Protected Mate (Catamount Lion Shifters #1) (6 page)

A prickle of awareness ran up Chloe’s spine followed by a flash of annoyance that Roxanne was now being as cryptic as Jake. She lifted her chin and eyed Roxanne. “Oh, so now you too?”

Roxanne appeared to know exactly what Chloe meant. She shrugged and grinned. “Hey, I’m as straight as I can be, but this is Dane’s to explain.”

“Fair enough. I’ll be asking him today.” She shifted carefully on her feet and turned to leave. “Nice to meet you, Roxanne.”
“Ditto. I hope to see you again soon,” Roxanne said with a wide smile.

Chloe walked out, disconcerted by the cryptic comments by Jake and Roxanne. She worried Dane was hiding something from her—but she trusted him. But then again, she’d trusted Tom and that had turned out to be a sham.

Chapter 6

Dane strode up to Chloe’s hotel door and knocked. She opened the door wide and smiled. He reined in the urge to pick her up and take them right back to where they’d been last night, tangled up in each other’s arms. Her honey hair fell in tousled waves around her shoulders. Her forest green eyes were bright and…curious.

“Can you take me to Shadow Rock?” she asked, skipping past any greeting.

He instantly wondered who she’d encountered today because only close friends knew of Shadow Rock, and if they were mentioning it to her, they were dropping some pretty obvious hints. Dane swore silently. He needed to get this out of the way before they could go any further, but damn if he knew how to go about it. Jake’s reminder of how disastrous it had been for him didn’t help Dane figure out how to go about this.

For the moment, he’d have to play it by ear. “Could we start with hello?” he said wryly.

Chloe smiled widely. “Hello, how was your day?”

He chuckled. “It was okay. How about you?”

She nodded firmly. “Good. I walked around town…”

He couldn’t stop from interrupting her. “You walked? You should have called me. You need to take it easy with your ankle.”

She rolled her eyes and sighed. “I knew you’d say that. I promise I was careful. I had the ankle brace on all day. I even have witnesses.”

“And who would they be?” he countered, figuring this might clue him in to who told her to ask him about Shadow Rock.

“I went into Roxanne’s, met her and saw Jake again.”

“Ah, Roxanne’s. That place might be the center of the universe as far as Catamount is concerned.” His mind spun, wondering what Roxanne and Jake had said to Chloe. He knew he needed to find a way to talk to her, but he’d have liked a little time to consider how to go about it.

Chloe grinned. “I can see that. Roxanne told me she’s known you for your whole life. Jake’s the one who told me to ask you about Shadow Rock.”

Dane instantly felt chagrined. Here he was trying to figure out how to surreptitiously discover who said what to her while Chloe was an open book. He made a flash decision. If he wanted what he hoped for with Chloe to happen, he couldn’t drag this out. She had to know who and what he was. Though the idea terrified him. This could shatter his chances with her.

“Jake knows what’s important to me. Plus, it’s fair to say he’s trying to hold me to what I need to do.”

Chloe’s eyes sobered. “What do you mean?”

Not bothering with any pretense, he spoke bluntly. “I told you, I don’t want a fling. I want much more than that with you. Maybe you think I’m crazy, but I don’t think you do. I think you feel it too. Jake knows me well enough to know what he saw with us the other day. So…” he paused and threaded his hand through her elbow. “Let’s go.”

Chloe looked bemused and curious, but she didn’t deny his words. She nodded and turned to get her jacket and purse. Dane stepped past her and handed them to her. As he helped her into his truck, he formed the only plan he could think of—to tell her and then show her. He could only hope she didn’t run from him.

Dane nodded and took a deep breath as he started his truck. He reached over for her hand. Lifting it, he turned it and placed a kiss in the center of her palm. He kept her hand firmly in his.

“Can I ask that you try to trust me?”

Chloe’s eyes clouded for a moment, a flash of pain arcing in their depths. He knew trust wouldn’t come easily for her after what her ex had done. He was banking on the depth of connection between them. They may have only just met, but their hearts, souls and bodies knew one another. She took a deep breath and nodded.

Dane began driving. He tried to think of the best way to explain what he was about to show her, but there really was no easy way to get to the point. He pulled over at an unmarked entry into the forest on the far side of town. The Appalachian Trail was miles away from here, so there were far fewer chances of encountering any people. Shadow Rock was down a short path. It was the place his father had taken him when he was a boy to show him what he was. It was the same place his grandfather had taken his father and so on through the generations. Once they were out of the truck, he took her hand and carefully led her through the trees until they reached the edge of a clearing where Shadow Rock rested at the edge—a large, flat boulder. He lifted her to sit on it.

“Is this Shadow Rock?” she asked, her voice soft in the fading light.

He nodded. “When the sun’s up, it casts a shadow across most of this clearing. No other reason for its name.”

Her presence kept his cat close to the surface. Passion brought that side of him out, and Chloe elicited passion as no woman ever had. He took a deep breath and met her eyes. Her forest green eyes were cautious, but open. “Chloe, I’m about to tell you something that most people don’t know. It might scare you and it might make you think I’m crazy. But I have to tell you because I want you more than I’ve wanted anyone, and I can’t go forward without you knowing who I am.”

Her breasts rose and fell with her breath. Her gaze was curious with a hint of caution underneath. The evening air was cooling. A mist hovered over the trees. Dane prayed she would understand, but he didn’t know if she would. She didn’t reply, only nodded solemnly—so he had to put it out there and trust she could handle it.

“I’m sure you’ve heard the rumors about mountain lions around here, right?”

“Of course. That’s why it’s called Catamount. I thought I saw two the other day when I was waiting for you,” she replied with a gentle shrug. “They were beautiful.”

“They are real. It’s just that…” He paused for a breath and then pushed forward. “…mountain lions in this area are also human. They shift between forms. I’m one of them,” he said simply.

Chloe gasped. Her eyes widened. “What? I don’t understand.”

“Our kind were run out of our territories once this part of the country was colonized. We were pushed further and further into the woods and north. We were dying because we didn’t have enough space. About two hundred and fifty years ago, the first shifters were born on Mount Katahdin. Mountain lions that could shift between human and cat form survived and the rest kept dying. All that’s left of our kind in the East are shifters. My family descended from the first generation of shifters.”

Chloe’s eyes were wide with a hint of fear, but she didn’t run and she didn’t look disgusted, so he forged ahead. “We live just like you do. We work, we have jobs and we carry on. But our cat side comes out sometimes and we have to shift, so we head to the forest. We don’t hurt humans because we are part human. Our human minds are with us in both forms. It’s a part of me, a part that will always be there. I had to tell you before anything else happened between us.”

Chloe looked around the small clearing. “Is this why you brought me here? To show me?”

Dane nodded. “You have to know who I am. And you have to know that I believe we’re meant to be together. Both parts of me are drawn to you so powerfully I can’t ignore it. But it’s only fair that you know who I am completely.”

She brought her eyes back to his. Uncertainty clashed with curiosity. “Okay,” she said slowly. “Do I need to worry when you are in your other form?” She paused and shook her head rapidly. “I can’t believe I’m having this conversation.”

“You never need to worry about me. Ever. Mountain lions who shift are fiercely protective of those they care about. We had to become that way in order to survive. Wild mountain lions are known as solitary creatures. But we couldn’t survive if we stayed that way, so we evolved. We don’t ever hurt humans to begin with, but those we care about…we’d give our lives to protect them.”

Chloe eyed him carefully, silent for a long moment. Then a rush of questions. “So if shifters have been around for that long, how come they say eastern mountain lions are extinct? How many families are there? And how can you be with me if I’m not a shifter?” Her questions tumbled out, one after another, her voice rising along with them.

Tension coiled tightly within him. His heart pounded. He had to find a way to help her understand she had nothing to fear, but he had to be careful. He forced himself to breathe slowly though his heart beat in agony—fearful she’d reject him.
 

He met her eyes through the gloaming. “You can ask as many questions as you want. Do you want me to answer yet?”

She nodded jerkily.

“People think eastern mountain lions are extinct because, in their original form, they are. We’ve done our best to keep our presence hidden when we shift. Our ancestors were hunted almost to extinction, so once our ancestors learned to shift, hiding was key to our safety and survival. As to how many shifter families there are, there are a lot. Catamount was founded by four families, including mine. In Catamount alone, half the population, maybe more, is made up of shifters. We haven’t stayed put either. Throughout most of the eastern mountain ranges, you’ll find shifters everywhere. There are rumors about our kind out West, but we don’t know for certain.” He paused and took a breath. “For your last question, shifters are human and mountain lion—not one or the other. That’s how we can mate with humans. I’m a man who happens to be able to shift into a mountain lion. Through the generations, we’ve seen shifters stay healthier if they mate with humans. When shifters and humans mate, some of their children may be shifters, some of them may not. There’s no way to know.”

Reaching the end of her questions, he paused. She sat quietly. He felt like he was walking a tightrope—one wrong move, and he could slip off and lose his chance with her. After a long silence, she nodded slowly. He stood from the small boulder and held her eyes. “Can I show you?”

His cat was rolling under his skin, straining for release. He knew he’d have to keep a tight rein on his control because Chloe’s presence peaked his desire so high he could barely contain himself. The depth of his want for her pounded through his body like a drum. Its fierceness called to the cat in him. At her nod, he shed his clothes. Her eyes were steady though he sensed a shade of fear. He walked a few feet away and closed his eyes. Shifting was smooth for lions. He’d heard for other animals it could be painful. For lions, it was fluid and graceful. In a deep breath, he released his cat and felt the rush of fur caressing his skin. In seconds, he stood on all fours. He looked back toward Chloe whose mouth had fallen open. He slowly began to walk toward her. Primal desire pulsed through his veins. He kept it reined and approached her slowly.

He stopped several feet away from her. She slowly reached a hand out to touch him. Her touch was hesitant at first, but became more confident and curious. He leaned into her hand, his purr rumbling in his chest. At the sound, she smiled tentatively. After several moments of this, Dane strolled away, his tail swaying. He closed his eyes again and called his human self back. A ripple went through his body and fur became skin in a wave. He quickly tugged his clothes back on and walked to Chloe.

***

Chloe sat in the fading light, the cool air eliciting a shiver. She watched the wild cat amble away from her.
Dane, that’s Dane.
How can that be Dane?
She gave a sharp shake of her head. The last few minutes had shattered any preconceptions she had about what was real and what wasn’t. She thought back to the other morning when she’d been waiting for Dane to return and had seen those two mountain lions. She wondered now if it had been Dane and another shifter, perhaps his sister. She watched his body ripple and shift from cat back to human. He stood in the dusk, his human form taking her breath away. He was lean and muscular, his shoulders broad. His skin gleamed even in the faded light. She felt momentarily shy to realize he was completely nude. She tried not to stare. He strode to where his clothes had fallen and dressed quickly.

He came to stand in front of her, his eyes uncertain. He reached for her hands. The air had chilled rapidly since they arrived here, the sun’s warmth dissipating as it dropped down the sky behind the mountains. His hands were warm and held hers gently. His thumb rubbed across the back of her hand.

“I hope I didn’t scare you,” he said, his voice low.

Chloe tried understand what she was feeling. It wasn’t fear. More akin to an enormous sense of what the universe held. Watching Dane shift into cat form and back again had been so powerful, unbelievable and magical at once, it was as if any imaginary doors in her mind had been blown off their hinges. She finally looked up into his blue-gray eyes. “You didn’t scare me,” she said softly.

An owl hooted nearby. A rustle came from the trees. Dane held her gaze. “Do you understand why I needed to make sure you knew who I was?”

Chloe nodded solemnly.

“Does it change anything for you?”

This time she shook her head. The girl she’d been for so long, the one who planned and did what she thought she was supposed to, would have had no idea what to think about who and what Dane was. The woman she’d become after reality landed with a thud in her life and she’d hiked over two thousand miles in commune with nature every step of the way—that woman had come to learn there was so much humans didn’t know. Nature in all its forms held so much magic. Learning Dane was a man who was also a mountain lion, while mind-blowing, didn’t change what she felt when she was near him. She shook her head. A sharp breeze gusted over her skin, and she shivered.