Black Cougar Curse Read online

  Lucia frowned. It all seemed so fantastical. How would it feel to be a cat, walking around on four paws not two feet? And what if she couldn’t change back?

  “I’m frightened, Sam.” Her bottom lip quivered and she bit it to stop the tremble. “It’s all just so weird. Too much to take in.”

  He squeezed her hand. “I know.”

  “Could we… Would it be safe to go outside? Take a walk? I feel…confined, hemmed in.”

  Sam smiled and stood, taking their plates to the sink. “That’s your cougar talking. She’s wild, doesn’t like captivity.” He leaned his hip against a cupboard. “Do you understand why I couldn’t live anywhere but here? I have lots of space, I’m surrounded by nature and I feel free.”

  The appeal of the city, of people milling around or rushing from one place to the next soured. The thought of this mountainous area, though…it grew on her by the second. The urge to breathe fresh air and stretch her legs became more urgent. “So could we go out? Now?”

  Sam nodded. “You can try out your senses. Check before we leave whether it’s safe.” He glanced at the wall clock. “I doubt very much anyone will be out there now. If anything they’ll come back when they think we’re asleep.” He held out a hand. “Come. I have somewhere I’d like to take you.” Leading her to the bedroom, he opened a drawer and took out a small square packet.

  Lucia laughed as he slipped it into his pocket. “Dare I say you feel the same as me?”

  Sam took her in his arms, his mouth close to hers. “I can’t get enough of you. Can’t stop thinking about you. Your touch. How we are together. I want to take you somewhere special, make love to you there. Think you can handle that?”

  Lucia nodded, brushing his lips with hers. “God, yes. Take me there.”

  Lust brewed inside her and she longed for him to take her now, hard and fast on the bed or against the wall. These feelings she had for him may have developed quickly, but she sensed that her new cougar emotions bound her more tightly to Sam, as though they were indeed destined to be together. She kissed him, conveying her growing love for him with each shift of her tongue, each circular movement of her hands on his back. Sam groaned and a growl followed. Did his cougar sense hers?

  He broke away and steered her to the front door where they stood at the threshold, chins lifted. Lucia sniffed, smelling nothing but the pure goodness of the outdoors.

  “Do you think it’s safe?” Sam asked.

  “Yes.”

  “Good. Now, when we walk, keep alert. Any change in the air, any new aroma that doesn’t smell right…let me know. I want to make sure you aren’t overwhelmed by your new senses and understand what is happening.”

  He closed the door and walked ahead. Stepping onto the grass, he held out his hand and Lucia clasped it, his touch sending shivers through her. She scolded herself for allowing the distraction—she must learn to focus on what her heightened awareness told her. They veered across the grass toward the forest and entered the trees hand in hand. Forest aromas assaulted her, stronger, more pungent than anything she’d smelled before, and she marveled at the different nuances, how they blended together to create one scent. Traces of animals, birds, leaves, earth and bark filtered through the air. She heard night creatures foraging, wings flapping, paws tapping on the ground. How had she survived so far without such keen instincts?

  “Do you feel it?” Sam asked. “Feel the life in the forest?”

  “Yes!” Awed, Lucia looked around, spying with her stronger sight an owl high up in a tree. “Yes, I feel it. Breathe it.”

  Sam chuckled. “You’ll never get weary of it. Though we carry what some might think of as the burden of a curse, I welcome it, embrace it.”

  “It’s all so beautiful. Nature. Everything seems so…so sharp and defined. It’s amazing.”

  They continued in silence, Lucia soaking up the experience, her heart swelling with happiness. Of being truly herself for the first time in her life.

  A new essence wafted toward her. “The waterfall is near. Oh, and I can hear it. Only faintly, but I hear it.”

  “It’s through here.” Sam tugged her out of the forest.

  Lucia recalled the scene from the vision in the fire, when she’d followed Indulala on this very route. They walked through the rock face with the archway, Lucia inhaling the musky scent of wet rock. The sound of the water grew louder here, as though she stood right beside the waterfall, yet it lay a few feet ahead as they emerged from the rock. The pool was more beautiful than in her vision, the moonlight illuminating the spume the waterfall created as it pummeled down, the ripples on the surface glistening.

  “Oh my God! It’s stunning!” She rushed forward to kneel on the pool’s smooth stone edge, sweeping her fingers through the water. “But it’s cold!”

  Sam stood beside her. “You won’t feel the cold the same way you used to. Maybe a little since you haven’t been through the shift yet, but I think you’ll find that it’s not cold at all.”

  Lucia stood, staring at him wide-eyed. “We’re going in there?” She pointed at the pool, her eyebrows shooting upward.

  Rich laughter bellowed out of Sam and he nodded, pulling her toward him. “Yes. In there.”

  He unzipped her coat and tugged it off her arms, laying it on the ground beside them. She allowed him to undress her. Naked, she let his gaze rove her body and watched his features change as he took her in. His eyes darkened and his mouth curved into a sexy smile.

  “Fuck, you make me horny,” he said, cupping her shoulders and drawing her close.

  She snaked her hands between them and removed his upper garments, tackling his jeans buttons with impatient fingers—fingers that she wanted to curl around his cock. He toed off his boots and socks and stepped out of his jeans. He wore no underwear and his cock jutted proudly, the heavy weight of it bobbing. Pressing her chest to Sam’s, Lucia positioned her slit so his hardness glided between her wet folds, the tip of his cock butting her engorged clit. Her nipples grazed his chest and she gritted her teeth, hissing out her pleasure while looking into his eyes. A soft breeze lifted his hair. It fell back down to cover her breasts and she kneaded his ass, holding him steady as she gyrated against him. Sam brought up his hands, one splayed at the center of her back, the other in her hair, and they kissed, tongues entwined.

  Sam broke away, panting softly. “Fuck, woman.”

  He let her go and stooped to his jeans, taking the small packet out of his pocket. He tore off the wrapper and handed the condom to her. She took it and curved her hand around the base of his cock, easing her fist up and down, loving the feel of his soft skin on her palm. Sam sucked in a breath as they stared at one another, lust and desire like a tangible thing between them, something they could pluck out of the air and feast on whenever they chose. He caressed her arms as he watched her rolling the condom down his length. Shivers wended up her spine and her clit throbbed. Lucia looked up, took Sam’s hand and brought it to her mouth. She sucked on one finger, swirling her tongue around it. Sam’s groan prompted her to suck deeper, emulating how she sucked his cock.

  “Stop,” he whispered. “Stop or—”

  Lucia sucked harder.

  “Fuck!” Sam closed his eyes and breathed deeply, opening them again to look at her with longing.

  She stopped teasing him and drew his finger from her mouth, guiding him to the pool. They slipped into the water, the temperature only a momentary shock to Lucia. She gasped and lowered her body, arching her neck to dip her hair in the water. Her breasts broke the surface and she cried out in delight and surprise when Sam’s mouth claimed one nipple. His hands supported her back and she raised her torso, pushing her chest toward him so he suckled harder.

  Sam pushed her gently through the water so her back rested against the smooth stony side. She braced herself on the rounded lip of the pool then pushed up, gripping him around the waist with her legs. Lucia stared at Sam, lowering herself onto his cock, the water aiding his entrance. He filled her, wide and
long, pumping into her with languid, easy thrusts.

  Lucia moved one of his hands down between them. “Touch me inside and out. Make me come.”

  He stroked her clit with one thumb while the other strummed her breast, all the while plunging into her sex. She drowned in the sensations spreading inside her cunt and lower belly. Tiny waves of pleasure radiated from her clit and she vowed not to touch him as he made her come, succumbing to his total control. The water sloshed around them, smacking against the edge of the pool and whooshing over the side to wet the stone. He swirled his fingertips around her nipple then gripped it between finger and thumb. Sam thrust into her harder, faster and water splashed up, wetting her face and breasts, its coolness heaven on her heated cheeks. He tweaked her nipple with more force and she cried out, chasing the blissful stirrings in her core.

  Sam leaned forward and licked the column of her neck from base to chin, his tongue warm and erotic. She hung her head back and gave herself up to the crest of her orgasm, so many things being done to her at once she couldn’t restrain herself.

  “I’m close,” he whispered against her skin, breath hot, lower lip dragging up her throat. “So fucking close…”

  His cock thickened and her cunt clenched around him, milking the first spurt of cum. He yelled out, a hoarse emission that ratcheted up her desire and she gripped his waist tighter. With quick, hard jerks he rammed into her, pinching and pulling her nipple, kissing down to her collarbone and taking the other bud into his mouth. He held it between his teeth as he panted out his orgasm, the rumbling soft chant of “Ah-ah-ah” humming through her breast.

  Sam quickly took his fingers from her clit and gripped her around the waist with both hands, fucking her, hard and relentless, prolonging her orgasm. She lifted her head and he claimed her lips with his, dipping his tongue inside and exploring her mouth. Lucia wrapped her arms around his neck and pressed her breasts to his chest. Sam’s rhythm broke and his hips spasmed, cock pushing into her as far as it would go. She cried out again, reveling in the receding bliss, knowing she belonged here in this place with a man who seemed to know her needs more than she did.

  Chapter Nine

  Halfway home, Sam caught a whiff of danger in the air. He stilled, lifted his face toward the darkened sky and closed his eyes. He’s back. Near. Goddamn it! His senses heightened, he tilted his head, judging the direction in which the man hid. East, he was east, probably lurking in the forest that bordered the ravine. Sam turned to face Lucia. She, too, had stopped walking a short way behind him, her eyes closed, fists poised in front of her as though gripping the air.

  “You sense him too?” Sam asked, moving to stand by her side.

  She nodded and opened her eyes. “Over there.” Pointing in the same direction Sam had been looking, she pursed her lips. “He’s waiting, isn’t he?”

  “I would think so. Hiding under the cover of darkness. Damn coward.” A stronger aroma breezed past—anger or impatience?—and Sam frowned. “Come on. We need to get home.” He took her elbow and propelled her forward, intent on reaching the cabin as soon as possible. Something wasn’t right, and damned if he wanted Lucia out here when the shit went down.

  She stumbled but righted herself and he slowed his pace a little, guilt that he’d acted roughly adding to the building pressure inside him. He flashed her a brief smile, the frown lines marring her forehead a result of more than just his actions, he was sure. Her cougar was manifesting inside her, uncoiling and spreading. She couldn’t shift out here—not now, not when that man lurked so near. He’d have her good as caught in a second as she struggled with the change. Unused to such a vast transformation, Lucia would be disoriented, leaving her vulnerable. Sam shuddered and walked on, his grip still firm on her arm, senses on full alert.

  Footsteps to their left filtered toward them and Sam stiffened at the same time Lucia drew in a sharp breath.

  “Shit!” she whispered, drawing him closer.

  A new scent lingered on the edges of the others and Sam narrowed his eyes, concentrating on what it was. Engine oil? He strained to hear better, waiting to pick up any indication a vehicle idled nearby. Hearing nothing but the night animals and his and Lucia’s breathing, he urged her to walk faster.

  “Quickly,” he murmured, tugging her on, his cougar pushing to be free. He clamped his teeth together, fighting the inevitable change. His cougar knew something he did not, but he resisted the shift, not wanting to startle Lucia and be unable to help her should she change too. “If we should get separated out here, head to the hidden waterfall. Do you remember how to get there?”

  “Yes, but—”

  “Good.”

  They stumbled out of the forest and into the clearing outside the cabin. He stared all around, head cocked again. The scent was stronger here, heavy on the breeze, yet as he scanned the forest he saw no evidence the man was there. Bastard knows how to hide for sure.

  “He’s closer,” Lucia said, eyes wide. “Christ, he’s waiting for us. He’s ready to jump out, to capture you and take you away. He’s—”

  Sam tightened his grip on her arm. “Now isn’t the time to panic. You must remain calm. Come on. We need to get back inside.” He stifled the urge to take her in his arms and reassure her more. It wasn’t the time for that either.

  Stepping farther into the clearing, Sam pulled Lucia with him, ears tuned to any movement other than theirs. Their feet shuffled through the grass, making it difficult. He cursed beneath his breath and judged how far they had to go before they reached the cabin. Maybe one hundred feet stretched before them—one hundred feet too many—and he made a swift decision. Stopping abruptly, he scooped Lucia into his arms, ignoring her startled protest. He ran forward. The sharp crack of twigs rent the night and Sam knew it was a race against time. An engine roared to life and two swaths of light from behind sliced the immediate darkness, sending the cabin into shadow. Lucia stared over his shoulder, her gasp loud in his ear.

  Fuck! We’ve been set up.

  “Shit, Sam! A truck’s coming! Put me down. I can run!”

  He ignored her and pressed on, upping his speed, his heart hammering so hard it hurt. Fifty feet, forty, thirty, then a blur of movement to his left told him someone had emerged from the forest. Damn, the key! He’d never get it out and the door opened in time. He’d have to put Lucia down and fight. His lungs burned and the muscles in his calves and thighs seared from exertion. Twenty feet, ten…

  “Sam! Oh God, Sam! Watch out!”

  Lucia’s warning came too late. A dark shape barreled toward him from the left, knocking them sideways. He scrabbled to keep hold of Lucia but she tumbled out of his arms as they hit the ground. She rolled a few feet away and he sprang to his feet, circling to gain sight of the man. There he was, standing with legs apart, fists ready for action.

  “Run, Lucia!” Sam yelled, locking gazes with the man. He saw her from his peripheral vision, staggering toward the cabin, the headlights bringing her figure into focus. Hoping she’d make it safely, he turned his attention on the man, who took one step forward, eyes narrowed.

  “Ah, and there you are,” he snarled, lips curving into a vicious grin. “Fucked. You’re fucked.”

  The vehicle shot past and Sam glanced sideward to check on Lucia. She fumbled at the door, struggling to get the key in the lock then looked back, her face white, her eyes shining in the glare of the headlights. Anger surged inside him and he lunged forward, jabbing his head into the man’s belly. The momentum propelled the man backward and they both fell to the ground, clutching at one another in an attempt to gain the advantage. Spurred on by his need to keep Lucia safe, Sam threw the man onto his back and straddled him, raising his fist to jam it into his moonlike face. Jerking his head to the side, the guy delivered an uppercut to Sam’s nose. Pain bloomed inside his head and he snapped his eyes shut reflexively, springing them open again as his opponent hoisted him off his belly and threw Sam onto the grass. His head smacked against something hard and, disoriented, Sam st
ared up at the man who now towered over him.

  “Reckon we wouldn’t get hold of you?” the man asked, voice loud and gruff.

  The sound of a door opening and closing filtered through the fog in Sam’s mind. Please let her have made it inside. Please… He fought against losing consciousness, begged for enough energy to shift. His body disobeyed his commands and his cougar keened inside him, clawing for escape.

  “Fuck you!” Sam spat and turned his head toward the cabin.

  Lucia stood in front of a red pickup truck, arms pulled behind her, held in place by a guy in a suit. An aura of red mottled with black emanated from the man. And in the distance, Sam heard the turtle-shell rattler. A vision came to him. Manohar’s feathered spear hurtled through the air. A loud swoosh and then a thud. A blue-eyed man gripped his stomach, falling to the ground. Sam cried out in agony as if he had been pierced by the spear—not his father. The cougar raged against the pain. Turning toward the headlights that illuminated the man and Lucia all too clearly, Sam resisted the beckoning oblivion. His arms and legs were too heavy to move, as though all the life had been sucked out of him. Head aching, his sight going fuzzy, his remaining energy drained away.

  His opponent planted a heavy boot in the center of Sam’s chest, pinning him to the ground. “See your little lady there? Reckon you won’t mind us taking her on a ride. She’s got information we need, know what I’m saying? And sure as shit she’ll tell us knowing what we’ll be doing to you.” He paused for a beat. “My boss there, he’ll lose no time in letting her know what I’ll be doing to you.”

  Nausea weakened Sam further and he cursed his inability to get up or shift. He stared at Lucia, willing her to remain quiet when her captor asked questions. But if she did, would they hurt her? Even kill her?

  Oh, fuck, no. Please no…

  The boot on Sam’s chest pressed harder. “Yeah, that’s right, you might well look like you’re about to shit your pants. You probably will by the time I’m done.” The man laughed, cruel as fuck, and hawked spit on Sam’s face.