Vivi Andrews - Serengeti Lightning

He turned and Mara’s heart sank. His blue eyes were cold, closed off and angry. “Go away, Mara.”

“I’m not leaving,” she insisted, standing her ground. She had to make this right. She had to. “I love you.”

Michael shook his head sadly. “Mara…”

A heavy arm fell across her shoulders, accompanied by the smothering scent of stale beer and horses. “Hey, baby, he don’t wanna love you, thas jes fine. You come on over here and love me all you want.”

Michael surged up off his barstool faster than thought, snarling viciously in the drunken cowboy’s face as his lethal claws snapped out. “Back off, asshole.”

A pocket of silence instantly descended around them in the noisy bar. The cowboy staggered backwards, stumbling in his haste, and fell to the floor. More heads turned in their direction. More curious gazes morphing quickly into frozen shock.

“Michael.” Adrenaline surged through Mara. There were so many people. Witnesses . “Michael, we have to go.”

Even over the blaring jukebox, Mara could easily distinguish the much closer sound of a shotgun being primed under the bar. “I’d listen to the lady, if I were you, friend,” the bartender said, with lethal calm.

Mara’s heart drummed in her ears, unnaturally loud. This is bad. This is so bad.

Michael dragged himself under control, his claws snapping back in, but the damage had already been done. Even if no one knew quite what they’d seen, this crowd of people had all seen too much.

Mara grabbed his hand. As soon as they took a step toward the door, a path cleared for them, humans sideling out of the way. The Red Sea effect lasted halfway to the door. Far too long for Mara’s comfort. She was unspeakably relieved when the people closest to the door—the ones who hadn’t seen Michael’s magic act—had to be shoved aside.

They burst out into the parking lot, but even there humans surrounded them. Smokers leaning against the building, flirting in the relative quiet.

“Can you drive?” Mara asked urgently. “I brought a truck.”

Michael nodded sharply. “I’ll walk you to the truck and you can follow me out.”

She didn’t argue. Part of her kept waiting for that shotgun to chase them into the night. Even in the cab of the truck, zooming down the highway tailing the Cherokee, Mara couldn’t relax. She gripped the steering wheel tight to still her adrenaline-fueled shaking.

This was it. What they’d always been afraid of. The humans had seen them. Though Michael hadn’t gone all the way through the shift. They were just claws. The humans would probably think he was packing weird switchblades or something. Wouldn’t they? Special effects, maybe? Some Wolverine party trick.

Mara’s eyes flicked to the rearview. No taillights in the mirror. No one chasing them.

The humans had all been drunk, right? They’d probably think Michael was on steroids, but that was no reason to call in the National Guard. It would be fine. They’d be fine.

Mara flexed her fingers around the wheel. She wanted Michael here with her so badly it hurt. He was just a few yards ahead in the Cherokee, but she needed his touch. Some instinctive part of her brain insisted everything would be okay as long as she could touch her mate. She needed him.

Michael took the turn onto the ranch road and Mara spun the wheel to follow. The rain continued to pour down, even harder than before. The dirt road was a mud pit, but the two vehicles surged through the muck in four-wheel drive.

They were a mile from the main road, but still two miles from the residential compound when the Cherokee suddenly swerved off the road. Mara swore, slamming on the brakes as she saw Michael jump out into the rain. She rammed the gearshift into park and leapt out of the truck, chasing him away from the drive.

“Michael! Michael, wait.” He either didn’t hear her or didn’t care, continuing doggedly into the rain. Mara ran, slipping on the muddy terrain, closing the distance between them.

“I’m sorry!” she shouted. “I don’t know what else you want me to say.” Her foot slid to the side and she caught herself, slowing now that she was only a few feet from his back. “Michael, please . I love you.”

He spun abruptly to face her. “After that, you love me?”

Mara stumbled to a stop. She wiped the rain out of her eyes, shoving back her sodden hair. Had he thought she would change her mind? “Yes. After that. After anything.”

He nodded, but he didn’t step toward her. He didn’t yank her into his arms and make the world go away. She craved his touch, but he stood apart, ignoring the rain that drenched them.

“I’m sorry. What else do you want me to say?” There had to be words that would make it right. She couldn’t have ruined her chance with her Mr. Forever. She needed him. Mara’s tears mingled with the rain on her cheeks.

“Are you still going?” His voice was emotionless, so horribly controlled.

“What?” Mara’s heart lurched. Did he want her to go? Was that what he was saying? She swallowed thickly, blinking away rain.

“I need more than I love you ,” he growled. “I can’t settle for a stay of execution. You love me, but . You love me, but I’ll never be good enough for you. You love me, but you’re still leaving me, looking for someone better.”

Mara rushed forward without conscious thought. “There is no one better than you.” She threw herself against him, pressing her face to his chest and wrapping her arms tight around his waist. He didn’t hold her, but she didn’t let that stop her. Seconds ago, she hadn’t been able to find the words, but now she couldn’t get them out fast enough. They burst out of her on a tide of uncontrolled emotion. “I need you, Michael. You’re my Mr. Forever. I need your passion. You’re the only one who’s ever made me lose control and we both know I could stand to let my hair down more often.” She looked up into his eyes, cupping his jaw in her hand. “You’re the bravest man I know. You’re never afraid of what you feel or what you want. And the fact that what you feel is always so close to breaking through just makes you more beautiful to me.” Her chin trembled, fear and hope and a thousand uncontained feelings making her feel more alive than she’d ever felt before. “I’m staying. Forever, if you’ll have me. Will you love me, Michael?”

He searched her eyes and slowly raised one hand to rub his thumb across her jaw.

Was that a yes? Please God, let it be a yes.

He bent until his lips hovered right above hers. “I couldn’t stop loving you if I tried. You’re my heart, Mara. You’re the reason I feel.”

His mouth closed over hers, perfect, passionate and sweet, and the rest of the world fell away.

He always kissed her with his soul wide open, but her eyes had been closed to the beauty of it until now. He loved her and she loved him right back. That wasn’t a new development. She’d been such a fool not to see it before. Love was there in the reverence of his touch. It added an extra light to the fire in his eyes.

But the love hadn’t softened the lust. If anything, the bite of it was sharper than ever. His hands were everywhere, molding her damp shirt to her body, but it wasn’t enough.

“Clothes…” She panted, tearing at his with eager claws.

“Fuck the clothes. Shift.”

They both snapped to feline form and back a heartbeat later. They would be exhausted later from all the energy they’d expended jumping from form to form tonight, but in the moment neither of them cared. All that mattered was naked, rain-slicked skin to skin.

They tumbled to the muddy ground and Mara’s animal side, so often restrained by logic, roared satisfaction at the primal, natural feel of the earth hard beneath her. Michael rolled onto his back, pulling Mara on top of him. She threw a leg over him and shoved herself up with her hands flat on his shoulders until she was straddling his stomach.