Convincing the Cougar (3 page)

Trinity scanned the surroundings with her eyes, hoping her keen cougar eyesight would reveal who or what had made the noise, but she saw nothing. She laid her hand against Kian's thigh and tapped it twice—the signal they used to ask if they'd spotted anything.

He shook his head against her neck to keep up appearances. Since they didn't want to let on that they knew anything, Trinity slowly turned to face Kian. She pulled down his head and whispered, "With only the two of us, it's probably best to let them come to us."

Cougars worked best at waiting for the best opportunity to strike to conserve their energy.

He kissed her check before moving to her ear. "At the first sign of trouble, you shift and go get help."

She nodded, trusting his judgment in the situation, and looked at the foliage behind her mate's body. In early fall at this elevation of the Cascade mountain range, the underbrush was heavy with greenery, making it nearly impossible to see anyone lying in wait.

Still, she'd lived in these mountains since she was six years old. If an intruder was in their territory, Trinity would have the advantage.

Kian kept a tight grip on Trinity and hoped the noise was just his brother being overly loud, signaling for them to make themselves decent. Cougars didn't have the strongest sense of smell, but he and Trin had more than permeated the area with scents of sex to the point even a human would be able to smell them.

Normally, he would offer his shirt to his mate, but he didn't want to impede her shift any more than necessary. The split second it took for them to rip clothes from their bodies could end up costing a life.

There was another rustle. This time he could tell the sound came from behind him.

He moved his hands up and unhooked her bra. His sensual touch from earlier was replaced with pragmatism; this way Trinity would have an extra second to try to successfully get some help.

The rustling drew closer. If he waited any longer, it might be too late. It was time to act.

He whispered, "On three, shift and run. One, two, three!"

Trinity dashed away and he turned as her body started to morph into her cougar form. It'd been months since he'd seen her beautiful tan fur, but he'd drink in her lovely cat form later. Just as he turned to face the threat, three gray wolves rushed out of the trees.

What the hell? The local wolf-shifter clan—GreyFire—always steered clear of this side of the mountain.

He focused on his own shift. His hands became paws, his muzzle extended from his face, and his legs became powerful hind legs. He ignored the throbbing pain in his bone as his lame leg shifted. He had barely finished changing when a wolf went for his throat.

He rolled out of the way and onto his feet before hissing at the three wolves. They paused a second at the sound, long enough for him to realize their eyes were glowing purple.

Wolf-shifter eyes never glowed purple.

Then all three charged him at once. Kian managed to catch one by the neck and toss him against the tree. But, as the wolf landed in a still heap, the other two bit him—one on his flank, and the other on his lame leg.

He screamed in pain as the wolf's teeth dug into his leg, but he soon managed to twist his body out of the wolves' grip. He used his good hind leg to jump over the two wolves to the nearest tree. He couldn't go as high as if both of his legs worked properly, but it was high enough. Gripping the branch with his claws, he managed to swing his hind legs up and pull himself up.

The wolves jumped and tried to scramble up the tree, but their legs weren't built for climbing, and they kept falling down. Kian watched and waited for the opportune moment to strike.

One of the wolves landed on the other after a failed attempt to climb the tree, and the bottom wolf growled at his companion. The growling wolf went for the throat of the other, and Kian saw his chance.

He landed behind the two wolves. Ignoring the pain in his right leg, Kian opened his jaw and went for the back of the head of the nearest wolf. His teeth sunk in until he heard bone crack as his fangs permeated the skull and the brain. The wolf went lifeless.

The remaining wolf blinked at the sudden change of events. Before Kian could make his next move, he heard a series of cougar calls behind him and streaks of tan raced past to pin the remaining wolf down.

One cougar rubbed up against his side, stopping to nuzzle his face. Even in cat form, he'd know Trinity's scent anywhere.

He nuzzled in return before stepping away to shift. His paws became hands, his arms elongated, and he slowly grew until he was standing naked in front of ten of his clan members.

Not caring who saw him limp, he walked over to the wolf pinned on the ground and narrowed his eyes. "Shift back. Now."

The glowing purple eyes stared at him without comprehension. The wolf was too large to be a wild animal, and even rogue shifters would understand his words. His gut told him something else was going on here.

He looked at the three cats keeping the wolf in place. "Find a way to make him shift back. Once he starts talking, come find me."

His clan members nodded, and Kian turned toward Trinity.

Trinity held her breath, afraid that if she moved or made a noise Kian would realize how he was acting.

The self-loathing recluse from an hour ago was gone. In his place was the quick-thinking warrior leader that had captured her heart.

After he barked his orders at the clan members she had brought with her to help, he turned toward her and stared. He'd seen her this way millions of times, but right now, it felt like the first time all over again.

She walked up to him and his hand went to her head. He scratched behind her ears and she couldn't help but purr.

He squatted down, took her face in his hands and whispered, "I've missed your purr, Trin."

She rubbed his face and purred louder. In the past, she had always hated how cougars could purr but not roar. Right now, however, she was glad she could express her happiness with her mate.

Kian gave her one last scratch before he stood up and said to both her and the other clan members, "I'll be in my den. Make sure that whoever comes with new information makes their presence known well ahead of time."

The cougars gave their low growls of agreement.

Kian looked down at her. "Come, Trin. Let's go home."

With his head high, her mate started walking and she followed.

Chapter Three

Trinity and Kian's den was a set of rooms located deep inside the mountain. Clan DarkStalker lived in the wilds of the Cascade Mountains, but thanks to their use and development of geothermal energy, they had electricity and most modern amenities. It gave the cougar-shifters the best of both worlds—the freedom and space to run wild while still allowing them to be a part of the twenty-first century.

When they finally reached their den, Trinity sat her ass down on the carpet in the main living area and swished her tail. In cat form, she couldn't distract Kian, and right now, she wanted to see how he handled himself after the fight with the wolves.

Kian paced the room. Once the adrenaline was gone, would he morph back into the man who was willing to let her go? Or would he finally realize he was the same man as before the bear attack? Sure, he had a few kinks to work out, but he'd just killed two less-than-sane wolf-shifters. She didn't doubt his clever mind could come up with a way to use his lameness to his advantage.

Her mate finally stopped and faced her. She tilted her head in that feline way most people couldn't resist. Kian, however, frowned and said, "Your gorgeous dark amber eyes aren't going to work on me, Trin." She swished her tail and he sighed. "I know what you're thinking—the fight I just had proves I'm still capable of leading this clan."

She gave a chirp in agreement.

Kian ran a hand through his hair. "I'll admit, it was thrilling to shift again and make split-second decisions in the heat of battle. But, Trin, what if it was a one-off whim? Those wolves pinpointed my lame leg straightaway and went for it. If it had been a bear-shifter instead, I wouldn't have survived."

She went over to him and rubbed against his hip. His hand came down and scratched her head. "You know how beautiful you are in cat form, but you've always been my partner. Right now, I need to hear your voice."

She gave a low whistle and walked a few feet away. Imagining her human form, her legs and arms began to change until she was standing upright, naked.

Kian stared at her, his expression uncertain. The sexual heat from earlier was gone. Right now, his eyes were soliciting her advice.

She walked over and placed a hand on his face. "You know what I'll say, dear heart. I believe in you. I always have. But until you believe in yourself, you'll continue to doubt and second-guess yourself every step of the way." She laid her other hand over his heart. "What do you feel, in here? Your instinct is what helped win me in the first place."

The corner of his mouth ticked up. "Well, someone had to show you that you weren't invincible. You were beating the shit out of all of the young males back then."

She raised an eyebrow. "You barely won that fight, mister. And did you conveniently forget how I've bested you a few times since then?"

He placed a hand on the small of her back and pulled her close. "Oh, I remember."

The heat had returned to his eyes, reminding her of a few of their hot and sweaty make-up sex sessions. The combination of his gaze and the memories sent a rush through her body, straight to her core, but somehow she managed to keep her head. "No, Kian. Until you figure out what you're going to do with yourself, I'm not going to be a willing partner."

As Kian met Trinity's steely gaze, he knew she wouldn't back down. As much as they'd had fun in the clearing, she had been willing. He would never take her against her will.

"Shit, Trin. Sometimes I wish you weren't so stubborn." She gave him her 'look' and he squeezed her tighter against him. "Okay, that's a lie."

"Do you want to hear what I honestly think?"

"Don't I always?"

"Not recently, no. You've ignored me and anything I've had to say for months."

Underneath her steely tone, he could hear her hurt. "I was trying to protect you, Trin. You deserve someone who can still beat you in a cougar fight, and I don't think I can anymore."

"Stop it. This doubting shit isn't you. Did you already forget what just happened with those wolves? Just think, if you pretended to be extremely lame from the get-go, an opponent would underestimate you. Then, when you showed your true badass cougar self, they'd be unprepared and you'd take them."

"Even so, the clan leader should be someone who can protect his or her people."

She sighed in frustration. "You've been hiding away for months. If you'd bothered to get your ass up and talk to people, you'd see how they still respect you. Hell, ask the parents of any of those cubs you saved what they think of you, and they'd probably start crying tears of joy at your actions."

He paused and thought on her words. Finally, he said, "I've been sort of an asshole lately, haven't I?"

"Sort of?"

"Okay, a complete asshole. But despite it all, you've stood by me, Trin. I sometimes wonder why."

She ran her hand against the hair on his chest. "Because I didn't want to lose the best lay I've ever had."

"Glad to see I'm only good for one thing."

She gave an impish smile. "Although I've missed your cock, I've missed something more."

He placed a hand on her cheek. "Tell me."

"My best friend."

He growled and tried to kiss her, but she placed a hand over his mouth. "I'm serious, Kian. You'll get nothing from me until you figure out what you're going to do."

"I—" Kian paused and took a deep breath. "Well, I guess that means I should gather the clan."

Trinity's face went still. "What are you going to do?"

"Hell if I know. I guess we'll both find out at the gathering."

Alone and fully clothed in jeans and a t-shirt, Trinity paced their den, wishing time would move faster. Kian had gone for a walk to think things through. It scared her that he still might revoke their mate vows, but the fight with the wolves had mostly brought him back from the edge.

She mumbled to herself, "Trinity, there's nothing you can do." The decision was ultimately Kian's.

She heard someone approach. "Who is it?"

"Sy."

She went out to meet Kian's twin brother, Sylas. While they shared identical looks—dark, wavy hair and green eyes—Sy had always carried himself differently. While her brother-in-law had improved from when they were teenagers, the man was still too cocky for his own good.

Still, she loved him in a sisterly way. After giving him a quick kiss on the cheek in greeting, he said, "I thought you might like some company on the walk over."

She looped her arm through his and they started walking. She said, "I wish I knew what he'd do."