Twelfth Moon (27 page)

Ba'cho’s features remained impassive for a moment as he contemplated what Cadence just said. Then he grinned down at Kara, his white teeth flashing. Kara refused to meet his gaze and Cadence didn’t think her sister’s face could get any redder.

Ba'cho chuckled deeply. “A bold word for a small one such as you.”

Kara pressed her lips in a thin line. She turned her back on him and stalked away.

Jonah cleared his throat, gaining everyone’s attention. “Are we through here?” His voice was low and scratchy. “Cadence and I should be on our way.”

Cadence turned to him, noticing with concern that he’d broken out in a sweat. She realized he must be close to losing his human form. This was probably the longest he’s held it and she knew it was a matter of pride that he not lose complete control in front of everyone. “He’s right,” she said, and moved to link her arm through his. “We’ll be at the cabin. It shouldn’t take more than a few days – a week at the most.”

When she received nods from everyone, Cadence knew no other explanations were necessary. They all understood what needed to be done. She turned Jonah toward the back door. He leaned against her, which indicated just how weak he’d become. As she walked him down the hall, Mrs. Riley appeared with a large basket. “Here you go, dears,” she said. “There’s today’s breakfast and I packed enough other food to last a couple of days.”

Mrs. Riley had been busy putting together this basket, Cadence thought. How had she known? But of course the woman had been with the family long enough to anticipate their needs. “Thank you, Mrs. Riley,” Cadence said with an affectionate smile. She wouldn’t mind if she and her father…well…she didn’t mind that idea at all.

By the time they reached the line of trees marking the beginning of the wooded area surrounding their property, Jonah had finally given in and shifted into the panther. Cadence carried the basket and walked with him along the trail leading to the family cabin. It was a place she’d been to often – with her sisters, by herself – and with her mother.

Twenty One

THAT INSUFFERABLE MAN!
Kara fumed as she made her way to her room, having lost her appetite. After Cadence and Jonah left, Ba'cho had remained with the others, joining them at the table so they could finish their meal.
As if he belonged here!

He had no right to give her orders. Why did he always treat her like a little girl? In fact, he seemed to take great pleasure in calling her such. With a huff, she plopped down on her bed in a very little-girl-like manner. She didn’t care.

When he’d first arrived with Cadence, Kara hadn’t been able to take her eyes off him. He was the most beautiful man she’d ever seen, with his piercing black eyes, and that long black hair. It made her want to tangle her fingers in it just to feel its silky texture. She knew it would be soft as velvet, in complete contrast to his hard body.

He was an Indian Brave – a warrior – a man who fought for his people, the ones he cared for, with great conviction and passion. There was a part of her soul that recognized him as so much like her. She would gladly give her own life for those she loved.

Her own body literally hummed whenever she was near him and even when he was displeased with her, which seemed to be often, she could think of nothing but kissing his full lips. She wanted to run her hands across his bare chest, his shoulders, and lower over his flat belly – lower still to discover how much of a man he really was.

When had she become such a loose woman?
Her face heated at her inappropriate thoughts. She didn’t usually take notice of men and most especially, she didn’t wonder about their
private parts
. Goodness! She brought her hands up to her cheeks, feeling how hot they were. She shuddered as she imagined how he would laugh at her if he knew what she’d been thinking just now – what she always thought of whenever she was around him.

But then he’d seen Jaelene.

Remembering the way he’d looked at Jaelene when he’d first arrived with Cadence, with possession, as though Jaelene already belonged to him, made Kara’s stomach tighten into a knot. Could he not see that Jaelene was not interested in him? All men looked at Jaelene that way, as though she was an angel, and by winning her they would capture a small bit of heaven.

Kara loved Jaelene. She was sweet and gentle and kind, and needed protecting from people who would take advantage of her goodness – like Ba'cho – and others who would try to hurt her – like Itsá.

Kara would place herself between Jaelene and Itsá in an instant if it meant saving her sister’s life.

There was more to Kara than just being able to turn into a panther.

Cadence could sense others’ emotions, Jaelene experienced visions, and everyone just assumed Kara used her extraordinarily passionate nature to fight for her causes, without any additional gifts.

But they were wrong.

In the last couple of years, Kara had discovered a power within her that was unimaginable.

Twenty Two

CADENCE WALKED UP the three steps to the small porch, opened the door to the cabin and stepped inside. Jonah padded silently behind her. “It isn’t very big,” she said over her shoulder, “but it’s a comfortable place to stay.”

Pausing, she inhaled, catching the faint scent of jasmine in the air. She closed her eyes as she was immediately assaulted by memories of her mother. It was always like this when she came here. There was always a hint of jasmine. Even after so many years, it still lingered, as though a part of Syrianna’s spirit remained to watch over Cadence and her sisters.

Jonah sat on his haunches, quietly waiting.

Syrianna LaPorte had been a beautiful woman. Out of the three sisters, Cadence looked the most like her, inheriting her fair skin, black hair, and green eyes. Even after having three children, her mother had looked much younger than her years, her figure trim and shapely.

And as only a mother panther could be, she was protective of her young. Syrianna had brought each of her girls here as young panthers to teach them how to use their gift. She taught them how to control their transformation, how to hunt for food as panthers, showed them how to move between the human and animal world undetected.

“
You must always be careful,
ves' tacha,”
her mother would say, using the Romany word for beloved.
“Never reveal your gift to the humans unless it is absolutely necessary.”

Syrianna had drummed into her daughters’ heads the dangers of being discovered – that there was only one predator that posed any real threat to them – man – or more specifically -
men
.

During
Twelfth Moon
, they were vulnerable to males, and could likely become bonded to the worst sort of man. This cabin was a haven of peace and safety. It was not only a place for them to go whenever the need to run free as panthers was too strong to resist, but a retreat from the possibility of encountering a male while under the influence of their mating cycle.

Cadence remembered her mother’s voice, telling her,
“Take control of your destiny, chey.”
Daughter.
“Bond with the man of your choosing and you will know absolute happiness.”

Jonah may not have been the man she would have chosen in the beginning, but he’d won her over with his kindness, his strength, and his sense of honor and fairness. With his selfless act of saving her from the snake bite, he’d paid a steep price, and yet he still loved her. If she had the chance to go back and do it all over again, she wouldn’t change a thing. Well, maybe she’d change the part where she’d been hanged, but her bonding with Jonah is something she’d cherish forever.

Cadence shook herself from her thoughts. Her mother was gone and even though her absence was painful, Cadence knew there was nothing she could do about it. Jonah needed her help now and that was what she would focus on.

She moved across the room, her footsteps muted by a large rug as she passed between the large bed on one side and the two chairs before the fireplace on the other. She set the basket down, as well as the bundle of Jonah’s clothing, on the small dining table located in the kitchen area. Besides the table, there was a cooking stove, a hutch for storing pans and eating utensils, and a basin for washing dishes.

Turning around, she surveyed the quaint living area. Her gaze fell on Jonah. “We should eat first. Do you think you can change back to your human form long enough to do that?”

Immediately he shifted, slowly unfolding from a crouched position, his movements lithe and graceful. He was completely naked. Cadence’s heartbeat sped up at the sight of him – of all that tawny skin and rippling muscle. It was decadent.

He moved forward, chin angled low. Dark hair brushed his shoulders, strands of it dangling over those piercing silver eyes, making him look dangerous, primal. Even in human form, his movements were smooth and controlled like an animal’s. He was a hunter. A predator.

He stalked her with single-minded purpose, turning her bones to jelly. As he came closer, his arousal thickened and grew, leaving no doubt as to what was on his mind.

“I guess we can wait to eat,” she said, her voice husky.

He growled low. “The only thing I hunger for is you.”

She practically melted into the floor. This was a male panther on the prowl for his mate. He was powerful, predatory, and ready to take what was his. His scent drifted to her, a mixture of earth and fresh leaves from the forest, and male musk, making her knees weak. Her stomach tightened as her body responded to his nearness. She grew wet with anticipation, her nipples hardening, her skin tingling.

He was only inches from touching her. “Take off your clothes.” His deep, rumbling voice sent tremors down her spine.

Obeying his command, her hands moved to the front of her dress, releasing each button as swiftly as her trembling fingers were able. He watched her with an intensity that made her blood sizzle in her veins. Slipping the dress from her shoulders, she let it drop to the floor in a pool at her feet. She bent to remove her shoes, and then tugged off her chemise, where it joined her dress.

They stood naked, facing each other, the only sound the harshness of their breathing.

“You’re so incredibly beautiful,” Jonah rasped.
Mine
.

He stood still as she placed her hands on his shoulders, rose on her tiptoes, and leaning in, kissed his mouth. Keeping his arms relaxed at his sides, he slipped his tongue in, deepening the kiss, their teeth clinking together. He groaned at how delicious she tasted, like fresh berries with a faint trace of mint. Then he remembered her snatching a handful of raspberries from the basket on their walk to the cabin. Afterward, she’d plucked a wild mint leaf and chewed it as they’d walked in companionable silence. He could taste that combination now as he swirled his tongue with hers.

She pulled away from his mouth, trailing kisses down his neck to the center of his chest. His heart pounded like apache war drums and when her hot, wet tongue found his nipple, he sucked in his breath. She licked and teased his nipple, nipping it with her teeth until it was sharp and aching.

Where did she learn how to do that?

He barely restrained himself from throwing her to the floor and pounding into her like some mindless beast. But then he
was
a beast – an animal. It was there, clamoring to get out, boiling through his very blood. He didn’t know how much more he could take before he lost complete control. He felt his fangs growing in anticipation. What she was doing to him felt so damn good, he didn’t want it to end, so he reined in his impulse to take over.

His head swam from the feel of her, the scent of her surrounding him like a heavenly cloud. He didn’t realize what she intended until she sank to her knees. Her hands skimmed down his flat stomach, and then over to his hips in order to steady herself.

He nearly swallowed his own tongue, growling something unintelligible, when she looked up at him, her green eyes blazing, and licked the tip of his cock. He was on fire. His cock was on fire, hot and hard, responding to every sensuous lick. He gritted his teeth until they almost cracked, willing himself to hold back from the threshold.

But it was too much, her touch too magnificent for words. She was on her knees ministering to him like a
hori
submitting to her pasha. She’d already brought him so close to the edge that when she stroked his balls, at the same time taking him fully into her mouth, he instantly came.

His hand fisting into her hair, he shouted his release, his cock jerking, his body trembling with the force of it. He’d never experienced anything so intense, so pleasurable.

When he was through, he was assailed by guilt. He hadn’t meant for it to go that far. What would she think of him now? She must be disgusted by what he’d done. He smoothed his hand over her dark curls. “I’m sorry,” he said, his voice a low rasp. “I never meant—”

“It’s all right.” There was something in her voice, but not what he’d expected – no condemnation.

Hesitantly, he glanced down at her. To his complete surprise, she smiled up at him, her eyes gleaming with impish satisfaction. His very breath seemed to be sucked from his lungs. To have had this beautiful, strong, brave woman on her knees, pleasuring him was the greatest gift she could have given him.

“I love you, Jonah. I wanted to taste you, to give back as you’ve given me. It was no great burden.” She smiled.

He knelt down to her level, taking her into his arms. “You minx,” he growled. “Turn around is fair play, sweetheart.” He kissed her deeply and lifting her, carried her over to the bed. He broke the kiss long enough to gently lower her onto the colorful patchwork quilt. Then his lips were back on hers as he covered her with the weight of his body. His fingers slipped between her legs, delving into her slick opening, his knees urging her to open wider.

Amazingly, he grew hard again. With her, it seemed, he was insatiable. He removed his fingers and replaced them with his cock, sliding home in one languorous thrust. She gave a satisfied hiss. Seated to the hilt, he couldn’t prevent his low groan of pleasure.