CHAPTER 5
Indy was livid.
Not mad. Not angry. Not furious.
Livid.
She’d made mistakes in her past. She was impetuous, passionate, and too eager to listen to her heart, not her head. Which meant she often found herself in situations she later regretted.
But never, ever had she allowed a man to screw with her head to the point that a dozen Pantera Hunters had been able to sneak up on her.
Dammit. She was supposed to be protecting her people. They depended on her.
Instead she’d been melting in Angel’s arms, completely seduced by his kisses.
Snarling out every curse word she’d learned over the past thirty years, Indy yanked at the handcuffs that were attached to the wooden headboard.
She didn’t know how she ended up in the wide bed. Only seconds after the door had crashed in she’d felt a pinprick of pain as a dart had penetrated the skin of her neck. She’d had time to accept the irony of the fact she’d been tranqed before she was tumbling into Angel’s arms, the blackness sucking her under.
She’d awoken nearly an hour ago to find herself cuffed to the bed. In bewilderment she’d studied the wooden furniture that looked handcrafted, and a patchwork quilt that covered her body that’d been stripped down to her muscle shirt and jeans.
There was an air of homey warmth that was only emphasized as she glanced out the window to glimpse the thick foliage and clumps of cypress trees that provided a dense shade the late afternoon sunlight was unable to penetrate.
She was in the bayou.
Or more specifically…she was in the Wildlands.
There was the sound of approaching footsteps before the door was pushed open. Indy tensed. Even from a distance she could recognize the familiar scent.
Angel.
The sight of him only made her more livid. Livider?
Not just because he’d tricked her and used her vulnerable desires against her. She was willing to fight dirty when necessary. But because the mere sight of him moving toward the bed was making her heart pound and her blood heat with arousal.
Helplessly her gaze clung to his impossibly handsome features and the white-gold hair that was spiked as if he’d been running his fingers through it. He’d showered and changed into a pair of charcoal gray slacks and a crisp white shirt that should have lessened the impact of his raw, fiercely disturbing presence.
But it didn’t.
Instead, she’d never been more aware of the cat that lurked just below the surface.
Her stomach quivered as he settled on the edge of the bed, his gaze studying her with dark intensity.
“Bastard,” she ground out, hoping like hell he assumed her flushed cheeks were due to fury, not seething lust.
He grimaced. “This isn’t how I wanted it to be,” he murmured in soft tones.
“Ha.” She narrowed her eyes, her expression accusing. “Don’t tell me you’re not enjoying your revenge?”
A hint of gold flared through his eyes. “I’ll admit I have a few fantasies that include you in handcuffs,” he admitted, his gaze sweeping down her body. “But you were naked and moaning my name in pleasure.”
Oh…hell. Now the image was blasted in her brain.
“Where am I?”
“The Wildlands.” He confirmed her suspicion. “This cabin belonged to my parents.”
He had her locked in his family home? That seemed…odd.
“What are you going to do to me?”
He frowned, as if disturbed by her question. “No one here means you harm, Indy.” Reaching into his pocket, he pulled out a key and swiftly unlocked the cuffs. “See?”
She barely waited for her the cuffs to fall away before she was surging onto her knees and slamming her fist into his shoulder.
“Take that, you bastard,” she snapped.
His brows snapped together, his hand reaching to grasp her wrist. Not to halt her from hitting him again—even with her super-strength it’d felt like she’d hit a cement wall—but to study her fingers as if concerned she’d injured herself.
“What was that for?” he growled.
“Kissing me.”
He arched a brow. Was that amusement glinting in his eyes?
Arrgh.
“Do you slug every male who kisses you?” he asked.
“Only ones who use sex to keep me distracted so his friends can sneak up on me.”
He held her furious glare, lifting her fingers to press them against his lips.
“We both know that’s not why I kissed you, Indy,” he said in low tones.
“No?”
“Do you want the truth?” She could glimpse his cat deep in his eyes, the beast studying her with the intensity of a predator on the verge of consuming its prey. “Once I say it, I can’t take it back.”
The world came to a halt. Not just a halt, but a screeching halt.
Was he implying…
Something close to panic had her abruptly changing the subject.
“Where are the others?”
He smiled with wry resignation before he gave her fingers another lingering kiss.
“With the Healers.”
A sizzle of raw arousal scalded her at his light caress, but Indy grimly refused to be distracted.
“Why?” she demanded, her voice hard with suspicion. “Were they hurt?”
He made a sound of annoyance, as if offended by her question.
“Of course not. We wanted to run some tests.”
Indy was instantly outraged, trying to tug her hand free so she could give him another slug.
“Damn you.”
Rolling his eyes, he leaned to the side and grabbed a wooden figurine.
“Here.” He pressed the carving into her hand and curled her fingers around it. “If you’re going to hit me then use this.”
She glanced down in confusion. “Why?”
“I don’t want you to hurt your hand.”
Well, damn.
Her anger floundered as she heaved a deep sigh. Then, lifting her head, she met his steady gaze.
“I told you what happened to them in New York,” she breathed. “How could you put them through that again?”
He cupped her cheek in his palm, running his thumb down the stubborn line of her jaw.
“Absolutely nothing is being done to them without their full consent,” he assured her.
Indy wasn’t impressed. These Pantera hadn’t been there when she’d found little Caleb strapped to his bed and so filthy she could barely see his skin. Or Nadia who was so terrified she hadn’t spoken for nearly a year. Or little Willa who’d been trapped in a cage…
“Why can’t you leave them alone? They’ve been through enough.”
His thumb traced the curve of her lower lip. “Indy, we need to make sure they don’t have any damage from the experiments they were forced to endure.”
She stilled. Okay. Maybe it was a good thing the Healers could make sure they were all right. But that didn’t mean for a second she believed that was the only reason they were in the Wildlands.
“And that’s all?” she prodded.
He hesitated, as if choosing his words with care. No doubt a good thing. Indy was eager to use any excuse to try and make him the enemy.
How else was she going to resist the unnerving need to crawl into his lap and never leave?
“I’ll admit that we hope to discover what Locke and his men were trying to achieve,” he finally admitted.
“What does it matter?”
His fingers lightly skimmed downward, lingering on the pulse that pounded at the base of her throat.
“Once we know the end-game it might help us track down the people responsible.”
She gave a slow nod. In the beginning she’d considered it her personal mission to find the men who’d created the labs and destroy them. Even if it cost her life, she was going to rid the world of the bastards.
Experience, however, had taught her that the organization was way t
oo large, and too well-funded for her to tackle alone.
Having the Pantera out for blood was something she could actually cheer. As long as they didn’t use her people to gain their revenge.
“You’ll let them leave whenever they want?” she pressed.
His fingers moved down her shoulder, his expression distracted.
“As long as they promise not to reveal our weakness to malachite.”
Hmm. That seemed way too easy. “No tricks?”
“No tricks.” His exploring fingers continued down her arm, his lips curling in satisfaction as a tremor shook her body. “But I’m not so sure they’re going to want to leave.”
She sucked in a shuddering breath, barely capable of concentrating on his words as he retraced a path back up her arm.
His skin was so hot. And his musky scent was teasing at her senses, intoxicating her with a hunger that was spiraling out of control.
“Why wouldn’t they want to leave?” she managed to ask.
Without warning he was shoving himself upright and tugging her off the bed.
“Come here.”
She allowed herself to be led to the window, struggling to keep her balance. Her legs weren’t entirely stable after lying on the bed for hours.
Reaching the window, Angel pointed toward the large black puma with pale green eyes that was stretched out in a patch of sunlight while it watched the small golden cub awkwardly pouncing at a stray leaf.
Her eyes widened in fascination. She’d never actually seen a Pantera shifted into their animal form. It was…
“Astonishing,” she breathed.
His hand brushed down the curve of her back. “Look closer.”
With a confused frown her gaze studied the magnificent older puma before returning to the smaller cat. Slowly she realized there was something familiar about the cub. It wasn’t anything she could see with her eyes. It was more a feeling.
At last she gave a low cry of shock. “Oh my god. Willa.”
“Yes.” There was an edge of anger in the clipped word. “She was sick because she wasn’t able to shift until she was in the Wildlands.”
Joy spread through Indy as she watched the cub leap forward, attacking the larger puma’s tail. There was no mistaking the health and happiness that had been decidedly absent when Willa was in her human form.
“She’s beautiful, but…” Indy gave a shake of her head, turning to meet Angel’s dark gaze. “I don’t understand. She was human.”
“It’s impossible to know for sure,” he admitted, his features tight with frustration. His concern for Willa was palpable. “Which makes it all the more imperative that we discover where they’ve relocated so we can get our hands on the medical files.”
Unexpectedly, something eased deep inside her.
She’d demanded a lot of herself over the years. Not only by caring for people she’d claimed as her own, but for constantly trying to find ways of releasing even more victims from the labs.
She hadn’t known how heavy the burden was until Angel had come along and forced her to accept his help.
Still, along with the relief was an unmistakable sense of bittersweet sadness. It felt as if a chapter in her life was closing before she’d prepared herself to say goodbye.
“Are the others okay?” she asked.
His features softened with a fond amusement. “Nadia has come out of her shell, asking a thousand questions of my staff.”
“I suspected she had healing powers.”
“She does,” Angel assured her. “Tarin is hovering protectively at her side while Caleb has attached himself to Parish, the leader of our Hunters.”
“You’re a fast worker,” she murmured.
“Would you prefer they were still hiding in a building that was one stiff breeze from total destruction?”
She gave an instant shake of her head. “No. Of course not.”
His thumb slid beneath her chin, tilting back her pale face to meet his searching gaze.
“What’s wrong?”
“I’ve started getting used to having them around,” she admitted with a wry smile.
Slowly he lowered his head, brushing her lips with an achingly tender kiss.
“You had a small family and now you have a much larger family,” he told her.
Her breath tangled in her throat. There was something dangerously tempting in his soft words.
With an abrupt movement she stepped back. “What do you want from me?”
A wicked heat flared through his eyes, his potent musk clouding her mind.
“I need you to share everything you know with Raphael,” he said, prowling forward.
Her mouth went dry, a layer of sweat coating her skin. It was hot. So deliciously, enticingly hot.
“Fine,” she managed to force past her stiff lips.
“But first…”
With liquid grace, Angel had her scooped off her feet and carried back to the bed.
“Wait,” she breathed, shocked by the speed of her intense arousal.
“No more waiting,” he growled, settling her in the center of the mattress. Before she could move, he was leaning over her, a blatant need etched onto his beautiful face. “My cat has hungered for your taste since the first second you crossed my path.”
Indy should have been terrified. There was no mistaking the predator that lurked in his eyes.
Instead, she felt as if a spell was being woven around her. And maybe it was. That would explain why the air suddenly felt as if it was vibrating with the passion exploding between them. And why her body was growing wet with anticipation.
“Angel?”
His gaze scanned her flushed face, lingering on the lush curve of her mouth before it skimmed down her slender body.
“I always forget how tiny you are,” he admitted with a rueful smile.
She struggled to breathe at the sight of the raw desire that rippled over his face.
“I’m not small, I’m compact,” she husked.
His lips twitched as his gaze lowered to her breasts that were clearly outlined by the tight muscle shirt.
“You’re perfect,” he breathed.
“The others will be looking for me,” she rasped, trying to cling to sanity.
A wasted effort as his hand slid along her throat, seemingly fascinated by the feel of her skin.
“I warned them that I intended to keep you handcuffed to my bed until you admitted you’re mine.”
Her eyes widened in disbelief. “You told them I was handcuffed to your bed?”
He lowered his head, brushing his lips over her temple. “Don’t worry. They’re all very happy for you.”
He planted kisses over her cheek, lingering at the edge of her mouth.
“Liar,” she breathed even as her heart thundered in her chest. Holy crap. Her entire body was on fire. Her stomach clenched with desire, and her clit tingled with eager impatience.
And even more astonishing was the realization that she no longer wanted to fight this terrible desire.
Indy was a realist at heart. She’d accepted that there was no small cottage and picket fence in her future. Not when she’d sworn revenge on her enemies.
Now suddenly Angel was turning everything upside down.
As if sensing her inner turmoil, Angel nibbled at the lobe of her ear, his hands lightly running down her arms.
“They want you to be happy,” he whispered.
“And they think handcuffs are going to make me happy?”
“No, they think I am.”
His gaze remained locked on her face as he moved to stretch next to her, his chiseled features taut with need.
Her body melted as he wrapped her in his arms, her hands eagerly tugging open the buttons of his shirt to explore the heated silk of his skin.
“Christ, Indy,” he breathed. “If you only knew how desperately I’ve wanted to feel your hands explore me.”
She shivered as he impatiently tugged the muscle shirt out of her jeans so his finge
rs could slide beneath the thin material. At the same time his lips traced the line of her jaw before brushing lightly over her mouth.
“You should be locked away for the safety of all women, Dr. Savary.”
“I’d gladly be locked away as long as you’re with me, sweet Indy.”
The fantasy of having this male handcuffed to the bed so she could keep him entirely to herself raced through her mind as his mouth closed over hers in a searching kiss. Insane? Hell, yeah. But tempting. The cuffs were just inches away and…
She allowed her brief flare of madness to melt away. Desire, as sweet and warm as the finest liqueur, flowed through her body and her fingers bit deep into his shoulders.
Parting her lips, she returned his kiss with unrestrained desire, a low moan lodging in her throat as he threaded his fingers through her hair.
His touch was so gentle—almost reverent as he smoothed the spiky strands from her face. It was an enticing contrast to the pulsing hardness of the male body pressed against her.
She could taste his need on her lips, but there was no haste in his seduction.
His mouth moved along the side of her face, pausing to nip the lobe of her ear before he buried his face in the curve of her neck. He breathed deeply of her scent.
Indy made a small sound of contentment. She’d expected the blazing heat and intense passion that sizzled between them, but she hadn’t expected the sense of being…treasured. It was oddly more unnerving than the scorching pleasure of his mouth as it returned to hers.
With a smooth motion his hands gripped the neckline of her shirt, ripping it in two with shocking ease. Indy blinked in surprise, but before she could protest, his hands were cupping her breasts, his thumbs teasing the tight buds of her nipples.
Oh…yes. That’s exactly what she wanted. She arched her back in encouragement.
“Yes,” he muttered at her wanton response, his hands lowering to swiftly tug off the rest of her clothing.
Within seconds she was completely naked.
Instinctively her hand reached for the quilt. She’d always been self-conscious of her boyish lack of curves. Slender was one thing. Skinny…yeah, not so attractive. Angel, however, grabbed her wrist, lifting her fingers to press them against his mouth.
“Please, don’t hide from me,” he rasped, his eyes glowing with a golden fire. “You’re so beautiful.”