Twelfth Moon (29 page)

Her tail twitched to the side in an act of submission as he moved behind her. All he could think about was to stake his claim on her, mark her, to show the world and the entire forest that she belonged to him. Rising onto his hind legs, he mounted her and entered her in one smooth stroke.

She lowered to the ground and as his animal instincts took over he bit the back of her neck to hold her place while he thrust into her tight heat.

Suddenly they were both in their human form, his chest to her back, skin to skin. His arms curled around her, one hand slipping between her legs, the other splayed over her breasts. He tried his best to protect her delicate skin from being abraded by the leaves and small twigs beneath her as he continued to pump into her.

He became lost in his need, unable to stop even if a hundred Indian savages decided to attack at that moment. He buried his face in the sweet-smelling curls at the back her neck, his lips finding and caressing the skin there.

He nipped her lightly with his fangs and she cried out, spasming around his cock, forcing his own release. He thrust one last time, burying himself to the hilt, his body trembling as he came with a low, deep groan.

They collapsed together, panting, oblivious to the bed of dried leaves in which they lay, naked and vulnerable to the world, like any creature of nature.

Good Lord
, Cadence thought. That was the most amazing experience she could ever have imagined. It was mating at its most primitive level. When Jonah had said he’d wanted her – while in their panther form – well, quite frankly, it had frightened her a little. Even though she’d already thought about it, she wasn’t sure if it was something she’d actually want to do. She had never heard of such a thing – there was no precedent since they were the first male and female panthers to be bonded.

But once he came near her, it was as though she’d been caught in a spell, her arousal spurred by the idea of what they were about to do. She’d
wanted
him to cover her, to dominate her, to pleasure her. It didn’t matter what form he was in.

But then they’d both shifted to their human forms. That had been a surprise.

Her thoughts were brought back to the present as Jonah moved off her, the loss of his warmth leaving her chilled.

He placed his hand in the middle of her back, the heat of it seeping into her spine. “Are you all right?” His voice was hoarse, filled with remorse. “I didn’t hurt you did I? I don’t know what came over me.”

“Jonah.” Cadence started to rise, but his hand held her in place.

“There’s blood all over me,” he whispered, “and on your back, from when I—” He made a choking sound from deep in his throat. “It’s from the doe. God, Cadence, I’m so sorry.”

“Jonah,” she said again, trying to get a word in. “It’s all right. I’m fine. I can stand the sight of a little blood.”
Couldn’t she?
Ever since that experience with Robert Kincaid, the sight of blood had turned her stomach. Jonah remembered how she’d reacted to the rabbits. What a sweetheart. But what if she were to turn around only to be disgusted by what she saw?

“I’ll go clean up,” he said quietly. “There’s a stream not too far from here.”

No. She had to do this. She had to conquer her fear. Now. Right this minute, or it will control her forever. Without giving him a chance to stop her, she twisted around. Nothing awful happened. It was just blood. She’d hunted and killed for food many times. So had her sisters. It had never bothered her before. This was no different.

He was on his knees, watching her with a tortured expression, his eyes glittering.

He was magnificent.

His hair was damp with sweat and dangling over his forehead, covering part of his face. There were traces of blood on his chin, his neck, and a little on his hands. It was smeared across his chest in a telltale pattern, obviously created by what they’d just done. It made him look like some sort of ancient warrior, pagan and savage. It was a badge of his prowess, his skill, the mark of a successful hunt, and his ability to provide for his family. And rather than being repulsed by him, she experienced a sudden jolt of lust as it shot through her body. She reached her hand out, flattening it against his hard chest. “My God, you’re beautiful,” she breathed.

His surprised gaze snapped to hers. Through her hand, she felt him take a shuddering breath. “You’re not angry? The blood – it doesn’t—”

She stopped him with two fingers over his lips. “Shshsh. I’m not angry and no, the blood doesn’t bother me.” She gave an incredulous laugh. “It really doesn’t bother me!”

Suddenly filled with joy, she whooped, and then jumped into his lap, wrapping her arms around his neck, her legs around his hips. The look of shock on his handsome face was priceless.

His arms came around her as she laughed and planted kisses all over his face. “I don’t care about the blood, Jonah. On the contrary, I’m bursting with pride over your success.” Her voice dropped lower. “And I expect to be bursting with something more pleasurable very soon, now.” She had never thought of herself as a brazen woman, but with Jonah as her mate, she knew he would accept her as she was.

Jonah made a sound in the back of his throat that was more animal than human and covered her mouth with his in a deep, scorching kiss. His tongue delved inside her mouth, exploring and tasting, while at the same time, he entered her below. She was still wet from his earlier release, making his penetration of her now a smooth, silky glide.

Her heart pounded as he left her lips to nibble his way down to her neck. He whispered hoarsely into her ear. “I love you.”

She lifted herself up and then slid back down to take him in all the way to the hilt. He growled and lifted his hips, driving himself even deeper. She was consumed by a sudden wave of possessiveness. He was hers and so long as they lived she wouldn’t want another. She loved him with every part of herself.

She tightened her hold on him. “I love you so much, Jonah.” Her breasts were crushed against his solid chest, the crisp hairs there teasing her nipples to hard points. She matched his powerful thrusts, their union turning into a frenzied pursuit for completion.

Her release came in a white-hot burst of pure ecstasy that was accompanied by a grunt from Jonah as he spilled his seed into her yet again. At this rate, she’d be pregnant in no time. They had better get married, and soon.

She collapsed in his arms, her body draped limply over him as she rested her head on his shoulder. They were both breathing heavily, his chest rising and falling beneath hers. Their hearts beat together in a kind of erratic rhythm, gradually slowing to a normal pace.

Jonah laughed. “Christ, Cadence, you’re going to kill me yet. What with the training and the wild sex we keep having, I don’t know if I’ll make it out of here alive.”

Cadence lifted her head, afraid that maybe she’d been a little too brazen. But when she looked in his eyes and saw the approval and his very male satisfaction there, her apprehension instantly dissolved. She grinned. “You’re a strong man, Marshal. You’ll survive.”

He lightly slapped her behind with both of his hands. “I will at that, sweetheart, and long enough to make you pay.”

She squealed in mock indignation at his manhandling of her. He’d still been inside her, but her movement caused him to slip out, leaving her feeling disappointed. She loved being so physically connected to him. “It’s time to go find that stream, I think. We’re a mess. And then we have to dress that doe and get it back to the cabin.”

He gave her a crisp salute. “Yes, my sweet, sexy general.”

After they washed, Cadence shifted into a panther, and went to retrieve their clothes, while Jonah stayed to guard against scavengers. When she returned, they dressed quickly, and prepared the doe to be taken back to the cabin.

The doe was small and Jonah carried it easily on his broad shoulders as they walked side by side. Cadence’s thoughts turned to what happened while they were mating. “Why do you think we turned into our human forms while we were mating as panthers? I know I didn’t consciously do it. I don’t think you did, either.”

“No, I didn’t and I haven’t a clue as to why. You’d be more of an expert on shape-shifting matters, I would think.”

She flushed at his praise. Coming from a man like Jonah, it meant a lot to her. She was quietly thoughtful for a moment. “Maybe it’s for purposes of safety.”

“Anyway, if two panthers are in the midst of mating—” She couldn’t believe she wasn’t blushing from head to toe talking about it. “And then one of them happens to change into a human…well, it could cause an injury.”

“I think I see your point. If you were human and I wasn’t, my teeth and claws would tear through your delicate skin.”

“And if you were to turn human and I was still a panther, your—” She didn’t know if she could finish that sentence, but understanding dawned on Jonah’s face and he ended up doing it for her.

“I suppose is doesn’t – or shouldn’t. You’re the first of your kind, or at least the first male of our kind, so it shouldn’t come as a surprise that there are other forces at work.”

He hitched the carcass to a better position on his shoulder. “And what about the fact that we can hear each other’s thoughts? You said you and your sisters have never been able to do that.”

“We haven’t. You and I, on the other hand, are a mated pair. It could be so that we can better protect each other.”

“I can see how it would work to our advantage.”

They were almost to the cabin and they continued on in silence. Cadence looked forward to a hearty venison stew, her mouth already watering at the thought of it. They’d both expended a lot of energy today with the hunt and…other things.

Jonah was ready. He’d learned quickly for someone not born a shape-shifter. It amazed her how easily he’d adapted to his new “state of being,” as he referred to it, how strong he was, and how much stamina he had.

There were times when he’d been completely exhausted, but was still able to change and hold forms successfully. She’d pushed him hard, but they didn’t have a lot of time, and he needed to be able to control it in order to mix with the rest of the civilized world. He hadn’t disappointed her – in fact, to his credit, she’d never seen anything like it.

Suddenly the skin on the back of her neck began to tingle, her senses picking up dark emotions. Obviously they weren’t Jonah’s, so where were they coming from? She halted, the intensity of those emotions making her dizzy.

Jonah turned his head toward her, and then stopped, immediately dropping the doe to the ground. He tensed, his sharp gaze scanning the area before coming back to rest on her. “What’s wrong?”

“Someone’s here,” she whispered. “And they’re not friendly.”

Before Jonah could make a reply, two men stepped out from behind a grouping of large cypress trees, rifles in their hands. “Now, you just hold it right there.”

Twenty Four

THE STRANGERS WERE dressed entirely in black. Long, black dusters swirling around their ankles, black hats, black gloves, and black boots with shiny silver spurs that jingled ominously with each step they took. They both carried a pair of pistols holstered on either side of their hips. But it was the rifles they held in their hands that were aimed at Jonah and Cadence, that worried her. Were they gunslingers?

Neither man was as tall as Jonah, but they were imposing, just the same. The man on the left had dark, short-cropped hair, at least what she could see of it from under his hat. He had dark eyes and several days’ growth of stubble on his face. His gaze was hard, showing no mercy.

The other man looked much younger, maybe in his early twenties, and had shoulder-length blond hair. His eyes were blue, but they expressed no more mercy than his partner’s did.

Jonah stepped closer to Cadence, one hand clasping her arm.

“I said don’t move, neither one of you.” It was the dark-haired, mean-looking one who’d first spoken.

Actually, he’d said,
‘Hold it right there,’
but Cadence wasn’t about to argue.

What? More like her?
Her stomach bottomed out. “What do you mean?”

The blond one snorted derisively. “We know what you are,
shape-shifter
.”

Jonah growled. “Who are you?”

“Now, don’t go getting all animal on us, mister,” Mr. Mean said. “We know about you, too. We’ve been watching you all week.” His dark eyes shifted to Cadence. “Both of you.”

Mr. Blond sneered. “Yeah, we seen everything, if you know what I mean.” He stared lewdly at Cadence, as though he could see through her clothes.