Sebastian/Aristide

  Aristide broke away, releasing her hand. “Now, let’s go home.”

  Home. No, she wouldn’t think on that right now. Right now was all about getting Noah away from that monster.

  “Climb on my back and hold on.”

  Kat’s eyes widened at his words. “Your back?”

  He flashed her another killer smile before dissolving completely into the spotlight of moon glow and reemerging as the gorgeous, growling, and fiercely protective puma she’d seen only once before. She wasn’t used to his shift yet and her breath caught in her throat at his size and fierceness.

  With a quick snarl, he made an impatient gesture for her to get on his back. Still trembling slightly from both the residual effects of her climax and from the anxiety of all she knew, feared, wanted and prayed for, Kat climbed onto Aristide’s muscular, golden back and wrapped her arms around his neck.

  The satisfied purr that broke from his cat’s throat echoed throughout the forest as he took off into the trees.

  CHAPTER 6

  “Move and you’re dead,” Hiss uttered in his most deadly voice.

  “Easy, friend,” came the reply. “I come in peace.”

  Just outside the back door of Shakpi’s and Lady Cerise’s makeshift prison, Hiss had discovered someone camped up under the small deck. It had been pure luck that the Hunter had even spotted the male, as the bastard had been hiding incredibly well. All the way to the back under the stairs. And even more worrisome, he had masked his human scent.

  Hiss pressed the butt of his gun a quarter inch farther into the man’s soft temple. “How did you get past my guards?”

  The male—the human—seemed completely unfazed by the weapon, or by the puma shifter who wielded it. “Shakpi chose well,” he said, his starkly pale face splitting into an ugly smile. “You are ruthless.”

  Shakpi? Hiss’s lip curled. “Show me.”

  The man’s near-manic eyes widened. “Show you what, Kitty Cat?”

  Hiss didn’t even bristle at the man’s attempt to ruffle his fur. “If you have true knowledge of Shakpi, then you know exactly what I’m asking for.”

  The man laughed softly, the movement causing his long, pale red hair to fall about his face. “Are you going to shoot me if I move?”

  Hiss pulled the gun from the man’s temple, but kept it aimed at his chest. “You can move. Just don’t fuck with me. How ‘bout that?”

  “Sounds like a very solid plan,” he said, reaching down and grabbing the hem of his shirt.

  Hiss watched as the man yanked the black fabric up to his right nipple. Below it, inked into the ribcage, was the raven and the moon he sought. But something else caught Hiss’s eye, something he didn’t expect. Two slashes of red, of blood, across each raven’s wing.

  His eyes jacked up, and his gut went tight. “Who the fuck are you?”

  The man’s eyes glistened. “My name doesn’t matter. All that matters is Shakpi. Has she awakened?”

  Hiss hesitated, his mind rolling backwards. If there was one thing he remembered about his training long ago, it was the description of the very tattoo he’d just witnessed. Shakpi’s disciples had warned him that if he was to come across a male with such a marking, he must do whatever was asked of him. Not to help Shakpi, per se, but because that male would be nearly as powerful as Shakpi herself.

  “She remains unconscious,” Hiss told the man, holstering his weapon and getting in fight position. He had a feeling if this male had wanted to, that gun at his hip—that gun he’d held to the man’s temple—could’ve easily been turned back on him.

  “That is no matter,” the man said tersely. “We will take her there ourselves.”

  “Take her? Where?” Hiss had heard no part of this plan.

  “Into the Wildlands.” With his red hair and the strange moonlight filtering through the slats in the stairs, the man looked like a circus clown. A very powerful, very deadly, circus clown.

  “Shakpi must be awakened,” he continued. “And we will need the blood of that brat to both revive her and sustain her.”

  For the second time in two days, a wave of foreboding moved through Hiss. It was true that he hated the Pantera for what they had done to him and to his family. But in that moment everything inside of him—his puma—wanted to scream YOU WILL NEVER DESTROY US.

  “Are you sure?” Hiss asked. “That the cub’s blood has this power?”

  “It is foreseen, traitor,” he snarled. “Take me to Shakpi. Then go and get rid of your guards. Send them back to the Wildlands. My own disciples are here, waiting.”

  “If you cross the borders into the Wildlands, expect a fight,” Hiss said tightly.

  “But of course, puma shifter.” He grinned evilly. “It’s a fight we’ve been waiting a long time to engage in. One we expect—if my little writer monkey did her job correctly—to be followed by a human infiltration.” His nostrils flared. “Now. Take me to her.”

  Hiss hesitated, a moment of second thoughts. But it was too late for him now. He’d crossed over his own traitorous borders long ago. It was time to see the job finished, and his vengeance taken.

  He slipped out from under the stairs and motioned for the man to follow him. “This way.”

  ***

  “I can see the fear in your eyes, Katherine,” Aristide said, watching her pace the wood floors of the kitchen. “And I swear to you, I will do whatever it takes to find the boy.”

  She stopped and gave him a pensive look. “I want to go with you.”

  “I know, but it wouldn’t be safe or smart. If what you say is true about this human, Marco—and what I believe about his involvement with our enemies—he won’t give a shit who he hurts as long as he gets what he wants. I need to focus on Noah. Without distractions.”

  “What if I promise not to be a distraction?”

  Aristide laughed softly and went over to her. “You, beautiful Katherine, are destined to be my endless distraction.” He reached for her, and this time she nearly flew into his arms. The action made Ari’s heart muscle squeeze.

  She nuzzled her face into his chest. “If this doesn’t work—”

  “Shhhh,” he whispered smoothly. “Please don’t do that.”

  “I’m scared. For him, and god…for you.”

  Aristide placed a finger under her chin and lifted her eyes to his. “Tell me you trust me.”

  She bit her lip. “I wish you could understand where I’ve come from. What I’ve come from. I haven’t trusted anyone in five years.”

  “Oh, ma chère, that’s no way to live.”

  Her eyes pricked with tears, but she nodded. “I still don’t understand why you’re doing this for me.”

  He dropped his head and kissed her. “Yes, you do,” he whispered close to her perfect mouth. A mouth he had to claim. Just as he wished to claim her heart. He kissed her again. But this time with all the heat and desire and faith that was crashing through him.

  When he eased back, he smiled. “If all goes well, I’ll be back by dawn.”

  “Make it go well,” she said on a stilted laugh.

  “I like you in my house, Katherine Burke.” Grinning, he pulled away. “Wait up for me?”

  She nodded. “Be careful.”

  “Always,” Aristide called back as he headed out the door and down the porch steps.

  He was meeting Parish, Keira and several other Hunters at Medical to do a quick rundown of the plan they’d created. Outside the gate of his house, Aristide shifted into his puma. He was halfway down the road when he heard Katherine calling to him on the wind. He stopped and glanced over one massive shoulder, watching her run, his cat’s eyes narrowed and his nose picking up her heady, yet anxious scent.

  When she stopped before him, out of breath and face flushed, Aristide contemplated shifting back into his male form. But before that thought had time to truly take root inside his cat, Katherine broke out with the most perfect, most amazing, most needed verbal eruption in the world.

  “I do understand,”
she said, her gaze pinned to his cat’s. “I understand why you’re doing this. I’m just so afraid to want it. To want you. Because I couldn’t bear to lose you, or to have you turn me away.” Her eyes grew liquid and supple. “I trust you, Ari.”

  For so long, Aristide had wanted a mate, a family. A true partner. And the last place he’d ever thought he’d find her would be the human world. But he remembered something his mother had told him once: love knows no boundaries. It would seem she was right.

  His puma purred at Katherine, then rubbed its large head across her belly before turning away. With a howl of pleasure, of purpose, he broke into a run, knowing all the while that she was there, watching him until his tail disappeared from view.

  CHAPTER 7

  Kat had read, walked around the backyard and the front yard, eaten some leftover bread pudding, even showered in Aristide’s amazing outdoor shower. Anything and everything she could think of to keep her mind from racing. But it was impossible. Her mind raced like a crazy person, and her pulse jumped every time she thought she heard something near the house. It had been three hours since Aristide had left, and she was losing herself in worries and fears about what was happening. Had the directions she’d given him worked out? Was Marco still there? Noah?

  Pulling a blanket around her shoulders, she padded out to the porch and sat on the swing, looked out at the quiet, dark lane in front of the house. She should’ve gone. She should be there if something happened. She could go now, couldn’t she?

  Stop, Kat. God, stop right now.

  She inhaled and exhaled a couple of times to get her bearings back, to push out the panic. Aristide was right. Having her there would be a distraction and possibly even a match to Marco’s unstable flame.

  Pushing off the swing, she was just about to head back inside, maybe try that book again, when she heard a sound behind her. She turned to see an enormous black puma kicking up dirt as it raced down the lane. Her heart jumped into her throat as it stopped in front of the gate and shifted into a tall, broad shouldered, caramel-skinned man with shockingly blue eyes and short black hair. His tense gaze traveled the pathway and eased slightly when he spotted Kat.

  “Katherine?” he asked, raising one black eyebrow.

  She nodded. “Who are you?”

  “My name’s Xavier.” He opened the gate and walked in. “I’m Ari’s best friend, and mate to his sister, Amalie.”

  Recognition dawned within her. Aristide had spoken many times of this man, and of his sister. “Is he all right? Have you heard from him? Anything about my son?”

  He smiled gently, cautiously. “He hasn’t returned, but Mal has sent me to stay with you.”

  Kat felt instantly cold, even inside the blanket. “Why?”

  “We’ve been infiltrated by our enemies.”

  “Oh my god. Where are they?”

  “They’ve breached the borders of the Wildlands and are moving toward town. Our Hunters will stop them before they get here.”

  “Humans?” she asked, feeling sick. She’d done this. She was responsible for this. She’d never forgive herself if the Pantera were harmed. Or the baby. She vowed she would do whatever it took to help them, to undo her lies.

  “They’re disciples of Shakpi,” Xavier continued. “The evil spirit who has one goal: to destroy the Wildlands.” His jaw tightened. “Her followers are out for blood. They believe it’s the only way to revive Shakpi and return her to power.”

  It was almost too much to take in, but there was one thing Kat understood. The blood they wanted wasn’t from battling the Pantera. “The baby?”

  Xavier nodded gravely, though his eyes shimmered with happiness and hope. “Ashe’s cub has just been born. A beautiful little female.”

  ***

  A battle of distraction raged behind Hiss as he ran toward Medical, Chayton’s body, near lifeless, in his arms. He tried not to think about what he was doing, what he was allowing to happen, and all the Pantera lives that were at stake back near the border. He just kept moving. The human male weighed practically nothing, making it an easy feat, but it wasn’t the man’s weight that was Hiss’s biggest concern. If Shakpi couldn’t be revived by the blood of Ashe’s cub, she would certainly perish along with this man—the host who sheltered her. Hiss couldn’t let that happen. If he survived this monumental act of treason, if he was going to out the Elders and the leaders of the Pantera for all they had done to his family, he needed the evil one’s power to keep him alive and safe outside of the Wildlands.

  All around him, dawn threatened to break, and Hiss quickened his pace. He’d created the camouflaged shelter he was headed for. Had scoped out the spot himself. It was perfect. Near enough to Medical so the blood could be delivered while it was still warm, but far enough to be hidden from sight.

  His eyes vigilant, his nostrils widened for the scent of any Pantera who might be headed his way, headed into battle with the magic-laced humans, Hiss spotted the heavily wooded area up ahead. It was untouched, and he blew out a breath of relief.

  Kneeling down, he placed the male inside the small shelter made up of leaves and bracken, wishing he’d brought something to cover him with. Chayton’s breathing was worrisome. It seemed overly shallow and his skin looked ashen.

  Hiss glanced up at the sky. The human male should’ve been there by now. What the hell was keeping him? Hiss would be discovered if he remained longer than a quarter hour. But the wave of concern that moved through him was overtaken by the sudden and strong scent of a Pantera he knew well. She was smart and cunning, and she was upon him in an instant.

  “Hiss?”

  Heart thundering in his chest, Hiss rose. He kept his body in front of the shelter. He didn’t want to have to hurt her, his closest friend within the Hunter community, but the human male was on his way. And that bastard would show no mercy to anyone who stood in his way.

  “What are you doing here?” she asked, coming toward him. “You’re needed—” She stopped a few feet away, caught sight of the shelter and blanched. Her gaze slid to his, then back to the shelter.

  Thinking fast, Hiss blurted out, “Shakpi awakened. I followed her here. I’m guarding her—”

  “No,” Mal said tightly.

  Hiss could practically feel her mind working.

  “Oh, Hiss,” she whispered, dropping into a crouch.

  “Don’t do that, Mal. You have no idea…”

  His words were ripped from him a rush as Amalie simultaneously shifted to her puma, and knocked him backwards. She was on top of his chest in an instant. Hiss had never seen her so feral. With a curse, he shifted too, and bit into her puma’s neck with his fangs. Mal cried out, but drew back and battered his face with her paws, drawing blood. Rolling on the ground, fur flying everywhere, the two cats clawed and bit at each other, vying for dominance. Finally, Hiss got his legs underneath him enough to push her off. Twin snarls rent the air as both of them scrambled to their feet, then shifted back to their human forms.

  Breathing heavily, Hiss growled at her. “I don’t want to hurt you, Mal! Goddammit!”

  A few feet away, Mal glared at him and spat on the ground. “You already have.”

  “Get out of here now,” Hiss returned.

  But she didn’t move. “I trusted you with my life.”

  “We all trusted you.”

  Hiss whirled around at the male voice. Moving through the trees toward them were two Hunters: Lian and Rosalie. They looked ready to kill.

  Panic swirled through Hiss. Could he run? Make it to the border? Fuck, no. Lian was one of the fastest males he knew.

  “Don’t even think about it,” came another male voice behind him.

  Again, Hiss whirled. This time it was Mercier who blocked his way.

  The massive Hunter shook his head, his sable eyes flashing pure hatred. “You deserve death for this, Hiss.”

  “And you won’t get that blood,” Lian called.

  Hiss turned back, utterly fucked now. Lian was standing beside the shelte
r that housed Shakpi.

  “The cub is born,” Lian said. “Healthy and beautiful. Your plan has gone to hell. And the one you’re waiting for? He’s dead.” The male sniffed. “The asshole’s name was Marco something. A real piece of shit. Like the bottom of your shoe.”

  Rosalie shook her head. “Nice company you’ve been keeping, Hiss.”

  Exhaustion barreled down on Hiss. Some of it from all the shifting, but most of it from the burden he’d been carrying for too damn long.

  “The battle?” he ground out.

  “Over,” Rosalie said told him. “Two casualties.”

  Hiss’s head came up, nausea snaking through him at the thought of a dead Pantera. “Who?

  “Human. The disciples.” She stared at him. “But you can bet your ass someone will find out about it—that human blood was spilled inside the Wildlands. They’re going to be coming for us now. Maybe not today, but soon.”

  “None of ours were hurt?” Hiss said without thinking.

  Mercier laughed bitterly. “There’s no ours anymore, Traitor.”

  But Rosalie nodded. “A Pantera Hunter was hurt. An apprentice.”

  “Which one?”

  “Why should it matter?” Lian uttered blackly. “You don’t give a shit about us. You betrayed us.”

  “I was betrayed too, Lian!” Hiss spat. “So go fuck yourself!”

  “What?” Rosalie asked. “What are you talking about?”

  He knew it was pointless, knew they wouldn’t care or believe him. But he told them anyway. “The leaders of our kind, Rosalie. They allowed my family to be killed all those years ago, for the good of the clan.” He growled. “Where is my justice? I’m not the only traitor here.”

  All three Hunters were silent for a moment, then Mercier spoke. “Mal, you and Rosalie take Hiss into custody. Lian and I will follow with Shakpi.”