Hour of the Lion (The Wild Hunt Legacy #1) (34 page)

When sunlight showed beneath the curtains in the bedroom, Calum slipped out of the bed,

took a quick shower, and made himself tea.

In the living room, Jamie still slept on the couch. The two knee-high brownies in the corner

bobbed their heads at his quiet ‗thank you‘ and disappeared. He‘d have to buy them some extra-

rich cream and maybe one of Angie‘s pastries to reward them for their vigilance.

He settled beside his daughter, sipped his tea, and simply watched her. Doing that a lot

recently, wasn‘t he? But he‘d come so close to losing them all.

With a careful touch, he brushed her hair from her freckled cheeks. Aside from a few

scratches and bruises, she‘d survived the fight in fine shape. She was tougher than he‘d ever have

thought, more like Victoria than Lenora.

Not too much later, Alec emerged from the kitchen, yawning and carrying his coffee and the

morning paper.

Calum could hear the shower running; Victoria was awake also. Would she be embarrassed?

Or, more probably, full of prickles to hide the fact she cared. ―Brawd, we should clean out the

guest room between our flats so Victoria will have space to call her own.‖

―Good idea. Her house is far too exposed.‖ When Jamie grumbled in her sleep at their

voices, Alec grinned. ―She looks better.‖

―Yes. But she should trawsfur again. Soon. Having you and Victoria there would help.‖

Alec considered, nodded slowly. ―Yeah. And it wouldn‘t hurt the Vixen to start her lessons.‖

―What lessons?‖ Victoria asked from the doorway, engulfed in Alec‘s dark green terry-cloth

robe. Her face was a lovely pink from the heat of the shower, her cheeks reddened from beard

burn, and her lips swollen. She looked well-loved.

When she met his eyes, her color darkened. Not prickly after all. Shy. He smiled a little,

charmed at the thought.

She knelt beside the couch to check Jamie. ―That‘s a normal sleep. She‘s okay.‖ Her

tenderness warmed him. She truly did care for his kitten, didn‘t she? After brushing a strand of

hair away from Jamie‘s cheek, she rose, assuming a cooler expression—closing the gate on that

gentle heart of hers.

He preferred she leave the barrier open. He stood, gripped her robe, and pulled her close

enough to take her mouth in a long morning kiss. Soft, swollen lips, the fragrance of clean

female skin. When he raised his head, her eyes looked dazed, and her hands gripped his biceps.

―Good morning, little cat,‖ he said softly, brushing her lips again. He‘d enjoy greeting her

this way for the remainder of his days.

―Good morning,‖ she said, obviously trying for composure, but her husky voice told him

different. ―Um. You were talking about lessons?‖

―We‘ll coach you on shifting, control, and the tricks of being an animal,‖ Alec said. ―It‘s

pretty strange at first.‖

―So I found out,‖ Victoria said with a wry smile. ―And you two are my instructors?‖

―If you like.‖ Calum ran his finger down her pink cheek. ―Being asked to mentor is an

honor, so if there is someone you would—‖

―No,‖ she cut him off. ―I promised Jamie we‘d learn together. Having the same teachers is

only logical.‖

―Indeed.‖ Logical. Bugger it, he hoped she liked him and Alec as more than just instructors.

He wanted her in his life, in his arms, arguing with him over politics, brightening his days. Yet,

she‘d spoken no words of affection—and they weren‘t permitted to do so at this point. ―I‘ll wake

Jamie, and we‘ll get started after breakfast.‖

―Start this morning?‖

Her nervous expression brought a smile to his face. She wasn‘t nearly as blasé as she tried to

appear. ―Yes.‖

* * *

Fucking-A, the air in the tunnel was freezing. Vic shivered even more, knowing the next

step would be to take her clothes off.

―Strip,‖ Calum said, and Vic choked on a laugh.

―My clothes go…?‖ She looked around the dark cave. No furniture, no closets, no hangers.

―Here.‖ Alec took his shirt off and stuffed it into the wall where cubbyholes had been carved

out of solid rock. Some had clothing in them already.

―Got it.‖ She stripped, feeling her skin flush despite the chill. Yeah, okay, they‘d seen her

naked—hell, had kissed most of her—but still, there was something different about getting all

bare-ass in the daylight. In front of both of them. She shook her hair to veil the front of her.

Jamie had no problem with modesty and shimmied out of her clothes without a second

thought. Guess shifters must be used to being naked. Hell, if they went out on a hunt, the cave

must look like a nudist colony. Weird.

Alec grinned, obviously aware of her reluctance. ―It‘s best to strip before changing. Gets

expensive otherwise, since you‘ll end up bursting the seams. But having the clothes rip is good.

They‘ll fall off and not leave you all tangled up.‖

―Unless you‘re wearing elastic.‖ Calum‘s smile flashed. ―When we weren‘t much older than

you, Jamie, Alec forgot to remove his clothing. Rather than changing back, he tried to claw his

stretchy body shirt off. I think he still has the scars.‖

Vic snickered, and Jamie laughed.

―Thanks, brawd.‖ Alec rolled his eyes. ―Needless to say, Mr. Careful never forgot to strip

first.‖

Jamie shoved her shoes into her cubby and turned. ―I‘m ready to trawsfur, Daddy.‖ Her chin

rose as she tried to look brave, but the quaver in her voice betrayed her nervousness.

―Me, too,‖ Vic said. At least her voice didn‘t shake. Much.

Calum glanced at Alec, and Vic felt a tingle along her skin as Alec blurred, then reappeared

as a massive cougar, his fur so golden it almost shone. His eyes were slightly lighter, almost

matching the paler fur on the insides of his ears.

―God, you‘re pretty,‖ Vic said involuntarily and could swear the cat smirked at her words.

It—he padded over and rubbed his jaw over her bare hip making her shiver. Sure she knew it

was Alec, but...that was a very big mountain lion.

―Behave yourself, brawd.‖

With a low feline chuff, Alec moved away to crouch at the tunnel entrance.

―Victoria, is the door clear in your mind?‖

―Yes.‖ It glowed even more brightly today.

―Good. After you trawsfur, find the portal again before you do anything else. It doesn‘t look

the same from the other side, and you need to be able to jump back quickly if needed.‖

Jamie nodded. ―It‘s scary when you can‘t see the door.‖

―So it is. For today, you will stay with me and Alec. We may shift back a time or two to

point something out.‖ Calum tilted his head at Vic. ―Trawsfur.‖

Open the door. Step through. A tingling ran over her skin, starting at her toes, ending at her scalp. Her balance ruined, she fell forward, and stared at her very own fuzzy paws. Cool. As she sniffed the air, a sense of belonging washed over her, being held and loved and never abandoned.

To her regret, the feeling dissipated like mist in the wind.

Alec padded over and butted her in the shoulder. The breeze wafted his scent toward her—a

cat scent, but very, very male. She sniffed and found herself rubbing him, cheek to cheek. Damn,

he smelled good. Pure testosterone.

Pulling herself together, she saw Jamie and Calum had shifted. She simply stared. Calum

had darker fur than Alec, almost brown, and his eyes were a golden brown. Instead of just being

lighter, his muzzle looked as if he‘d rubbed it in snow, making her want to smile.

Jamie bounced around her father on her little paws, batting at his tail, then noticed Alec and

Vic. She sprang between them, shoving and rubbing.

Calum followed and… Oooh, Calum smelled as good as Alec. Different though. Could a

scent be less…friendly and fun? But richer? Deeper? Vic felt her tail swaying with delight. She

rubbed muzzles with him and actually licked his jaw to savor him more. He laid a huge paw

across her shoulders, holding her in place as he rubbed her with his cheeks and chin. When he

was finished, their scents mingled so thoroughly she couldn‘t tell where hers began and his

ended. And she was purring.

Jamie bounded over to the entrance and out, then Alec and Calum. As Vic stepped from the

cave, the mountain called to her, a force pulling at every cell. Run. Hunt.

Ahead the others disappeared into the forest. Vic let her instincts take over and sprang after

them, catching up easily. As long as she didn‘t think about it, four legs worked even better than

two, and the feel of the wind ruffling her fur was a sensuous delight. She caught a scent,

something rustled in the brush, and suddenly she was chasing a rabbit. Part of her screamed,

„wait, no,‘ and the rest of her saw food.

Food?

She halted so suddenly her paws skidded in the snow. Jesus, she‘d almost killed Thumper

for breakfast. Major ugh.

Calum‘s deep chuckle sounded behind her, and she wanted to cringe. Please tell me he

didn‟t see me tearing after a damned rodent. She turned.

Back in human form, he leaned against a cedar, arms folded across his chest. She couldn‘t

look away. He was gorgeous, all muscle and dark skin, and an um-hmm…well-endowed male

package.

Involuntarily, her belly inched lower to the ground, so her hips rose higher.

His lips curved, and heat flashed in his eyes. ―Don‘t tempt me, Victoria. Unfortunately,

we‘re here for lessons only.‖ He knelt and beckoned with two fingers. ―Come.‖

He‘d put no power into his voice, but she sprang to his side instantly anyway, and he still

smelled so good she had to rub her muzzle against him. He stroked her head with his warm hand,

and the sensation almost mesmerized her. Her front paws started stepping up and down.

―Being an animal is overwhelming,‖ he said, the richness of his voice soothing. ―You must

strengthen the part of you that is human, so, if needed, you can overrule the wildness.‖ He

scratched around her ears, up under her chin. Her eyes slitted closed in pleasure.

―However, rabbits are good to eat, and part of the joy of being an animal is the hunt. And

the kill. It‘s permitted, cariad.‖ The hint of laughter told her he‘d seen her sudden halt. Dammit.

Jamie and Alec loped over to join them, Alec‘s ears forward, his tail in a question mark.

―Victoria found a rabbit,‖ Calum explained. ―Ah, I do need to caution you—we‘ve found

trespassers in our mountains, setting animal traps. The traps are of an illegal type—quite nasty

with metal teeth—and we might have missed finding some. Be cautious.‖

His serious gaze went from Vic to Jamie, and then he smiled. ―That said, off with you. Alec

and I will follow.‖

Jamie bounced forward, rose on her hind legs to bat at Vic with her paws, and sprang away,

obviously inviting a game of tag. Vic leaped after her, and they chased each other up and down

the slopes, through snow drifts, and over icy streams. Finally, in a sunny clearing they stopped.

Sides heaving, Vic felt her blood pulsing in her veins. She felt joyously alive.

Something snapped in the woods behind them. With a snarl, she turned and leaped in front

of the smaller panther, ready to protect her.

At the edge of the clearing, Alec and Calum, still in cat form, froze. Alec‘s ears twitched at

Calum, and the two panthers settled quietly down where they were.

I‟m an idiot. She shook her head and shifted back to human. Hey, it got easier with practice.

She walked over to the cats, shivering as the cold mountain air hit her bare skin. ―Sorry, guys. I

don‘t know why—‖

Alec shifted, then hugged her. ―You were just protecting her, Vixen. Your heart and your

instincts know she‘s your cub.‖

Jamie trotted over and stropped herself against Vic‘s legs. One little panther, so cute she

should be outlawed.

―Mine, huh?‖

―Apparently.‖ Alec nuzzled her neck and kissed her cheek. ―There‘s nothing quite as

distinctive—or dangerous—as a mama cat defending her baby.‖

―Yeah, I guess.‖ Her words might have been nonchalant, but not her feelings. Every time

she looked at the little panther, her heart surged with love, with the need to protect. And she

couldn‘t resist bending to hug Jamie, rubbing her face in the warm fur. Yes. Mine.

Again, she felt that weird feeling rising through as a sense of love and protection blanketed

her. ―What the hell is that feeling anyway?‖

Calum shifted to human and rose to his feet. ―What?‖

Straightening, she waved a hand at herself. ―That feeling. It‘s not…me.‖

Frowning, Calum took Alec‘s place and put his arm around her waist. ―Ah, that one.‖

Vic waited, then prompted him with an elbow into his stomach. He grunted, though she

knew she hadn‘t even dented his rock-like six-pack.

―You should have let her eat the rabbit,‖ Alec said. ―Women get testy when they‘re hungry.‖

Calum moved Vic‘s elbow from his ribs. ―Impatience is not a virtue, Victoria.‖

―Neither is stalling.‖

―What you‘re receiving is your connection to...the being we call the Mother, short for

Mother Earth. Gaia?‖ He waited for her puzzled nod. ―As descendents of the Fae, we

apparently...hmmm, feel her presence more strongly than the humans, especially when in animal

form.‖

―I‘m not a furball right now.‖

―Ah.‖ Calum stroked her cheek with his knuckles, his gaze warm. ―She is also very fond of

mothers.‖

Mothers? Oh. ―Um. Okay, then. So how did you know what I felt?‖

One side of his mouth tilted up. ―As Cosantir, I am bonded to the earth. To Her, although