Page 11 of Mated
I lean into my pillows.
Coven officials, regardless of what city, are like supernatural law enforcement. They patrol their towns for rogue supernaturals who break the law, injure humans, or just act naughty.
And the cat that attacked me was either a rabid jaguar in southern Louisiana or a crazy supe.
Guess which one my money is on?
Crossing my arms, I glance between them. “What do you want to know?”
Chapter 5
Tanner
The woman, Nisha, remains stone-faced in the hospital bed. But it only makes her beauty icy. Less obtainable, but no less devastating.
Her hair is thick, blonde-brown, and free of the ruined ponytail from the woods. Though her skin is a lovely shade of creamy bronze, under the patches of dried blood the nurse couldn’t get off, her eyes are a pale sea foam, the color startling next to her darker skin.
Muscle moves in the backs of her arms as she shifts in place. She’s strong. Agile. Nimble.
The pungent aroma of a campfire seems to linger under her skin, mixing with something almost like cocoa and peach body wash. Her fragrance is like every seduction I have ever staged. It reaches into my nose and grabs me by the balls.
And damn does it know how to use just the right amount of pressure. I shift. But it doesn’t help.
At-fucking-all.
“I always run on the trail nearest pack land. There’s fewer people, and in all the years I’ve been on that path, I’ve never had any problems.” Nisha grimaces. “Until tonight.”
“Run through it for me,” I say, unwittingly stepping closer as those vibrant eyes raise to mine.
Her fingers grip the sheet in her lap. A sudden image of them wrapped around my cock has me moving several paces away. My chest heaves.
Fuck.
Bad, Tanner, I chide myself.No newbie shifters.
She glances at me again. “I did like I always do,” she begins. “Came in from the outlet off the park. Ran my standard five miles and was headed to cool down.”
“There’s a large boulder near the creek that I stretch on.” Her face turns a delicate pink as she finally breaks eye contact. “But I guess the ground was too slick. Anyway, I fell down the slope trying to get to the valley floor.”
My eyes roam over her, taking in the smooth muscle visible even under the gown she wears. Definitely lithe.
Is she as flexible as she is strong?
“And the beast?” Gage asks, finally adding his two-fucking-cents to the convo and jarring me from staring at her.
My head shakes with vehemence.
What is wrong with me?
She sighs, and the sound is soft. Feminine. “The damn thing came out of nowhere. I tried to talk to it—”
I snort. “You tried to talk down a shifter? This close to the full moon?”
Her face flames brighter but her eyes glitter with anger. “I thought it would be a sane normal werecat. Not a deranged beast.”
Ruin steps between us as my lips part on a retort. “What did it look like?” he asks calmly.
“Over six-feet, tan, rosettes. Fuck, I don’t know. It looked like a damn jaguar.” She peers around.
