A. Arthur - Temptation Rising

And now there was another for him to protect. Kalina.

He hadn’t known who she was two years ago, and even now he didn’t know her all that well—or at least his human self didn’t. Yet his cat felt a connection, yearned to break free each time he was with her. Of course he fought it, even wondered why the animal wanted to be free with her. He’d never felt that urge with another woman before. The attraction was strong, so much so that just thinking of her made Rome hard and the cat hunger for more.

When he’d touched her tonight, felt the clench of her inner muscles around his fingers, the man wanted to roar with pleasure. In her eyes he saw a banked fire, hidden for whatever reason. Beneath his touch she melted, her response as eager as if she’d known what to expect. But she wouldn’t have, just as he hadn’t known. Until he touched her. And now he wanted more.

Wanted her with a fierceness he’d never experienced before, which made this yet another issue for him to try and resolve. That was his job as Faction Leader—to resolve the issues of the stateside shifters. As an attorney he resolved the issues of his clients. Now the man had an issue. A woman who both perplexed and aroused him, and who also needed his protection.

Running again Rome remained still while the cat took what it needed, fed from the elements in the only possible way.

Moonlight could now easily be seen; that meant he was nearing the edge of his forest. Rome always made sure to unleash his cat only in the deepest depth of the forest so no human passerby could sneak a peek. Even though this was his own private land and the perimeter was gated, he left nothing to chance.

Just as the last line of trees displayed themselves the cat slowed, falling to its side still breathing quickly, sensitive nostrils flaring and lifting scents from the air. As the heart rate slowed, the beast calmed, opening itself to the man. In seconds the sinewy skeleton of the cat transformed into the male—six foot two and a half inches tall, 235 pounds of male muscle. Walking to the spot where he’d dropped his robe, Rome picked up the black silk, slipping it on as he walked through the last blanket of trees out into the night air. The grass was cool and just a little damp from the humidity as he walked barefoot back to the house.

Golden light spilled from the open patio door. When he stepped inside it was to a marble stand with a silver tray on top. And a glass of scotch. Baxter knew him too well.

Picking up the glass, Rome lifted the remote that would close the door behind him and initiate the alarm system.

“Get some rest, tomorrow will be a busy day,” Baxter said in his slow precise tone from the shadow of the doorway that led to the game room.

“Has the meeting been arranged?” he asked. He took his first swallow of the drink, let the burn soothe the ache deep inside his gut.

“Yes. Mr. Dominick took care of everything. Mr. Eli will stay in the house with us tonight.”

“And Ezra?”

“He is with Ms. Harper. But you may consider bringing her here. It will not rest until it knows she is safe,” Baxter whispered before disappearing in the darkness.

He’d thought of that already. Knew his cat was hungry to see her again, to scent her, touch her. The protective edge was growing, pushing at all his restraints in its effort to keep her safe. Inside the cat began to pace, growling every few seconds as Rome considered the options.

It wanted Kalina, there was no doubt about that. And right now Rome wasn’t up for questioning the other part of himself. He was who he was because of his jaguar; they were partners, working together to make a whole. The cat wanted Kalina. The man craved her.

They both would have her.

Tonight hadn’t gone well for them, which usually meant it was going to go even worse for someone else.

Chavez was in a foul place, his beast ripping free as they walked down the dark street. It was close to dawn, the sky already shifting so that it looked like an angry storm of colors from deep indigo to rich fuchsia. They were still out prowling the streets after Sabar had finished with them.

What was still bothering them was not the missed opportunity to catch the woman Sabar had sent them for, but the heavy strain of unleashed lust that built up in a shifter, manifesting like a bitch of a hangover. Each of them felt it, maybe because their sexual exploits had been shared as of late. The animalistic desire mixing with the human sex drive rose to explosive levels among shifters. But in Rogues the feeling was absorbed, allowed to spread and anchor itself deep within until depraved sexual acts were a part of their natural state.

“You smell that?” Chi stretched out both his arms, stopping Chavez on one side and Darel on the other side of him.

The threesome inhaled simultaneously, then looked up at the building they were standing near.

There were females nearby, females in heat.

Without another word they entered the building, followed the alluring scent up a dark, dirty stairwell. There was a door at the end of the hall. Actually there were three doors on this floor, but only one beckoned to them. Like trained animals they followed the scent, each of them growing harder with every step. Arriving at the door where the scent rested, Darel lifted his hand to knock. Chavez pushed it away, lifted his foot with the size eleven boot, and kicked the door in.

Two females who had been sitting on the couch hitting a blunt jumped up. One who wore only underwear, her large breasts all but falling out of her bra and a barely there thong, stood first, raising her arms as if she were under arrest.

Darel’s mouth watered at the sight of those large mounds lifting with her motions.

The other one was too high to care. She rolled onto her stomach, peeking at them from the couch. Her ass was out, too; she didn’t bother to wear a thong at all. She wore a bra but her breasts weren’t visible because she was lying on them.

The three shifters stood there for only seconds letting the smell of weed and female desire fill their nostrils.

Then they pounced.

Through the open window came a stifling breeze. Kalina inhaled instinctively and the scent of rain permeated her senses, filled her with such longing she coughed in response. Rain and air and a fragrant scent filtered throughout the room, wrapping her body in a warm cocoon that she embraced wholeheartedly.

Kalina sighed, a lone tear traveling down her cheek. The breeze touched every pore of her naked body, and now she tingled all over. Standing, she walked to the window, pushing to the side the long sheer curtains now billowing in the breeze. When she looked out the window it wasn’t to the scene she was used to seeing. Gone were the city street, the parked cars, sidewalks, and other houses. It had all been replaced by darkness. A darkness that was eerie and yet comforting at the same time.

Glaring outside felt like standing in the middle of nothing. No cops, no drugs, no competition. If serenity could be bottled and that bottle dropped and broken, this would be it. She couldn’t see anything, but she could feel, and what she felt was like heaven.

“It’s yours, baby. You just have to be brave enough to take it.”

A deep voice sounded from behind, and the tingling against her skin instantly grew hotter.

He was there, again. Finally.

Her heart beat a little faster, her breasts rising and falling with her steady inhaling and exhaling. “I can’t,” she responded in the tiniest whisper.

Fingers that felt like feathers touched along her spine, moving downward until hands splayed across her bare bottom. She sucked in a breath as those same fingers slipped deftly into the seam, whispering softly over the tightened back entrance.