“Look who’s calling the kettle black.” The only thing Coyote didn’t screw around with was his clients’ money. But Noah had known him a long time, and they were friends. Or as friendly as two detached beings could be.
“I wonder why the
sapiya
put you in a position like this?”
Noah scowled. “Hell if I know. All I want is to have a raging affair with her, and now those stones are digging a grave in my mind.”
Coyote sat back in his chair, a view of the city framed in the picture window behind him. “Maybe Jenny is supposed to save you.”
“What?”
“You know, like ‘Beauty and the Beast.’”
“That’s the goddamn dumbest thing I’ve ever heard.”
“Actually, it’s a lovely story. At the end Beauty saves Beast by telling him that she loves him.” Coyote waggled his fingers. “Then—poof—he turns back into a handsome prince and they live happily ever after.”
If the other man didn’t already have such a scrawny little neck, Noah would’ve choked him. “I’m not a cursed prince, and this isn’t a fucking fairy tale.”
“It was just a thought.”
“Not to me.”
Coyote tapped his chin. “What if the
sapiya
create bad magic for Jenny? What if they turn on her instead of you?”
“Why would they do that?”
“Why wouldn’t they? She was in your subconscious when they came rolling into your dream. She’s just as much a part of this as you are.”
“Shit.” Noah wasn’t going to willingly let something bad happen to her, and since he couldn’t go back and undo that damned dream, he was hard-pressed to do what the magic stones said.
And unleash the beast.
Five
N
early a week after the phone sex, Jenny stressed about Noah. She hadn’t heard from him since that day and the anticipation was killing her.
Exhausted from taxing her mind, she plopped down on her sofa and turned on the ten o’clock news.
Halfway through the weather report, her doorbell rang. Because of the late hour, she rushed to answer it, concerned there might be an emergency at the rescue, something that was better dealt with in person than over the phone.
She flung open the door, and there stood Noah, in his full cat regalia, staring straight at her.
Jenny panicked. Had he come here to take her to the club? “Is the voyeurism scheduled for tonight? You should have warned me that—”
He cut her off. “It’s scheduled for tomorrow night.”
“Oh, thank goodness. I don’t think I could have been ready that quickly. I’ve been practicing how to do my own hair and makeup, and I bought a new dress to wear, but—” She halted, her train of thought changing in midsentence. “If we’re not going to the club, why are you in costume?”
“Invite me inside, and I’ll show you why.”
She stepped away from the door. He seemed restless, and his mannerisms made her nervous. But when didn’t he make her nervous?
As he entered the house that used to belong to her grandfather, she wondered what kind of impression it made on him. She’d added a few nice touches, like a wallpaper border in the kitchen and a cozy area rug in the den, but mostly she’d kept the outdated furniture and battered ranch accents.
She attempted to be a proper host. “Can I get you something?”
He motioned to the TV. “You can turn that off and sit down.”
She punched the remote and the screen went black. She sat in her grandpa’s old recliner and gestured to the sofa for him.
“I’d rather stand.”
She waited for him to make the purpose of his visit known, but he merely stood in the center of her living room, looking at her.
“You’re scaring me,” she said.
“I’ve scared you from the start.”
“I know, but you’re acting strange.”
“Stranger than usual?”
She shifted in her seat. “Yes.”
He lowered his chin, making his catlike features more pronounced, and then he growled, the slow rumble vibrating from his throat. Jenny gripped the armrests on the recliner. He sounded
exactly
like a mountain lion.
Another party trick? He was too damned good at them.
“What are you doing, Noah?”
He snarled and moved closer.
“Stop it. This isn’t funny.”
He snarled again.
As Jenny struggled to make sense of his behavior, the do’s and don’ts of a mountain lion attack swirled in her mind: don’t run and allow it to give chase; remain standing if you can and try to meet the cat face-to-face; go for its eyes or pound your fists into its head; if at all possible, find something to use as a weapon.
Did those same rules apply to a crazed man mimicking a wildcat? Or would it behoove her to turn tail and run?
His claws popped out, and she jumped up, adrenaline bursting through her veins.
She glanced around for an object to hit him with, but there was nothing within her reach. The lamp was on the other side of the room. Doing the next best thing, she balled up her fists and swung at him.
He didn’t take her aggression well. He grabbed her wrists and pushed her back onto the chair, where it snapped into a reclining position. Slamming his body on top of hers, he pinned her beneath him, making it impossible for her to move.
Only he didn’t sink his teeth into her flesh or claw viciously at her clothes. Right in front of her, his features began to change, turning from cat to man.
Within seconds, his eyes went back to normal, along with his teeth, his nails, and his nostrils. Even the tawny streaks in his hair disappeared.
Stunned, Jenny merely lay there, staring at him. That was a party trick that seemed impossible. Yet he’d accomplished it.
He released her and stood up.
Although she moved the chair forward and got to her feet, she was far from steady. She wobbled like one of those roly-poly toys she used to play with as a kid.
Noah looked completely poised.
“Was that an illusion?” she asked. “Did you do that with mirrors or a camera or whatever it is that magicians do?”
“It was real.”
“Can you turn back into a cat just as easily?”
“Yes.”
Gathering her composure, she lifted her hands and put them against his face. “Then do it. Right now. With me touching you.”
Just like that, he returned to lion mode, his features rippling and changing beneath her fingers.
Jenny was too fascinated to let go. She kept her hands on his face, even after his transformation was complete. But he didn’t allow it to last.
He nudged her away. “The show is over.”
She gazed into those animalistic eyes. He was like a science project gone powerfully wrong. “You can’t just spring something like this on me and say it’s over. I want to know more about you. I want to know how any of this is possible.”
“It’s possible because I’m a real shapeshifter.”
“Yes, but how is
that
possible? Is it because of the woman in Mexico? The one you called beautiful and mysterious?”
“I don’t want to talk about her.”
She persisted. “You told me that she gave you the idea to be a shapeshifter.”
“I was being facetious.”
“So she wasn’t involved?”
In lieu of a reply, he shifted back to human form, putting her emotions on edge and making her dizzy.
“I’ll send the town car for you tomorrow,” he said.
That was it? She was just supposed to come back to the club and let him dictate the terms of their affair? “I want answers.”
“And you’ll get them when I’m ready to discuss it.”
He headed for the door, and she followed him onto the porch.
Before he left, he reached out and pressed his fingers against her neck, taking a moment to feel her pulse. It went rickety beneath his touch, proving that she was still his prey, no matter what identity he chose.
The next night, Jenny walked beside Noah at Aeonian, reprimanding herself for wanting to be here. But honestly, how could she stay away, knowing what she knew about him?
Tonight he was in lion form, as she’d expected him to be, but she was well aware of how easily he could change if the mood struck him.
They proceeded to the second floor, and he escorted her to a private viewing area and locked the door. It was a small space, dimly lit, with a floor-to-ceiling window that displayed a bedroom on the other side.
“The couple you requested will be arriving soon,” he said.
She refused to pretend that her mind wasn’t elsewhere. “I’m more interested in you.”
“We’ll deal with your curiosity about me later.” He gestured to the window. “That’s a one-way mirror, glass on our side and a mirror on theirs. So basically, we’ll be able to see them, but they won’t be able to see us, even if they know we’re here.”
Like in police interrogating rooms?
He beckoned her. “Come over here and face the glass so we can wait for Vince and Allison to arrive.”
She moved forward. “Those are their names?”
“Yes, but don’t ask me if he’s a real shapeshifter because I’m not going to tell you.”
“Are animal shapeshifters the only supernaturals who are real? Or do vampires and things like that exist, too?”
“Pretty much everything you can fathom exists. I built this place as a party spot for supernaturals to blend in without being recognized.”
“It boggles my mind.”
“Then stop thinking about it and concentrate on being entertained.”
He stood behind her, and his breathing fluttered across her bare shoulders. She’d worn a strapless, slit-up-the-sides dress as her faux-groupie outfit, and he was making good use of it.
“What do you think of the bedroom?” he asked.
“It’s beautiful.” A winged-back chair was positioned next to a luxuriously draped bed. “Was the chair already in there? Or was it provided to suit my fantasy?”
“It was placed there for you.”
“I can’t believe I’m standing here, knowing what’s going to happen, knowing it’s something that stemmed from my imagination.”
“We won’t be able to hear Vince and Allison talking to each other. But rest assured, he’ll be saying the kinds of things you’d want him to say.”
Butterflies erupted in Jenny’s stomach. Not only was she anxious about the voyeurism; she was anxious that she was locked in a viewing room with a man who was half mountain lion.
Nothing had ever felt so surreal.
A heartbeat later, the other couple entered the bedroom, and she gazed at them through the glass.
Vince had the same cat-shaped eyes as before, and he was shirtless, his tattoo clearly visible. Although Allison was fully clothed, she wasn’t dressed like a groupie, not even a faux one. Her modest attire was similar to what Jenny had worn at the fund-raiser. Even her hair was clipped into a ponytail with a simple gold barrette.
“Why did you make her look that way?” she asked.
“Because I couldn’t help but toss in a bit of fantasy for myself.” Noah slipped his arms around her. “I want to watch her and imagine that she’s you getting on your knees for me.”
She nervously admitted, “That’s how this whole fantasy got started, with me thinking of doing it to you. Only I’m not very skilled at it.”
“Is that why you wanted Vince to give Allison instructions?”
She went pliable in his arms. “Yes.”
He tightened his hold on her, and together they watched the scene unfold.
Vince sat in the chair and opened his legs, getting into a slightly slouched position. It made him look madly erotic, especially when he undid the top snap on his jeans.
He spoke to Allison, and Jenny assumed that he was telling her to strip. Sure enough, the modestly attired blonde began removing her clothes. She did it shyly, just the way Jenny would have, fumbling with her blouse and bra and nearly getting the zipper stuck on her skirt.
As she shed her panties, Noah’s breathing quickened.
Vince made a circular motion, and Allison turned all the way around, showing him every angle of her naked body.
Ready for more, Vince opened his fly all the way, revealing his half-hard cock.
Jenny went warm all over.
Noah said, “I don’t know how much of this I’ll be able to take without fucking you.”
She went full-blazes hot.
He continued, “We could do it right here, with me behind you and you pressed against the glass. All you have to do is tell me you want it.”
Her fantasy took a dangerous turn. To stop herself from giving him permission, she gazed at the other couple. Vince was making Allison get on her knees.
Jenny’s breath rushed out. Behind her, Noah was hard, his cock pressed against her bottom.
By now, Allison was crawling between Vince’s knees. He opened his legs even wider, thrusting his penis toward her. She didn’t touch him, though. She waited for him to give her instructions.
Jenny imagined that his voice was soft and low, with a roughened edge. To her, he would sound like Noah.
Then Noah spoke, giving her goose bumps. He said, “I wasn’t sure if you wanted him to come in her mouth or pull out and spill it down the front of her.”
A shudder wracked her spine. “Which way is it going to happen?”
“I left it up to them. For the mystery.”
A wild mystery. Vince undid the barrette in Allison’s hair, freeing her proper ponytail and running his hands through her blond tresses.
Noah nuzzled the back of Jenny’s neck. He wasn’t playing fair. She tried to focus on the other couple again.
At Vince’s obvious command, Allison licked the crown of his cock, swirling her tongue with ladylike precision.
“They look good together,” Noah said.
Far too good. Far too hedonic.
Just then, Allison took Vince in her mouth, and he pushed forward, fully aroused and insistent. Without thinking, Jenny leaned closer to the activity.