WereCat Fever (11 page)

Hunter backed up and pushed her to safety further behind him. She tumbled off to the side and let out a squeal. Hunter shifted in the time it took Lacey to blink.

Half expecting the cats to turn on her once she’d fallen, she scrambled up on a boulder.

The lions leapt into the air, their powerful bodies slamming into each other. The sound of their deafening roars filled the air, echoing inside the cave as they rolled in each other’s grasp and ripped at each other with their large teeth and sharp claws.

The men were gone. There was no humanity left within them. The beasts were in charge now.

Throughout the mêlée, Lacey thought she saw the men occasionally trying to morph back into their human forms. If one of them succeeded before the other, it could mean certain death.

Bryan, larger by far, eventually took advantage of his size. He had the edge over Hunter, who was weakening from several serious lacerations. Bryan took the opportunity and jumped.

Hunter dropped to the cave floor, trying to shift.

“No, Bryan!” she screamed. Before she could think, Lacey reacted. Stepping forward, she faced down Bryan and protected Hunter from his brother’s attack. Then drawing Bryan away from the wounded man, she walked away from Hunter forcing Bryan’s eyes to follow her. He had time to settle down before she inched her way to back to Hunter’s side. When he stared up at her and made eye contact, something inside her trembled. A warm flush ran through her body and her mind opened to his. She thought she heard him say, “mine” as he lifted his hand and touched her face. In that instant, something between them connected, and Hunter—part man, part beast—purred.

Bryan roared. The lion’s attention shifted between her and Hunter. Then he turned to her, sniffed and hissed when he met her eye to eye.

Bryan growled and stalked her as she backed up.

Hunter’s warning was weak. “Don’t move. And for God’s sake, don’t run.”

As if she could, trapped as she was, with the big lion gaining on her and the rock wall behind her. Instead, she tried to back up slowly.

Her knowledge about animal behavior taught her enough to know better. But being faced with a mountain lion of humongous size made it hard to ignore instinct. The urge to run was ingrained in prey.

The lion focused on her as Hunter finished shifting. He was bleeding heavily, but to her relief, his wounds began healing almost at once.

“Bryan,” she whispered. She had to believe he wouldn’t hurt her. Right. Just when she recalled how he’d emotionally hurt her before, the big cat knocked her on her ass and stood over her, sniffing her like she was his next meal.

“Bryan, shift. Dammit, shift, now.” Hunter shouted the order before he collapsed. Something in his command must have reached Bryan because he backed off.

Albeit, she had to admit he moved all too reluctantly. With his cat belly dragging on the cave floor, he crawled in reverse on all fours. Obviously annoyed at the demand and partly in frustration, he opened his mouth and roared, but remained in control, at least enough not to do any serious damage.

As he moved away, closer to his clothes and the light, Lacey risked inhaling.

Finally, he shimmered back into the man, the one she recognized and had once loved, the one who could take her breath away with a thought. He was also the one man she swore she wouldn’t risk her heart or her life for again. Too bad he was already wheedling his way back into both.
Dammit.
She forced herself to think about what she’d lost and the years she’d suffered.

As their gazes met this time, she saw regret and the sorrow in his eyes. His voice cracked, thick with emotion when he asked, “Are you all right?”

“Fine.” She brushed herself off, checking herself out. “I’m bruised, but not seriously injured. Check on Hunter. He hasn’t moved.”

She looked over at Bryan’s friend who was still sprawled on the floor, naked and human again. They both rushed to him.

“Hunter?” she called. His injuries looked as if they were healed, but he hadn’t gotten up after he collapsed.

Bryan picked up Hunter by the shoulders and cradled him. “What have I done?”

“I–is he…dead?” Lacey asked, placing a hand to his pulse. The dread reached deeper than she expected, a sharp pain stabbing deep inside her. Then the man moaned. “Thank God,” she exclaimed. A shiver of relief ran through her. And another sensation she couldn’t explain. Desire.

* * * *

Hunter opened his eyes and sighed. “Tell me you aren’t going to kiss me, Bryan.”

“Bryan won’t, but I may!” Lacey patted his cheek and smiled.

Bryan’s chest rumbled again with that low, jealous sound.

“Uh, just an expression, Bryan. Chill,” she said. “Thank you for trying to protect me, Hunter.”

“Yeah, for now.” Hunter sat up, rubbed his head, and gave her a strange look. He managed a sarcastic smile for Bryan, but his voice sounded weak. “We have a problem.”

“I know. I’m sorry.” Bryan grunted and dropped his face in his hands. “I don’t know what else to say.” He stood up, helping Hunter off the floor, and touched a large scratch on Hunter’s arm. “The virus. I’ve infected you.”

“Yeah, maybe. There’s that,” he said. “We’ll see if I start manifesting the symptoms next full moon.” Hunter tried to take a few steps in Lacey’s direction, but seemed to think about what he was doing and stopped. “But that’s not all.”

Lacey looked at him differently. Her eyes sparkled with… If Hunter didn’t know better, he’d swear it was lust. The cat inside him purred with satisfaction while the man ached with regret for his brother. Bryan had already suffered so much, now he’d have to face sharing his mate—at least through her transition. “I think my cat imprinted on Lacey. She may have responded.”

Bryan glowered at Hunter and then scrutinized Lacy’s expression. Hunter watched his brother’s face and recognized the moment he realized Lacey had reacted to his bond. Her scent was already different and heat radiated off her like a brand. Bryan’s eyes narrowed.

“Not sure what you two are insinuating.” She shook herself out of her reverie and Hunter saw the scientist in Lacey kick in. She looked at her watch. “Well, as interesting as all this has been, I have a few arrangements to make before tomorrow. I’ve got to get going.”

“That’s it?” Hunter chuckled, thinking ‘great self-control’. “You learn all this and remain calm and collected.” He shook his head in disbelief.

“I’d like time to assimilate what I’ve seen and experienced. I’d like to take notes, but I really do have quite a bit to do before the reunion. So if you both wouldn’t mind getting dressed…?”

“We’ll ride back with you,” Bryan said, ignoring Hunter and pulling on his pants. “Do you mind putting us up at the ranch?”

Hunter quickly added, “We’ll pay and help with chores. I can’t stand Bryan’s snoring, and now with the full moon issue approaching, you’ll need us.”

“I guess… If what you claim is true, I don’t want to face the fever alone.” Lacey paused as if considering what more she could add to her statement, then with a noncommittal expression said, “After all, you are here to help me.”

“Right. It’ll be easier if we’re with you,” Hunter said with a wink to put her at ease. “It’ll work out better for all of us. The horses will need a place to run and so will we.”

Bryan stood and cleared his voice. He put both hands on Lacey’s shoulders, forcing her to look at him. “Thank you, Lacey. I’m so sorry for… Hell, for screwing up your life and… And I swear I’ll make it up to you.”

Hunter could tell by the hitch in Bryan’s voice and the soulful expression in his eyes he meant every word of his apology…and Hunter agreed. He was sorry too for what they were going to face.

“I know,” she said. “I don’t blame you for infecting me. You didn’t even know what you were, let alone understand the consequences of our actions.”

And based on Bryan’s reaction, Hunter was certain she had to know he never would have risked her life.

“I’m also sure when they discover who is to blame for my father’s death, the blame won’t be placed at your feet.”

A commitment for more seemed premature, despite how her insides ached for Bryan’s touch. “You find out who killed my father, and we’ll call it even.”

“Deal.”

“Things were about to change drastically anyway without this complication.” Hunter seemed determined to explain.

“What?” Lacey turned to Bryan then to Hunter. “What does that mean?”

Bryan stood in front of her. “I came back to tell you as soon as I found out about your fevers. I was going to tell you after Hunter demonstrated and…well, before I lost control.”

“You want the bad news now or later?” Hunter asked tentatively.

“There’s more?” Lacey asked. “Worse?”

“Well, it depends on whose viewpoint you’re in.” Hunter broadened his grin.

“No. Don’t tell me. I don’t think I could stand anything else.”

“Don’t worry. What Bryan’s stuttering around is that we came here to help you through your transition.”

“Wha–at transition?” Their words worried her, but she refused to panic.

“You’ve been feeling different lately. Hotter. Skin crawling, fevers, blackouts, aching all over?”

No, she wasn’t giving in, not accepting everything they said without thinking the situation through. But deep in her heart, she understood that not admitting the symptoms Hunter described—the ones that were exactly what she’d been experiencing—wasn’t going to make them go away.

Bryan touched her cheek. The gesture was both familiar and devastating.

“It’s going to happen, whether you want it to or not. We can help you through this. God, Lacey, I don’t want you to go through this first time alone.”

“What’s going to happen? I thought I was infected with the fever, like you?” Adrenaline pumped through her.
Like him?
Her heart rate picked up and so did her fear. What they weren’t telling her scared her more than what they were saying. “Maybe someone should explain what this all means, and then we can work on a plan to fix it.”

“There’s no fixing it, Lacey. If I’d known what I was doing to you that last time…” He shook his head. “I won’t lie to you. I don’t know if I’d have done anything differently. But I’m sorry for what this means to your life. You’ve already lost so much.”

“The past is behind us,” she said.

“Yeah, we have to focus on the future,” Hunter said.

“Charming as this little reunion has been, Bryan, I’m not ready to give up my research and my ranch to play house kitty to two mountain lions.”

Bryan looked grim while Hunter maintained his good humor. “You won’t mind if we try to change your mind, will you?”

Lacey ignored the question and gave the two luscious hunks a once-over. There was something to be said for both men if you ignored their bossy attitude.

“Lacey, like it or not, you are going to shift with the next full moon.”

She waved off Hunter’s words, not wanting to hear any more. “I’m afraid of what’s ahead, what you’re not telling me. So spit it out, dammit.” As much as she hated to admit it, he was right. Too many unexplained changes in her body and her senses had manifested over recent months. Too many to ignore.

“The change has already started. We can smell your scent.”

She scrunched up her nose. “Yuck.”

“It’s definitely not ‘yuck’ to us.” He tilted his head at Bryan. “He can barely contain himself around you, and now that my lion imprinted on you, neither can I.”

“Fine, fine, hang around, but no change.”

“Sorry, darlin’ there’s no force on Earth that will prevent it.”

“I mean, I have a life and, such as it is, it’s mine. I may shift, but my life can’t change. I’ll have to make shifting fit in.” She pulled the band from her shoulder length hair, shook it free, and combed her fingers through it.

“I’m not sure how we’ll fit in,” Hunter said with a worried scowl on his face.

“We’ll see.” Bryan didn’t look any happier.

“If this is going to be a relationship, and not just a seasonal mating between the three of us, we better spend time learning about each other.” She knew nothing about Hunter and had five years of misgivings to get over with Bryan.

Hunter took her hand in his. “Good idea. I think we should date.”

“Date?” Lacey and Bryan repeated.

“Together?” Lacey asked, looking at both men.

“As in a threesome?” Bryan asked incredulously.

“Two. Three. However. Whenever, bro.”

Hunter was cute when he was serious.

“He’s right. I need to find out about Hunter and you. Like, how much has all this changed you, Bryan?”

“I’m a fucking part-time mountain lion. How do you think it’s affected me? I’m more aggressive.”

“Really?” Lacey stared at him blankly. “As if you even had to mention that little bit of insight…”

He shrugged the tension from his shoulders. “But I’m working on my control. I’m getting better. I think. Usually, I’m better than this,” he added when she rolled her eyes.

“What about you, Hunter. Have you always been with the pride?”