire with sleeping bags laid out.”

“Why do you need sleeping bags?” Jeanie asked, dancing along with her.

Chandra laughed. “On the off chance Mr. Right would show it would be nice not to have to lie in the dirt.”

Jeanie giggled and then stared at Grandpa. “She is so much like you, Gildas, that at times it scares me.”

“Thank you. She is more like me than even she wishes to acknowledge.” Grandpa focused on her with a twinkle in his eye. He was up to something. That much was clear. That was his look of mischief. “Does it feel like you should be doing anything else, Chan?”

Chandra glanced towards the back corner of the bar and began to move her hips even more. Her breath caught as her inner thighs tightened. Suddenly, the air around her felt sexually charged and it wasn’t her power that was causing it. It was someone else’s. Someone in the back of the bar. The urge to seek out the owner of the power was great.

Fisk picked then to interrupt. “Hey, Pops, I asked you a question. Are you challenging me?”

Jeanie stilled and cast Chandra a wary look. Not wanting her friend exposed to any more violence than she’d already been, Chandra motioned for her to head to the back. “How about those lemons?”

Nodding, Jeanie ran off, knowing that she’d only be underfoot if something big went down. It took years for Chandra to get her friend to understand it was better to be out of the way than hurt while trying to help. Still, Jeanie often tried to voice her need to lend a hand.

Movement from the table full of men caught her attention. Taking a deep, calming breath, Chandra hoped that it wouldn’t come to what she knew it would--someone dying. She moved out from behind the bar and headed straight for the table full of rowdy men. “Anyone need a refill?”

The one called Fisk narrowed his blue eyes on her, making her stomach twist and her blood run cold. “Oh, sugar, I want to fill something all right.” He licked his lips. “She’s tall, blonde and staring at me from hazel eyes, wanting me to fill her so full of my cum she can’t walk straight.”

Chandra bit back a laugh. “I’m sorry, but was that a yes on a beer or a no?”

“Where did your friend go?” Fisk asked, glancing towards the back room.

Far away from you.

“Beer? Yes? No? Going once, going twice...?” She didn’t give in to him, in hopes he’d lose interest and just go before Bertin got back or any more men she knew showed up. It would be a blood bath. One she didn’t want to see happen.

Fisk snickered. “You’re scared. I can smell it.”

She shrugged. “I’m a little concerned. I’ll admit it.”

The men all got equally smarmy smiles on their faces as they stared up at her like she was a piece of meat. If she wasn’t careful, that was exactly what she’d end up being. She knew exactly what these men were--not human. Neither was she. Fisk tipped his head and eyed her up. “Are you scared of me?”

Grandpa laughed and Chandra cringed. The man caused her more grief at times but she loved him dearly and knew that he always had an ulterior motive that was for the best. At the moment, it was a bit hard to understand why he would provoke these men but she trusted him.

“What’s so funny, old man?”

“Nothing,” Chandra said quickly, doing her best to head things off but wanting desperately to smash the man’s face for talking to her grandfather that way. “Yes, I’m afraid of you. Happy?”

Now, shut up and leave.

“Chan, do not lie to the boy. Tell him the truth that you are afraid for him--for them all.”

Great, Grandpa, why don’t you go ahead and throw the first punch? Save time, get right to the fight.

Grandpa chuckled. “If one more comment is made that is not acceptable in regards to a woman, I will, young one. I will. And if you are thinking of batting your eyelashes and calling me Papa to get me to stop, it will work but it will not work on the one who watches now. His need to see you safe will outweigh his better judgment. Trust me when I say you do not want him revealed to the others, Chandra.”

Whatever her grandfather was trying to tell her, it was big and she knew better than to not trust him. His insight was unrivaled. Any suggestions?

He chuckled again. “Yes. I believe they have no respect for women and should. Perhaps it is time they learned a valuable life lesson.”

That’s what she was afraid he’d say. She thrust her thoughts out at her grandfather. And the other, the one who is watching me? What should I do about him?

“I will see to it he is kept in line. Though, you will have to be the one to calm him down when all is said and done.”

I knew you’d say that, too.

“Because you know me well.”

The men at the table exchanged confused looks. “The old man is talking to himself. Put the old bastard out his misery, Fisk. He’s insane.”

Fisk raked his cold gaze over her. “First, I’m gonna teach the blonde a lesson and then I’ll teach the old man one. Women shouldn’t walk around looking that good unless they want to be fucked.”

Chandra felt her grandfather’s power move past her fast, heading towards the back corner of the bar. She tried to follow it with her gaze, to see who this mysterious man watching her was but Fisk picked that moment to appear in front of her. Her slight distraction had cost her valuable time and she’d completely missed his approach.

He took a deep breath and laughed. “Ahh, nothing smells better than a scared human. Unless she’s soaked with my cum that is.”

“Chan,” her grandfather warned. “Handle him or I will.”

“Papa.” She batted her eyes.

Grandpa sighed, never one who was able to resist her when she pulled out the use of the word papa. “Fine. Handle him or I will set the other free. He wished greatly to use a ma