Page 64 of Stray
By the time Ella’s human mind came to the forefront enough to realize just how far from the Academy she had ventured, the moon was high above the treetops, shimmering white with the promise of being soon full.
She turned to head back, fighting against the animal impulse to curl up under a tree and refuse to go back. The outdoors, for all its mystery and openness, felt like more of a shelter than those great stone walls.
Once she’d found the path she was reasonably sure led back the right way, her relief was overcome by the unmistakable impulse to run.
The small cat froze, cloaking herself in the shadow of a nearby tree stump to listen. She couldn’t hear a thing, but the night air was alive with the energy of another and the heady scent of a male tom was unmistakable.
This was no run-of-the-mill housecat, either. There was something about the musky scent, as unfamiliar as it was, that had her every fur on edge.
Before she could decide which route to take, and whether running or pretending she didn’t know she was being watched was the best choice, a pair of piercing golden eyes cut through the darkness up ahead.
Ella’s heart seemed to turn to stone in her chest and she slowly crept back as the beast took form from the shadows. With a proud, boxy face and a body covered in smooth, spotted fur wrapped over a frame both sleek and powerful, there was no doubt that she was face to face with a jaguar.
There was no doubting the predatory intent of his gaze, either.
Run it was.
Ella shot off toward the Academy at a frantic hare’s pace, her lungs expanding to accommodate each ragged breath as she fled. She was fast and agile, but the jaguar’s long gait meant he was outstripping her with every second that elapsed.
A shadow loomed over her and she crouched instinctively once impact was inevitable. When the greater beast landed with four paws framing her small body, without making contact, her heart felt like it was close to beating out of her chest.
Wait, the jaguar pleaded in a strangely familiar voice, pinning her gently with a paw that spanned most of her body.I’m not trying to hurt you.
Ella was shivering so violently she could hardly stand. Once the adrenaline left her head clear enough, she turned to face her captor and saw something in those eyes she recognized, as different as they were.
Bishop?
His gaze softened in apology, and he shifted back into his human form. Ella was still trembling too badly to remember how to get back into hers, which was just as well, considering that the sight of his naked body probably would have been the final straw for her overworked heart.
“I’m sorry I scared you,” he said, kneeling down in the grass. He held his hand out for her to sniff, as if approaching any other feral creature. “I was trying to figure out how to approach you without scaring you off, and when you ran, I guess instinct kind of took over.”
The gesture would probably register as humiliating as soon as she was human, but she inched forward instinctively and her nostrils flared as she breathed in his scent, far more convincing proof to her animal brain than sight or sound.
“You’re cute,” he said with a soft chuckle, stroking the smooth black fur on top of her head.
In spite of herself, the fur along Ella’s spine went rigid and she pushed her head deeper into his hand in response to the glorious touch. Beatrice was the only one who ever pet her, and that was quite a different sensation.
Once she’d calmed down enough to remember how to take human form, she still wasn’t sure it was a good idea. Sure, he and the rest of the colony had already seen her naked, but that didn’t mean she was eager for a replay.
“What’s wrong? You’re not stuck, are you?” Bishop asked in growing concern. His eyes widened in realization as it sank in. “Oh. Right,” he chuckled, getting back to his feet.
Ella turned away, not wanting to give her imagination anything more to torture her with. A few moments later, Bishop returned wearing a pair of jeans that still left his muscular torso on full display. He dropped a shirt in the grass next to her and turned his back. “I’ll be a gentleman, I promise,” he said in a wry tone.
Ella was so mortified that her cheeks warmed immediately upon shifting back, and she pulled the half-buttoned shirt over her head as quickly as possible. It still smelled of him, the same alluring musk from before, just of a different note.
The shirt was more than long enough to be a dress on her, even if it only skimmed the middle of her thighs. She folded her arms in front of her chest since the thin white fabric was doing nothing to hide her braless state.
“Thanks,” she murmured.
Bishop finally turned around, his gaze sweeping over her so quickly it seemed involuntary. She couldn’t fathom why his eyes darkened the way they did, or why it made heat burn deep inside her core when all that had been there moments earlier was terror.
“Are you sure you’re alright?” he asked gently.
She nodded. “Just a little shaken. I’m not used to getting pounced on by jaguars.”
“No, I guess not,” he said with a laugh that was entirely too pleasant to the ear. As smooth and euphoric as his touch. “Guess the rumors are true.”
“What rumor?” she asked warily.
