Catalina rocked back, allowing her wet folds to slide along his cock without letting him penetrate her. The sensation was shocking, ecstatic, and maddening. She rubbed herself over him, marking him with her scent, her lips curled in teasing pleasure. He heard himself gasping, his pulse thundering in his ears. He couldn’t think of anything but sinking himself inside her.
Then she leaned forward, bracing her palms on his shoulders, and slid down to surround him. An electric jolt of pleasure flashed through him, making him groan aloud. She was hot and wet and tight inside. Just being inside her was nearly enough to make him come then and there.
Catalina rode him hard, matching his thrusts, her hands clenched hard on his shoulders. She was panting, her lips parted, her skin glowing with a light mist of sweat. She’d never been more beautiful, wrapped up in her own pleasure. Shane held her wrists, keeping her steady, giving himself something to hold on to lest he be completely swept away.
He felt as well as saw her come, her walls clenching and pulsing around him as she threw back her head and gasped. Her eyes were closed, her black eyelashes fluttering, her lovely face transfigured with the intensity of her orgasm. Shane wanted to stay in that moment forever, gripped in her wet heat, seeing the pleasure he was giving her. But his body pushed him onward, thrusting harder and faster, until the last thread of his control snapped and he shattered into white-hot ecstasy.
Shane slowly returned to the world: the sound of Catalina’s breathing, her body warm beside his, her arm across his chest and her fingers clasping his, the crackle of the fire, the scent of smoke and sex. He lay still and relaxed, sensing rather than thinking, wanting nothing more than the present moment. Gradually, he began to drift into sleep.
A rustle and snap jarred Shane out of his pleasant doze. He sprang to his feet, instantly on full alert, all senses attuned for danger.
Catalina grabbed for the medical kit, opening it and yanking out a pair of tranquilizer guns.
Another rustle and snap, this one closer. Some heavy creature was approaching, crunching leaves and twigs beneath its feet. Shane took one of the guns from Catalina, crept to the entrance of the cave, and peered out.
The darkness outside had lightened to the blue dimness of pre-dawn. In that faint light, he saw an enormous grizzly bear stalking toward the cave.
“Bear,” Shane whispered. He handed the gun back to Catalina without taking his eyes off the grizzly. “It probably smelled the rabbits. I don’t think darts will stop it— I’ll scare it off.”
He stepped out of the cave, confronting the bear in his human form. He didn’t know if his fear power worked when he was a panther— the big cat was perfectly capable of terrifying humans without any special assistance— and ever since Catalina had suggested using it on animals, he’d been curious whether that would work.
The bear stopped, swinging its great head toward him. Shane found the part of him that was pure predator, that felt no fear or hesitation, that lived for nothing but the kill. Then he looked into the bear’s shiny black eyes.
The grizzly looked right back at him. Shane had wondered if it was a shifter from Apex, but there was no human intelligence in its gaz. It was a wild animal, nothing more. And it sure didn’t seem scared. If anything, he seemed to have annoyed it. The bear growled, then began approaching faster.
Bears are supposed to be scared of humans, Shane recalled from years of hiking in the woods. Any humans, not just me. Stand tall, wave your arms to make yourself look bigger, and yell. They’ll
run away.
He waved his arms and yelled. “Go away! Get lost!”
The grizzly bear growled again, and charged.
Shane shifted faster than he ever had before, leaping to the side the instant the change was complete. His panther was quick, but so was the bear. The grizzly caught him in mid-leap, bowling him over with its superior weight and sending him rolling head over tail down the hillside.
Shane scrambled to his feet, startled but unhurt. The grizzly swung around, its attention now fixed on Shane, and began to lumber toward him.
Good, Shane thought. I’ll draw it far away from my mate.
He snarled, his lips writhing away from his fangs, then began to slowly back away from the grizzly.
The bear growled and charged again. Shane dashed into the woods, taking care not to go too fast. He wanted the bear to keep thinking that he’d catch the panther at any second. He glanced back, satisfied to see that the bear was still in pursuit, and snarled tauntingly. The bear growled and ran faster.
Shane led the bear through the forest, slowing and snarling every time it looked like the bear was losing interest. The sound of the river grew louder as he traveled, but all he could see was trees and bushes.
The bear put on a sudden burst of speed, making Shane work to stay out of reach. He could smell it now, a distinctive scent of fur and musk and fish, and feel its hot breath on his hindquarters. Shane glanced back. The bear was almost on top of him. It lunged, shockingly quick, and swiped at him with a huge paw. Shane took a flying leap forward, crashing through a tall hedge of thorny bushes.
And tumbled through empty air.
He had just enough time to realize that he was falling before he landed. The impact was like hitting concrete, driving the breath from his lungs. Then he was flung forward, tossed about like a toy in rushing, freezing rapids.
Dazed by the impact, unable to breathe, Shane struggled to orient himself.
You fell off a cliff, he told himself. You’re in a river. Get your head above the water.
His muzzle broke the surface. He managed one desperate gulp of air before the current pulled him under.
Chapter Ten