Vision Revealed (21 page)

couldn’t stop. They’d made love, which was what a male and female did when they were

in love. It was the best damn feeling in the world and she was almost scared to think it

might be something she could experience again with him.

The Running Mate was busy midday. Leopards were waking up from their night runs

and stumbling in for coffee and rare meat. Most of them worked night jobs or the

graveyard shift, although in today’s world, most of his kind had conformed to the eight–

to-five work life in order to survive. Very few these days maintained the traditional life

Kane had insisted on living. It wouldn’t be many more years before he owned his small

cabin outright and then someday he would pass it on to his cubs. Glancing around the

crowded diner, Kane doubted many of the leopards in the place smelled of honor from

the old ways. Times were changing, but that didn’t mean he would.

“This might not be a good idea.” Jin smelled nervous, although with so many odors

running into each other, few would pick up on it.

Kane rested his hand between her shoulder blades and guided her to an available booth

along the wall. Two cubs, banging dishes together as they piled them into a tub on a cart,

played busboy and gave Kane and Jin little attention when they scooted past them. He sat

Jin on the inside and then slid in next to her. Her nervousness faded and he immediately

picked up her scent growing stronger on him.

“Coffee,” he told the waitress when she raised an inquiring eyebrow, giving him her

attention after waiting on a neighboring table where a lone male sat nursing his cup.

The female made quick work of pouring two cups and leaving them with laminated

menus, which smelled strongly of grease and cleaning supplies, a common although

rather interesting mixture of aromas found in busy diners like this one. Jin pressed her

fingertips to her menu and slid it in front of her. Kane leaned back, sipping his coffee,

which was actually better than he imagined it to be, and took in his surroundings.

“Do you know a lot about this place?” he asked Jin under his breath, barely moving his

mouth and only focusing on her for a moment before continuing taking in those sitting at

surrounding tables and booths.

“Not a lot.” There was still sleep in her voice. “Why?”

She’d woken up early that morning, showering before he’d realized she was out of bed.

It was a good sign. His instincts accepted she wouldn’t run from him, or he would have

snapped to when she first slipped out from under the covers. Her hair fell in soft waves

around her nape, the pale blonde shades complimenting her creamy white complexion. At

some point she’d removed the nail polish from her fingernails and wasn’t wearing any

makeup. Jin offered a striking contrast with her present appearance than the female

decked out in black leather with coal black hair and piercing eyes. He stared at a gentle,

vulnerable soul, who was ready to take on some of the fiercest leopards of their kind, and

did so strictly in the name of honor. His heart swelled until it threatened to close off his

throat. Her scent grew stronger, although he knew he didn’t inhale her emotions growing

stronger, but his own. Jin had marked him as her male and her scent was embedded in his

flesh.

“I’m curious if there are always as many werewolves as there are leopards here.” He

pulled his attention from her, knowing if he continued drooling over her, he’d be all over

that hot little body of hers and make her his breakfast.

“I noticed that,” she mumbled, her cup to her lips. “I’ve been here before, although never

for long periods of time.” She paused for a moment and appeared as if she might

elaborate on that bit of information but then didn’t. “I don’t remember werewolves

mingling with our kind.”

“I don’t smell a lot of amity in the room.”

“I wonder why those werewolves ran into us in the woods south of town yesterday but

then backed down.” She lifted her focus, searching his face through her hooded gaze

while nursing her coffee. Her lips were moist and probably hot with the taste of coffee

clinging to them. The thought of them wrapped around his cock was one hell of an

appealing image in his mind. “And the fight at the docks.”

“There is unrest among us and them,” he concurred, but turned when he smelled the

waitress approaching. Neither one of them had looked at their menus, but he ordered

anyway.

“I’ll take the same,” Jin piped up before he could ask her. “Except scramble my eggs and

milk, please.”

The waitress nodded, not bothering to write anything down, and took their menus. She

moved around the tables and then disappeared behind the counter when the door to the

street opened for about the fifth time since they’d sat down. Kane immediately locked

gazes with Tore. His sidekick Race closed the door behind him and then the two made

their way into the diner, stopping at damn near every table and saying something to those

sitting there.

It was the life of a hunter, and one Kane decided he would take on. Granted, when he

arrived here he didn’t realize he’d also meet Jin. But knowing her didn’t stop the feeling

deep inside his gut that told him he was doing the right thing by securing the available

title. They weren’t to a point with their relationship where he would discuss taking on the

job of hunter and what it would mean to them if he did. But even as his emotions grew

stronger and more demanding when it came to Jin, the awareness that he would be the

right leopard to serve and protect his kind didn’t fade.

“Do you notice?” Jin whispered.

Kane blinked, pulling himself from his thoughts and doing a quick scan of the diner.

“Notice what?” he asked, looking at her, although her gaze shifted from location to

location in the diner.

“I just realized there are werewolves planted in all corners of the diner. You would think

they would sit together, keeping with their kind.”

Her statement was logical. If he were to enter a diner run by another species, Kane

would definitely take a table next to his own if they were in the establishment. Tiny hairs

sparked to attention, running up his spine as he focused on two werewolf males sitting at

a booth along the opposite wall. There was another werewolf eating alone at a table in the

corner at the front of the diner. Although he couldn’t see them at the moment, there were

three younger werewolves at the booth at the end along the wall where they sat. Kane

shifted, glancing over his shoulder at two werewolves, a male and female, at the table

behind him. The male met his gaze, his eyes narrowing suspiciously as his look turned

hostile.

“I don’t know why I didn’t smell it before.” Kane gave Jin his attention, turning away

first from the werewolf. He wasn’t interested in a showdown with the male.

“You didn’t notice it because it wasn’t there to notice.” She shifted in the booth, facing

him with her back to the wall. Her knee pressed against his knee and he placed his hand

over it. Jin didn’t look down. Instead her pretty light green eyes glowed at the thought of

some excitement to kick-start the day. “But you smell the change in the air too?” She

lowered her voice to a conspiratorial whisper. “It might be from Race and Tore coming

in, but I’m not sure. All I know is suddenly the air is charged.”

“Something is about to happen.” He could tell by watching her sniff the air and the tilt of

her head slightly that Jin brainstormed the situation, possibly creating a scenario and at

the same time several possible attack modes, just in case. “I’m starting to think it might

be connected to that fight at the docks. And those werewolves raced into the clearing

sniffing me out. It wasn’t until the other leopards made their presence known that they

backed down.”

“I don’t think it was you,” she said, finally looking down at his hand resting on her knee.

“They wouldn’t be hunting you.” He would have made his argument more convincing,

but the waitress appeared with their food, setting plates before them and then laying the

bill next to his food. There was nothing like a subtle hint to eat and leave.

Jin stared at her food but didn’t eat. The smell of the rare meat, grilled nicely with a side

of eggs and potatoes, made his stomach growl. It would have been wonderful to have a

good hard run with Jin last night, but he had no complaints how the evening did turn out.

Watching his fiery little female get bossy with him and then fuck the shit out of him

pretty much covered his definition of a perfect night. It also had him ravenously hungry

this morning. He grabbed his silverware, fighting his primal urges to stab the meat with

his fork and simply tear off a piece with his teeth.

“That might not be completely true,” Jin whispered, still staring at her food.

Juices from the steak drained down his throat as he chewed. Studying Jin’s profile, he

picked up on the change in her scent as she shot him a side glance.

“What’s not completely true?” he asked.

“The werewolves probably know I’m in Kenora.”

Kane remembered her mentioning there being a mark on her head but her insisting it

wasn’t from anything she did wrong. “They won’t hurt you,” he swore to her.

Jin nodded once, reaching for her fork. Kane put his silverware down and took her hand

that held the knife and held it between them. There were worry lines on her pretty face

and he figured it was time to understand exactly what happened in her past, especially if

it was coming back to try to bite her in the ass.

Jin took her time raising her gaze to his, and when she did, the moisture in her soft, pale

eyes bit at his heart. He would kill the individual who put that trepidation in her. More

than anything he ached to swear to her right now that nothing would ever happen to her

again and cause the pain she felt right now.

“Tell me what happened,” he growled.

She sucked in her lower lip and then filled her lungs with a staggering breath. Her scent

ripened, causing his insides to harden. If the werewolves were here because of her, he

would welcome them. It meant he had the opportunity sooner than later to get rid of the

pain on her face.

“I slept with a mated werewolf.” She said the words so quickly he almost didn’t catch

them.

Kane’s heart stopped beating. He watched her search his face, knowing she wanted to

see his immediate reaction to the harshness of his words. As what she said continued to

repeat itself in Kane’s brain, he tried wrapping sense around them. Not only did he fail,

there wasn’t anything to say to such a despicable, dishonorable act. If the den she

disgraced knew she was here and came after her, and Kane fought to protect her, he

would wrap her dishonor around him as well. Suddenly the piece of steak he’d just

swallowed churned in his gut. He needed air.

“I didn’t know he was mated though,” she added just as quickly as her first statement.

“Kane, you must believe me. Please. The male was out on the prowl and didn’t smell

mated. He never mentioned a mate. I didn’t know until several days later but the act was

done. And I didn’t try fighting for my honor at the time. I ran.”

“Why didn’t you know he was mated?” He fought to wrap the truth around his brain and

understand. There were males and females out there who lived in a stench of disgrace,

not caring about themselves any more than anyone else. They were the derelicts of their

kind and Kane wasn’t a fucking cub to believe assholes with no scruples wouldn’t care if

their lies spread on to others.

“I didn’t know him.” She lowered her head and strands of hair fell around her face,

shrouding her expression so he couldn’t see it. Her hand with the knife in it moved

slightly in his and he felt how moist and warm her flesh was. She burned alive with

humiliation she’d carried quietly all this time. “There was a lot going on at the time and

already I ran from the disgrace of my sire. Kane, my head was messed up. I wouldn’t

have been able to smell his lie if he’d taken time to offer one. But the truth is he didn’t.

He came on to me and I gave him what he wanted. There were no females with him and

afterward we went our own way.”

He blew out a hard breath, smelling the agony eating her alive as she shared her horrific

shame with him.

“I understand if you want me to leave.” Her voice cracked as she spoke and she tried

pulling her hand free.

Kane tightened his grip and then took the knife and placed it on the table. Then bringing

her hand to his lips, he nibbled the flesh. Jin shot her attention to his face, her emotions

causing her face to flush and tears to pool in her eyes. Tears he doubted she’d shed over

this matter until now.

“You’re not going anywhere, little cat,” he growled. “We’ll learn together why these

werewolves are here. How long ago did this disgrace fall on you?”

“A year.” She pulled her hand from his and he didn’t fight her. Jin rubbed her cheeks

quickly and then combed her hair from her face with her fingers. The pain he smelled on

her a moment ago began fading and she straightened and faced her food. Jin wouldn’t let

him see, if she could help it, how much it meant to her when he didn’t chase her away

after confessing her disgrace. But her satisfaction and happiness over being allowed to