Bobcat: Tales of the Were (Redstone Clan) (12 page)

“I like her already,” Steve put in after a short moment of silence. His humor-laced tone broke the mood a bit. “I’m Steve, by the way. Is it true you’re a bobcat?”

She cocked her head to the side and gave Bob a quizzical look at Steve’s question. “It’s true. The Cascade Clan is all bobcat. There’s a wolf Pack farther south in the range, but the bobs keep to their own territory most of the time and chase others out. There’s not a lot of inter-species interaction.”

“Things are a lot different down here. Our Clan is multi-species. I think you’ll like it when you finally get here,” Steve offered. Bob
’s inner cat liked the way his older brother spoke with such confidence, as if Serena’s place in the Redstone Clan was a foregone conclusion. “You know, it occurs to me, that I may be able to send you some help. Not shifter.” Steve was quick to add. “But there are some friends I can call that might be able to help. For one, I’ll see if we can locate Ben Steel. If he’s still in the area, he might be a good resource, since the lady already knows him. I never worked with him personally, but I’ve done some research since Matt told us about him and I’ve heard good things.”

Bob wasn’t sure about trusting anyone who had worked for the
Altor Custodis
, but he could definitely use some help, and beggars couldn’t be choosers. There was also still one other avenue they could try that hadn’t really been mentioned.

“Do you know anybody
else who might have Jezza’s sat phone number?” Bob asked. “Maybe some of your old Army colleagues—or some of Slade’s Agency connections?”

“I’
ll work on it, but don’t hold your breath. If Jezza doesn’t want to be found, he’s not going to be found easily. The only real way is the old fashioned way. Put yourself in his path and if he recognizes you as friendly, he might show himself.” Steve’s reply wasn’t what Bob wanted to hear.

“So I guess we’re heading int
o the Cascades whether we like it or not.” Bob finally put the distasteful thought into words. He reached across the center console to place his hand over Serena’s. “I’m sorry to have to take you back there, sweetheart.”

“It’s okay,” she answered in a small voice. That she was trying so hard to be brave
was like a kick to his gut. He had promised to keep her out of danger and here he was, driving her right back into the teeth of it. “It’ll probably be good for me to face some more of my fears.”

“That’s the spirit,” Steve said in an encouraging tone. Bob wanted to tell his older brother to shut the hell up, but Serena seemed to gain strength from Steve’s confident words. “You know, Bob, this attack on the
leadership is serious,” Steve went on. “The
Venifucus
are way better organized than anyone thought and they have a lot more manpower. This is probably just the first volley. Do what you need to do, then hightail it back here. It just might be time to start circling the wagons.”

“I hear you, bro,” Bob answered, his thoughts grim.

They had been dealing with the
Venifucus
threat since the murder of their matriarch, but nobody had thought the group had such reach or power. Until now, there had only been sporadic skirmishes with small groups or single perpetrators who had
Venifucus
ties. But this… It was large-scale and might span a good portion of the globe. The true length of their reach didn’t bear thinking about.

“We’ll do this as quickly as possible and then we head for home,” Bob reassured his brother. “I’ll be in touch and you can reach me anytime we’re in the vehicle. I have some equipment in the back, as you well know, and you have my numbers. It would be best if we did pre-arranged check-ins. I’ll call you on twelves and sixes, okay? Morning and night. Even if I have nothing new to report.”

“Good man,” Steve approved the plan. “I’ll be watching for your calls and if you miss one, I’ll send out whatever cavalry I can manage. Just be careful. The good guys are spread pretty thin at the moment.” He paused for a beat then his tone changed. “I’ll look forward to meeting you in person, Serena. Keep my little brother safe, okay?”

She laughed at that, as Steve had probably intended. For all his serious-soldier demeanor, he certainly did know how to charm females. Thankfully, he was newly mated and posed no competition for Serena’s attention. Even so, the cougar inside Bob bristled a bit.

“I think it’ll be more the other way around,” she quipped, “but I’ll do my best.”

They signed off without much more ado and that left Bob and Serena enclosed in the quiet cab of the SUV. The rain outside was worsening and made them feel even more isolated.

“You don’t have to do this, you know,” Bob insisted, breaking the silence after a while.

He was tense. He really didn’t like taking her into danger, regardless of what she said. Her brave act wasn’t fooling him. He knew she didn’t want to go back, but her sense of honor wouldn’t let her do anything less to help the man who
had risked so much to help her.

“I know,” she answered in a careful tone after a moment’s thought. “Have you ever considered that sometimes circumstances force you to face things you otherwise wouldn’t want to even think about? Like maybe we’re guided to do things that we don’t want to do? Like it’s fate or something?”

“You think fate is making you go back to the Cascades?” Bob didn’t like that thought one bit. “I’ve seen the Goddess in action a lot lately and I have to tell you, you don’t want any part of that business. It’s too dangerous.”

He thought about the bloody battles his brothers and their mates had fought and the way the Lady Goddess seemed to guide their paths. Those paths had not been easy ones and he didn’t want that k
ind of struggle for Serena. She had already been through enough as far as he was concerned.

“I wouldn’t presume to say that the Goddess even knows I exist,” she was quick to clarify, “but it does seem strange to me that there’s no other reasonable choice. Not if we want to warn Jezza. I mean, there
is
a choice. I could choose to be selfish and put my own safety first. Or I could choose the noble path—the right thing to do—and put myself out a bit to try to get word to him.”

“Put yourself out a bit?” His voice rose as he repeated her words. “Honey, going back to a place you needed help to escape in the first place is doing more than just
putting yourself out a bit
.”

She laughed, much to his consternation. This was
not
a laughing matter.

“Can’t you see
? I don’t have a choice.” She seemed to sober as she turned to him in the confines of the SUV’s cab. He glanced at her occasionally while he continued to drive. “Not if I want to be the person I am working to become. Not if I want to have integrity and pride. Not if I want to be strong.”

“Serena, there are other ways to be strong.” He had to admit though, she had a point. If she was male—and not a woman he was interested in romantically—he probably would have admired her spirit.
Hell, he already
did
admire her spirit, even if it also scared the shit out of him. “Okay. I see your point…but I really don’t have to like it.”

She laughed again and he just shook his head. This wasn’t an argument he was going to win apparently.

They avoided anything even resembling an airstrip on their way through the mountains of eastern Oregon.
They had stopped for fuel—both gas for the SUV and food for themselves—just inside the Idaho state line, then hopped right back on the road.

They still had a ways to go.
The Cascade Range was a bit farther west, almost right up against the coast and included some famous—or rather, infamous—volcanoes such as Mount Saint Helens and Lassen Peak.

The position of the mountains right near the coast meant lots of weather. In the winter, that meant lots and lots of snow, but thankfully
the year was warming up nicely. Although a few of the peaks stayed covered in snow year-round, the area they were aiming for on the lower slopes of Mount Baker would probably be clear. Especially with all the rain that was falling, melting any last little tidbits that remained.

Once their course had been decided and Bob accepted the fact that Sere
na would be coming with him, he had asked her many pointed questions about her former territory. She had been willing to talk—it was a good way to pass the time as the miles flew by and she seemed to understand how important it was that he have a grasp of the area they would be covering.

It also helped him focus. His mind kept going back to their encounter the night before and how good it had felt to hold her in his arms and be with her. She tasted like ambrosia and her honey scent drove him wild. That scent permeated the cabin of the SUV and made his inner cat want to purr, but there were important things at stake—among them, both of their lives. In the grander scheme, the safety of Jezza, the Lords, the Redstone Clan,
all
shifters for that matter, and even regular humans should the
Venifucus
succeed in their foul plans.

“There are three possibilit
ies we should check first,” Serena had told him. “The ghost town, the caves, or the old mine. In that order.” She went on to describe the geography of each location and how they could get there with the least possibility of being seen.

Bob was glad to learn she ha
d thought it all through very carefully. She was being cautious, which boded well for their chances of success. Just when he had thought she couldn’t surprise him, she did. He found not only did he admire her beauty and courage, but her intellect wasn’t anything to discount either. She was very smart, he discovered as they talked out their strategy, with good instincts.

“We’ll have to stop somewhere for the night. I’m not sure I want to chance a motel,” Bob said as they drove down the road. Twilight was upon them already and soon it would be full dark. “But it just so happens, the back of this SUV can double as a sleeping area in a pinch. We’ll probably be safer in here than anywhere else. We just need to find a good place to hole up for the night. What do you say? Are you up for a little camping?”

Serena looked back into the rear of the big SUV with a doubtful expression. “I’m all for safety,” she said. “But it looks like a bit of a tight fit. Are you sure it’ll work?”

Bob smiled. “Trust me.”

An hour later, they ha
d found an out of the way wilderness area with dense forest on state land. With a little luck, nobody would see the dark SUV parked among the trees, well off the road. Bob had taken care to go out and erase any sign of their passage through the tall grass and parked the vehicle in such a way so that any hint of a gleam off its surfaces was dampened. He even smeared mud on some of the shiny bits, to help the vehicle blend in a bit more with its surroundings.

He scouted around the area and found only wildlife and a few curious fish in a small stream to the northeast. Dinner, if he could catch a few fat ones. But they had stocked up at the last rest stop and had a cooler full of food and drinks that should last them a few d
ays, and a full tank of gas. He had installed an extra large capacity tank as part of his upgrades, so they could go a lot farther than most other SUVs of this type. With any luck, they wouldn’t need more fuel until after they had accomplished their mission.

“Everything looks okay out here if you want to stretch your legs,” he reported when he crept back to the SUV.

He had asked Serena to wait inside while he checked out their surroundings and she had agreed, but they had both been cooped up for most of the day inside the vehicle. It was time to stretch, answer the call of nature and prepare for the dark forest night.

“Is it safe to shift here?” she asked in a low voice. They were both speaking quietly.

“I think so, but don’t go far. There’s a little stream about twenty yards to the northeast. I’ll meet you there after I set up the back of the truck.” The delay would give her a chance to stretch a bit while he put the back seats down and got out the supplies they would need.

He turned to the back of the SUV and started working while she undressed by the passenger side door and left her clothes neatly on the seat. He allowed her a bit of privacy, but wasn’t surprised when she
, in bobcat form, looked up at him from under the back bumper of the SUV. All the interior lights had been shut off and he was working using only his superior night vision. She blinked up at him before slinking out from under the vehicle and trotting away toward the stream he had told her about.

She was bigger than the normal bobcat,
probably because she was a shifter, but still petite compared to him in his shifted form. He thought she was adorable, even with her stubby tail. Bobcats were named such because of their bobbed tail that was about half the length—allowing for body size—as his. It had looked a little funny to him at first, but the rest of her was just so damn gorgeous, he found it more amusing than odd.

He finished pulling supplies out of cleverly hidden storage areas and completed the setup for the night. He then locked up the SUV, shed his own clothing and shifted shape,
moving toward his lady in the woods.

After being cooped up all day in the car, Serena really enjoyed stretching her body and getting a chance to let her wild side out. She admitted to herself that she was frightened about going back to her old territory, but she was equally frightened by the concerted
Venifucus
attacks. There was no other way to put it except to say the world had changed drastically in the past eighteen hours.

She wasn’t the only one in danger. The Lords and the other shifter monarchs all over the world were in deep trouble.
In fact, the whole world was in deep trouble if the
Venifucus
had managed to get that organized and that big without anyone knowing about it. The shit had just well and truly hit the fan. Nobody was safe.

The humans didn’t even realize what was going on, but if the shifters fell into disarray, humanity could very well be the next target. While shifters weren’t the only thing standing between the darkness the
Venifucus
served and humans, they were a big part of it. Humans for the most part, had no idea what was really out there in the world, looking to rule over them. She didn’t think humans truly understood the concept of evil, or the ongoing battle to prevent it from overwhelming the Light. Not the way shifters did.

She almost envied their ignorance. Shaking, she tried her best to put such troubling thoughts aside and focus on the moment. The night. The forest.

She took care of her personal needs, then stretched and ran around a bit. She didn’t stray too far from the SUV. It represented safety to her, as did the incredible man who owned it.

If her instincts were right, Bob was something she never expected to find and still didn’t quite believe. Her inner cat was telling her strange things about the much larger cougar.
Her bobcat recognized the feline and the Alpha in him, but it went further than that. It recognized a man it liked on every level. A cat that didn’t threaten. A man that promised only protection and respect. Her inner bobcat liked that very much.

So much, the feline heart of her wanted to keep him. Forever. The cat had found its mate.

But the woman wasn’t so sure. They weren’t the same species, even if they were both feline. She wasn’t sure how that would work. Would he feel the same mating call for a woman of a different species? Could he? Did he want to? Or would he not feel the same deep need to be with her as she was feeling toward him?

She was so confused. How could she ask
him such things? How could she not?

They had shared so much in just a few short days. She felt things with him that she felt with no other. She trusted him with her body in ways that she had never trusted another man. Dare she trust him with her heart? She was afraid it was almost too late to prevent it.

But did she want to? Her new-found confidence was telling her to take the chance. To grab for happiness with the cougar. The High Priestess’s words repeated in her mind, encouraging her to step out of her comfort zone and rejoin the land of the living. She’d already come so far, but Bob had made her want to come all the way back into the light—to be with him.

She had loved every minute of their time together and wanted to make love with him again and again. While she had fled in confusion the night before, Bob hadn’t held it against her. She had almost feared her reception—when she had a moment to think about it—today, but he hadn’t brought it up. He merely kept going, accepting her. Keeping her as safe as he could under the circumstances. Allowing her to make her own decisions.

That respect was precious to her. If he could love her, she would probably never find a better man. Her cat wanted him for its mate and her human half wasn’t far behind, but she had to find out where he stood on the matter…and that would take some doing.

Her cat form yowled low in frustration as she approached the bank of the small stream. It caught movement in the flowing water and pounced, acting completely on instinct.

A fat fish flopped onto the shore. Serena felt a pulse of satisfaction and turned back to the stream. It was time to be a cat and not worry about the human side of things. Good thing cats liked sushi.

By the time Bob arrived at the stream a few minutes later, three fat fish lay at Serena’s feet. He padded over to her on his much bigger paws and tapped her nose in play. She swatted at his paw and then pushed two of the fish toward him.

The cougar sank onto his belly and sat opposite the bobcat as they feasted on fresh fish. For the moment, they let their animal sides rule while they filled their bellies. The cats loved the fresh seafood and after finishing the meal, they prowled around a bit together, working off the stiffness from the long car ride and allowing time for dinner to settle.

When they were both feeling relaxed and a bit weary, Bob herded her back toward the SUV. She didn’t need much coaxing. She stayed in her cat form to see what he had in mind. She had noticed a chain around his neck, mostly hidden in his fur, but she could see that the key fob for the SUV was attached to it. He had left his clothes under the vehicle, she saw as they returned, but he had kept the key with him. Smart. But it needed human fingers to work the buttons, didn’t it?

That question was answered as he pressed a sensor under the bumper with his paw. The proximity of the electronic fob and the pressure in the right place seemed to combine to pop the hatch open.

Bob took a moment to lift the neat pile of his clothes in his teeth and stow them in the back of the vehicle before he jumped up into the roomy cargo area. She hopped up, following him. Her clothes were already within easy reach on the passenger seat, where she had left them. She wasn’t sure if they were sleeping in their fur or their skin yet, but she would follow his lead, whatever he decided.

He didn’t seem inclined to shift, so she sat on one side and watched him as he hit another sensor with his paw and the tailgate closed automatically. The tinted windows enclosed them in darkness, but they both had excellent night vision. She saw him do a few more things. He touched a
small panel on the side of the SUV’s body and it slid out and down, showing a peephole of sorts that had been built into the lower part of the body of the vehicle.

Another
press of his paw slid a tiny part of the back roof up at an angle to allow for fresh air to circulate in the enclosed space. There were already dark-colored blankets spread on the floor under them and a few dark pillows along the side of the compartment. All the comforts of home.

After showing Serena where the control was for the viewing panel on her side, he settled down, his face near the small viewport. It was clear he was choosing to sleep in a place where all he had to do was open his eyes to see what was outside on his side of the vehicle. She realized he probably wanted her to do the same.

It made sense. They could watch a good sized area from the little ports without moving a muscle, and in their fur, their senses were extra-sharp. They would hear the slightest sound from outside and the fresh air circulating through the open hatch would allow them to smell intruders from a long distance away. They could sleep and guard at the same time.

Realizing they were as safe as they could be given the situation, Serena gave in and slept.

Sometime before
dawn, Serena woke to find herself encased by strong, bare arms. Bob. His big, naked body was spooned against hers, his front to her back, and his arms were around her as if they belonged there. One hand cupped her breast and the other was over her belly, dangerously close to the apex of her thighs—the place that wanted his touch desperately.

They must have shifted form sometime during the night. Both of them. And then snuggled together.

Had he taken her into his arms consciously or was it some kind of instinct that had made him curl around her? All sorts of questions flooded her mind as she came slowly awake. Dawn was starting to trickle through the dense trees. They had slept through the night—or at least she had—with no disturbances. Had he awoken to find her in her human form, then shifted to take her into his arms? Or had he been as weary as she and just did it in his sleep?

Did it really matter? They were both naked. Human. Wrapped together in a cocoon of body heat with the dark blanket thrown over the
m. Had he done that? Had she?

She wished she knew what it all meant.

A kiss on her shoulder made her mind still and her racing thoughts scatter.

“Good morning.” Bob’s voice rumbled near her ear, deep with sleep.
Sexy.

A little thrill went down her spine. When she didn’t move away, the hand on her breast began to stroke and pluck.
Oh yeah.

Even if she could have made her boneless body move, it would have flatly refused. It was enjoying what he was doing too much.

“You know I think you’re beautiful, right?” Bob’s whisper sent warm heat across the shell of her ear. The weight of his words landed a blow to her defenses—what little was left of them. “You’re cute and sexy and smart. All the things I’ve always dreamed of in a mate.”

That last word made her breath catch in her throat.

“Mate?” she croaked, at a loss for air. Her body froze, waiting for his answer, but he continued stroking her.

“Yeah, I think so. Don’t you? There’s something really special
going on here. My cat is truly happy when in your presence and your scent drives him mad with desire and protectiveness. He wants you, even though he doesn’t really understand why your tail is so short.” He chuckled and placed little kisses along her shoulder and part-way down her arm.

“What about your human side?” She held her breath, anxious to hear what he would say. Both halves of a shifter’s soul had to be in alignment, or any relationship
they tried would never work.

“My human side was attracted to you the moment I first scented you in the woods. That attraction has only grown since
getting to know you. My heart breaks for what you’ve been through and I’m proud of the woman you’ve become. I’m enchanted by your little cat form and my human arms long to hold you all night, every night. For as long as you’ll let me.”

He stilled this time, seeming in anticipation of her reaction. Her heart had melted into a puddle of
happy goo. Her brain had finally stopped harassing her with so many anxious questions. All seemed right with her world for this short moment out of time. They were both thinking in terms of mating. Their thoughts—and hearts, she hoped—were aligned.

She turned to face him, rolling over within the loosened circle of his arms. She raised one hand to his face, cupping his stubbly cheek and looking deep into his eyes.

“What if I want you forever?” she whispered, not really believing she was being so daring, but Bob had a knack for bringing out her inner wild child.

“That c
an be arranged.” He moved closer, sealing their serious words with a wondrous kiss. It was gentle and strong at the same time. A lot like Bob himself.

When he pulled back after long, breathless minutes, a smile spread across his lips, crinkling the corners of his eyes. This was a man who smiled a lot. He would bring joy to her world and more than that, she sensed he would bring love. So much love. Her heart yearned for it and wanted to give so much in return. Finally, she
had found a man she knew she could have that sort of relationship with. He was a cougar, but her inner bobcat seemed fine with that.

After the hell she had faced at the hands of bobcat males, her cat saw most of them as the en
emy. It was always doubtful she would have been able to change the cat’s opinion, or her human reactions to males of her own species. If she was ever going to find anyone to share her life with, she had thought maybe she would be forced to spend the rest of her life living among humans, hiding her true nature.

But Bob had changed everything. His cat didn’t frighten hers, even though he was so much bigger. His human side had won her admiration as well. And there was something indefinable going on in her heart and soul. Something almost magical. Something divine. Goddess-touched, though she had never really experienced anything like it before. Somewhere down deep inside, she instinctively recognized her mate.

She loved the feel of his hard muscles against the soft spots on her body. His hard pecs flexed against her breasts as he moved her closer. His thigh insinuated itself between hers, the sinuous movement encouraging her to ride his hard-muscled leg. His tongue danced with hers, lulling her senses and sending her into a place of bliss—where only they two existed.

He trailed his hand down over her thigh, reaching under to coax her leg over his hip and then he was just…there. His cock ready at the entrance of her straining body. There were no real preliminaries this time, but none were needed. She was ready and eager to accept him into her body. In fact, she reached between them to help line him up. She wanted him more than her next breath and if his hushed growls were any indication, he wasn’t far behind.

Bob pushed inside, the angle making it a bit of a challenge, but he was up to the task. She wrapped her leg around him tighter, moving to accommodate his entrance. Their coming together this time was primal, hungry, intense. Rain poured down around the vehicle, but they were encased in a little bubble of warmth that hid them from the rest of the world. Nothing else existed.