Collared for a Night (Crimson Romance) (16 page)

“When did you find out? I’m glad I mentioned something.”

“My kitten’s claws are showing. By phone. Before breakfast, while you were dressing. I have no plans on holding back from you. Not in business or here in our bedroom.”

“My phone reception is awful. I checked and wanted to speak to you. I’m glad you brought up business. Did you plan on keeping me sequestered if I misbehaved?” She studied him before her mouth curved up into a teasing grin. “Am I given a choice of what works or shall you exert your will, leaving me little room but to agree now that we’ve crossed the boss-employee boundaries? I need structure is what I’m saying.”

Damn
. What he wanted her to do with her voluptuous mouth. The momentum and tension brewing between them didn’t seem to lessen over time. Right now, he wanted her more than last night. This was very much a hot cycle, never mind heat.

“It’s my job to oversee. I don’t step on toes. Least of all yours. I fully intend to give you what you need to make this arrangement work. But we have to talk openly. First and foremost.”

“I get that about you. I always have, yet now you do seem … possessive.”

He looped his fingers with hers. “I promise, where work is concerned, I’d never second guess or countermand your design principles. But in the bedroom, I’m in charge. Nothing has changed in that regard, kitten.” He rubbed his fingers across hers. “Is that agreeable?”

“More than agreeable.”

“Good. We’d better begin preparing for our run. If you’re through with breakfast, we can begin training.”

“You’ve hardly eaten a morsel. Aren’t you hungry?” She reached out stroking the top of his knuckles.

His pulse pounded at the thought of chasing her up the side of the mountain. If he didn’t stop thinking about the things he’d do once he caught her, he might just give her a preview.

“I’m fine. I don’t think eating will help the hunger I’ve got brewing.” He spoke between clenched jaws. Her touch infused him with the need to possess her. He’d acknowledged it without entirely acting upon it until now. He curled his hands into fists. Each second in her presence was a fight to maintain his self-control. Training Diana … hell, he doubted he could teach her to tie a shoelace at this rate. “Join me, and you can see for yourself. Am I correct, then, that this will be your first time being pursued?”

He got up and held her chair. The sweet smell of her — now mixed with his own scent embedded in her skin — intoxicated him.

“Yes. My husband and I were childhood friends. We escaped our families’ expectations together. He protected me. He never would have hunted me.”

“Yet you’ve run freely this year. And still not one chase?”

“I was lucky within the nature preserve. No leopards were present. I’ve escaped the plight of many leopardess shifters.” The amused curve of her lips coupled with the glittery look in her eyes kept him in rapt attention. “Sweetheart, make no mistake. I will track you down. If I have to move heaven and earth, I will.”

“I’ve no doubt. Actually, from the moment we met, I fantasized this is where we’d end up. It’s also what I feared. Now, I see there’s really no choice.”

“We both put a good faith effort into avoiding each other at work. As shifters, I think we knew the risks each presented to the other. You still have a choice. Diana, I want this to be what you freely desire.”

“I only meant that once we connected, and with what we’ve experienced, it would be hard to forget you. Don’t you feel the same?”

His gaze lowered when she brushed aside her hair, away from her neck. Several bite marks were revealed. By tonight, he would make many more marks over her body, if she acquiesced by agreeing to let him claim a part of her. Biting one’s mate was a time-honored leopard tradition if they were to be bonded. She had a choice to keep this simple or take their relationship to the next level even if wasn’t true bonding. The thought of mounting her assaulted his calm.

This chase could be an exercise, a foundational step in her alpha training. Or … the second-to-last step for both of them. Considering their past experiences with lovers and mistakes, going slow together made sense regardless of what she might wish.

“This is our destiny. We’re both alphas. No other type of leopard would bring us fulfillment or push us to boundaries where we need to … grow.”

“Me. Yes, there’s no question. But you? Shawn, what do you need?”

“You’re not the only one who has bad memories and issues with trust. But you are the only one who must learn that to gain power, you must let go of the walls that box you in and keep you small. Before you can stand tall, you must be comfortable bending, adjusting, learning to put aside your ego. You will follow my directives without question. They are for your own good. We’re not going on some well-charted walking path up the mountain. Where we’ll cross has been worn, but only by strong and able leopards. This isn’t some pseudo-challenge I’ve arranged as a token ceremony. You’ll be pushed to use the prowess of an alpha leopardess. There are sheer drops, and plenty of places where rock ledges can give way.”

Flinching, she stared back at him, blinking once. “And you’re confident that I’ll possess the required level of proficiency?”

“I’d never suggest it otherwise. All I’m asking for is your trust.” Footsteps echoed in the hallway down the hall.

“Is someone here?” Diana asked.

“That should be Tristen. He’s here to help. Diana, you’ve nothing to fear. I put my trust in Tristen for years. I told you the extent that he helped me. I want your trust. I know it takes time.”

“My trust? That’s more than obvious each time we discuss tonight. This feels more like blindly leaping without a parachute.”

He laced his fingers through hers and looped his arm over her shoulders. “If you feel you can’t do what is asked, all you have to say is ‘no’ and I won’t push you. There’s still time for us both to step back. I don’t want you to give up, but I also can’t be the one to dictate how your life unfolds. Only you can determine which road to take and what bridge to cross. I’ll help you in all ways except making the decision.”

“I do trust you in all the ways that are important. I just need some time to learn how to trust myself.”

Tristen met them in the outer entryway. The man stood almost six foot four, with a severe expression. The way Tristen’s eyes flashed under a brooding stare expressed his concern. He jutted his chin out, settling back on his heels, waiting for them.

“Good to see you, Diana,” he said in a monotone voice. Tristen leaned forward, extending a thick arm for a handshake. His buzzed hair gleamed platinum, framing his skull.

Shawn shook his head at Tristen’s robotic address. “No need to be so dour.”

“Says you,” Tristen retorted, pulling open the front door. “It’s going to be a clear day. Near perfect.” He stepped onto the porch, putting on a pair of sunglasses. When Tristen descended the front steps into the direct sunlight, glare lifted from his colorless hair like a halo. “Tonight as well. Excellent conditions are expected. Fin’s changing the oil in your Jeep. We’ll be on our mark come nightfall.”

“It’s a short walk to the place where we’ll begin to train.” Shawn kept his arm around Diana’s shoulders. In human form, her thin bones were fragile beneath his hand.

This wasn’t the first time he’d participated in the ceremony for paired leopards. What he’d do with Diana was like a chase between leopards to be mated, but she was learning her nature, not coming back here to be his mate. His chest squeezed for a second on that thought. There was no arguing he wanted all of Diana, but he still felt unsure about taking the leap into forever since she refused to commit.

Christ, right now she seemed one foot out the door if he didn’t watch his step. “Your family much for the traditional mating chase?”

She blinked before she turned away. “Yes. They’re very conservative about all that stuff.”

“We used to prepare for days for a bonding chase with family and friends. When my parents were alive, this was a time for partying and a celebration that rivaled a wedding. At least a week was set aside and the culmination of the paired leopards’ run marked the beginning of a union.”

Nowadays, these traditions were less about the journey and more about the destination. Many couples were more interested in posting photographs about where they’d gone, as if this was a human honeymoon. Some couples agreed to forsake the tradition altogether, opting for a church wedding where the actual mating was done on the wedding night.

Shifters had learned to adapt and fit into society. Their kind didn’t roam neighborhoods in primal form. Except for ones like the hard-headed shifter next to him. He snorted. For Diana, a conservative shifter, that would be much the same as walking down the sidewalk naked.

There was no way to remain silent on this issue. “You’ve a real blind spot as to your own needs. There’s a shifter time and place to cut loose, and that’s the reason why Quinn and I opened the Den. Do you realize there are shifter kidnappings? Under-reported, of course, but still the practice goes on.”

“We’ve all heard of the female shifters who go missing.”

“That’s a slight understatement. You don’t believe they run around wild only to be captured or killed, or even worse, sold to deviant animal shows?”

“I think many things happen. Females may run away and be taken advantage of. I appreciate everything you’ve said. That’s why I’m here.”

He worried that if Diana couldn’t or wouldn’t go through with this training, she would run the risk of wildly shifting and ending up as another shifter gone missing, never to be seen again.

They walked in silence, their feet crunching the gravel path in back of the house, then headed across a smooth expanse of lawn into a line of evergreen trees. Once inside the shaded wooded area, the temperature of the air dropped remarkably. Diana’s skin cooled under his fingers. “Where are we going?” she whispered.

“Just up ahead. There’s a small building that we use for meetings.”

Tristen snorted without saying a word. Diana’s soft curves swayed and bumped against Shawn. She rubbed her cheek against his thumb at her shoulder. “Mmm,” she said softly.

He slowed his walk, uncertain if any of them was up for this task. The rivers would be running high, currents twisting and tumbling, speeding along, keeping boulders hidden until a body slammed and broke against them. She’d be lucky to get by with just getting her paws damp. His mind raced, conceptualizing every possible scenario, and what might be done to lessen the chance that she’d succumb to the elements. Fuck, this was a fabulous time to reconsider.

As though Tristen could read his mind, he turned. “She’ll be fine. If you can undo your death grip for a couple of hours,
dad
?” The wolf’s scowl was obvious, even behind a set of wraparound sunglasses.

Shawn retorted, “You’re one to talk,
gramps.
” Tristen had proven himself over and over. Today, the wolf shifter was about to undertake accessing Diana’s leopardess nature using sophisticated neuro-technology. He was the only key holder Shawn trusted to unlock Diana’s nature. Someone else might leach her primal leopardess power, stealing a portion, but never Tristen.

Up ahead through the tree trunks, the side of the red building came into view. Constructed to resemble a farm building, complete with tin roof, the building had every modern convenience including enough technology to rival a small government. Tristen camped out here along with Fin, across the land on the East Ridge. Shawn didn’t ask what they did and they never offered an explanation.

Tristen had established he was indispensable as his right-hand man and had become his friend over the years. Trained in neuropsychology, he’d stopped working in his field after coming back from Afghanistan. He had served a number of years with Fin as combat soldiers. Both Tristen and Shawn’s parents were long gone. Shawn’s respect had coalesced into a solid friendship with these two men and, together with Quinn, they formed a tight bond around Denver.

Tristen unlocked the door. He opened it and stood back, letting Diana enter first. As with the house, the building used motion sensors and automated climate control.

Shawn stopped in front of Tristen as the wolf shifter spoke in a low voice. “I assure you, Diana will have everything one might need to navigate over the terrain. Just give me a few hours. I’ve never let you down.” Tristen’s unblinking eyes held his gaze.

A low hum of white noise floated around them from several pieces of neurological instrumentation and machinery. Electronic equipment gave off an electrical smell. He watched Diana’s reaction, the fluttering of her cat-eyes changing.

“What shall we do here?” she asked.

“Tristen has been instructed to work out a program to unlock your inner nature, freeing you from the obvious walls you have built as defenses. These are roadblocks to the decision-making required in your primal form. It’s also why you can’t remember anything when you shift; it is actually a type of psychological veil that keeps you safe from what you fear. This safety net will tie you up when you need to act instead of react.”

“How will this impact my thinking when I’m not shifting? Or when I’m in a … cycle?” Her face glowed with color.

“You’ll have access to memories. Right now those memories are sealed off. They exist, but you’ve no way to retrieve them. Soon you will.”

She walked around the office, peering at the equipment and charts. “Is this another one of your businesses?”

“Not exactly a business. More like a service we’re trying out. This is part of what I spend time doing. There are huge numbers of shifters who live on the fringes of society because they don’t fit into a world of modern conveniences. You left your family and have been cut off. If you’d stayed, you’d have become an adult shifter and learned what resources were available. Instead, you’ve been out of the loop. My family has been responsible for governing the Western part of North America for generations. As you know, I’m responsible for a newly-formed board that assists shifters seeking mediation when conflicts occur. This is one step.”

“This is so far from justice, graphic design, restaurants, retail engineering, and a mating club. Is there anything you don’t do?”