Prey (2 page)

A roar rent the air and everyone
stilled. An apprehensive quiet filled the space and Zima started to
sprint toward her.

***

El padded out of the woods and
stretched. The spicy, sweet scent of candied ginger made his
nostrils twitch. That aroma followed him from the SUV, he’d found
on an old logging road about a mile from the bar. He loped over to
the cycles. Within a few steps bones broke and realigned; fur
receded, leaving a sprinkling of hair on his skin. Gunter lit a
thin cigar as he rested on the seat of his custom bike and blew
circles of smoke in his direction. El strode to the saddle bag on
his motorcycle and yanked out a pair of jeans. He slid in one leg,
and then the other before pulling up his pants and meeting his
second in command’s gaze.

Reaching for his vest, he slipped it
on and dropped his boots on the ground. “You look like you have
something to say Gunter?”

“
Nope, I sent Reese to
find you earlier, but now I’m just waiting.”

El glanced at the building which
housed the motorcycle club then back at the older man. “For what?”
Cool air enveloped him as he waited for an answer. Without the fur,
he felt the chill to his bones. The weather in Oregon was nothing
like the dry heat which seemed to rise off the plains of the
Serengeti. But, it was a place no one would expect a pride of lions
to reside. For him that once thing outweighed the importance of the
other. He would keep his pride hidden at all costs.

“
Curious evening, some
woman came looking for you, a pretty little thing with bronze skin
and sinful chocolate eyes.” Gunter inhaled deeply from his cigar,
and a thin red rim of smoldering fire glowed in the
night.

“
A
woman
?”

“
Yeah a human.”

“
Huh, that’s the last
species I would expect to seek me out. What did she
want?”

The bar door was shoved open.
Screeching metal was coupled with the whoops and hollers of his
brethren. El tilted his head to see what the excitement was about.
He caught sight of Zima falling down and another woman rising. One
of his pride members hovered in the doorway, blocking El’s
view.

He turned when El growled, hopping
from one leg to another as he tilted his head toward the crowd
indoors. “That woman … the human one … she actually brought Zima to
her knees.” Excitement was clear in his tone. He dragged his gaze
away from El’s and cleared his throat, hurrying out the way. The
door closed with a soft click leaving an even stronger scent of
candied ginger wafting through the air.

El stuffed his feet into his boots
while he stared at Gunter. “I take it the woman is still in
there?”

Gunter chuckled. “That’s where I left
her.”

“
You
left
a human woman in a room with
animals? I am so tired of cleaning up your messes.”

“
How is it my shit, when
she came hunting you?” Gunter rose from his seat.

“
Did she have an odor?” El
pursed his lips and stared at the door.

“
Oh yeah, a very nice one
almost like candy.”

“
What the hell were you
thinking Gunter? You know what that means. She has mating
potential.”

Gunter shrugged. “Zima was
having a moment, and you know how I feel about her. I offered her
the respect of a lioness and your one time lover. I walked away so
I wouldn’t have to explain myself after I killed her. If and that’s
a big
if
that
woman could be, or is, a pride mate then she needs to be able to
take care of herself. You don’t want some piss poor human female
who can’t take care of herself or her cubs setting up camp with
us.”

El met Gunter’s gaze. “You’re an
asshole.”

A smile bloomed on his friend’s face.
“You say the sweetest things. Umm … you might want to get in there
before your psycho ex-girlfriend murders the cutie, and then we’ll
be stuck searching for a burial spot all night.”

El stalked toward the structure
mumbling. “Goddess, why do I keep you around?

Gunter followed in his footsteps.
“Because I practically raised you, and I’m a tactical
genius.”

El yanked the heavy barrier open and
watched with growing interest as the lady Gunter had referred to
held her own with Zima. She blocked blows while throwing her own
punches. Her hair was pulled back tight into a ponytail. She’d worn
jeans which that appeared to have been poured on, but she moved
with ease. Her skin had a reddish undertone, and she was taller
than he expected. She disappeared from view, and he searched the
crowd for some sign of her.

He gazed over his shoulder at Gunter
who raised his hands in question.

El turned his head, opened his mouth,
and roared.

Everything stopped, except the two
combatants. Zima was making a run for the human. The crowd split
for him as he leapt on a table and used it as a springboard to land
between the two women. He clamped a hand around Zima’s wrist and
swung her around to face him. “Enough!” He growled. Then, he turned
his gaze on the pretty female rising from a crouch. He released his
ex and rumbled low in his throat. Zima inched away with her head
bowed. The other woman loosely held a thin metal club in her
palm.

She lifted her chin. “Who the fuck are
you?”

He fought the urge to smile. “The man
that saved your life.”

She sucked her teeth. “Please, I was
about to knock that bitch out.”

“
I think you might have
underestimated Zima.”

“
Or you have an
overinflated estimation of her abilities. She has a tell,
broadcasting which way she will move, and her left arm is weak. I
would have won this fight.”

“
Interesting, so want to
tell me why you’re here?”

Her eyes narrowed. “I’m interested in
finding Eldridge Khune.”

“
My friends call me El. So
what do you want?” He winked.

She reached behind her and pulled a
semi-automatic forty five. “It’s a pleasure to finally meet you.
Your bail has been revoked and you are under arrest.”

One by one the club members started to
laugh until it filled the space. El shook his head and sauntered up
to the spitfire with pretty brown eyes. He stopped when the muzzle
of the weapon prevented him from moving farther and took a deep
whiff of her scent. Her breasts heaved, and her eyes darted back
and forth. He caught an undercurrent of fear. Just as quickly, she
shut the emotion down and tightened her grip on the gun. His cock
hardened by the minute. He’d never had any interest in human women
before, but this one … he wanted to bury himself in her
lushness.

El wrapped his fingers
around hers and forced her to ram the muzzle deeper into the center
of his chest. He met her defiant gaze and gently squeezed her hand.
“Go ahead
suiker
,
pull the trigger.”

Chapter Two

The heat from El’s palm bled into the
back of her hand. Her heart beat sped up. She inhaled through her
nose, and then pushed her breath out through her mouth, in an
effort to slow down the organ. Nae angled her wrist up, and the
muzzle of the gun edged down the center of his bare torso. She
swallowed, as she looked him up and down.

Unlaced, tan leather work
boots with the tongues hanging out, covered his big feet. Faded
jeans, worn white at the knees and unbuttoned at the waist, hung
low on his lean hips. Shirtless, his muscles flexed with every
breath. The vest, with several colorful patches, hung off his broad
shoulders, and the word
pride
was tattooed across his chest. Dirty blond hair
with white streaks grazed the black leather.

Nae met his gaze and
pressed her lips together in a firm line. Amber eyes with dark
green flecks stared back at her with
defiance
. Taunting her by gently
squeezing his fingers, she held her hand still against his
urging.

He covered her thumb with his and
eased the safety off. “I will not be confined. There are only two
ways I would let you take me, and I would have to be dead for one
of them.” He had the faintest of accents

“
I can claim my bounty
either way.” A bead of sweat rolled down her temple.

El leaned in. “Shoot me I
dare you,
suiker
.”

“
Do you have a fucking
death wish?”

“
Tsk, tsk, foul language
from such luscious lips. Keep it up
suiker,
and I may be forced to
punish you.”

“
Discipline me, really?
You might want to rethink that babe. It would take an act of God
for
you
to get a
hand on
me
.”

El cocked a brow.
“
Challenge
accepted.” The crowd closed in on them.

“
Damn, you’re obnoxious.
Tell your friends to back the fuck off, and then turn around and
walk toward the door.”

“
I think you’re confused
by my confidence.” He slid his hand down hers, stopping at her
wrist.

She raised the baton in her other
hand. “I will take you in, one way or another.”

“
Keep talking woman. Your
promises are giving me a hard on.”

Nae watched as he slid his
palm over the growing bulge of his crotch. In the background,
someone commented dryly, “
For the love of
goddess somebody shoot me
.” She couldn’t
stop her lips from twitching. In one fluid move, he
twisted
her wrist and
forced her to release her weapon. El caught the pistol as it fell
from her hand. With deft skill, he slid the safety into place.
She
yanked free of his grasp and
spun out of his reach. Nae lashed the baton
across his midsection.
The
blow
glanced of his
tricep
as he bent at the waist and caught
her across the middle.

The force from his
shoulder knocked the air from her lungs and left her breathless. He
heaved her up, and she cracked the metal rod across his back. El
shuddered. A heavy hand fell across her butt cheek, stinging
the
place
where
his palm landed. Waves of electricity flowed through her from
the
spot
. Cream
flowed from her pussy.

His lips skimmed her side, and he
inhaled. “Goddess, I wonder do you taste as sweet as you
smell.”

“
Put me down, this is
kidnapping!”

“
Suiker
, you walked into my world, and under our terms you’re prey.
And, frankly your scent brings out the beast in me.”

Nae bounced on his shoulder, and his
clavicle dug into her belly. She raised her torso to get an idea of
where he was taking her. Holding onto the only weapon she had left,
she lifted her arm again.

“
I have no problem
smacking this ass. Tell me,
suiker
since we we’re never properly introduced. What’s
your name?” He squeezed the butt cheek he’d already slapped, and
the soles of her tennis shoes hit a hard wooden barrier.

She tried to press her thighs
together, and her clit throbbed. What the hell was wrong with her?
Nae coughed. “Put me down dammit!” The temperature must have
dropped while she was inside. Cold air wrapped around her, raising
goose-bumps on her bare arms. “What is a suitkeer?”

“
You are.”

The door swung back and closed with a
quiet click. Something rustled through the leaves at the tree line.
They passed the row of bikes until they came to the last one, where
he eased her down onto her feet. She glanced around and realized
they were alone. El stuck her gun in the side of the saddlebag and
crossed his arms.

Nae rubbed her stomach. “You’re not
going to come quietly are you?”

He stared down at her and cocked a
brow. “Depends on where we’re going.”

“
You’re a wanted
man.”

He caged her with his arms, resting
his palms on the seat behind her. “That’s nothing new or
surprising. How bad do you want me? I can smell it you
know.”

“
Smell what?” She
discreetly turned her head toward the leather bag attached to his
motorcycle. If she ducked under his arm, she might be able to grab
the gun just under the flap.

El shook his head as if
guessing her intention. “Why deny our baser needs … you
find me attractive
. I
find myself craving you. We can make this happen, and then discuss
whatever else it is you want from me - later.” He skimmed his nose
over the hollow below her ear. “You make my mouth
water.”

She levered back. “What are you? Who
are they?” Nae tilted her chin toward the door.

“
I can be whatever you
want.” He glanced over his shoulder. “And they will do what the
hell I tell them.” El dipped his head and placed his mouth on
hers.