Animal Instincts (3 page)

But
on top of the fact she needed to live her life, graduate high school, and go to
college, he knew that he couldn’t be here. He had to stay away until she
experienced things, until she could consciously make the decision to be with
him, mate with him, and know the gravity of being with an imprinted male.

Then
he had just left Tyler’s place, given some shitty reason that he wasn’t feeling
right, and taken off after just seeing his friend after years’ of absence. No,
this was a bad situation. He tore his clothes away until he stood naked.
Looking down at his chest he ran his fingers over the nasty bullet scar that
lined his side. He had a few more on his back and a knife scar on his thigh. He
was a mess, a fucking mess. How could he expect Danika to ever look past the
beast he really was?

He
moved over to the front door and opened it partially. Damien felt the change
take over him. Everything in him popped, snapped, broke, and realigned. Fur
replaced skin, claws took over where his nails were, and fangs replaced his
flat, human teeth. Then he stood there in his lion
form
,
big, powerful, and used to tearing flesh and killing its enemy. He was an
animal that only thought about the hunt, tracking his prey, and taking control.
But even in this primitive thinking body, all he could envision was Danika and
how he had probably scared the shit out of her with the alpha act back at
Tyler’s place. He paced, moved back and forth, felt his hackles
rise
, his blood pump through his body, and needed to run.

Padding
over to the front door, he pushed it open the rest of the way, and stepped onto
the porch. Closing his eyes and growling out as the sun slashed through the
trees, Damien opened his eyes again and looked around the property. The trees
surrounded all four sides of the cabin. The freshness of the air called out to
the wild part of him, and he padded down the steps and onto the ground. He
tilted his head back, shook his body, and felt his skin move over his muscles
and bones. Damien took off toward the woods, ran past the thick evergreen and
blue spruces, heard the small animals scurry away, and growled in pleasure. He
needed this, needed the freedom to get this nervous energy out of his blood.

The
wind moved over his fur, ruffled his mane, and the feeling of the soft earth
beneath his paws had the sensation of his nails retracting coming forth. He
stopped when he heard a twig snap in the distance. Lowering
himself
to the ground, he scanned left then right, inhaled deeply, and caught the scent
of deer in the distance. Taking off toward the direction of the animal, he
inhaled again, growling low as his need to hunt it down and tear it apart
filled him. Moving faster, hitting the ground harder, Damien scented out the
deer, saw it in the distance, and stopped, pressing low to the ground. He
waited until the animal wasn’t looking around, but its ears perked up as it
scented the danger in the air. But Damien was the master of stealth, of
stillness and silence. He could wait out the animal for as long as it took. But
then the deer slowly lowered its head to the ground and started grazing again.
Damien felt the need to attack fill every part of him, so he didn’t hold back
anymore. He lunged forward, but the deer sensed him and took off right before
Damien could tackle it to the ground.

He
followed it through the woods, weaving in and out of the trees, and felt the
pleasure move through him at the chase. He was the hunter, and he was tracking
his prey. He lunged out, front paws
outstretched,
claws extended, fangs on display, and took the deer down. It might have sated
the animal inside of him for the time being, but Damien felt the anxiousness of
being imprinted rise up inside of him violently again. He’d leave for two
years,
wait until she was of age, until she could decide
what she wanted. But even though he wanted her to be able to decide what
she
decided, if
she
wanted him as a mate, he knew that he could not just walk away
from her.

Telling
Tyler that a scarred beast of a lion shifter had imprinted his daughter was
going to be pretty fucking hard. But Damien couldn’t just leave for good, even
if that was the right thing to do. He said he’d let Danika be for now, stay
away until she could decide what she wanted, but it would be the hardest
fucking thing he would ever do in his life.

Chapter
Three

Four years later, present day

Danika
watched as Hayden winked at her in terms of his goodbye for the time being, and
was all but hauled out of the living room and down the hall by some drunken
girl intent on getting laid. She smiled though, because seeing Hayden wear this
goofy grin on his face because he wasn’t the one having to hit on a girl,
instead being all but sexually mauled in front of a room full of stoned people,
was a highlight of her night. She brought her bottle of water to her mouth and
took a long drink. She’d taken a beer when she’d first gotten here, and even if
she was ready to leave. She glanced at the hallway again, watched as Hayden
disappeared behind one of the doors, and then it slammed shut. She’d just tell
him she was ready to go and that she would see him later.

Danika
sat on the couch, which smelled of spilled beer and cigarette smoke, and looked
at her phone for the fifth time in the last half hour. She was supposed to be
home in an hour and a half for a dinner with her dad and Damien. She thought
about the SEAL lion shifter, about the last time she’d seen him and the awkward
way he had stared at her, as if he had wanted to tell her something monumental,
but couldn’t. That had been four years ago. Even coming home during breaks from
school she’d expected to see him in passing, but he’d stayed away. But tonight
she’d see him again, maybe even have the nerve to ask what had happened all of
those years ago. To this day it still consumed her when she thought about it,
because there was some part of her that felt what had happened between them,
that nonverbal, intense interaction, meant something powerful.

She’d
come to this party because Hayden said she needed to let loose. After coming
back home after two years of school, she knew that starting her life back in
the town she grew up in was the right decision. Maybe she should have stayed
another two years at school, gotten her Bachelor’s, and
then
come back. But the job offer to help with the Internet
advertising for a small law firm in town had been too good to pass up. She
wasn’t making as much as she would have if she had her Bachelor’s, but for
starting out she was pleased with her salary. She already had her own
apartment, albeit a small one bedroom place, but hers nonetheless. She could
focus on living her life, and decide on what she wanted out of her future.
Staying with her father was wonderful, and she loved him, but he was just too
overbearing and overprotective at times. But despite the fact she hated being
smothered at the age of twenty, she couldn’t fault her dad over the fact he
wanted to keep her close. He’d lost his wife, even if it was nearly two decades
ago,
she knew having her by his side helped him on a
level that made him feel secure.

“What’s
a pretty girl like you doing here alone? Need some company?”

The
slurred masculine voice coming from behind her had her rolling her eyes. Of
course there had to be someone to deliver a lame pick-up line before the night
was over with. She turned and stared at the guy sitting on the arm of the
couch. He was definitely drunk given the stench of booze that came from him,
the fact his eyes were half-lidded, glossy and red, and also because he kept
leaning to the side and having to right himself.

“I’m
not alone, and no thank you on the company.” She’d planned on leaving anyway,
and right now seemed as good a time as any. She stood, headed down the hallway
to tell Hayden she was heading home before he got too invested in his sex-fest,
and came to a jarring halt when someone grabbed her arm.

She
looked over her shoulder, stared at the drunken asshole she’d left back at the
couch,
then
lowered her gaze to his hand. “Let go of
me. You’re drunk, and I will kick you in the balls.” Taking Tae Kwon Do for the
last two years while away from home had been her father’s idea, but she hadn’t
fought the suggestion. In fact, she liked being able to learn how to defend
herself.

He
let go of her arm and took a step back, but he looked at her still, and didn’t
turn to leave. “You’re one of those uppity bitches, aren’t
you.
”
He didn’t phrase it like a question, and narrowed his eyes as if that statement
pissed him off.

“Fuck
off.” She turned around and headed toward the doorway Hayden was behind. When
she got there she saw the prick had turned away and was walking back into the
living room. “Asshole,” Danika said under her breath. Facing the door again she
banged on the wood until she heard Hayden murmuring on the other side.

“What?”
he said,
then
his question was followed by a female
giggle and groan.

Danika
refrained from gagging at the mental image that slammed into her head. “Hayden,
I’m going to be going, okay?”

“What?”
he yelled out.

“I’m
heading home. I’ll talk to you tomorrow,” she said louder this time. There was
silence on the other end. Then the sound of footsteps coming closer had her
moving a step back. The door opened, and Hayden stood on the other side, his
shirt off, and his jeans unbuttoned. “God, Hayden,” Danika said and looked
away. Hayden was like a brother to her, and knowing what he was going to do
with the slut in the bedroom, and the fact he was half naked, grossed her out.

“You’re
leaving?” he asked, seeming like he was truly surprised she wouldn’t want to
wait out in the living room with a bunch of drunks while he screwed a random
chick.

“Yeah,
I think staying is probably not the best idea, especially since that asshole
over there was giving me a hard time after I turned his ass down.” She looked
over at the prick in question, saw him drinking right out of a scotch bottle,
and turned to stare at Hayden again. He was watching at the guy she’d been
talking about, and the irritation on his face was clear. “I have that dinner
thing with my dad and his friend in an hour anyway.

“I’m
sorry I left you out there. Brandon is a good guy, and owns this place, but
some of his buddies are real motherfuckers.” He faced her again. “Let me get
dressed and I’ll leave with you.”

“No,
I didn’t tell you I’m leaving in hopes you’d leave, too—”

He
shook his head and stopped her from continuing. “You came here because of me,
and we’ll leave at the same time, Danika.”

She
smiled and nodded. Hayden was one of the good guys, and she was lucky to call
him her best friend.

“Let
me get dressed.”

“I
have to go to the bathroom.”

He
nodded and looked behind him. Hayden said in a lower voice, “She’s been with
half the guys here, but I think I was hard-up for a little action. Now my dick
won’t even get hard for her—”

“Hayden, too much info,
seriously.”

Hayden
started chucking.
“Yeah, sorry about that.
Give me a
few minutes.”

She
nodded, and he shut the door. She looked at the asshole again, who was now
watching at her with this blank expression on his face. Danika ignored him and
went into the bathroom. When the door was shut behind her she glanced at the
bathroom and realized a man definitely lived her alone. It was filthy, with a
ring of mold around the bathtub, dust in the corners of the floor, and the
toilet seat up and showing a collection of film she didn’t even want to try to
guess what it was made of.

“Peeing
can wait until I get home,” she said under her breath and turned to the left to
look at her reflection. Her light auburn hair was in a low ponytail, and her
light brown eyes had these gorgeous dark circles under them. Maybe she
shouldn’t have worn the top and skirt she’d decided on? Her size sixteen hips
looked so wide, or maybe it was because of the way the mirror was positioned?
Of course that was what she hoped. She wasn’t considered a “small girl” by
society’s definition, but she loved every inch of her body. Still, right now
she looked a wreck.
God,
wasn’t she a pretty
thing—insert the heavy sarcasm after that thought. She lifted her hand and ran
a finger along the bridge of her nose, tracing the light sprinkling of freckles
on her skin. She’d hated them when growing up, even tried using lemon juice to
lighten them. But she looked just like her mother, and now that she was older
she liked all the things she used to hate about herself. She may not remember
her mom, but her father had told her enough about her mom,
Frannie
.
He told her stories about how she’d always sung to Danika before bed, and how
much she loved her, and Danika felt like she did remember her mom, who had died
too young.

The
doorknob turned, and before she could say someone was in the bathroom the door
was opening and the douche that had insulted her just a few moments before
walked in.

“Hey,
what in the hell are you doing?”

He
used his much bigger body to push her further back into the bathroom. The back
of her legs bumped into the bathtub, stopping her retreat.