In Heat: Mating Call (In Heat Shapeshifter Romance Series #2) (3 page)

She walked into the maze and began following the route she'd put to memory so she'd never get lost. How did Erik feel whenever he came in here? It had been at the centre of this maze that he'd killed his brother. Did he regret what happened that day? He never spoke about what had happened.

Neither did she.

Her stomach rolled at the memory of Alistair trapping her in the house and what he'd done.

She stopped, closing her eyes and then screwing them shut as she tried to shut out the memories of what had happened. She hated how it had stayed with her. It made her sick and it was only getting worse as time wore on. She wished she'd told Erik, but it hadn't seemed right to tell him back then, not even if he could've given her comfort and helped her get over it.

A flash of something in front of her closed eyes made everything drift away and she instantly forgot about what she was thinking of. She grinned when another came and she saw the statue at the centre of the maze.

Redoubling her pace, she was almost jogging before long, determined to get to the middle of the maze before Erik moved. Excitement bubbled up inside her and she wanted to scream for joy about seeing through his eyes again.

She turned corner after corner, cursing each one for keeping her from Erik but praising them for bringing her closer at the same time. When she turned the final corner and came out into the small square in the middle of the maze, she stopped dead.

The panther turned to look at her. She had grown used to thinking of it as Erik, and not an animal.

He lowered his head and looked up at her with yellow eyes. They were bright in the winter sunlight, boring into her and flustering her as easily as they did when he was in human form. She kept still, her instincts kicking in as her mind screamed that there was a dangerous animal in front of her, watching her, waiting for her to make a move. She didn't. She knew he wouldn't hurt her, but it made no difference to her instincts. They were telling her to run and it thrilled her in a way.

He growled, a strange short sound that made her heart beat harder, thumping against her chest as blood rushed through her ears, drowning out everything except her breathing. It was rough, ragged as she waited, staring into his eyes, transfixed. He took a step towards her, black fur glossy as it reflected the sun, making him look sleek. His shoulder blades showed as he moved, bobbing up and down with each step, made all the more clearer by his lowered head.

She brought her hands up, holding them close to her chest along with his clothes, and wondered just when he was going to stop his game.

A growl, lower and deeper this time, rumbled through him and a shiver ran through her, making her legs tremble.

He'd never stalked her for this long before.

He raised his head and sniffed the air.

She held her nerve.

She knew if she told him to change back, if she mentioned that he was scaring her a little, that he would return to his human form, but there was something exciting about what he was doing. She felt like his prey, but more than that. It wasn't food he was after, it was a mate. When he was like this, she could see how much this mating meant to him. He wanted another like him to be with and he wanted her to be that one. She knew that destiny had picked his mate for him and that it was exclusive, meaning she wasn't available for mating to anyone else, but it was still a little overwhelming to think that he loved her and wanted to spend eternity with her.

It was a little overwhelming to know that she'd soon be able to transform into a panther herself and that once she'd matured, she'd no longer age and would live forever as long as nothing bad happened to her.

Something nudged her hand and she smiled as she ran her fingers through the thick velvety fur on the back of his head. He was so soft. She'd never get used to how it felt to stroke him.

“It's getting cold,” she said and he purred as he rubbed against her hand. “I brought you a coat and your clothes.”

He moved away, tickling her palm with his tail.

She forced herself to watch as he transformed back into his human form again and when he was stood naked before her, she held out his clothes.

He slipped into his jogging bottoms and put his trainers on before taking his coat off her. She pouted as he buttoned it up, hiding his bare chest from her. He heaved a sigh and then grinned at her.

“Have fun?” she said, seeing the satisfaction in his eyes.

He nodded. “You make wonderful prey.”

She rolled her eyes as he put his arm around her shoulders and drew her close to him. The words she'd been ready to say slipped away as he wrapped her up in his arms and pressed a kiss to her cheek.

“Mmm, you're cold. You should've said something earlier.” He drew back and a concerned look surfaced in his eyes.

She took hold of his hand and started walking out of the maze with him.

“I didn't want to... you weren't the only one having fun.”

He chuckled and she couldn't help laughing along with him.

It felt so good to be here with him, spending some much needed time alone together.

Erik's voice broke the silence and shattered her thoughts at the same time.

“I forgot to mention that Sean is coming down.”

“
W
hat did you say?”

Erik looked across at Kim as she ducked out of his embrace, right into her wide eyes that were full of disbelief. He knew that when they'd come here, he'd said that it would be just them and Rose, but he couldn't see what the problem was, and neither would Kim when he explained himself.

“I said that Sean is coming down for a couple of days.”

She put her hands on her hips and her eyes darkened.

He shrugged. “I didn't think that you'd want to go and see him, so I convinced him to come down here instead. We've been telling him for months that we'd meet up.”

Her face blanched and all sign of anger disappeared, draining away with her colour.

“Flying?” She swallowed hard.

He nodded and couldn't help brushing the backs of his fingers across her cheek when he saw how frightened that one word made her. He'd thought that she'd just been scared of lifts but last year Sean had invited them up to Edinburgh and she'd had a full scale panic attack when he'd mentioned flying. In the end, they'd driven the five hundred mile distance.

“Hell no, I'm not flying.” She backed away, her eyes widening further.

Clasping hold of her shoulders, he guided her into his arms, wrapping them around her slim shoulders and savouring the feeling of her nuzzling against his chest.

“Nobody said you had to,” he whispered, feeling her shaking and smoothing her hair in an attempt to calm her down again.

It was always the same whenever he mentioned flying. She'd either completely panic or it would be more subtle, like this. It was hard to spot the signs sometimes, but he was getting used to looking for them. It was worse when she held it inside. He preferred it when she outright panicked so he could be more of a comfort to her rather than having to draw it all out of her carefully. She was so stubborn sometimes, refusing to admit her fear even though he knew all about it.

“That's why he said he'd come down here. He hates panicking you almost as much as I do.” He smiled at her as she leaned back, coming out of her hiding place in his arms.

A tiny smile tugged at the corners of her lips.

He pouted and swept a strand of her dark brown hair from her face, smoothing it back into her ponytail. She looked so beautiful when she was scared, looking to him for comfort and protection. Her rich brown eyes were wide with fear and hope, searching his as her soft lips struggled to hold her smile. He ran his hands down over her shoulders, holding her and letting her see that he wasn't going to let her go, or let anything happen to her.

She smiled properly and her eyes brightened with it. He could never understand why she couldn't see how beautiful she was. He'd never met a woman as beautiful as her.

“What are you thinking in there?” she whispered, as though she feared breaking this spell they were under as they stared into each other's eyes.

He sighed. His voice hushed and low, he said, “You're beautiful.”

He felt her tense in her arms, a split second jolt as her eyes widened a fraction and her cheeks coloured. He remembered the first time he'd told her that and pulled her close to him, wanting to ignite the same fire in her that his words had that night.

Bringing his mouth close to hers, he took a deep breath and then whispered, “So beautiful.”

She leaned into him, her mouth claiming his with as much passion as it had that night but with so much more love. His eyes closed as her tongue met his, sliding along it until all he could taste was her sweetness. He slipped his hands down her shoulders and into her coat, taking hold of her waist and pulling her up against him. She moaned, low in her throat, and he felt the hunger rising inside of her.

Her hands brushed his neck, fingers tickling as they grazed his skin, sending shivers through him. He inhaled sharply through his nose and held back the purr that tried to escape him as she pushed her fingers into the hair at the back of his head.

Her lips danced against his, sensitising them with a touch so light that it almost tickled. Passion surrendered to a sense of peace, lust gave way to love. He tightened his grip, drawing her closer to him until her body was flush against his and he could feel the rise and fall of her chest as she breathed.

He sighed into her mouth as he felt her heart beating in his own chest, felt her blood rushing through his veins. He'd missed this feeling so much. This connection was addictive and he'd craved it for these past two years.

She brought her hands up, pressing them into his chest and kissing him at the same leisurely pace. It warmed him through, chasing away the chill of winter and making him feel as though he was basking in the summer sun again.

A beat.

He smiled when she pulled back.

“Did you feel that?” Her eyes were wide again.

He nodded. “Things seem to be moving quicker this time.”

His brow rose as he watched her prodding her chest and then he frowned when she began prodding his. When he gave a slight cough, she stopped and looked sheepish.

“Sorry... I still don't get how this works.”

He opened his coat and took hold of her hand, placing it against his bare chest. She didn't move when he pressed his against hers.

“It's the connection, the bond. This is what you can feel when you can sense me. You can feel me, just as I can feel you. When we're close, we can sense each other easier, deeper,” he whispered, holding her gaze and feeling as though he was drowning in the affection her eyes held.

“So when you're looking at me across a room and I can feel you without looking, that's me sensing you or you sensing me?” She looked confused.

“It's both. The connection makes us aware of each other at all times, subconsciously, but when we focus, that feeling gets stronger.”

“So I can always feel you... but when you're staring at me...” She blushed.

He smiled at how shy she could still be around him, even after everything they'd done together.

“I'm focused. It's like I'm calling to you, only it's not your ears that hear it,” he ran a lone fingertip along her earlobe and she giggled, “it's your heart.”

She swallowed now. “Really?”

He lowered his head and whispered against her lips, “really.”

She kissed him again, a sweet reward that he'd never grow tired of. He loved how she kissed him, so raw and passionate, but tender and loving at the same time. Her fingers traced patterns on his bare chest and he growled as she stirred desire, fanning the flames of his need until he had to fight for restraint. He caught hold of her hands and pulled back, chastising her with a smile.

She grinned.

“Steady... don't want you getting cold.” He slipped his hand into hers and went to walk back to the house with her but she didn't move.

“Cold? I'm not cold... oh.” Her brows rose as she looked at him, clearly understanding what he was insinuating.

He grinned and she blushed. He loved it when she did that, her cheeks tinting a deep rose and her look turning shy. He loved that he had the power to make her do that. Every time she blushed, he wanted to find a reason to make her do it again. He wanted to see the effect he had on her.

She'd certainly blush if he went through with his hinted threat and took her right here in the garden in broad daylight.

Although he didn't think Rose would be able to cope with seeing that.

Maybe when no one was around and the weather was a little warmer, he'd go through with it. His cock stirred at the memory of what their first time had been like, hot and heavy, fast and furious in that little private booth at the nightclub. He groaned internally and told himself to get a grip and think about something else before he had to go through with his threat after all, regardless of the potential audience and the cold.

He frowned when he'd gathered his senses and saw that Kim had walked ahead of him.

Striding to catch up with her, he watched the graceful way she moved and tried to imagine her as a panther. It wouldn't be long now until she was ready to mate. He frowned when the silhouette of that man came back to haunt him. He didn't care what it meant. He wasn't going to let anyone take Kim from him. She was his.

That was final.

He slipped his hand into hers and held it tightly.

“So you don't mind Sean coming down over Christmas?” he said with a false cheeriness that he hoped she wouldn't see through.

“Not at all...” She smiled and swung his hand back and forth. “Should be a blast.”

He didn't want her worrying, not if she didn't have to. Hopefully she wouldn't see this man. Hopefully it was just a glitch, or something like that, and the shadowy figure wouldn't appear again.

* * * *

Kim bit her lip as she focused on the gentle sweep of her fingertips over his bare chest. She loved the satin feel of his skin, the heat of it, and the way her touch was causing goose bumps to erupt in its wake. His muscles twitched and tensed as he moved, but she evaded the grasping hands that tried to take hold of her waist. This was her moment. She was in control now and he was going to have to play by her rules.