LickingHerWounds (3 page)

Jane? The cat was giving her a real name? Her nod was again
almost imperceptible. The idea of having a real name made it hard to swallow.
Why
are my eyes watering?

“You are in my home, Jane. Do you know who—and what—I am?”

She blinked rapidly. “A cat.”

“I am a Seronta leopard shifter, Jane. You are here as my
guest, but if you do anything to endanger my family I will tear your head off
without a second’s hesitation. Do you understand me?”

She swallowed tightly, her dry throat throbbing from Jock’s
abuse. The words came from her aching throat. “I…won’t…hurt your cubs.”

“The reason you are alive right now is because you didn’t
try to hurt my sons.” The voice was still soft but held a hint of steel.

“Jock wants to kill me,” she whispered hoarsely.

“Jock is the one who tore you up like this?”

“Yes.”

“Your wounds are healing but you are suffering from
malnutrition. You need to rest and eat. Can you swallow some broth?”

Her eyes flickered open again as she caught the
mouthwatering smell of something delicious. It was her instinct to shift to eat
but she was too weak. She felt hands lifting her and something soft being
shoved behind her shoulders. Then a hard, warm object was pressed against her
lips and she opened her mouth to bite down. Warm liquid dribbled into her mouth
and down her chin onto her chest.

“Don’t try to bite it. Just let the broth trickle into your
mouth and swallow. That’s it.”

She caught on quickly, as if the odd activity were somehow
familiar. She began to drink thirstily and the delicious salty liquid warmed
her belly. The meat at the bottom was ruined by heat but it still tasted good.
After a second try she didn’t allow a drop to escape her, and she smacked her
lips, licking the broth from her fingers as she wiped it from her chin and
chest.

“If you eat too much too fast, you’ll vomit. Just rest and
I’ll get you some more in a few minutes.”

She closed her eyes wearily, and then the small female who
called herself Hallie was gone and another presence was in the room with her.
It was hot…electric. She ran her tongue over her dry lips once more and cracked
her eyes open to see dark-gold eyes regarded her narrowly, and the sight of the
menacing dark shifter male in his human form made her give a yelp of terror and
scramble up from the soft nest she lay in. She tried valiantly to shift but
failed miserably. She didn’t care to die as her weaker human half. A sob of
frustration tore from her throat. “Kill me fast…” She clutched her arms over
her thin breasts and lowered her head, waiting for the mortal attack.

The deep, rough voice that answered her sent chills through
her ravaged body.

“I have no reason to kill you yet, little one. But I would
like to know more about you, since you lie in my house with my mate and
children within striking distance should you decide to revert to nature.”

“She’s harmless.” The golden male’s quietly assertive tones
brought her head up with a jerk to see him stepping into the room. Her pulse
exploded, and she gave a little whine of submission, lowering her eyes
respectfully from his gaze.

The dark one spoke firmly. “I’ll determine whether she’s
harmless, Cal.”

Cal? The golden male’s name was Cal? She rolled it around on
her tongue and savored it. It was a good, strong name. She liked it.

“I know neither Hallie nor you want her here with the boys,
so I will take her somewhere she will be safe until she heals.”

“And where might that be?”

“I’ll take her to the old Halleran place. I’ll make certain
she’s not a danger to anyone.”

“They will come looking for her. It would be far safer to
stay here.”

“I won’t place my family in any kind of danger. If they come
for her I want her away from all of you. I’ll care for her myself until she’s
healed. I brought her here. I will take full responsibility for my actions.”

She closed her eyes in pleasure at the shiver that his deep
voice sent along her nerves. He would protect her? He would take care of her?
Even though she was not of his species, the golden male would protect her. She
had been right to come here. Her thoughts rushed back to the way he had so
gently picked up the small human she had attempted to snatch. And that thought
made her say in a small voice, “I’ll be no trouble. I hunt for rabbits and
mice. You don’t have to feed me. I don’t make noise. I’m not dangerous. I’m
worthless. But I promise I won’t hurt anyone.”

Her words were barely audible. Gar was enraged by her
statement. No one should feel worthless!

Gar stared down at her bent head, and his outrage almost
made him snarl. “If we allow you to stay, you won’t have to catch mice to
survive, Jane. We can easily feed another. No one goes hungry in our home.”

His brother blinked at him, then at the freshly washed,
tangled blonde mane that flowed over those thin shoulders. “Jane? Is that your
name?”

He watched as the Lykos’ silver eyes lifted to his brother’s
face with an expression that made him groan inside, and the female said
timidly, “The name your Hallie gave me. Omega bitches don’t have names. But she
didn’t want to call me that.”

Gar’s hackles rose at the thought of the delicate little
female having undergone such privations at the hands of those who should have
been sworn to protect her. Omega, indeed. In his own clan the weak were fed
first. He glanced at his brother, noting the protective glint in the kid’s eye.
He sounded gruff even to himself. “We don’t have omegas in the Seronta Clan,
Jane. We will protect you. You’ll be given decent food. You will not be
expected to scavenge for a meal here.” He drew a deep breath before asking his
next question. “How many more of your pack are there?”

The female hesitated before responding. “Five hunting males.
Four females. And me. But they don’t let me hunt.” She lifted her eyes to Cal’s
face and whispered sadly, “Except for rodents and insects.”

“You have never killed?” Gar’s surprise must have startled
her.

She shook her head and peeped up through her hair at Cal, her
eyes wide and openly worshipful. “Mice…ground squirrels…sometimes I am lucky
enough to catch a rabbit…”

Gar carefully considered what she said. “We will protect you
on one condition, Jane.”

She bit her chapped bottom lip and hunched down a bit more.
“Anything…”

“You will never shift to your wolf form while you are in our
care. Do you understand?”

She swallowed and raised her eyes to his face. “I tried to
shift when I woke up…but I couldn’t change back. I don’t know why.” She sounded
bereft at not being able to be in her animal form. “I will try hard not to
accidentally shift back.”

Gar lifted one brow and inhaled deeply. He nodded curtly.
Just
what I need—a timid little female Lykos who has to be housebroken, and a
brother with a hard-on from hell.

Chapter Three

Hallie stood just outside the door in the hallway, looking
more than a little concerned. “She’ll need clothes. I’ll get her some of mine.”
She pressed her lips together and started to turn away. Gar caught her face
between his large hands and bent to touch her lips with his own. He savored the
sweet heat of her mouth for a moment before drawing back to gaze down into her
moist eyes.

“I can feel what he is feeling, and regardless of what you
or I think, he believes that this female is his. I know that he feels
responsible for her, and nothing I do or say will change that. He has to reason
this out on his own. Hopefully he’ll realize that cats and dogs don’t mix and
he’ll let her go.” He ran his hands down her arms and brushed his lips over
hers once again. “I can’t force him to stay. But I promise you that I will do
all in my power to be all that you need.”

“I know,” she said softly, lifting onto her tiptoes to press
a soft kiss to his mouth before she turned away, and he watched her until she
vanished down the stairs. He wanted desperately to go after her, to take her to
their bed and tell her with his body and soul how much he adored her. To caress
and devour her lush little body. To run his lips and tongue over every inch of
her.

But that must come later. Now he had to figure out how to
help his horny younger sibling with the rather sticky problem at hand.

He stepped back inside the room, where Cal stood like some
ancient sentinel over the Lykos, who had curled back up in the heavy quilt and
was asleep once more. His brother glanced up at him and frowned.

“Are you certain that this is what you want to do, Cal?” Gar
watched his brother feather a fingertip over her brow as she slept.

“There was a deep connection. I don’t know how or why. I
only know that when she shifted to human I felt a shock go through me like a
bolt of lightning. I’ve never felt that, even with Hallie.” He frowned down at
the female. “She’s all I can think about. I know I’ve hurt Hallie by bringing
her here but I couldn’t leave her there.” His amber eyes looked confused.

Gar understood him completely. Being a Seronta male and
having felt exactly the same way with Hallie on first sight, Gar had acted on
pure, blind instinct. Gar had sensed that Hallie belonged to him, alone, and he
had sent his sibling off on a wild pit bull chase to get her alone and to
himself. He owed this to Cal. Even if it was not right in his eyes, he would
not refuse to help.

“If you want to keep her in the Halleran place, I’ll buy it
for you.” He sighed, remembering how decrepit the old estate house was. It
would have to be reinforced to keep the Lykos from tearing right through the
doors and windows. But the expense would be minor compared to knowing his
sibling would be safe. “It’s about time I got it off the market anyway. Too
many human eyes. It’s been vacant for some time, so it should be an easy buy.
Pack what you think you’ll need. I’ll help you move your things.”

Gar’s heart tightened more painfully with each beat. It
would be the first time since the kid had been born that they would not be
together, sharing everything. Sharing Hallie…

His body leapt with excitement at the thought of not having
to share Hallie.

“I’ll call the realtors and have them get the necessary
repairs done.” His voice sounded gruff even to himself. “The water needs to be
turned on, as well as the gas and lights. It shouldn’t take more than a day or
two. Can you manage to wait that long to be on your own?”

After a moment’s pause he slapped his hand over the kid’s
broad shoulder and gave him a shake. “I can be there in a moment if they come.
You know they will, don’t you? It’s just a matter of time.” He didn’t know how
long it would take for the wolves to find their missing female, but even an
omega would be missed. And the Lykos would not take kindly to having one of
their females claimed by a cat.

Cal nodded curtly. “It’s only until she’s healed. By then
I’ll figure out what to do. Besides, like you said, it’s only a moment away.”

Gar pulled his sibling hard against his broad chest and
slapped him on the back, then cleared his throat and nodded. “Hallie’s bringing
something for her to wear. You will have your hands full with that one. I hope
you know how to train puppies.”

Cal blinked, then seemed to realize what he meant. “I think
I can handle it.” His skin grew red.

He stared at his female. He drew a deep breath. Confusion
rattled inside him. He was calling her
his
female?
How fucking stupid
am I?
He knew nothing about wolves. He only knew that he had a hard-on that
wouldn’t ease and he ached to be inside her. There had been a blinding flash of
awareness the moment he had touched her. It was almost as if she were meant to
be his. Gar had told him once about soul mates, and how it was to have one.
Gar’d had one. And he had lost her. He had been faced with a long, lonely
existence without the one who’d been created for him alone.

When they had found Hallie, Gar had recognized in the
delectable human female the spirit of his soul mate, despite Hallie’s disbelief
in reincarnation. But when things had started happening that she couldn’t
ignore, Hallie had been forced to accept that she was not entirely human. When
she had changed the first time, she had been scared stiff, but as past-life
memories had begun to surface, she’d begun to adapt to her skills and knowledge
with stunning speed and understanding. Cal had been amazed that she had managed
to shift and use her Seronta powers without training. It was as if Hallie had
known what was deep inside her, but had never had any reason to use it until
she met Gar.

And now Cal apparently had found his own soul mate…who just
happened to be a Lykos.
Shit!
He drew a deep breath and fought for calm.
Lykos and Seronta were natural enemies. Cats and dogs.
How can this possibly
have happened?
He hadn’t felt the connection until she had shifted to her
human form. Did that mean that her human half was his soul mate? He felt
totally unnerved at the prospect of being soul mates with a Lykos. But it was
happening. How it was happening was a total mystery…one that he would have to
figure out as he spent more time in her company.

She said she couldn’t shift back to wolf. She’d tried and
failed. If she finally managed to shift back, would she try to kill him?
Worse
yet…will I try to kill her?

He had so many questions. So many things that made no sense.
She’d used mind speak. Her English was excellent. Learning a language entailed
more than simply hearing it spoken. She had to have been in human form enough
in her past that she had learned to speak it. And Lykos liked to be in their
animal form. The wolves only picked up local languages to facilitate their
hunting. To pick out easy marks. To lure unsuspecting humans into their traps.

Lykos didn’t stay in human form unless they meant to use the
form to fool humans into trusting them. They felt most comfortable in their
wolf half and remained in that form unless they had to mingle with humans. She
was a bundle of contradictions…and he meant to unravel the mysteries, one by
one.

Cal’s thoughts were anything but calm as Gar left him there,
standing like a stone sentinel over the little Lykos female. There were so many
things he wanted to know. So many things he was feeling that confused him. The
first of which had been the nagging sense of recognition when he had spotted her
in that clearing.

He had seen that particular silver-gray wolf before. But
where? He ran her unusual scent slowly through his memories. He frowned as it
struck him. At the highway. The child had been clutching her around the neck.
He had thought she was the child’s pet at first. But then she had vanished,
leaving the weeping girl where she lay.

He had caught that scent since. Several times, in fact. Out
in the woods beyond the property line, as if she had been there watching. But
the scent was not the same as the Lykos he had fought. He hadn’t made the
connection until now. It was confusing to him. He wanted answers, but he knew
that answers were not all he wanted. And that confused and frustrated him even
more.

A quiet presence behind him drew his attention to Hallie,
who held a pile of clothes in her arms. He turned and took the things from her
hands, and as she turned quickly away he said softly, “Will you help her get
dressed?”

He watched her tilt her head slightly before she whispered,
“I brought things she can put on without much technical difficulty.”

He placed the stack of clothes on the bed and moved to draw
her back to face him. He could see the tracks of tears on her pale cheeks.
“Hallie…”

She raised a hand to stop his apology and forced a quick smile.
“Of course I will help her, any way I can. Please don’t apologize, Cal. I’m
having a selfish moment, but I can handle it.”

He felt his heart swell in his chest and fought the need to
pull her close and hold her again. But he sensed that she would not appreciate
the gesture at that moment and he had no desire for her to shift and rip his
face off.

“You were my first. I wish I had been yours. You have your
soul mate. You know that I will always love you. But I need this. Please don’t
hate me.” His throat was tight, and he felt unable to say more.

Her lips curved. “Typical horny adolescent. I don’t regret a
moment of our time together, Cal. You and Gar have spoiled me rotten and I just
have to think of somebody else now. I haven’t had the time to give you…” She
sighed, and leaned in to press her cheek against his chest. He swallowed the
hard lump in his throat. She lifted her face and reached up to gently touch his
cheek. “If she tries to hurt you I’ll kill her…make no mistake about that.” And
with that, she turned and left him alone with his Lykos.

She heard every word and thought but feigned sleep. Cal said
he loved the leopard female? What did that mean? He had spoken so gently to
her. Why would he worry about her? She had a mate who could protect her. She
had cubs. Love was a foreign word to the Lykos. None of her pack had ever used
the word. It must mean that he respected her. And why did the leopard female
think that she would ever hurt Cal? It made no sense. She knew she could never
hurt a powerful creature like that. But Hallie obviously worried for the golden
one.

When she had watched Hallie with Cal in the long grass that
other afternoon, they had treated one another as equals. The small female had
invited the big golden male to fill her, and watching them together had stirred
deep, restless needs within her body, deep down in her belly. Her sex had
seeped and swelled as she had watched Hallie open her legs wide to welcome
Cal’s engorged phallus into her tiny body. She had wondered how he could fit all
of that into her, but he had been gentle and patient, and when he had sunk to
the root inside Hallie he had spoken soft words to her, as if he cared very
much for her. She had never seen a pairing front to front. It had left her
trembling and hot all over. The cats mated far differently from the pack.

The alpha male and female in the pack simply shifted to
human form and copulated, making harsh noises and biting each other on the
shoulder and neck until each had bloodied the other. It always ended with the
male thrusting in from the rear and clamping his teeth on the female’s
shoulder. But Cal had only used his mouth to press open-mouthed touches on the
female, not once drawing blood or causing pain. In fact Hallie had seemed to
enjoy it—especially when his open mouth had pressed over her nipples.

She felt oddly tingly as she recalled with clarity the
things the two had done…and they had continued for a long time, not just the
few moments it took to sate their need. Cal had licked and suckled and touched his
mouth hungrily to the place where her legs came together, and she had cried out
and begged him not to stop.

It had made her shiver all over. And when they had finished,
instead of shifting back into their animal forms they had helped each other to
put on clothes. Clothes like those Jock wore when he shifted to infiltrate the
human community, seeking easy marks. Clothes that he had taken off the bodies
of those he killed for prey. Being the omega, she had never had any clothes.
Jock said she didn’t need any. She didn’t join the hunts. She never entered the
town. Her fur kept her warm on cold nights.

He was standing very still beside the bed and she sensed
that he was watching her. Did he suspect that she was listening? Would he
punish her for eavesdropping? She drew a deep breath and rolled onto her back,
biting her lower lip. She lifted her eyes to his face and the expression there
made her jerk with fear. His eyes had dilated to nearly black and his body was
tense. She scrambled up to her knees, then immediately stretched flat on her
belly, submissive on the wondrously soft cloth that covered the bed, avoiding
his eyes. But the expected pain never came. She lifted her head fearfully to
look at those eyes. And her gaze widened at the amazing sight of the huge bulge
inside the tight blue trousers he wore.

“Jane…” His voice was strained.

She looked down and whimpered.

Gentle hands took the soft cloth and covered her with it
again. She gasped and looked up in shock. He was a strange dark-red color.
He’s
very angry!
But he smiled slowly and said quietly, “I’ll feel more
comfortable if you keep something over your body, Jane. No one is going to hurt
you.”

Her body disgusted him? Like it disgusted Jock and the other
males? She drew a breath of relief.
He isn’t angry.
He was just
disgusted. But unlike the pack males, the feline male didn’t strike out and
send her rolling across the floor. Instead he covered her body so that he
wouldn’t have to look at her pale hairless skin. She wished desperately that
she could manage to shift back to her real self. Maybe he wouldn’t be disgusted
if he saw her in her own form.