Authors: AJ Hampton
Her jaw tensed.
“
Yes. Last night after the funeral, I had a couple of drinks. Is that a crime? No. It isn
’
t. I
’
m getting back in the truck.
”
“
I heard you
’
ve got a new boyfriend. Where
’
s the asshole now?
”
She cringed. Peter was probably half way back to Montana, not that she was going to tell him that. She lifted her chin.
“
I
’
m not his keeper.
”
“
Just his fuck buddy? Must be a real gentleman to let you walk alone, in the dark, with a murderer on the loose.
”
His words held an edge of accusation. It was the way his eyes darkened and then narrowed. His full, once very kissable lips pinched into an invisible line.
She
’
d never seen him like this before. He never lost his cool or his temper. Even sex between them had been sweet and tender. Grady was a consummate lover, slow and thorough. He
’
d handled her like glass, surely terrified of bringing her home with bruises. No one risked the wrath of Gregory Marx, not even the Sheriff
’
s son.
Peter
’
s hard pounding from the night before stormed through her mind, obliterating Grady from her memory as if he
’
d never been there. Peter
was
right, she
’
d
had no idea just how much she
’
d come to hate him in the morning.
The simmering anger boiled over. She lashed out.
“
I suppose it is too much to ask for some privacy, too much to ask that what I do isn
’
t topic for town gossip.
”
“
You mean
who
you do?
”
he shot back.
“
When the town sweetheart leaves the bar with an outsider, it
’
s news.
Do you have any idea what they
’
re saying about you?
God damn it, Eva, I can
’
t believe you let him fuck you. What the hell is wrong with you?
”
Her eyes widened and her mouth dropped open before snapping shut.
“
What
’
s wrong with
me
?
”
She closed the distance between them and shoved her finger against the muscular wall of his chest.
“
You are way out of line,
Trooper
. I don
’
t have to stand here and listen to this.
”
He caught her wrist before she could poke him again. Grady pulled her close, his insistence chilling her more than the bitter wind swirling around her bare legs. She pulled back, meant to dig her heels into the snow, but her boots found ice, slick and unpredictable. Down. She was going down.
Her arms flailed, reaching for something, anything to keep her head from bashing the frozen ground. His fist shot out, smashed against her cheek. The resounding crack split the air and shattered her confidence that she knew him at all. Reeling back, she clutched the throb
bing flesh
already swollen beneath her cold hand. Through the instant tears, she stared at him.
Had he hit her on purpose? Surely not. Grady had never been violent, never lifted a hand to her.
He
’
d been her only true friend outside of Greg. Hell, h
e
’
d never even raised his voice. Until now. He
’
d hit her with a fist. Not an open hand. You didn
’
t use a fist to help someone. He was already jealous of Peter. Had he been angry she
’
d pulled away?
Emotion filled Grady
’
s eyes, dark and murky, nothing she could interpret. He stepped forward, opened his mouth.
“
Shit, Eva, I
’
m
—
”
He never
finished. From behind her, a low growl rolled
through the air and crept up the back of her spine.
Her hammering heart came to a complete stop. She knew that sound better than most. Pissed off leopard. If James had seen Grady hit her, the detective
’
s life was forfeit.
Fear blanched Grady
’
s face and shut his mouth. Panic filled his eyes. Slowly letting her hand fall to her side, Eva turned. She braced herself to find her uncle in the form of a
one-hundred-and-seventy-five-
pound leopard.
She sucked in a breath at the sight before her. Not her uncle.
Rage danced in the approaching feline
’
s emerald depths, showed in the bared canines and ears pressed flat to his head. The leopard stalked forward, shoulder blades rising and falling in time with every lethal step.
Peter.
She released a soft gasp, and with it, the world faded. Never in all her life had she seen anything s
o
magnificent. Sleek and powerful, dozens of black
-
on
-
brown
ringed spots covered his snow-white coat. She wanted to sink her fingers into his pelt, push through the hard outer layer to experience the downy soft fur next to the skin.
Peter hissed. The sound forced her one involuntary step backward. He strode closer, his large paws easily traversing the snow even with his two
hundred and fifty pounds of pure power. With every graceful step, sinewy muscles shifted. Behind him, his long, thick tail slashed back and forth.
“
Back in your truck,
”
Grady demanded, pulling her behind him.
A vicious snarl echoed and Peter crouched low. His nose wrinkled, narrowing his feline eyes. Eva stared straight ahead, mesmerized by the feral beauty of the predator in front of her.
“
God
damn it!
”
Grady hissed.
“
Get. In. The. Truck.
”
With a hand on her shoulder, he shoved her in the direction of her vehicle.
Mistake.
Peter lunged. In the sunless morning, the twin points of the leopard
’
s canines aimed at Grady
’
s throat gleamed.
Chapter Six
Idiotic Pard Rule #1: Never show yourself to humans
. Well, fuck the God damned rules. Any man stupid enough to touch what didn
’
t belong to him deserved what he got. The cop Eva called Grady would learn what a leopard could do to an asshole who pissed in the wrong pool.
He was just about to jump in when the motherfucker hit her. He actually hit her.
Eva
’
s cry of pain echoed, ripping through his meager self-control. A rage unlike any he
’
d ever experienced
drove him
from the shadows. Muscles clenched. Saliva pooled in his open mouth. He could already taste the man
’
s blood.
With coiled strength
, he lunged at
his target.
“
Don
’
t,
”
Eva screamed.
“
You
’
ll hurt him!
”
Raw panic in her voice touched something deep inside him.
Fear poured off her, its stench a rancid sting on the back of his tongue. Did she think he would hurt her? Her gaze darted between him and the other man, shifted back to him. No. She was afraid for the cop. Would she try to save the asshole by putting herself in the line of fire? Uncertainty drew him back at the last moment. He stopped two feet short of slashing the man
’
s stomach wide open.
An unsatisfied rumble emanated from the depths of his chest. The feral rage stole his every thought and his ears flattened against his head. His nose wrinkled in fury, sending a clear message. Back the fuck off. The cop
’
s jaw dropped. On the verge of pacing, he swished his tail back and forth, waiting for a chance to release his anger.
Blood. He wanted the man
’
s salty life force surging into his mouth.
Eva drew in several deep breaths, each exhale coming with a cloud of moisture. The cold reddened her cheeks and chapped her lips. With no hat or gloves, Eva
’
s teeth chattered with each tremor of cold stealing through her. Goose bumps pebbled her exposed legs. She was freezing.
The instinct to warm her warred with the urge to rip the other man to pieces. Already the left side of her bruised face swelled and darkened. Another furious growl escaped. The man would die. He advanced a step, stopped only at the sound of Eva
’
s voice.
“
Don
’
t,
”
she warned, speaking to him as if he were human. Her lips clamped shut. Pard Rule #2, don
’
t talk to wild animals as if they understood what you were talking about. Licking her lips, she lowered her voice.
“
Grady, don
’
t make any sudden movements.
”
Eva stepped away from the truck and moved in front of the cop. One inch at a time, her chin lifted. Was she challenging him? He snarled, narrowing his eyes further until the only thing he could see was her. Wind blew golden curls in front of her eyes. Snow drifted down, swirling around her and clinging to her black coat.
Mate
. He inhaled her scent, tasted honey and sunshine. Something else lingered on her skin. His scent. His seed deep inside her body. Yes. She belonged to him and only him. Satisfaction filled his predatory soul. Mine.
From the corner of his eye, he scrutinized Grady, assessing the best way to get rid of him.
The man glanced nervously between them.
“
Eva
,
you
’
re the animal expert, how the hell do we keep it from eating us? It looks pissed off.
”
A flash of movement set Peter
’
s teeth in a snarl. He hissed. The cop
’
s hand froze an inch from the gun holstered at his waist. The same unspoken laws that demanded the leopard stay concealed kept the cop from shooting him. A not-so-idiotic Pard Rule. The majestic snow leopards residing in the snow-laden forests of Bellows Falls were the town
’
s only pride. To kill one would ignite the wrath of the community.
Eva glared at Grady and a tang of anger replaced her fear. Pride swelled inside him.
“
First off,
”
she said.
“
He isn
’
t an
it
. Second, if we both just get into our trucks, he
’
ll go away. Isn
’
t that right, kitty?
”
Another low sound rumbled from his chest. She wouldn
’
t be calling him kitty again until she was on all fours with his teeth sunk into the back of her neck.
Grady stepped closer, reached his hand out as if to touch her.
“
I
’
m not leaving you alone with that thing.
”
Dropping into a crouch, he flattened his ears and hissed. One more fucking move and the asshole was dinner.
“
I think it
’
s you he has a problem with,
”
Eva said.
“
You
’
re the one making him mad.
”
Like a good boy, the cop lowered his hand and reversed tracks. Grady took a testing step away from Eva and the leopard advance
d
as if to encourage the retreat. The cop nodded, understanding, and took two more steps toward his police truck parked a few feet away. Another step. Some of the tension loosened inside him and he rose to pace. He wouldn
’
t kill the man, not in front of Eva, but Grady would pay. No one hurt his mate and lived.
Keen, hungry eyes watched the cop fumble with his door before climbing inside. Peter never looked away, not until the asshole was gone. He glanced back to where Eva had stood, found she
’
d already pulled her truck out of the parking lot.
Satisfied, he sent one last scathing look at Grady
’
s retreating taillights and took off through the woods surrounding the town. He wasn
’
t done with Eva. Not by a long shot.
He sprinted, leaping over fallen trees and traversing the freshly fallen snow with ease. A churning river kept him company through the woods. Icy water cascaded over rocks, into miniature waterfalls, the river
’
s noise a comforting rush in the winter silence. The unique scents of home soothed the leopard, and he traversed a familiar path he
’
d taken countless times growing up.
Cutting through a cluster of trees, he broke through a tangle of limbs and found the cut-off to the highway. He waited no more than two minutes before two beams of light cut through the swirling snow. He stood in the middle of the road, met Eva
’
s gaze through the windshield and dared her to hit him.
The truck screeched to a stop. He strolled forward with the smooth, rolling gait of a feline, and then brought the image of himself on two legs to the center of his attention. Willing the transformation, he forced the beast to retreat, the
shift
seamless. One second thick fur warmed him. In the next arctic wind tore at his naked skin and burned the soles of his feet.
He padded barefoot to the driver
’
s side, and all but ripped open the door. The cold temperature did nothing to ease his burning anger. A pungent smell socked him in the stomach, catching him off-guard. Greg
’
s scent invaded and he fought to keep from backing away. Silent, wary, Eva stared at him with wide, bloodshot eyes. The bruise on the side of her face startled, was a potent reminder of just how much danger she was in.
“
I
’
m driving,
”
he growled, reaching behind the seat for the clothes he knew Greg kept stashed there.
Without protest, she slid across the wide bench seat and settled into the passenger side. He threaded first one arm and then the other through a one-size-too-small flannel shirt. His father
’
s scent wrapped around him, threatening the beast and comforting the man. Stepping into jeans that were just an inch too short, Peter climbed into the warm truck and slammed the door. He slid the seat back until his knees no longer touched the steering wheel.
As he drove, an uneasy silence fed his festering anger. For the first time since entering the truck, he looked at Eva. Her eyes were still wide, still unfocused.
“
You
’
re afraid of me.
”
“
The leopard still lurks in your eyes,
”
she said, her voice raspy and raw.
His hands tightened on the steering wheel and left his knuckles white.
“
I didn
’
t hear you complaining last night.
”
Her laughter filled the truck. Some of her fear abated.
“
Last night. Yes.
”
She turned her body toward his.
“
The note was a nice touch.
”
It was more than he
’
d ever done for any other woman he
’
d left in the middle of the night. He squeezed the steering wheel, heard something crack.
“
You
’
ve got an hour to pack your crap, and then we
’
re heading to Montana.
”
She whipped her head in his direction.
“
Excuse me?
”
“
I didn
’
t stutter
.
Greg
’
s gone, what else do you have in this God forsaken town? It
’
s a shit hole, and you know it.
”
Her
eyes
narrowed. The fire in her
gaze
stoked an
entirely different kind of heat in his stomach.
“
I
’
m not uprooting my life to run away with a man I don
’
t know.
”
“
It
’
s not safe for you here,
”
he seethed, wanted to shake some sense into her.
She sank into her seat.
“
I
’
m perfectly fine where I
’
m at.
”
With a yank of the wheel, the truck swerved off the side of the road, sliding to a halt between two trees. He jammed the gear stick into park and spun on her. She made a small sound, pressed against her door, a pathetic attempt to escape him in the confines of a vehicle.
Catching her by the chin, Peter held Eva still. Her skin, despite the heat pouring from the vents, was just as icy as his. He tilted the rearview mirror her direction, angling it so she could see her face. Wincing, she tried to pull away. He forced her to look at what the asshole had done to her.
“
The son of a bitch hit you.
”
She lifted a trembled hand, touched his cheek.
“
I
’
m fine,
”
she whispered.
The sleeve of her coat fell down her arm, exposing the ligature marks from his silk tie. As if they were still in that fucking bathroom, he saw the smear of blood on his cock. He was the asshole who
’
d hurt her. Him.
He pulled away from the caress.
“
Don
’
t,
”
was all he could manage.
He drew in a deep breath and took an ounce of comfort at his scent lingering inside her. When he calmed enough to form a sentence, he pushed away what he and Eva had done last night and finished his original thought.
“
He probably killed Greg too.
”
She jerked her face from his grip and met his gaze boldly.
“
Grady isn
’
t a murderer.
”
“
Put the facts together. He has a gun. He
’
s violent. He
’
s obsessed with you. Who knows how long he waited for you to come out of the cabin
?
He probably listened to us the entire night. There was another note, Eva, taped to the door when I left. Coincidences are a pile of shit.
”
She swallowed, looked like vomit might spew out of her mouth at any moment.
“
Another note?
”