With that, he turned and left the chamber.

I watched him go, wondering what he meant. I almost felt guilty for doubting him. But then Menolly"s and Camille"s voices as they approached the entrance sh.o.r.ed me up. I let go of the guilt. We were in a war. I had to be suspicious. Even if Vanzir couldn"t understand our concerns, he"d just have to learn to live with them.

The walk back to the car was interminable, and the drive home seemed to take forever. We were all exhausted. Camille conked out in the back, her head on Menolly"s shoulder. Vanzir sat apart from them, silent.

Morio was zonked out, too, next to Smoky and Rozurial. Zach was driving, and I sat in the front, next to him. As he navigated the chilly spring night, I watched his hands on the steering wheel. I was tired-exhausted, really-but I was also hyped up on adrenaline. Sleeping would be difficult. I leaned closer to him.

"Will you stay with me tonight?" I whispered.

He glanced at me, then back at the road. "Are you sure?"

I nodded.

"What about Chase?"

Taking a deep breath, I forced the air out of my lungs and said, "This is my my choice. I choose to be with you tonight, if you"ll have me." My voice trembled a little. Would he still want me, after all this time and frustration? I wouldn"t blame him if he didn"t want to get involved. choice. I choose to be with you tonight, if you"ll have me." My voice trembled a little. Would he still want me, after all this time and frustration? I wouldn"t blame him if he didn"t want to get involved.

But Zach merely smiled. "Delilah, I always want you. Never worry about that." And it was set.

We rode in silence until we arrived home, and then Smoky and Menolly set off for the portal with the spirit seal. Camille and Morio were too exhausted from their magical work to help, and I was just too beat in general.

The lights were on in the living room. Iris had waited up for us, even though we had told her not to. As we came in, she gave me an anxious look. I gave her a slow smile and a nod.

"We found the seal, and it"s on its way to . . . its new home right now." I still didn"t like talking about Queen Asteria in front of Vanzir.

Roz seemed to sense my hesitation, because he clapped Vanzir on the shoulder. "Let"s go. We"ll hole up at the local dive I"ve taken a sublet on for the month. Girls, we"ll be out of your hair for the night. Call us tomorrow when you want to talk. I"ve got my cell phone with me."

As we waved them out of the house, Camille shook her head. "Need sleep. I"m about to crash. Morio"s not much better. Smoky has a key. Lock the door when you go to bed." Dragging themselves up the stairs, my sister and her fox demon disappeared for the night.

"Delilah, before you go up, there was a call for you while you were out." Iris handed me half her sandwich. I must have been eyeing the food with a little too much gusto.

"I don"t want to hear it unless it"s an emergency." I tapped Zach on the shoulder. "Go on up and wait for me." He obligingly left the room.

Iris shook her head. "It wasn"t Chase," she said, frowning. "It was Sharah, and she said it was important."

"Did she say it was an emergency?"

"No," she said slowly, then frowned. "But she sounded worried. You"re not going to call her back?"

"Tomorrow morning. If it"s an emergency, she"ll call again. Meanwhile, I"m going to go relax, enjoy myself, and sleep for a gazillion hours," I said, running my hands through my hair. I needed a shower, and then I needed something a whole lot more sensual than a bunch of nasty water splashing over my body. "Zach"s staying," I added.

Iris smiled slowly. "We live in troubled times, Delilah. Don"t deny yourself the luxury of companionship out of fear or misplaced guilt. You and Chase have a great deal to talk over again before you can make any final decisions, but until then, if I were you, I"d consider myself a free agent."

Free agent. Not sure I liked that term, I merely gave her a peck on the cheek and headed upstairs to the man who was waiting for me with open arms.

CHAPTER 18.

As I approached my room, music filtered out from beneath the door. "Magic Man," by Heart. Zachary must be listening to the playlist on my MP3 player. I opened the door to find him sitting on the window seat in my bedroom, one knee pulled up to his chest. His other leg hung over the edge, and he tapped the floor with his foot, keeping time to the music.

The lights were off, and he was staring out the window, his regal profile framed in the glow from the hallway behind me. When he looked at me, his mouth beckoned, full and sensual, and the dusty summer wheat of his hair was tinged with gold, fringing his collar.

I caught my breath as the scent of his leather jacket flooded my nose. Even beneath the dusty coat, I could see every outline of muscle. The image of his puma self up on the mountainside burned in my mind. The memory of racing up the rocks by his side ran through my veins, and from somewhere, deep inside, Panther growled in recognition.

It had been a long time since we"d been alone together without a chaperone. I slowly moved toward him, skirting the bed, keenly aware of the covers falling to the floor, of stepping over my pajamas and the other dirty clothes that lay scattered around the edge. He swung his head toward me, silently waiting as I approached.

As I closed the distance between us, I thought about Chase. I could still stop before I screwed things up even further. I could call him and beg him to talk to me. I could tell him that I missed him. h.e.l.l, I could even go find Erika and kick her b.u.t.t and scare the h.e.l.l out of her.

But I didn"t want to do any of those things.

I was tired of thinking, tired of dealing with hurt feelings and jealousy, and I hated the jealousy that had grown in me. It bordered on insecurity, and that was one trait I didn"t didn"t want that I"d inherited from our mother. I didn"t like the feeling it left in my heart. If Chase wanted Erika, he was welcome to her. Right now, I didn"t want to deal with any of this c.r.a.p; all I wanted to do was . . . want that I"d inherited from our mother. I didn"t like the feeling it left in my heart. If Chase wanted Erika, he was welcome to her. Right now, I didn"t want to deal with any of this c.r.a.p; all I wanted to do was . . .

"Delilah," Zach"s voice curved around me, husky and low. He was suddenly standing and with one stride, planted himself in front of me. He slowly reached out to caress my throat. I shivered as he ran his finger down my neck, over my shirt, between my b.r.e.a.s.t.s.

"Don"t say a word. Don"t ask about anything," I said. "Just kiss me."

Zach leaned down and slowly pressed his lips against mine. They were full, plump, and I started to shake as his arms slid around me, pulling me tight against him. I kept my eyes open, staring into his own unblinking gaze as we kissed, as breath pa.s.sed between us.

"Oh Great Lady Bast, remind me of what I am," I whispered.

He stopped, pulled back, staring in my eyes. "What do you want? Just tell me, and I"ll do it."

I could feel Panther stirring from within. I grabbed his wrist. "Come with me."

He followed me as I dragged him to my playroom, past the kitty condo, past the upstairs litter box, and shoved the window open. I crawled out on the roof and jumped the short distance to land in the fork of an oak outside the window. As my hands grasped the trunk and my feet met the branch, I began to transform into Panther. She came quickly, painlessly, and within seconds I"d descended through the branches and dropped to the ground. I waited at the bottom of the tree as Zach followed suit, shifting into Puma as he leapt out of the tree to land at my side.

The night was thick and dark, the moon on her way to black, but we didn"t need her light. I raced toward the woods leading to Birchwater Pond, reveling in the feel of my muscles, in the feel of the ground beneath my paws, in the air that set my fur to quivering. Every sense stood at alert; every feeling was intensified.

The rustle of small animals racing through the brush caught my attention as we padded into the forest. The scents of spring loam and water and fungi and Zach"s desire careened on the wind, an intoxicating whirlwind, pulling me deeper into my feline self.

I raised my head and let out a deep roar, the vibrations in my throat sending me into a frenzy of hunger. I wanted him, wanted him to hold me down, to drive himself deep inside. As if reading my thoughts, he circled me, emitting guttural grunts as we sized each other up. Weres, we were-neither fully human nor fully feline-but an odd mixture of both.

In puma form, Zach was as amazing as he was in human. Sleek and muscled, golden-tawny with brilliant eyes that flashed between topaz and light brown-he slid up behind me. Receptive, I lowered myself to the ground and presented, but he stepped back and in a flurry of sparkling light and blurred edges, transformed back into his two-legged form. Surprised, I followed suit just as quickly.

"What"s wrong?" I asked. "You don"t sense Demonkin, do you?"

"I"d hurt you if I took you that way," he said, his voice broken. "I know you"ve f.u.c.ked other housecats, but it"s far more painful in big-cat form. My c.o.c.k is barbed, as are all male werepumas" organs, and I don"t want to take you that way . . . not this time. Not now. Not till the moon is full and we forget everything but the feel of her riding our souls. But let me love you here, as a man, in the forest where we belong." He held out his arms, his gaze burning a hole in my heart.

And then we were frantic, struggling out of our clothes, but still his luminous eyes stayed fixed on me as he kicked aside his jeans and tossed his shirt behind him. I yanked off my top, my jeans, my panties, as a low rumble rolled out of Zach"s throat. His nostrils flared, and he laughed, low and hard.

"I can smell you. Come here, p.u.s.s.ycat."

My stomach flipped. He was naked and fully aroused. I ran my fingers along his ripped abs, across his wide-set shoulders, tracing a line down to the V above his p.e.n.i.s, where he stood firmly, marvelously at attention.

"Now. Here. In the dirt," I said, barely above a whisper.

"As you command." He grabbed me around the waist, and we fell to the ground, into the soft moss, which tickled my skin and teased my senses with its scent. With one hand, he reached down to stroke me, his fingers knowing exactly where to move, where to touch. He lowered his lips to my breast and sucked, rough and with a laugh in the back of his throat.

I let out a short moan as a series of explosions began to fire, each one slightly larger than the last. I tried to catch my breath, but there was no pause, no respite, and I found myself shrieking as he moved his mouth down between my legs, replacing fingers with tongue. I held his head as he licked, the feel of his thick, curly hair between my thighs making me laugh with the sheer joy of the force driving us forward.

Covered in leaf mold and debris, I finally sat up, pushing him onto his back. "Your turn," I whispered, lowering my lips to his p.e.n.i.s. Carefully-cautious to avoid the fang issue-I licked the length of him, circling the head of his c.o.c.k with my tongue, teasing him harder by the minute.

"I want you," he said, suddenly grabbing me by the waist and pulling me up to stare in my eyes. "I want inside you."

I broke away, fell to my hands and knees, and he knelt behind me, grasping my waist as he drove deep inside, sliding in, spreading me wide. I raised my head and growled as he began to thrust, slowly at first, then faster, changing position, swiveling his hips, a white-hot match that reached right into my center to ignite my flame.

He leaned forward to lick the back of my neck, lightly biting as I pressed against him, digging my fingers into the dirt. If we couldn"t f.u.c.k as as big cats, we could f.u.c.k big cats, we could f.u.c.k like like big cats. big cats.

He was riding me hard now, and I lowered myself to the ground as he lay p.r.o.ne atop my back, grinding so hard that I couldn"t tell where he left off and I began. My b.r.e.a.s.t.s pressed into the damp leaves as I moved beneath him, the moist soil clinging to my flesh, rubbing against my nipples as if Mama Earth herself was suckling them.

We were both filthy and wet, and bruised from the day, and I loved it all-loved the moss beneath my belly, the feel of the mud plastering my legs. All the while, Zach"s c.o.c.k explored me from the inside out, his finger stroking my c.l.i.t as I struggled for that last push that would break open the dam.

And then I was there, on the edge, arms held out in supplication. A loud pounding filled my ears, the thundering rush of a waterfall from a distant land, and I jumped-soaring as I toppled over the edge and came.

I screamed as Zach roared out my name. Puma and Panther rose up, superimposed against us, rising from deep inside of our hearts like ghosts from the past, shadows of ourselves mating even as we mated. And then, as I exhaled, limp and sweating, the big cats climaxed, and their roars filled my ears like jungle drums in the night.

Zach gently rested his head on my back. He was drenched-sweating and damp and musky. "Are you okay?" he asked after a moment, rolling off of me.

I sat up. Every muscle ached. Every inch of me felt bruised through. But it was a good sore, the kind of sore that left me bone tired and ready for a long hot bath and a warm bed. The kind of sore that wrung every drop of tension out of my body.

"Yeah, I"m good," I said, yawning. The chill of the evening was descending, and now I felt cold and wet. I scrambled into my jeans and yanked my top over my head. So I was muddy. The clothes were dirty anyway and needed washing.

"I need to get inside," I added. "Come. Spend the night?"

He gazed down at me. "You really want me to?"

I thought about it. The only other man who"d ever slept in my bed was Chase. "Yeah, I do."

"Color me there," he said, sliding into his jeans and zipping up. He carried his shirt as we headed back to the house. As we jogged silently along the trail, I wondered how the h.e.l.l I"d deal with this. I"d never had s.e.x like that before. It was the first time I"d felt like both sides of myself-Were and woman-had been invited into the bed. I felt whole-wholly accepted and wholly desired. And I didn"t ever want it to stop.

CHAPTER 19.

Morning broke, and I opened my eyes to find Zach snuggled up against my back, his arm draped around my waist. He was snoring lightly, and the stubble on his chin rubbed against my shoulder as he murmured something in his sleep. The sun had broken through, and a lazy beam fell across the bed, bathing us in unexpected light and warmth.

I blinked, squinting at the clock. Eight thirty. Time to get up. Even though we"d gotten to bed late, I still preferred catnaps. A few hours here, a few hours there, and I was good to go. Especially after the s.e.x and the hot bath we"d taken together afterward.

I didn"t like water, but Zach had eased me into the tub full of bubbles, where I leaned against his chest as he reached around and washed my tummy, gently rubbing my b.r.e.a.s.t.s as he did so. As his hands glided over my flesh, the tide between us rose again, and he took me there, in the tub. I slid up on his lap, my knees straddling his hips. He slipped into me from below as I leaned forward to brace my hands on the bottom of the tub, and we"d quietly thrust our way into soapy ecstasy until the water cooled. The moment my head hit the pillow, I was out.

Now, awake but still blurry-eyed, I yawned and eased my way out of bed. Zach groaned, then pulled himself up to a sitting position. He gave me a goofy smile, warming me from the inside out, and held out his arms. I dropped my panties and bra, slipping back under the covers to plant a good-morning kiss on his mouth.

After a moment, he leaned back against the headboard and regarded me with a serious look. "Okay, we didn"t talk about this last night, but we need to now. What about-"

"Chase?" I finished the sentence for him. I still wasn"t ready to discuss the situation, but Zach wanted some sort of explanation, and I felt I owed him one.

"Yeah, Chase." He let out a long sigh. "Last night was incredible. I can only hope to G.o.d you felt the same thing I did. We"re meant for each other, Delilah. Can"t you feel it? We didn"t just f.u.c.k. We mated mated."

I almost about swallowed my tongue. I knew exactly what he was talking about but had been hesitant to vocalize it, not knowing if he"d felt the same way. The s.e.x had been fantastic, but even more, it felt like we"d merged, like he"d accepted me fully. All of me. Fae, human, weretabby, werepanther . . . every aspect of me had been involved in our lovemaking, and as much as Chase and I clicked, there were parts of my being where he couldn"t-or wouldn"t-go.

"I know," I said softly. "I know. But Zach, so much is going on right now. Chase and I . . . Chase . . ." I held out my panties, staring at them. They were green satin, and Chase had given them to me, a gift from Victoria"s Secret. I suddenly couldn"t put them on. I stuffed them back in the drawer and found another pair: pale pink, cotton, very simple. These were mine. My My own, own, my my style, style, my my comfort. As I slid them up my hips and then fastened a matching bra, I turned around to stare at the werepuma who was stretched out on the bed. comfort. As I slid them up my hips and then fastened a matching bra, I turned around to stare at the werepuma who was stretched out on the bed.

A long drink of warm rum on a cold winter"s night-that"s what Zach was. Milk and cookies in the afternoon, oatmeal in the morning. Hiking boots and blue jeans and a leather jacket that smelled like heaven. He was everything I was, except Fae.

"I"m furious that Chase lied to me. I could have handled him sleeping with his old flame, because truthfully, I think I"d like to have both of you in my life. But he didn"t tell me the truth, and I feel stupid because of it. Now I don"t know what he wants or what he"s thinking." I sat down on the edge of the bed, staring at the floor as I rested my head in my hands. "And I guess I don"t know what I I want. I don"t even know what I"m want. I don"t even know what I"m allowed allowed to want." to want."

I turned and pointed to the mark on my forehead. "I haven"t told anybody this yet, but yesterday, during the fight, the Autumn Lord said . . . he said that one day his plans include me being the one to bear his child. If he"s serious, I won"t have a choice. I"m bound to him. So where does that leave me? As much as Chase wants to be cool with our ways-with the ways of my father"s people-there are limits to what he can accept. To what he will accept. And he"d never accept something like that. Would you?"

Zach stared at me. After a moment, he reached over to rub my arm. "I don"t know if I can answer that right now, to be honest. I think if the Autumn Lord was okay with you having a mortal lover, that I could learn to be okay with you having an immortal child. The Puma Pride wouldn"t be, though. But I don"t necessarily listen to everything they say. Not anymore. My latest antics, as the elders call them, haven"t been well received at all. I"m sorry. I can"t give you a better answer than that."

I shrugged. "I"d rather have you honest about it than lying to me. That"s good enough for now. So what have you been up to that"s got the council in such an uproar?"

He gave me a sheepish grin. "I"m running for City Council. In Puyallup."

I stared at him. "You"re what?"

"I"m running for City Council. I want to be a councilman. I"m running on an open platform as a Supe. As one of the Rainier Puma Pride members. Venus is backing me up, and his support is the only only reason they haven"t thrown me out of the council yet. But I"m facing a lot of anger back at the compound." reason they haven"t thrown me out of the council yet. But I"m facing a lot of anger back at the compound."

I nodded. The Rainier Puma Pride-especially the council of elders-were set in their ways. They didn"t approve of my sisters and me, even though we"d saved their b.u.t.ts from the hands of a ruthless serial killer who turned out to be an ancient enemy. But we had at least two allies there. Both Zachary and Venus the Moon Child, their shaman, stood up for us. Thanks to the two of them, the Pride had a.s.sisted us on more than one occasion, but without their backing, we"d be persona non grata.

"Councilman, huh?" I snickered. "Hey, can you fix parking tickets if you get in?"

He laughed, a throaty laugh that made me want to bite those beautiful lips of his, but he rolled away, hopping out of the bed to stretch. His muscles rippled in the warm morning light. As he grimaced and held up his muddy jeans, I tossed him a terrycloth robe.

"Give me those dirty things."

He raised his eyebrows as he exchanged them for the robe. "It"s pink pink. And not hot pink, either. This is bubblegum pink."

"Hey, I happen to like bubble gum. So deal with it," I said, grinning. "We"ll just wash your clothes before you head home-"

A knock interrupted me. As Zach clutched the robe closed, I opened the door to find Iris standing there, a concerned look on her face.

"Sharah"s on the phone again, and she needs to talk to you. She"s on line one. Why don"t you take it while I toss these in the washer? I think we have a spare pair of jeans and a shirt around here that will fit you." She pulled Zach"s clothes out of my arms as he hastily scrambled to keep his robe from flying open. "Relax, Zachary. You haven"t got anything I haven"t seen before," she said with a grin, then quickly gathered up a basket of my dirty clothes from the floor and headed back downstairs.

I picked up the phone near my bed. We"d installed two extensions on both my floor, the third, and Camille"s, the second. Now we didn"t have to run downstairs. We"d also signed up for an extra line.