Laura Wright: Talon/Xavier

After he’d offered to have sex with her?

No. It wasn’t even sex.

It was a quick fuck with a stranger.

It was clearly time she returned to her own life.

Far away from the bayous and Pantera males who would be greatly improved by having their bloated heads stuffed and mounted over the nearest fireplace.

A thrill of excitement raced through Talon as he slid silently through the underbrush. In his cat form he moved with a silent grace that made certain his prey was unaware she was being hunted.

Isi.

His excitement turned to a darker, more enticing emotion as he caught the scent of magnolia.

The female wasn’t at all what he’d been expecting.

Harbingers of doom shouldn’t look like exotic butterflies, with raven black hair highlighted with brilliant blue, and black eyes that contrasted with pale, milky skin. Even the tattoo and piercings that should have made her look hard only emphasized her striking beauty.

A rare, exquisite creature that had made lust explode through him from the second he’d caught sight of her curled in his bed.

Of course, she did have the attitude, he wryly acknowledged.

But even the sharp tongue and don’t-screw-with-me insolence fascinated him.

It made him want to break through the brittle facade to find the warm, passionate woman beneath.

And she would be passionate.

He’d caught the scent of her arousal. An arousal that matched his own.

She wanted him. Just like he wanted her.

Beneath him.

Now.

Realizing they were nearing the border of the Wildlands, Talon began to close the distance.

He’d heard her the second Isi had left her room to creep downstairs. She’d taken time to slip into the laundry room and grab one of the sweat suits that every Pantera kept in his home. Even though their clothing usually transformed during the shift, there were times when they were stressed, or injured, or too weary to maintain full control of their transformation. The sweats were bought in bulk to be disposable.

Then, she’d slipped from his house like a thief in the night.

Talon had allowed her escape.

He wanted to know where the hell she was going and who she was meeting.

Now it was clear that she’d been serious when she’d said she intended to go home.

With a silent burst of speed, Talon was circling around her, hidden by the thick vegetation. He felt a brief flare of confusion when he caught sight of her pale face and the hand pressed to her lips as if she was struggling against the urge to vomit.

She was far sicker than she had been at his house.

And for some stupid reason the realization sent a stab of fury through his heart. As if the thought of her in distress was painful to him.

With a low growl he crushed the unwelcome suspicion, instead pouncing forward, concentrating on his shift from cat to human as he carefully knocked Isi to the mossy ground.

An explosion of magic burst through his body, making him shudder as his bones and muscle realigned.

An exhilarating sensation.

But not nearly so exhilarating as the feel of her slender curves pressed beneath him.

“Going somewhere, darling?” he drawled, running a searching gaze down her body to make certain she hadn’t been hurt in the fall.

Not that he should care, he fiercely told himself.

He’d warned her what would happen if she tried to flee.

Still, he couldn’t entirely shake his aggravating aversion to seeing her in pain.

Isi’s eyes widened in fear before she realized exactly who was pinning her to the ground. Immediately her fear altered to pure fury.

“Shit.” She wriggled beneath him, her face losing its pasty shade of green as his musk began to fill the air. “Stop leaping on top of me.”

Sweet sparks of arousal tingled through his blood as she writhed against his swelling cock, the intensity of his pleasure wrenching a low growl from his throat.

Lowering his head, he pressed his nose to the curve of her throat, breathing deep of her magnolia scent.

“I wouldn’t twitch a single muscle if I were you,” he warned.

Her muscles tensed, her heart pounding so loud he could hear the frantic beats. “Why?”

“Because chasing you has turned me on.” Unable to resist temptation, Talon sank his teeth into her silken flesh, not hard enough to draw blood, but enough to satisfy the cat inside him who abruptly wanted a taste of this female. Lust thundered through him. “Do you want to run some more?”

She slammed her fist against his back, her entire body trembling. But not with fear. Or anger.

“I just want you to leave me alone,” she rasped.

“Liar.” His voice thickened as the intoxicating scent of her cream teased at his senses. Her pussy was already wet and ready for him to penetrate. His cock twitched, anxious to fulfill her need. “I excite you.”

Another blow to his back. “You’re pissing me off, fur boy.”

He licked a path down her throat, his cat prowling just below the surface, as if unnerved by the intoxicating flavor of her skin.

“Then why do you smell like sex?” he demanded.

“Because you’re delusional,” she muttered, making another bid for freedom.

“Dammit,” he snarled, lifting his head to glare into her wide eyes. It was one thing to taunt her with his awareness of her arousal. It was another to realize that he was perilously close to ripping off her clothes and fucking her right there. He might be a Pantera, but he wasn’t an animal. “I told you to stay still.”

“I don’t take orders from you…” Her words trailed away as he pressed a hand to her forehead, his gaze searching her pale face. “What are you doing?”

“You were sick,” he said in abrupt tones, temporarily distracted from his potent lust.

She frowned. “This whole place makes me sick.”

“Now you’re better.”

Something flickered in her eyes. Something she was trying to hide from him.

“We’re close to border.”

“No.” He gave a slow shake of his head. “You were better in my home. And now you’re better because I’m holding you,” he reasoned out loud. Then the truth struck him. “It’s me,” he said, watching as the flush of color stained her cheeks. “I make you better.”

She glared at him in frustration. “God, could your ego get any bigger?”

He leaned down to nip the tip of her nose. “Admit it.”

“No.”

“Why not?” His lips twisted as his lust returned in full, painful force. Christ, his cock was pressing so hard against the zipper of his jeans he was afraid it might bust through. “I’ll admit your scent is driving me out of my fucking mind.”

“Talon.”

He hissed, heat exploding through him as he allowed his lips to trail over her cheek to the edge of her mouth.

“Say it again,” he urged.

She trembled, her hands spread against his back as she forgot to fight him. “What?”

“My name.” He used his tongue to trace the lush temptation of her lower lip. “Say it again.”

“Talon.”

“I like to hear it on your lips,” he said, kissing the line of her jaw before heading down the silken skin of her throat.

Her nails bit into his shoulders as she arched in pleasure beneath him. “What are you doing to me?”

“Darling, I’ll do anything you want,” he muttered, forgetting where they were and, more importantly, who she was.

Nothing mattered but the sharp-edged hunger that clawed at him whenever he was close to this female.

He reached the neckline of her sweatshirt, impatiently using his chin to push it aside so he could trace her collarbone with his lips.

“Oh,” she breathed, rubbing against the thick thrust of his erection.