Page 9 of A Lion's Heart
“Even your cat is rebelling against your lies. Or he’s aroused by that sexy cheetah with all the pertinent information,” she continued and then snapped her lips shut.
Why had she just said that? How had she known what a lion was thinking or feeling for that matter?
Decan was staring at her with his icy cool eyes silently asking her those same questions.
Hours passed before either of them spoke again.
A huge stretch of time traveling through the long tunnels with the other vehicle close behind. All the while thoughts flew with lightning speed through Decan’s mind.
Yes, he’d heard about the killings above ground. After the first murder three months ago, he and his childhood friend, Gold, had gone above to investigate. Lial’s scent had been strong at the scene then too. This was why Kyss’ words did not shock him, but her appearance had.
Decan had no idea who she was. He did not know why she’d come to him with this information or how she’d known that he would be traveling on this particular road with Nisa. Her knowledge was eerie and in Decan’s experience, eerie usually led to trouble. Which was why he’d communicated with Gold through their comlink to take Kyss with them. He’d done this the moment she appeared on the scene and came too close to Nisa because he’d first thought she was a threat to the Assembly Leader’s daughter. Now, he was thinking the cheetah might be a threat to something even bigger.
Gold was riding in the second Tracer. As the leader of this mission Decan had personally selected who would travel with him on this expedition. He was also well aware of Nisa’s preferences, something he had no idea why he bothered to consider. Still, he’d been sure to add two Topétenia guards who had trained with her. Roman Reynolds and his beautiful mate had produced a spirited and stubborn daughter. One that Decan had spent a good amount of his time watching, when he should have been paying more attention to other matters. Namely, Lial, the rogue cougar shifter.
Humans were being killed. In all likelihood by shifters. That was not a part of the plan.
Decan felt his facial features easing into a scowl as he made a quick left turn that took them off the main road.
Nisa had spent most of this ride reading on her board. No doubt trying to find any information on the Ruling Cabinet and its dead family members that she could. She was not going to let Kyss’ appearance or her words go. Decan knew that as surely as he knew that the well-trained hellcat sitting across from him was not going to react kindly to the place where Decan had planned for them to spend the night.
“Why are we turning here?” she asked as her head came up and she stared out the window and then over to him. “Where are we going?”
“We’re going to rest for the night,” Decan told her without any plans to elaborate.
“These are the unmarked tunnels,” she said. “This territory hasn’t been excavated yet.”
He knew she would know. Decan had no doubt that Nisa Reynolds had studied everything that had ever been written about Oasis and the Shadow Shifters’ life down here. It made sense, especially since she had never been anywhere else. This was her world and she was the Assembly Leader’s daughter. It was her duty to know everything about this place.
Just as it was Decan’s duty to keep her inquisitive and attractive ass alive.
“This location is secure,” Decan said as he killed the lights on the Tracer and slowed the vehicle down to a crawl.
The wide passageway had quickly turned narrow, just enough so that the vehicle could get through, but not without some concerted effort.
“Does my father know about this place?” she asked then. “Does he know where you’re taking me?”
“Do you tell your father everything you do?” he asked and avoided looking at her.
Their eyes could shift to night vision with one blink. Either the cat’s eyes, or the human ones, they could see through the pitch darkness of this tunnel as easily as if they were above ground in broad daylight.
His question had silenced her but only for a few seconds.
“Would you like me to tell my father you’re not following his command?” she snapped back.
Decan silenced the vehicle’s engine and released the locks on both front doors. He turned slightly in his seat and looked at her, but for a moment was startled from his original purpose. Her cat’s eyes blinked back at him. The smallest black dot surrounded by a green so murky it almost looked translucent, and a yellow outer ring. Her long lashes folded down over them as she blinked and Decan swallowed hard.
“You can tell your father whatever you like,” he said when he’d finally gotten his thoughts…and his seemingly raging libido together. “But I’ll still be the one in charge at this moment.”
Before she could reply and while he had at least a semblance of control, Decan climbed out of the vehicle and circled around to her door just as she was about to jump down. He held the door and took her arm. She wanted to pull away, but her pride wouldn’t let her. He was amused and impressed by that fact. She would recognize both their positions in this situation, but she didn’t like it. He figured that was fair. He didn’t like it either.
