Seduction's Shift (35 page)

Another one came at him and he grabbed it at the neck, letting his claws sink in deep. It roared, its mouth opening wide to reveal sharp teeth. When it reached for Nick with its own claws, Nick shook the big body until the feet were off the ground. With his other hand he sank his claws into its stomach then tossed it about a block away.

Nick was moving toward the house they suspected Sabar was living in, at least part-time. There was no way the shifter would have only one location; that would be dangerous, and Sabar seemed to be a little smarter than that. So they knew there was a chance he wouldn’t be there. But the plan was to do as much damage to his operation as they possibly could, both in retaliation for the attack on Rome’s house and to send a message that they were no longer playing with his sadistic ass.

In the distance he saw Rome plowing through Rogues making his way to the house while shadows from behind took on more of the renegades. Nick was just about to catch up with Rome when he was knocked to the ground, something heavy bearing down on his back. He heard the deadly roar and realized the position he was in. Every muscle in his human body tensed. As the hot breath of the Rogue that had downed him rippled across the skin of his neck, in preparation for the kill, visions flashed before his eyes.

Caprise as a little girl, running with a frilly pink dress on and two long ponytails. She loved to dress up so Sundays were extra special for her. A more adorable little girl Nick had never seen.

Ary’s eyes appeared next, amber orbs holding his gaze as if he were hypnotized. She smiled and her plump lips called to him. She turned to run, her brown-streaked hair following behind her in a swirling stream.

Then there was a cradle, white with lace all around it. As he approached the cradle to see who was inside, his parents appeared. Dressed in the dark colors they’d worn as they lay in their caskets at the funeral. Henrique and Sofia smiled as if welcoming him home. He was out of breath as he ran toward the cradle, his clawed hands grabbing the sides as he looked inside. It was filled with blood. He looked up at Henrique and Sofia and their faces were mauled, but their arms were extending, again beckoning him to come with them.

In that instant Nick shifted, his cat tearing through the human flesh with a deafening roar. The quickness of the shift threw the Rogue to the side but it came back at the cat once more. Balancing on its hind legs, the cat came up to its full length of six feet, extending one of its paws so that it connected with the Rogue’s face with a sickening smack, blood spewing as it retracted. The Rogue stumbled back against a car, shattering the side windows with its weight. The cat jumped at it, attacking again, roaring deep guttural sounds that echoed up and down the residential street. When it was tired of playing with the Rogue—which was no match for its strength and fighting skills no matter who controlled its mind—the cat simply bit into its neck, going so deep its head dangled to the side as the body finally fell dead to the ground.

Flanks heaving, blood tickling the back of its throat, the cat headed up the street where it had seen Rome and X enter a house. It pushed through the half-open door following the scent of the shadows up the stairs.

“He’s not here, fucking coward!” Rome yelled as the cat entered the room.

X turned to see the cat enter and opened his mouth in a low roar that said he knew who it was. The cat returned the growl, tongue licking its muzzle as it moved throughout the room.

“He was here. And he had Diamond here, too. I want his ass, Rome. I want to kill that motherfucker in his sleep!”

Rome nodded. “My sentiments exactly. Take his computer and anything else you think is important. And you.” He pointed at the cat. “Get the hell out of sight before a human reports a fucking jaguar on the streets.”

*   *   *

They were on their way back to Havenway, had just crossed the boundary into Virginia when their truck swerved off the road. Nick had changed into jeans with a shirt, and Rome and X were in the back with him like before. The collision had them tumbling around the backseat, cursing. As the truck flipped over they struggled to get the door open and roll their bodies out before the vehicle slammed down an embankment and exploded.

One truckload of shifters had stayed behind in the city to clean up the mess they’d made there, while the other traveled about ten minutes behind Rome’s truck. So they were nowhere in sight at the moment. The three shadows rolled in the dry grass, coughing with the smoke now filling the air.

“What the fuck?” Nick yelled. “Rome, you okay?”

More coughing. “Cool. You, X?”

More cursing. “I’m here.”

When the three of them met up, they looked down the embankment to where the truck they’d been riding in was in flames.

“What the hell hit us?” X said about a second before what hit them came running quickly out of a thin line of trees on the other side of the highway.

It was a cat, its dark rosettes visible in the headlights of the car it almost plowed right into as it headed for the shadows. The car swerved a bit then sped up—getting the hell out of Dodge, which was probably a smart thing to do. The cat approached them in a slow, predatory manner.

“I recognize the scent,” Rome said his claws emerging.

Just as he spoke another cat appeared, a bigger, darker one, green eyes gleaming in the night.

“Fuck this!” Nick yelled a second before shifting. His cat emerged with a majestic roar that translated into English meant, “Bring it!”

The first cat charged directly at him. Nick took its hit and the battle was on, both cats swiping and growling, skidding down the embankment in a cloud of dust. The cat was as big as Nick, trained in hunting and battle just as Nick’s cat was, so the fight was on equal ground. Teeth and claws made their marks on each.

When Nick’s cat could feel the heat from the crash, it stopped and edged away from the fire. The other cat didn’t move, but growled again in challenge. It said it didn’t give a damn about the fire. Nick did. He had a lot to live for.
Think first,
his human roared inside the head of the cat.

Nick swiped at the air and the other cat followed suit, rising up on its hind legs, mouth wide open. It was calling Nick out. The bastard! Nick moved to the side slightly, watching the cat’s eyes follow him. He made a chuffing sound, his heaving flanks vibrating with the sound. It was the equivalent of talking shit, a come-and-get-me-motherfucker noise. The other cat took a step toward Nick. He made the sound again and it charged him. Nick was ready, coming up on his hind legs and swinging his paws in rapid succession. His teeth nipped the cat and Nick tasted blood. He pushed back with all the force he had; the other cat stumbled and rolled. Nick jumped on it, sank his teeth into its side again.

Bright lights lit the scene, the sound of cars and sirens echoing in the distance. Nick scented other shadows coming, heard their footsteps, and the cat beneath him wriggled free. It ran down past the burning vehicle and kept going. Nick shifted instead, walking up the embankment toward where he saw Rome already standing.

“The fucker took off as soon as it heard the sirens,” Rome told him.

X came up behind them. “We should do the same. Last thing I want is to be questioned by some pigeon-head cops while I’m in the buff.”

All three of them were naked after their shifts. The truck with the other shadows had pulled close to the guardrail just a few feet away. They jogged down and climbed into the back.

“A couple of you stay here to answer questions. The truck just swerved and flipped off the road. You thought maybe you saw a deer shoot out in front of it. That’s all,” Rome said adamantly.

Nivea, who had been driving the truck, shook her head, her right arm still bandaged.

“Not you, Nivea. You, you, and you two, stay. Nivea, you drive.”

The shadow gave Nick a scathing look he knew he’d have to deal with later, but it didn’t matter. He wasn’t in the mood to have another one of their females in danger tonight, so she was going back to Havenway with him.

They were all heading back to Havenway, alive. Just as he’d promised Ary.

Chapter 34

Even though the rooms weren’t completely furnished, the private bathrooms were just about done. Nick sighed as hot water lapped over his battered and scarred skin. The sunken tub in this minimalistic stone-tiled bathroom was just what he needed after the night he’d had.

The sun was just rising. Slim rays slashed through the room from a narrow window that completed the decor as well as boasting a new security design. No way a shifter was fitting through that window, or anyone else for that matter. But it gave just enough of the outside to whoever was inside that they didn’t feel jailed.

This tub was more than long enough and wide enough for Nick’s body, which was another plus. In fact, he could fit at least two more people in here with him. But today the silence added to his comfort. He let his head fall back against the edge of the tub and closed his eyes. So much had happened tonight; his emotions had turned from rage, to a pure adrenaline rush, to anxiety that almost choked him, to a fear he’d never thought he’d experience, and then back to a simmering rage that felt like coming back home. And let’s not forget the mixed feelings about Ary’s announcement.

She was pregnant.

Or at least she thought she was.

How did he feel about that?

Lifting a wet hand, he rubbed it down his face and let the droplets of water roll over his skin there as he inhaled deeply. He would be a father. And Ary would be the mother of his child. He would once again be part of a family, one that belonged solely to him. Pride swelled inside and memories of all the things his parents used to do with him resurfaced. Christmas mornings and endless hours of training, family dinners, vacations—all made Nick feel warm inside. The betrayal came later, but he was beginning to think there was an explanation for that as well. One he and Rome still had yet to discover. But it was entirely possible that their parents were acting in the best interest of the tribes, even though that may have meant they broke some laws—both human and shifter.

Suddenly those thoughts vanished, replaced by the memory of a bubbling waterfall, the damp scent of the forest, and the softness of her skin. He opened his eyes and she stood right beside him, her naked body alight with the golden rays of the sun. Without a word he extended a hand to her. She accepted it and stepped down into the tub beside him.

“Kalina finally settled,” she began when he was lifting his arm to pull her comfortably beside him. “Even with the pain meds she was a wreck with Rome out fighting. Now that he’s back and all patched up beside her, she’s doing a lot better.”

“That’s good to hear. We heal pretty fast, so she should be all right soon.”

She gave him a playful slap on the chest that sent water splashing over both of them. “I’m the medical expert here, I’ll give the diagnosis.”

He chuckled. “Excuse me.”

“Okay. So, she’ll heal pretty fast and be back to normal in no time.” She gave him a side smile. “Rome’s injuries were minor, and X simply refused to let me look at him.”

“Yeah, he’s not big on doctors.”

“And neither are you, since you bypassed the medical facility and headed straight here.”

“I’m fine,” he told her.

“I’ll be the judge of that,” she said, moving in the water, her hands touching his skin.

She lifted his foot, pulled it up out of the water, and felt his leg all the way up to his thigh. Her touch alone had him going crazy, but Nick struggled to keep his thoughts in check. She was just doing her job, not trying to arouse him. When she repeated the motion with the other leg, he hoped her impromptu exam was over. He was wrong.

She straddled him then, lifting his arms and tracing her fingers along the scratches he had there. “Superficial, should be healed in a day or two,” she told him.

“I told you—”

“Hush,” she said cutting him off.

When she let his arms fall to his sides, her hands flattened against him just beneath the pit of his arm, running down his torso in slow motion. Her fingers flared feeling against him, then pressed into his ribs. He didn’t budge. She leaned back, looking down at his chest and stomach as her nimble fingers checked there as well. By this time his dick was hard and poking into the wet crevice of her buttocks. There was definitely no hiding his arousal now.

Ary wrapped her arms around him, her hands searching his back. She sucked in a breath when she felt a gash and tried to pull back so she could shift behind him to get a better look. But Nick put his arms around her, pulling her close, loving the feel of her naked breasts against his chest.

“It’s fine, Doc. But I’ve got something else that needs fixing,” he whispered in her ear seconds before his tongue stroked her lobe.

She sucked in a breath. “Really? Where’s the injury?”

He lifted her slightly until the tip of his length rested against her core. “Right here. It needs some attention, badly. Battling Rogues makes it a little anxious.”

She smiled down at him, her eyes alight with arousal. “I think I have just what it needs.”

With his hands moving to her hips, he felt her pushing herself down, his dick slipping effortlessly into her depth.

“How’s that?” she asked when he was buried deep. Her plump folds rubbed against his groin as his balls scraped against her anus.

He moaned, a growl rumbling deep in his chest. “Just what the doctor ordered.”

*   *   *

“When will you know if you’re pregnant?” Nick asked when they were lying in the bed that was, in his estimation, too small to comfortably accommodate his stature and his mate with him. He’d have to buy new furniture even if they only planned to live here a short time. He was sure there would be occasions where they stayed here, and he wanted them both to be comfortable.

“I already know,” she said, rolling to her side, resting her head on her hand as she looked down at him.

“And?”

“I’m pregnant,” she announced, her lips trembling in what he knew could easily turn into a smile.