Skin Deep (11 page)

For the second time in the last week Kiera watched the taillights of Luke’s Jeep disappear over the hill. Only this time her body was tense with anticipation. She turned, fully expecting Cain to pop out of the shadows—to grab her and pin her body to a tree.

She was met with nothing but swaying trees casting shadows across the sidewalk in the dim streetlights.
Where is he?
Bitter disappointment washed over her. He wasn’t there. She’d just made out with Luke as if he was the last man on earth … for nothing.
What is wrong with me?
Now she was making out with men
for nothing
. Who was this person she had become? She rubbed her nose absently as she dug for her cell phone. Luke’s sweet scent seemed to cling to her nostrils.

A quick glance told her it was only a little after ten, which gave her an idea. She quickly dialed Maryline’s cell number and pressed the smart phone to her ear.

“Kiera?” Maryline’s voice was barely audible over the pounding music in the background.

“Are you and Darla at Lucky Zipper?”

“Yes, but—”

“I’m coming up there. See you in a bit.” Kiera hung up before Maryline could say anything else. This was probably crazy. In fact, she
knew
it was, but she couldn’t help herself. She had to go up there, had to see Cain one more time.

She was halfway between the shop and her apartment when a strange feeling washed over her. It was the peculiar sensation of being watched, only it wasn’t like the gaze of a friend or a kind passing stranger. The intensity of this feeling suggested pure evil. It made the hairs on the back of her neck stand up. She clenched her fingers around her cell phone. She looked around and picked up her pace. No one was in sight. Pulling her pea coat tight about her shoulders, she hurried toward the sanctuary of her home.

I should be sleeping.
Exhausted was only the tip of the iceberg when it came to describing Cain’s mental state. Working seventy-two hours straight was not something he liked to do.

I need a stiff drink.
That was the reason he was speeding toward Lucky Zipper, not because he hoped to run into the beautiful Kiera.

Inside, the club was packed. He made his way toward the bar, not bothering to head to their usual table. None of the boys would be there tonight. They all slept at home.
Where I should be.
He was in no mood to sit at the cigarette-burned table by himself.

Bumping and grinding filled the dance floor. Only a week ago he’d been out there with Kiera. The things that had taken place since then made it seem like a century had passed.

The return of the Amari seriously fucked up everything. Eternal Forces Intel had only provided more devastating information. Not only were they a Were-mafia, but they were Wereleopards—a deadly breed whose speed and tracking abilities were the keenest of nearly all the beings in the Immortal Realm. Not a single one of the Family had been seen or heard from since the early twentieth century, when the king had them all sentenced to death after they massacred a group of humans in the middle of a busy New York street. Several members were never found or heard from again … until now.

Their return meant problems for the Were Kingdom, not to mention the United Immortals, which was the backbone of the Eternal Forces, and the Immortal Realm as a whole. Anyone who threatened the revelation of any Immortal species had to be put down. This meant the king had to be involved and if he couldn’t handle things, then the entire United Immortals would have to be called.
Just fucking fantastic.

“Jack and Coke. Make it a double,” Cain yelled to the stocky Vampire bartender. Just thinking about the video conference with King Theron made him want a drink. That man needed to be gutted. Who held a grudge for centuries? Only that fucking idiot, apparently.

It didn’t help that Ryder had checked out mentally. Since finding the carved symbol on the dismembered arm, the man had done nothing but broodingly stare off into nothingness. It was as if the little bit of sanity he’d had left had retreated into the recess of his brain, leaving a shell that functioned under basic necessities and nothing else. He hadn’t spoken since. Which was really fucking perfect, since he was their computer guru. The rest of them were as ignorant of the shit as their true age implied.

“Anything else?” Cain shook his head as he closed his hand around a perspiring glass. He bent to take a gulp when the warm caress of a gaze slithered down his body.
Her gaze.

He snapped his head toward the main entrance. He met Kiera’s marigold eyes with his own. She was waiting for the bouncer to swipe her license through the annoying little machine. She wore a navy-blue pencil skirt, her white sleeveless top clung to her body as tightly as its bottom half, enhancing her womanly curves.

Her stunning gaze never left his, even as she retrieved her identification and tucked it into her handbag. He felt as if his feet were rooted to the floor as he watched her move across the club. He couldn’t move—couldn’t think—couldn’t do anything as her picturesque body swayed in his direction. She was like a breath of fresh air, making all the shit he’d gone through over the last three days seem nonexistent.

Her red hair was up in a tight ponytail that, coupled with the outfit, made her look like the CEO of some fashion company. A thousand fantasies played behind his eyes. His cock came to life in his pants, hungry for her. But he wasn’t the only man in the bar thinking these thoughts about Kiera. He noticed two Vampires staring at her, their elongated fangs protruding over their lower lip, a sign of hunger and arousal.

Cain’s nails sharpened as his grip tightened on his glass. He could feel the feline within him scratching at his subconscious, vying desperately to break free and tear the Vampires limb from limb. Somehow he managed to keep his inner animal in check.
Turn now and lose your chance with her.

He forced himself to look away from the repulsive blood-suckers and found that Kiera had halted in her pursuit of him, making conversation with someone else. Before he knew what he was doing, his feet were moving, no longer rooted to concrete floor, headed toward her, a million intentions stuck in his mind, and not a damn one of them honorable.

He’s here.
Kiera’s heart beat a million miles per minute. It was pounding so loud in her ears it nearly drowned out the hip-hop music blasting through Lucky Zipper.

She had barely walked inside the club when she zeroed in on Cain. He wasn’t hard to find with his towering height and sharp physique. His back had been to her at first. He was leaning against the bar looking so smolderingly hot in a long-sleeve black shirt that she fought the urge to fan herself. It fit tightly across his shoulders, outlining every bulging muscle.

She inhaled a sharp breath as his perfect form whirled around. He looked just as handsome as ever, with his platinum bangs pushed to the side of his face, revealing both startling green eyes. She didn’t miss the furrow in his brow or the lines of tension around them.
What’s bothering him?

Once she retrieved her license from the pointy-eared bouncer, she started walking in his direction. Nervousness blanketed her entire body.
Don’t fucking trip.
The heels she wore tonight made the ones from the previous week look like flats.

As she moved, she watched his electric-green irises rove across her suddenly over-sensitized body. How could he invoke these feelings with just a look?

“Look at this.”

Kiera had to arch her neck back to keep from running headfirst into the little handheld video camera that had been thrust in her face. She turned her head and met the dark gaze of the woman she’d met on one other occasion—a woman she had almost forgotten about.
Cain’s girlfriend, Leslie.

A sudden wave of dread settled over Kiera. She didn’t want to see what was on the video, but her eyes locked onto the screen, staring at the image of Cain leaning against a black wall. The familiar surroundings punched her in the gut as she recognized the hallway he’d led her into a few weeks ago. He wasn’t there alone, either. His pants were undone and a dark-haired woman was on her knees before him. His head was leaning against the shiny black paint, his eyes closed, a look of pure ecstasy banking his features.

“No.” Kiera backpedaled, trying to get herself away from the image on the screen.

“Yes,” Leslie purred. “Look at the date, honey.” Kiera let her eyes wander to the bottom right of the little screen. The timestamp branded itself into her memory.

Three days ago.

Kiera turned her head, not wanting to see any more, but he was there standing before her, seeming to have popped out of nowhere. He looked every bit as handsome as he had from across the bar, even more so now that he was there next to her. She fought the tears that threatened to spill down her cheeks.
Why am I on the verge of tears for a man I know has a girlfriend?

She couldn’t explain it, so she did the only thing she knew how to do. Run. Turning on her heel, she made a beeline for the exit, not caring who she ran into on her way out. She heard laughter and her name being called from behind her, but she ignored it. She raced toward the exit as if the building was on fire, but she didn’t stop there. She ran across the parking lot, her heels dug into her feet. She welcomed the burn. It was better than reality.

Why did I want this?
The perfect body she had always wanted had brought her nothing but the heartache she had been desperate to avoid. She clutched her purse in her hand, fighting the urge to throw it and claw at her body. She wanted to torture this physique for what it had done to her heart.

The woods that edged the parking lot loomed closer. The heady scent of balsam firs permeated her senses, almost making her feel better.
Almost.
She desperately wanted to be beneath their welcoming branches, to be hidden from the embarrassment and shame she felt for coming here, to find a man who didn’t want her—who didn’t feel the same way she felt about him.

She was mere feet from the solace she desperately needed when obliterating pain exploded across her body. Someone or something had slammed into her right side. The force knocked her from her feet. Disbelief traced its way across her pain-numbed mind as the air was pushed from her lungs and she slammed against the blacktop. She stared into the eyes of her attacker. Not a person, like she’d thought, but a large … cat?

Cain couldn’t help the sinking feeling in his chest as he watched Kiera run for the exit.
What the fuck? Seriously.
He was getting tired of this woman running away from him.
Liar
. There was something oddly intriguing about her running from him. It invoked his predator. The animal he’d barely reined beneath the surface just moments before was now prickling against his skin, begging him to chase, to seize his prey … and sexually feast upon capture.

He followed her, shoving his drink into the hands of a nearby waitress. His muscles twitched beneath his skin. His cock grew hard in his pants at the anticipation of catching Kiera. He picked up his pace, nearly making it to the front door of the bar when two Werewolves stopped him in his tracks.

“What the fuck do you think you’re doing, Cain?” He met the bright green eyes of the she-wolf in front of him.

“Leave her alone.”

He couldn’t help the slow smile that spread across his face as he met the gaze of the second speaker. “What’s it to ya?” If this had been any other time he would have goaded the wolves, Darla and Maryline, but not today. He didn’t have time.

“Kiera has been hurt before. We didn’t bring her here so you could make her one of your conquests,” Maryline said.

Someone hurt her? My Kiera?

“Get out of my way.” He pushed himself between the two Weres, needing to be away from them. His blood ran hot in his veins. He couldn’t listen to them. Couldn’t let them keep him from her. He had to stalk and then capture. He couldn’t think of her being hurt by another, not right now. Not when his control was bordering on non-existent. He would kill the next man who looked at her if he wasn’t careful. His feelings were wrong, unexplainable, but he had to have her. That was the only solution to stop this incessant need buzzing inside his body.

He burst through the door. Kiera lay on the ground no more than a hundred yards away. A Wereleopard snarled against her delicate body, his teeth sunk into the fabric of her blood-reddened shirt, as he dragged her scrambling form into the woods.

She was trying to scream, to call for help, as her gaze met Cain’s. Her hand reached toward him. The world spun out of control before Cain’s eyes as the change took him. Roaring at the sky, he barreled after them, only one thought in his mind … 
kill.

Kiera stared in shock at the people before her. Could she even call them people anymore? She watched silently from the leather couch, in what was apparently Cain’s townhouse, as Maryline and Darla argued viciously with him. The events of the last hour were the only thing that kept Kiera’s mouth shut, that and the pain of having the wound on her arm sewn up by a strangely attractive guy with blue hair.

It wasn’t every day someone was attacked by a leopard … and not just any leopard. A Wereleopard. A man who turns into a damn cat. And not only that, but Darla, Maryline, and Cain were all Were-shifter-things as well. She’d seen it with her own eyes as the overgrown cat drug her into the woods—the place where only moments before she had thought to find solace. Her gaze found Cain’s and she watched him go all Mighty Morphing Power Ranger. A strange fog-like haze had come over his body, draping him in its misty fingers, before the white tiger burst through it.
The
white tiger that had saved her life before.

The huge tiger attacked the leopard and knocked it off her body. Then two large wolves had joined the fight, tearing into her attacker. Kiera lay there, staring at the crazy scene before her, barely registering the stinging wound on her arm.

She’d watched the animals rip the leopard apart. They literally shredded it to pieces … only once the animal’s body was decapitated, it hadn’t been a cat anymore. It transformed into a man, whose arms and legs were now strewn across the forest floor. His head of dark hair with sunken black eyes rolled across the ground, like a lopsided soccer ball, with surprisingly very little blood.

That was when Kiera vomited. Maryline and Darla morphed back into their human bodies. Blood and guts coated their fashionable attire, even clinging to the chunky diamond cross around Maryline’s neck. The shock of finding out her only friends were some sort of trans-mammals was not quite as alarming as the white tiger that hovered over her body.

The beast had made slow movements around her prone form; its eyes locked with hers. The sparkling green orbs stared at her with an intensity she’d never known, sending a tremor through her body. She sucked in a deep breath, the woodsy notes of sandalwood filling her senses, overwhelming even those of the murderous scene before her. Her mind had known immediately this animal was Cain. He had morphed right before her eyes, but that didn’t help her fear.

“Cain, get away from her.” Darla’s voice was full of authority, commanding in a tone Kiera had never heard her use before. The tiger spun, placing itself between Kiera and her coworkers while letting loose a vicious snarl. Blood dripped from Darla’s short blond hair as she made to lunge at the tiger. An eerie shadow loomed over her, like wispy smoke hovering around her body, but Maryline gripped her arms, pulling her back, and the smoke-like haze around Darla faded.

“Fucking let me go, Maryline. I’m going to rip him apart.”

“No, Darla—stop!” The two women struggled. “Can’t you see? She’s his
feorh
.”

The words triggered something in the huge blood-covered tiger standing before her. He roared at the sky before the same vapor-like mist surrounded him, leaving a gore-covered Cain in its absence, still wearing the dark shirt and pants he’d had on when she’d seen him just minutes before inside the bar.

He glanced down at her, a look on his bloody face that had her gasping for air. The possessiveness in his gaze made her body tingle all over.
How does he have this effect on me?
She had the urge to touch his face, to make sure he was okay. She moved to stand up, but winced when stinging pain shot through her arm. She looked down at the wound that was dripping a slow stream of blood.

A snarl sounded from above her. Before she could look up, strong arms were lifting her off the ground.

“She’s hurt and coming with me,” Cain stated heatedly, only riling Darla and Maryline up more.

From there things had only become more confusing. She’d wanted to say something, but didn’t. Lightheadedness came over her and she gave in to the urge to rest her head against Cain’s chest.

Now, back in his townhouse, Darla spoke angrily. “She needs to come home with us.”

“She stays.” The words came from Cain’s mouth in a hiss. He had his back to her, facing her coworkers. This was the stance he’d been in since the moment she was able to process anything.

“Like hell!” Darla snarled, but Maryline gripped her arm, giving her a pleading glance.

“Cain, we appreciate you wanting to help protect Kiera and all, but it isn’t necessary.” She brushed her dark hair back from her face. “Really, we can take her back to our place and keep an eye on her. It’s no problem.”

“She fucking stays!”

“But she doesn’t even know you!” Maryline screeched.

“Ouch.” Kiera muttered as the blue-haired man dug the needle into the skin at the bottom of her wound.

“Are you fucking hurting her, Sparrc?” Cain spun on his heel.

“Chill out, man. I’m helping her. That was the last stitch. She’s done.”

“This is exactly why she needs to come with us!”

“She doesn’t leave!”

“Stop, all of you!” Kiera couldn’t help the anger that seeped into her voice. Who did these people think they were? They weren’t her keepers, that’s for sure. “I don’t want to stay with any of you … you ani-morphs! I’m going home.”

She pushed herself into a sitting position on the leather couch. The soft brown blanket that had been covering her body slithered down to her waist, revealing the tattered remains of her shirt, covered with blood. Even though she had sat in those clothes the entire car ride there, it hadn’t really registered, but as she stared down at the gory linen, the exact notion of what the blood meant washed over her.

“He’s … dead.” The words escaped her lips as she glanced up at them. They all stared back.

“Oh, honey, we had to. He was going to kill you or worse if we didn’t.” It was Maryline who spoke, and Kiera didn’t miss the elbow Darla threw at her.

Kiera fought the bile that rose inside her throat. Old memories came flooding back … 
black sneakers eating up the carpet next to her head. The flash of metal before the
real
pain began.
She shook her head, denying the images. Squashing the pain. She had gotten so good at hiding it all, pretending it hadn’t happened. She refused to break down here, in front of the only people she knew in the world.

“I’m going home.” A plea, instead of firm defiance like she’d planned.

“You’re not going anywhere.” The deep voice came from behind the couch, causing her to jump in fear. Whipping her head around, Kiera focused on the newcomer and recoiled at the sight of him. He was wearing a uniform. His pants were black, combined with a black long-sleeve shirt and tie. There was a badge on the front and patches on each shoulder. She glanced back at Cain, who had the same shirt on.
How did I not notice this before?

She looked back at the newcomer. Black leather crisscrossed his chest, straps that were holding an array of guns and knives. It wasn’t his clothing that made her cringe, though. It was his face. A face that would be handsome if it wasn’t so covered with blatant anger. She had never seen a man look so vicious. Thick rope-like scars circled his neck and dipped beneath his shirt.

“Who the hell are you?” Darla’s voice seemed to have lost a bit of its momentum.

“Ryder,” the man said without moving from his position in the doorway. “The Amari are back.” The words held no meaning to Kiera, but her gaze was quickly drawn to Maryline and Darla. Shocked expressions marked their faces. “Blaise checked out the body of the Were you beheaded tonight. Amari confirmation.”

The growl that escaped Cain’s mouth sent a shiver down her spine and had her gazing up at his hulking form.

“You’re sure?” Maryline’s voice shook as she spoke.
What the hell?

“Well, shit.” The voice of the blue-haired man made Kiera jump. He was next to the couch, gathering up the medical supplies he’d used on her arm.

What is going on here?

“Look, guys, I don’t really care about any of this. I just want to go home.” She stood, feeling wobbly on her feet, still adorned in her mile-high heels.

“We’ll leave her in your protection … but you have to promise to keep her safe. At all costs,” Darla said, as if Kiera had never spoken.

“I vow it.”

“What the hell?”

“It’s for the best. Please trust us.” Maryline’s cherubic face had gone completely white, making the gray of her eyes stand out.

“Trust? You expect me to trust any of you?” The look of utter despair that spread across each woman’s face nearly had Kiera regretting her words, but she wouldn’t take them back. She had known them for years and had no idea they could change into dogs.
Terrific.
What else were they hiding? Vaginas with teeth?

“You both need to leave. Kiera needs rest,” Cain said.

“Fine. We’ll go, but I would like to speak to you in private about this.” The only thing that kept Kiera from yelling at them was the fact that Darla was playing with the ends of her blond hair in nervousness as she spoke.
What has them all freaked out? Surely this Amaralee thing—or whatever it’s called—can’t be that bad?
She’d never seen either of her bosses act this way before.

“Ryder and Sparrc will answer any questions you have.” There was no defiance burning in Darla’s eyes as she exited the room with the two men following. Maryline clung to her lover like a lifeline, as if she would float away if she didn’t hold on tight enough.
What have I gotten myself into?

Cain fought to keep his breathing steady.
In. Out. In. Out.
It was no use, though. His heart was pounding a million miles an hour, threatening to rip out of his fucking ribcage and bounce across the floor in a desperate attempt to make sure Kiera was okay. He knew she was. He’d investigated her body on the scene and confirmed only one injury on her arm, which Sparrc had patched up. Something else was bothering him, though that was an understatement. A hundred million things were bothering him. He wished he could put his finger on one, just for a second, before it flew through his mind, unrecognizable.

He turned slowly, facing the beauty before him. The tight white top she wore was shredded, revealing the slim form of her body. Once again, his eyes focused on the coarse scars that covered her belly and disappeared under the intact fabric around her breasts. He had noticed them when he’d put her in the front seat of his car to bring her home. They were terrible scars. Like someone had stabbed her over and over.

Vicious anger flooded him. He’d already killed one man who’d hurt her and it burned him to the core that someone had inflicted pain on her and he hadn’t been there to stop it.
Where is all this coming from?
He didn’t know, but he did know he’d been so infuriated that he’d gripped the steering wheel on the way home and focused on the road with the intensity of a first-time driver.

He hadn’t looked at her once. He hadn’t had the words to ask her what he needed to know. The tiger inside him was livid, thrashing beneath his skin, desperate to mete out vengeance. But now, everyone was gone and his head was clear as he stood before her—well, clearer than in the car. To say he was of sound mind would have been pushing the fucking envelope.

“Who did this to you?”

A look of surprise crossed her features before her eyes darted down and she covered her belly with her arms, hiding the evidence he knew was there.

“Tell me.” There was no denying the severity of the wounds that had been inflicted on her
. “Kiera has been hurt before.”
Maryline’s voice rang in his ears, causing his blood to boil.

“Now. Tell me.” He would find whoever did it. He would slaughter them, but not before torturing them for … 
years.

“It’s none of your business.”

“It is my business. I want to know.” He couldn’t keep the growl out of his voice. He sensed his beast, fuming from the inside again. Wanting to kill the Wereleopard again, to murder the person who dared to fucking slice her body, and most of all, he wanted to mate with her.

The small grasp he had on his control was weakening by the second. Something had to give. “Just give me a name. I will fucking fix it!”

“Fix it?” The bewildered expression on her face revealed just how little sense he was making.

“Yes, please tell me.” He tried to sound nice, tried to keep the roar from his voice.

“What the fuck is wrong with you? It’s none of your business who did anything to me. Just because you can go
poof
and turn into a cat doesn’t mean I’m going to go running to you with all of my damn problems.” In the process of her rant, Kiera had moved her hands to her waist and clasped her tanned skin. Her breasts were heaving against the thin lace bra barely concealed by her torn shirt. “And just so you know, I am not fucking staying here!”

The last words came hurtling at Cain, putting him into a frenzy. All the self-control he’d mustered snapped like an unsuspecting branch. He launched his body toward her, sending them both crashing backward onto his large leather couch.