Vision Revealed (17 page)

attack with knowledge that two males would die at his paw tonight.

Time slowed for a few, seeming to come to a complete stop as Kane leapt into the air.

He felt his paws no longer touching the ground at the same time he heard the panicked

cry nearby. Jin was too damn close. Her scent filled his lungs and he drowned in it. But at

the same time the other male made the critical mistake of shifting his attention, his

roguish grin enough to infuriate Kane and thrust him into full battle mode and it wouldn’t

shut off until his prey lay dead at his paws.

How dare you breathe in her scent and think you’ll get a piece of that this evening.

During those moments that froze, causing events to happen in a slower mode, Kane

remained airborne, seeing the male return his attention to him. It was as if in that frozen

second, the leopard realized getting his dick hard over a hot female’s scent probably

wasn’t a good idea and sure as hell not worth dying over. The male leapt backward and

Kane landed on the hard ground with a crushing impact that shook the earth underneath

him.

He took off, returning time to its normal pace, and the male leopard retreated with a

speed that could have made him a worthy opponent had he used it to attack. Instead he

tore at the ground, sending fresh dirt and snow flying as he disappeared. Kane had no

desire to chase him down. He wouldn’t run far from Jin, especially when there was

absolutely no guarantee the area was safe or secure.

Allowing the leopard to retreat, he backtracked quickly, more aware this time of the

flesh wounds that stung annoyingly with every step he took. He didn’t bother sniffing at

the male who now lay dead in his human form on the ground. Instead he hurried past

him, searching the darkness until he spotted Jin.

Her coat wasn’t as white as his, the pale strawberry blonde coloring possibly enough to

convince anyone who saw her in her fur over the years she wasn’t a white leopard. If

she’d denied her breeding, he imagined it weighed heavy on her conscience and being yet

another truth she ached to lay at the feet of the hunters. He admired her for craving a life

of honor and happiness after living with such a terrible sire all her life.

She took a step toward him but then stopped, appearing unsure as to whether she wanted

to console him or risk being reprimanded for insisting on leaving him. A new smell hit

him before he made it to her side. The hair down his spine bristled, standing at attention

when he breathed in the scent of another intruder.

Stay behind me,Kane growled, watching her eyes widen as she stared at him but not

waiting to hear if she had a response. Instead, turning his back on her, he guarded her as

he watched three leopards approaching through the trees. They didn’t move closer and

their antsiness was unnerving. He glanced overhead when an owl hooted.

The hunters had arrived. He doubted this was what Jin had in mind when she asked for a

meeting with all of them. One of the leopards, the largest male, approached calmly, his

head held high. He wasn’t in attack mode, but Kane couldn’t stop the adrenaline rush that

charged his insides and had him ready for a fight if one were to happen.

In fact, he itched to take a bite out of the pompous male. Everything about Tore reeked

of a dire need to be knocked down a few notches. The leopard strutted closer to Kane, his

condescending, suspicious glare matching his annoying scent. Only once did he shift his

attention past Kane to Jin.

Kane stepped sideways, filling Tore’s line of sight, and let the rumble that came deep

from his throat show him and the other leopards they would be smart to leave Jin alone.

Tore tilted his head, returning his attention to Kane, and had the nerve to appear amused

when Kane continued guarding Jin.

I don’t see any reason for you to be out here,Kane growled, making the sound louder

than his first rumble and not caring in the least when Tore stiffened and the two leopards

behind Tore tensed. He’d taken on more than three leopards in the past and won. Kane

fought for a just and honorable cause. If the attack possessed meaning there wasn’t a

doubt in his mind he’d be victorious, regardless of the odds.

He took several steps in Tore’s direction, slashing his tail through the air behind him

while continuing to growl. These males judged him initially based on the color of his fur.

They would learn right now white leopards weren’t a breed to fuck around with. Many

claimed his kind were unstable, insane and incapable of trusting. If they wanted that view

of his kind, they would get it. Or they would be level-headed and appreciate he didn’t

care for his female being stalked.

And Jin was his female. He’d known this for months now. Kane would make sure these

males quickly came to understand and accept that truth.

Tore didn’t back down as Kane approached. Instead, holding his head high, he continued

staring at him, not moving and his scent not changing. When Kane quit growling and the

two males simply held on to each other in a staring match, he couldn’t help but wonder

what the males were doing out here in the first place. If they wanted Jin, they would have

attacked by now to have her.

One of the males behind Tore hissed, grabbing everyone’s attention. At the same time an

owl flew overhead, hooting as it passed by. It was a warning. Kane’s spine prickled with

anticipation. When Tore turned, breaking eye contact with Kane first and sniffing the air

as he joined the other males, Kane backed up and nudged Jin.

Her pale strawberry coat was smooth and silky. Her sleek body instantly warmed him

when he pressed against her, grumbling under his breath to assure her whatever was

about to happen, she was safe with him. She raised her head and her silver eyes with a

hint of gold in them were so captivating Kane easily drowned in her sensual gaze.

I will kill for you, my little cat,he growled, keeping his tone low so only she heard.

Jin returned the growl, which almost sounded as if she purred, the rumble vibrating

through her sensual-sounding and captivating. Whether in her fur or her skin, his hot little

female had an aura about her that would distract even a human. Her alluring scent, the

way she moved, her slender, perfectly shaped body brushing against his when she tried

glancing past him at the other males, and her alert yet hesitant nature were an incredibly

perfect package. Jin wanted everyone to see her as confident and very capable of taking

on any matter and tearing into it without any concern for her own safety. The more time

he spent with her, he picked up on her fear and the worry she tried with all her might to

keep hidden.

Kane would be hard as stone the longer he stood with her next to him. As soon as he got

rid of the males nearby and dealt with the pending danger he smelled building in the air,

he would fuck Jin with everything he had. He couldn’t wait to feel her tight pussy wrap

around his cock and suck him deep into her heat. Every inch of him stiffened, the pending

doom closing in on them causing his instincts to kick in harder, more aggressively as he

thought about Jin’s hot, sexy body. Shifting his attention to his surroundings, he roared

when the owl once again let out a warning sound from a nearby tree.

Jin hissed when shadows appeared in the trees. There were four of them, their dagger-

like claws ripping the earth apart as they moved at an easy gait, slowing only when they

realized they’d run into a group of leopards.

Kane stepped in front of Jin, keeping her view hidden from the werewolves. They

appeared from behind the trees, pausing in the clearing and growling at the leopards,

ready to prove their rite of passage. Each of the four of them stood a bit taller than the

leopards with their thick, smoky black and brown fur providing thick coats and adding to

their size. Their pungent odor crashed in around them as they neared. Suddenly it became

clear why Tore and the others were out here. They weren’t after Jin but dealing with a

werewolf situation. Kane and Jin just happened to stumble in on the fight.

The male in the center sauntered closer, lowering his head so his shoulder blades

protruded, moving up and down as he walked over the frozen, uneven snow-packed

ground. His almond-shaped silver eyes took in each leopard as he sniffed the air. The

werewolves behind him moved in closer, growling and biting each other. Whatever

message they tried sharing with each other, when their leader understood, his ears perked

up and he turned his attention to Kane. His low growl grew louder when he curled his lip

and showed off incredibly long incisors.

Kane didn’t take threats well. He let the werewolf know with a low, promising rumble in

his throat what he thought of anyone who approached him without honor.

Immediately Tore moved between them, letting out a ferocious roar that shook snow

from the branches above them. The leopards with him moved in on either side, standing

between Kane and the werewolves, creating a half circle around them.

Kane didn’t need protection. At the same time, if he stood in line with the other leopards,

he would be honoring their fight, but as well, leaving Jin unprotected. He opted for the

stance of protection. The werewolves had numbers to their advantage, but whatever

brought them out here apparently didn’t involve a blood bath. They backed down,

growling and baring their teeth before turning and disappearing into the darkness

shrouded by many trees.

There wouldn’t be any direction or ultimatums at this point. If Kane instructed Jin to run

deeper into the forest for that craved hideaway, they would be followed if not attacked.

Instead, leaning into her, Kane offered the other leopards a look of warning before

focusing on his little cat as they started walking away from Tore and the others.

* * * * *

There were things they should discuss. Jin’s frustration weighed heavily around her

when Kane unlocked the motel room and then held the door for her so she could enter. In

spite of her warring emotions, all of which he could label easily now that she no longer

wore her leather to hide her scent, it was his smell wrapped around her that called him to

her.

“Did you accomplish what you needed to do when you left me?” Kane wrapped his arms

around her waist from behind and bit back a growl when she stiffened.

“No,” she said quickly, twisting and then pressing her hands against his chest. She tried

pushing away from him. “And I shouldn’t have come back here.”

“You’re not safe anywhere else.”

“This isn’t about my safety,” she snapped, shoving until he allowed her to move away

from him. “You don’t get it, Kane. I came here knowing damn good and well that I

would probably be sniffing out my death before my work here was done.”

“What the hell do you have to tell the hunters that would make them want to kill you?”

he hissed, and watched her face pale as fear engulfed her.

Jin didn’t answer him right away but stood in the middle of his room, staring at him

while a mixture of emotions engulfed the space between them with their unique aromas.

“What has you scared, Jin?” he asked, fighting to keep his voice calm when he ached to

leap across the room, grab her and make her share everything she kept from him. The

only warped satisfaction he could grab a hold of in this twisted mess was it appeared Jin

managed to keep her feelings from everyone. And until recently even the smell of them

was hidden. Jin was a closed book, a caged creature, and the way she looked at him now,

he wondered if she could manage outside that cage she’d kept herself locked in for so

many years. “Trust me, little cat, and tell me.”

“Why should I trust you?” she demanded, fisting her hands at her side. “Why the hell

won’t you just let me go?”

“I’m not going to let you go,” he informed her, seeing no reason not to state what he was

positive she could smell on him anyway. “You matter to me, Jin.”

“You don’t know shit about me,” she yelled.

“I know you aren’t really Jin Rose.”

Jin’s expression turned gray, and for a moment she appeared unstable on her feet as she

stared at him. When she looked away, glancing around the room as if she’d lost

something, she began noticeably shaking. The smell of fear intensified, and when she

reached out to stabilize herself, Kane moved to her, taking her hand in his.

“When I confirmed to Tore who my sire was, it was the first time I’d openly howled

about my den since I was a cub.” Jin shook her head adamantly. “I can’t live with the

humiliation any longer. His actions weren’t my fault.”

“I agree with you.”

“Confessing who my den is, what breed I am to the other hunters would be grounds for

them to kill me. A hunter doesn’t run surrounded by lies. But I had no choice. I couldn’t

help leopards escape from his claws any other way.”

“One of my visions I had about you many months ago, and that has repeated itself

several times over like a rerun in my head is about to take place.”

“And what is that?” Her voice cracked as she stared at his chest and then raised her

attention to his neck. She wouldn’t look him in the eye though.

When he touched her chin, tilting her head back, her long lashes fluttered over her pretty,