Leopard's Key (4 page)

“Hailey—”

“I mean it. Shift for me.” Her chin rose. “I can handle it.”

Pride rose inside Dmitri. He’d never thought to see the day he’d have a human mate. In the last several days, he’d seen many sides to this beautiful woman. None more erotic than this. Her bravery and strength pleased him. He would give her what she wanted. Anything she wanted.

He stepped back. “Watch then, Hailey. This shift is for you.” With a deep breath, he began. Instead of letting go, releasing the magic all at once, he let it eke out of his soul, one step at a time. His fingers curled into paws. Hair sprouted over his arms. Muscles twisted. He ignored the pain, instead watching his mate’s eyes. If she showed fear, he’d finish this in an instant. What he saw was curiosity. Her eyes narrowed, as though taking in every change. He dropped to his knees, letting the magic run down his legs, shaping them, twisting them. He ground his teeth and at last let loose. Magical heat swept over him, covering his body in dark fur, his eyes changing. From where he stood, panting from the painful shift, he could see her every pore.

A tiny hint of fear crept toward him, mixed in with the scent of excitement and curiosity. Her arousal beat at him like tiny fists. He chuffed.

“Come here,” she whispered, dropping to her knees.

He eased toward her. Her hand reached out. Her fingers trembled. When they touched him, she smiled.

“You’re so soft.”

Heat caressed him in the wake of her touch, and he rumbled his approval.

“You’re so beautiful,” she murmured. Awed. He wanted to smile, to take her in his arms, but instead, he stepped toward her, wrapping his body around hers, rubbing against her like he’d wanted to do for days. She moaned her appreciation.

“This is so strange. I want to touch you as cat. Yet, I want more.”

That was all he needed to know.

Hailey jumped back when the man re-appeared. He leaned forward, crowding her. The musk of the cat was replaced with his special scent. Fear washed away beneath the need to touch his body. As a cat, the power inside him coiled, hiding within the compact body. As a man, she could almost see it, swirling around him like a blanket of color.

“Your hands….”

He smiled, showing her a palm. The skin was still red, though the blisters were gone. Her fingers traced what once were burns, only to feel the hot flesh beneath.

“You’re not afraid,” he murmured.

And before she could respond, his lips were on hers. Sparks ignited the instant their tongues met. She welcomed his kiss, not caring they were in her employee’s living room. Before, his touch had been gentle. Now he devoured her like a man starved. She gave just as much, tangling her tongue with his, twisting and tasting. Hungry for more.

She didn’t realize he’d moved her until her back hit the floor. For a moment, she froze. “Your brother—”

“Is gone.” His hands slid up her bare leg, beneath her loose skirt. Calluses on his hands rubbed against the already sensitive flesh. She relaxed into him, moaning in pleasure when his mouth closed over the pulse along her throat.

“I’ve wanted this for so long, mate. I didn’t understand why at first.”

“And now?” she gasped.

“And now I know. You are my
True Mate
.” His hands moved over her body, teasing her with soft, light brushes.

“I know.”

This time he froze. “You knew?”

She nodded. “When I make jewelry, I see the person who will buy it. The only thing I never saw was who would buy the white hair glove. Only that he would be my husband.” Her heart thudded. Would he believe her?

He cupped her cheek, meeting her eyes. “You can see the future?”

“In a way. Only through my art.”

He grinned. “I knew there was something special about you.” His hands swept over her while his mouth covered her with kisses. “I need to be inside you.”

“Oh, God,” she muttered. Relief mixed with need. He kissed her again, his mouth trailing downward.

He pulled off her blouse and bra, grinning. “Now this is what I’ve been waiting for.”

His mouth and hands covered her breasts, caressing, tugging, licking, and nipping. She arched her back, wanting more. Needing more. When his hand stroked between her thighs, she jerked toward him.

“Yes,” she murmured. She burned; hunger surged. She slid her hands over his hard muscular shoulders and murmured nonsensical words. A dull empty ache built inside her, and when he slid a finger into her center, she whimpered with desire.

“Are you ready for me, baby?”

“Yes.”

He growled in response, pulling back from her. She tried to ignore the sudden stab of disappointment at the loss of his heat. But he didn’t go far. He grabbed hold of her skirt and yanked downward, dragging it from her body, and with it, her panties. She lay before him, dressed only in what God had given her, and for a moment, felt a bit self-conscious.

But then she looked at his eyes.

Dark and hungry, they roamed over her. His face was hard, filled with lust and something she’d never seen before. Dark possession. She shivered.

“Dmitri.”

“You are so beautiful.” His hands swept over her, chasing away the last edges of discomfort. He leaned toward her. “And so strong. So brave.” He peppered small kisses along her face and throat, lowering until he reached her nipples.

She ignored the sting of tears in her eyes, unable to believe this. At last she’d found him. A man who wanted her for what she was, and he’d looked so pleased when he learned of her gift. He leaned over her, his knees between hers, and she curved her body upward, searching for his heat. She didn’t have long to wait. He slid between her thighs, touching her most intimate parts.

“Mine,” he murmured in her ear. Strands of his dark hair fell from the hair glove and trailed across her face. His presence so purely male, powerful and strong, his face taut with need. It was heady to have that much concentration focused on her. He entered her in one sweep, shoving full to the hilt.

She cried out. He filled her completely, almost to the point of pain.

“Mine,” she repeated.

He stilled, his eyes flashing. “Always,” he growled.

He moved inside her, building the pleasure, his strokes slow and deliberate. Like torture, he kept her on the edge of arousal.

“Say you’ll be my mate, Hailey.”

She tried to still beneath him, but couldn’t. Her body moved, hungry for more. Her mind tried to reason through what he’d said.

“Say it.” He continued to stroke, slow and easy.

“More,” she murmured.

His teeth closed momentarily over her throat. He rose above her, his eyes meeting hers. “Say it,” he hissed.

Instinct told her exactly what he was asking. To be with him forever. She wanted to. God, how she wanted to. Her visions couldn’t make this decision for her. That’s not what they were for. For this, she was all on her own.

He made her feel beautiful, loved, and sensual. She could feel him even when she had her back to him, knowing when he was in the room, and every time she looked into his eyes, she wanted to melt into a heap of feminine goo. Did that mean she loved him?

He stilled inside her. “Look at me, Hailey.”

She met his gaze. Those green eyes filled with something new. Tears stung her eyes.

“Love me, Hailey.”

Heat swept through her body, her heart swelled with emotion. She nodded. “I do.”

“Yes?”

“Yes.”

He grinned and moved inside her again. His thrusts grew stronger, faster. Emotion swept over her, blending with the pleasure filling her body. Her fingers tightened on his arms, her legs wrapped around his waist.

Each stroke sent her higher, and she neared that sharp-edged precipice. She wanted to stop, to make it last, but she couldn’t. Her body trembled as pleasure ripped through her. Dmitri stilled above her, and he joined her in orgasm.

His teeth closed over her shoulder.

Sharp pain joined the heat in her already trembling body, and she screamed, arching. Her body slowed, her mind whirled. Flashes of images of Dmitri’s past swept through her. Images of his mother always choosing his brother over him. A way of life, he reasoned, yet still it hurt. She could feel his pain in the images. Feel the need for something all his own. Someone all his own. Where the images came from, she didn’t know, and didn’t care. Her heart melted, sweeping away the last of her doubts. She would be there for him.

* * * *

Dmitri felt the vibrations of his orgasm fade, and he collapsed down on his woman. Images of her past flooded his mind. Images of a young child crying because she’d made the mistake of predicting some dire event. Of her father’s disbelief in her skills. Images of her pain when only her mother believed. She’d relegated herself to only using her talents for her jewelry, putting all of her energy into creating the perfect art.

He would help her. He had to help her. The shifters would welcome her with open arms. Pride swelled in his chest.

“I will always believe in you, Hailey.” He rose up and saw tears in her eyes. “Hey, what’s this?” He brushed one away with his thumb.

“You,” she whispered. “I don’t want you to go home. I know you want to be there for your family, but it’s time to move on.”

He gave her a smile and a nod. “You’re right. I need to be who and what I am. With you at my side, I can do that.”

Afraid he was too heavy for her, he rolled to the side, and pulled her against his chest. “I always feared the
True Mate
connection,” he muttered, “but not anymore.”

She raised up to meet his eyes. “What’s a
True Mate
?”

“You are.” He pulled her head down to his, tasting her sweet lips. “You are,” he said again, against her flesh.

Hailey twisted her hair into a ponytail, and snapped the white hair glove in place. It was just the right size for the length of her hair, trailing down the back of her wedding gown. She’d added beads and lace to match her wedding gown. She stared at the woman in the mirror and sighed.

It was time.

Drea and Kel would be standing up for her and Dmitri at their wedding, as best man and maid of honor. It turned out Drea had locked Kel in the silver cage, afraid he would run back home before she had managed to convince him they were meant to be together. The two were definitely mates and were an excellent match. Both as crazy as the other. But if they hadn’t been, it was possible she and Dmitri wouldn’t have met.

After the wedding, she and Dmitri were going to settle down on their own farm, taking in stray shifters. Cats, he insisted. She couldn’t help but wonder what would happen if she got a dog. Smirking at her own joke, she pinned the veil to her hair and practiced lifting it to make sure it wouldn’t be dislodged at the worst time.

A wolf whistle sounded behind her, and she whirled. Dmitri stood there, his eyes filled with emotion. “Wow,” was all he said.

She smiled. “You aren’t supposed to see me before the wedding.”

He shrugged. “The wedding is a formality. Nothing will tear you from my arms.” As if to prove his point, he gathered her against him, his mouth coming down on hers.

She moaned against his lips. She could never get enough of his kisses. Or his hands. Or any of the rest of his body.

“Love me,” she whispered.

“Yes,” he responded.