Grayslake: More than Mated: A Bite of Love (Kindle Worlds Novella) (4 page)

8

Cadence

I knew I wasn’t supposed to feel electrified from what I had seen, but that’s exactly what it was. There was some new kind of thrill coursing through me. I knew Case wasn’t defending me per say, but he was so authoritative and protective. Commanding. It was hot as hell.

Then again, maybe that glass of wine had gone straight to my head, or my hormones.

I watched from the window as he won a deciding victory. Although, there was that little part where I had to step in so he didn’t kill the guy. I didn’t want to have to explain that to Ty.

“Do you think you’re up for it? The wine?” I asked. “Do you need to sit down or something?”

He laughed as he leaned down and scooped up the bottle. “I’m fine. And I’d like another round.”

He poured both of our glasses to the top and handed one to me.

“I’d offer you a porch swing, but it’s at the bottom of the ravine.”

I let a giggle slip. “So it is.”

“And my kitchen is trashed.”

“Yep.” I took a sip.

“But I do have a screened in porch around back. Want to check it out?”

I felt the little tingles again. Tiny surges of current.

I nodded. “I’d love to see it.”

I followed him down the stairs and around the house. On the back was a screened in porch. I could tell it was a later addition to the rest of the home. The roofline didn’t quite match up and the foundation wasn’t the same as the rest of the house, but it was cute.

He opened the door and I ducked under his arm.

There was a set of wicker furniture that had seen better days. The paint was chipped and the cushions were mildewed.

Case crinkled his forehead. “Hold on. Let me get some sheets. This hasn’t been cleaned off in years.”

He jotted inside and returned with a long sheet and a folded quilt. I expected him to throw each over an individual chair, but instead he covered the loveseat with the sheet.

“For you.” He smiled.

I took a seat. Even though it was summer, sometimes the night temperature dropped in the mountains. It was the perfect night for a cold glass of wine and a light quilt.

Case tucked the corners over my legs. I looked at the fireflies lighting around us.

“I don’t think you told me the story about this place,” I mused. The wine was starting to make me feel at ease despite the fact I had just witnessed a cat shifter fight.

“No, I didn’t.”

He seemed to already be back to his sharp responses. I took a sip of wine. It was going to take more than dinner to help this man heal. He was dealing with something stronger than what my best recipe could ease.

It was strange how we had gone from the skirmish in the front yard to something so magical and peaceful in the backyard. But it also somehow felt right.

“I take it you aren’t related to that guy or anything. Not a long-lost uncle? Uncle Shep?”

“A Maddox like that? Hell no.” He chugged the wine. “I’m from a line of royalty. That shifter didn’t know what he was talking about.”

I was relieved he didn’t know Shepherd. And even more relieved they weren’t actually related. From what I overheard the old man was way too intoxicated and out of line. But why should it matter? Why was I so interested in Case’s life?

He stood with his forearm against the pillar on the porch, leaning so that his body was a shadowed silhouette. I could only make out the width of his broad shoulders and just how perfect the lines of his body were. I inhaled deeply to try to steady myself.

I could stare at his ass all night.

He looked at me over his shoulder, his eyes glowing green. I shivered.

“I used to come here as a kid. This is where I learned how to fight like a king.” He turned his entire body around, leaning against the pillar. I was quiet.

“When I needed to get out of town it was the first place that popped in my head. Kind of strange don’t you think? I haven’t been here in fifteen years.”

I shook my head. “No, I don’t think it’s strange. You had good memories here. It makes sense to me. Grayslake is a special place.”

He walked toward me and I made a place for him on the rickety loveseat. When he sat next to me I thought I heard a few of the pieces break.

“Since I’ve been here I’ve done nothing but tear the place down. My grandmother would have grabbed me by the ear and pulled me out to the woodshed.” He laughed. “She wasn’t a shifter anymore when I was a kid, but damn if she wasn’t strong.”

I wondered if I had crossed paths with Case’s family as a child. I didn’t remember meeting any Maddoxes. I couldn’t think of a single story about them, other than there was an abandoned house up here with their name on it.

“What do you mean
anymore
?”

He shook his head. “I don’t want to get into it.”

I had a feeling this wasn’t one of those times when my nosiness would get me any further. I knew I needed to change the subject, but all I could think about were the hundreds of shifter questions floating through my head.

What did a jaguar king do? Did he have something like a court? And the one question that kept haunting me: was the ex part of royalty? Was she still involved in his kingdom?

I didn’t expect it when Case leaned back and stretched his arm out behind my shoulders.

“Hmm.” The murmur slipped from my lips as I nestled into the crook of his arm.

He was strong and emanated masculinity, decisiveness and the kind of power I guessed came from being a royal cat shifter.

But in this one single moment, I knew there were more layers to the king. The problem was the one I wanted to get to know was his heart—and that was badly bruised and broken.

9

Case

Between leading the Tribe into battle, losing my wife to another man, and taking a break from conquering more territories I hadn’t thought about this possibility.

I squeezed Cadence’s shoulder. She smelled like coconut and fresh rain. The combination went straight to my head.

The adrenaline from fighting the mountain line was still pumping through me.

I felt as if I could tear through the woods on an all-night run, or I could take this pretty girl to bed.

There was a slight rumble in my chest. It felt fucking incredible to feel so alive.

I hadn’t thought it through. What it would feel like to want someone again. What the moment would look like when I saw desire in another woman’s eyes. When I tasted a kiss that made me thirst for more.

It was getting old—staying away from women. But there was no way in hell I wanted more than one night.

Only tonight.

I turned toward her. I tangled my hands in her hair, dragging her lips to mine. I groaned as my tongue dipped insider her mouth. I had a new need to drink every last drop of wine off her lips.

Her hands moved to my neck as she spun and adjusted to sit in my lap. It was fucking hot that she straddled me without a second thought.

Holding her, I couldn’t seem to remember why I’d been avoiding this. I pulled her waist tighter toward me, grinning when she rocked into me. I growled.

Her innocent eyes lit with something primal. Something fiery. Her lips crashed against mine. I forgot everything as my jaguar began to awaken. There was something about Cadence he liked. Her softness. Her patience. And she was sexy and gorgeous.

I’d noticed her blond hair and her beautiful eyes the first time she dropped off that awful lasagna. I’d have to be a monk not to notice her breasts and her hips. And there was something about the fact that she was human. It was as if she was wrapped in innocence and pureness. A combination I’d been fighting to ignore.

“Ohh,” she whimpered as I kissed her neck. I cradled her head with my hand, nipping as I explored the smoothness of her throat with my teeth.

I moved to spin her back against the loveseat when it began to crack. I knew what was coming next. I tried to get Cadence away, but it splintered into a thousand pieces as we landed on the floor.

“Damn it,” I muttered.

Cadence looked up at me.

“You ok?” I asked.

We sat up together. “Yeah, I’m fine.”

I could hear the swiftness of her pulse. Her cheeks were flushed. And I felt the urge to pull her back under my body and kiss the hell out of her edible lips.

I took a solid breath. Things spiraled fast.

“It’s getting late isn’t it?” Cadence asked.

The fire we started seemed to have cooled down.

I scratched the back of my head. She was right. I needed to let her go home.

“I’ll walk you out,” I offered.

I helped her up from the wreck of a loveseat. One more thing I would have to replace. She took my hand and stood slowly.

“I-I…” she stopped.

“What?” I led her away from the back porch and around to her car.

“I want to be your friend Case.” She looked up at me innocently. As if that were even possible.

I chuckled. “I like how you show your friendship.” I winked, but I didn’t know if she could see as well as I could in the dark.

“Not—that’s not what I meant.” She looked at the ground. We had reached her car. “I know you’re going through a lot. I want to help you.”

“Good to know.”

“Really, Case.”

She had no idea what I was going through. “Why? Why do you care so much?”

“Because it’s not always going to be this awful. You’re not always going to be hurt. Because I’ve been there—I know what it’s like.”

I laughed. “I’m sure you do.”

She was cute, but she couldn’t come close to the experience I had with Dare. My fated mate had been ripped from my life. That relationship was over. A human would never understand.

“Are you mocking me?”

“No, darlin’. But I think you’re right. Time for you to go home.”

She pressed her lips together, adding an irritated glare to her expression.

“Fine.” She pulled on the car door. “I was only trying to be a friend. But you could stand to be a little nicer.”

“You’re not the first person to tell me that.”

I retraced my steps. It didn’t take long for me to put the walls back up. I was good at it. An expert.

She groaned, “Ugh!”

“Good night, Cadence.”

I started up the stairs before she was even in the car. I’d had enough.

But enough of what? Someone being nice? Someone who was interested in helping me? A pretty girl who wanted me to kiss her? I hung my head. I was being a complete asshole. Once I started, it seemed easier to be a dick than to let her chip away at the barriers.

Hell, I was an idiot.

I turned. “Wait up, Cadence.”

I owed her an explanation. She didn’t need every gut-wrenching detail about how I ended up here, but she was willing to listen. She made me dinner. And underneath that creamy skin of hers was a sexy sassy hellcat ready to be unleashed.

But as soon as I jogged down the stairs I knew I had put the pieces together too slowly. The drunkard was back and he had his claws around Cadence’s neck.

She looked panicked as she tried to speak. Nothing came out. Shepherd held her roughly. The keys fell from her hand to the driveway.

I put my hands up. “Hey, hey. Easy there.”

“I want my land.” He spat.

He looked more banged up than the last time I saw him. I wondered if he had left here and gotten in another fight. I swore I had taken care of him. What was the bastard doing here again?

Cadence managed to squeak out my name.

“It’s ok, Cadence,” I tried to calm her. But I could see the claws digging deeper into her throat. If he pressed any harder, he could hit an artery. Shit.

Even if I could convince him to let her go, he might hurt her in the process. He was deranged and still drunk. The only chance I had was using my skills as a jaguar. I could out-maneuver him. I was faster. More agile. And younger.

“I want you off my land. Now,” he slurred.

“I hear you.” I took a step back. I just needed to keep him occupied for a minute so I could shift without him puncturing Cadence’s neck.

If he decided to do the same thing, she’d be caught between two big cats.

I was pissed. Angry that he’d come back. Angry he thought he had any stake in my family’s home. Angry that he was holding Cadence hostage as if she was a bargaining chip in his drunken tirade.

She didn’t deserve this. She was innocent. Her blue eyes were wide with fear. I wanted to tell her I’d take care of this. But there was no way to reassure her other than to save her life. Now.

The fur whipped through my skin. My claws extended. My clothes were shredded on the ground as my legs protruded in four directions.

I lunged as quickly as I could, aiming for the arm he had clamped around Cadence’s neck. She fell sideways as I knocked the old-timer flat on his back with a vicious tackle. His eyes lit with fury. He was slower than me, but within seconds I was staring at the raggedy mountain lion again.

“You don’t seem to want to listen.” I stood over him.

“Neither do you,” he snarled, showing his crooked teeth.

I looked over my shoulder. Cadence was lying on the ground with her eyes closed. Shit. She must have knocked her head when I shoved her out of the way.

My tail whipped to the side when I turned my attention back to the mountain lion.

I was angrier than before this started. Something protective in me had been unleashed. Seeing the fear in Cadence’s eyes. Watching her fall. Knowing she counted on me to save her.

I growled, bowing into my attack stance. He wasn’t leaving here alive. I had already shown more mercy than he deserved.

“Son, you should step aside.”

I huffed. “I’m the son of Gareth. I am the king of the Maddox line.” I circled him. He had no idea who he was dealing with.

He stumbled as he tried to cross one leg over another. That was my opportunity. I pounced without hesitation, pinning him to the gravel. My claws extracted and in one quick slash I had sliced through his neck. The blood pooled next to his body.

I jumped back as the mountain lion before me faded into the form of a crumpled old man. I pressed an ear to his chest, but I already knew the answer—he was dead.

I sneered at him, kicking dirt as I turned toward Cadence.

My favorite T-shirt was in tatters. My jeans were just as bad off. I shifted so I could pick her up and carry her into the house.

She felt light in my arms as I held her close.

I climbed the stairs, and nudged the door open with my foot. The only place that wasn’t a dust field was my bedroom. It was at the back of the house, down a long hallway.

I lowered her to the bed, making sure her head was cushioned with a soft pillow.

“Cadence?”

Her eyes fluttered for a second, but closed again. I walked to my dresser and chose a pair of jeans from the bottom drawer. I pulled them up over my legs before heading to the bathroom. I ran a washcloth under the cold water and returned to my room.

I didn’t know what else to do. I draped it across her forehead.

“I’m sorry,” I whispered. “I was an ass.”

She took a slow breath.

Damn it. How did this happen? In one day everything had changed.

There was a beautiful girl in my bed.

A dead body outside.

And a shifter war in my backyard.