Cat of a Different Color

Chapter Two

Thank God for her dark glasses. She’d been told that with most Pumas their eyes flashed gold when upset ( or aroused, her inner kitty purred). Hers flashed red. These poor people would think she was some sort of demon if they saw that. They’d flashed red when she caught Adrian’s scent outside her motel room door. When she’d heard his voice for the first time her claws had damn near extended.

She’d managed to wrestle her Puma into submission, but every time the delicious Dr. Giordano spoke she could feel her inner kitty purring as if he’d petted her.

Oh, pet me, Dr. Adrian!

The mine her Puma had snarled hadn’t helped. Her declaration that she wasn’t looking for a mate sounded fake even to herself.

Although technically speaking, it was true. It seemed she’d found her mate, whether she wanted to or not.

She was going to have to figure out a way to keep him safe from Rudy; somehow she doubted that would be as easy as it sounded.

The front door to Max’s house opened. “Hi, Sheri!”

She braced herself as Simon’s enthusiastic mate embraced her like a long lost friend. “Hi, Becky.” She could see the Beta female’s ultra-curly hair and the paleness of her face. Becky’s features were clear because she was so close, the bright jade green of Becky’s eyes twinkling merrily. “Where’s Emma?”

Sheri was dying to meet the Curana. She’d spoken to her on the phone and Becky had heaped praise upon the woman’s head, but it didn’t change the fact that she had to meet the Curana face to face and get her approval before the other members of the Pride would accept her.

“Right here,” a husky female voice replied. Becky was pulled away and Sheri braced herself again. A small woman moved into her field of vision, and she tilted her head to see her better. She saw long dark hair and dark eyes in a golden-skinned face, but unless she came closer her features would remain a blur.

“Max,” that husky voice drawled.

“Yes?” Max’s familiar voice drawled back.

“Are you sure you never slept with her?”

“Emma.” Max laughed as he moved up behind the small woman. His familiar scent wafted over her.

“Blonde, gorgeous…explain to me how you didn’t sleep with her. Hell, I’m straight and I’d do her.”

“Emma!”

“We didn’t want to,” Sheri replied, somewhat startled by her welcome.

She could feel Emma’s attention swirl back to her. Damn, the Curana is strong.

“Oh?”

“Being chased by a rabid boyfriend out to force me into a mating meant men weren’t high on my priority list. Or women.” She grinned, relieved when the Curana chuckled. She felt Adrian’s arm stiffen under her hand. “Besides, Max was dating-”

“Emma, why don’t you let them through the door? It’s cold out there,” Max interrupted.

She could almost feel Emma’s amusement as the Curana stepped back. “Sure, Sheri, come on in.” The Curana leaned in and whispered in her ear, “Remind me that we need to talk later, okay?”

“Emma, come on.” Max laughed again. “Do you really want to know who I slept with in college?”

“Not really.” Sheri could hear the grin in Emma’s voice. “I just like making you squirm.”

There was the sound of a soft kiss. “I’ll make you squirm later,” Max purred softly in Emma’s ear. It was obvious he thought no one else would hear him, but her hearing was even more acute than a normal Puma’s.

She could feel her cheeks redden at the banked heat in his voice. Emma’s soft “Oh, boy” sounded too much like how she felt as Adrian slid an arm around her waist and pulled her closer to him. His hand landed possessively on her hip as they walked into the room.

“What was that about a rabid boyfriend?” Adrian asked. His voice sounded strained.

Strained or not, she loved listening to it. It was warm and rich like melted chocolate, running over her skin in a sexy slide that raised goose bumps on her arms. Her eyes flashed red behind their glasses. Darn it .

Melted chocolate described the good doctor perfectly. Rich chocolate brown eyes, dark brown hair and tanned skin over smooth muscle made the man a rich treat she was dying to eat up, especially since she was a devoted chocoholic.

Too bad it wouldn’t work out. Rudy would take one look at the good doctor and eat him for lunch.

Literally.

Max sighed. “Long story, buddy, and one we’ll be telling the entire pack. C’mon in, take your coats off and have a seat. Hey, Jerry.”

She gave Jerry the command that let him know he was off duty, so when Max bent down and petted him, he wagged his tail hard enough to nearly pull the harness out of her hand. She laughed, glad her dog and her Alpha liked one another. “He likes you.”

“Good, because he’ll be seeing a lot of me.” He took her coat and handed it to Emma. Adrian casually guided her to a large burgundy leather sofa. She could see people moving around, but couldn’t really make out faces. Scents, on the other hand…

There were several men and women in the group; thankfully none of them wore perfume or cologne, something Weres tended not to do anyway. Their sensitive noses wouldn’t allow it. None of their scents were familiar except for Max, the Betas and Adrian. Children squealed and laughed upstairs. She could make out the sounds of a video game running somewhere and figured the majority of the children were there.

The enticing scent of the luscious Dr. Yum drifted towards her. “Rabid boyfriend?” Adrian whispered in her ear as he settled in next to her.

She sighed. “I only want to tell it once, okay?”

Silence.

“Please?” She didn’t know why she was pleading with him, but the weight of his stare was beginning to make her uncomfortable. And uncomfortably hot, something she did not need to be in a room full of predators.

She could just make out his nod before she heard his “Okay.” He leaned in to whisper in her ear. “But we will talk about this later.”

The feel of his breath on her ear and neck sent a shiver down her spine even as his commanding tone got her hackles up.

She frowned at him and started to say something, only to be interrupted by Max. “Okay, people, listen up. We have a new Pride member to meet tonight. She’s someone Simon and I knew in college, someone I changed when she needed help. Her name is Sheridan Montgomery. She’s a good person who’s had a hard time. She’s come to us for help, so please listen up.”

Sheri could hear the Alpha in Max’s voice, felt his power reach into the room. All of the conversations died down immediately as she stood and stepped forward. She could smell Max and his mate standing next to the fireplace, with Simon and Becky on Max’s right. She turned reluctantly to face the room. The moment of truth. Will they help me, or not?

“Hello,” she began, her fingers tightening on Jerry’s lead. He reacted by going back on duty, settling down next to her in an alert posture. “I’m Sheri.”

Adrian sat back as casually as he could and tried to get his tense muscles to relax. His mate had been threatened, and from the way Max and Simon were acting she was still under threat. His Puma was practically vibrating. If he’d had a tail it would have been swishing rapidly back and forth. Hell, even as a human he had the urge to stand up and pace, but he forced himself to stay still and listen to what Sheri had to say.

“Back in college, I dated a man named Rudy Parker. I was in my third year of the Comp Sci program, he was in the graduate program. Mechanical Engineering. He wanted to work with robots.” She smiled sadly as she said it. “He seemed like the answer to every dream I’d ever had.”

Adrian nearly growled. The thought of her caring about someone else that much set his teeth on edge, and he’d only known the woman for about an hour. Every possessive instinct he had began stretching, like a cat waking in the morning light, all of its attention centered on the slender blonde in front of him.

“In my senior year little things started to happen that had me worried. He’d tell me to wear a skirt, because he loved me in skirts, then he’d get upset if I wore jeans. He’d buy me hot chocolate to drink and pout if I wasn’t properly grateful. Things began escalating right before I graduated.”

Her voice was strong, but her hands began to shake. He had the urge to get up and put his arms around her, to let her know she’d be safe with him. Did this Parker guy hurt her? If he’d laid a hand on her he was a dead man. Adrian would hunt him down and gut him personally.

He felt someone’s eyes on him and turned. It was Simon. The man looked at him as if he knew exactly what he was thinking. And if anyone in this room did, it would be the big artist. His mate had been attacked and badly injured by a Pride member before she’d been turned, and Adrian knew Simon still wished he’d killed the bitch. Becky leaned into Simon and stroked his arm soothingly, but her eyes were glued to Sheri.

Adrian turned his attention back to his snow princess.

“Rudy knew I couldn’t see very well. I’m legally blind. I used a cane when I went places at college and at home. I knew my way around fairly well, so it wasn’t difficult, and the cane came in most useful when doing things like crossing the street. He took my cane, told me it had been stolen by some kids playing a prank, and then offered to help me around campus. He started missing his own classes to get me to mine, which seemed really sweet at the time. But if I didn’t go into the building, or if he checked on me and I wasn’t there, he would freak.

“That year I met Max.” Her smile wasn’t sad anymore; it was mischievous. “He was dating a girl who was getting too clingy and he was trying to get out of the relationship without hurting her feelings. And, no, there wasn’t another woman involved; he just felt pressured and wanted out. So we wound up comparing notes and some of the things I told him triggered alarm bells for him. He said he wanted to meet Rudy and I said sure.”

Adrian could feel her tension. Everyone, with the exception of the children upstairs, was completely still.

“Needless to say, Rudy wasn’t happy to meet Max. That night we went on a date and he took me out into the woods. I didn’t think anything of it at the time because we’d gone there before. It was his favorite place to be, someplace where we could talk about our dreams, how we wanted our lives to go, that sort of thing.”

She sighed, her head dipping down and off to one side. Adrian had the impression she was looking at him. He caught a flash of red from her eyes before she tilted her head back up, hiding her eyes behind those glasses. “He attacked me that night. I didn’t believe in Werewolves or Werepumas before that night.”

“Werewolves?” Belinda asked. She’d taken up a position near Becky, as was her habit since the attack on the female Beta. Becky’s eyes narrowed; Emma looked thoughtful. The Pride leaders both looked cold and emotionless, putting Adrian on guard. He turned his attention once again to Sheri.

“Yes. Werewolves. Rudy transformed right in front of me and attacked me. He held me on the ground and tried to mount me. My injuries were…bad.” She took a deep breath, obviously rattled by the memories, and Adrian couldn’t hold himself back any longer. He stood and went to her, standing next to her, holding the hand that wasn’t holding Jerry’s harness. She seemed to steady at his touch, her voice calming and growing stronger, and his Puma purred in satisfaction. “I managed to get away from him but I was bleeding pretty badly. Sometimes I think he wanted me to get away, that he wanted the thrill of the hunt, but I don’t think he expected me to get to the road.” She smiled slightly. “My guardian angel finally woke up when I reached the road, because I was nearly hit by Simon, who was coming home from a party.” Simon nodded grimly, confirming her story. “I begged him to take me to the hospital. He took me to Max instead. I don’t remember much of what happened after that, but when I woke up I was completely healed, other than a bite mark.” She pulled aside the edge of her white sweater to reveal a scar. Out of the corner of his eye Adrian saw Becky rub a similar mark. Simon’s hand covered his mate’s and he looked down at her with a fierce protectiveness that, for once, Adrian completely understood because he was battling the urge to look down at Sheri the same way.

Sheri let the edge of her shirt go and took his hand again. He wasn’t certain she noticed she’d done it.

“Max bit me and changed me. If he hadn’t I would have died. When Rudy tried to hurt me again I was able to defend myself. I was forced to run when he tried to hurt me with his Pack backing him up.”

Max took over before Adrian could ask some questions, like, why aren’t you a Wolf? “At this point I was pretty sure Parker was rogue. I contacted the local Pack, and they knew nothing about him or his small band of friends. They promised me they’d deal with him. When Parker tried to get back at me for changing Sheri, Simon and I managed to fight him and his ‘Pack’ off. He’s been chasing Sheri ever since.

She’s been forced to move around a lot and not have anyone close, like a Pride, for fear Parker would use them against her. She’s petitioned to join our Pride, which means she’s no longer alone.” Max’s hard gaze swept the room. “We deal with this threat now.”

The Alpha smiled when his Pride members murmured their consent. Adrian felt Sheri’s hand tremble in his.

“Now, for those of you with kits, keep in mind that Parker is a sick man who won’t stop at anything to get Sheri back. Keep them safe, know where they are at all times. I’ll e-mail everyone with a photo of Parker so that if you see him you know what to do. Contact me or Simon—”

“Or me,” Adrian piped up, squeezing Sheri’s hand reassuringly. He let up immediately when he saw her wince, but refused to let go.

“Or Adrian.” Max nodded. “Under no circumstances, other than threat to your kits, are you to approach Parker in any way. He runs with about three other wolves. That may or may not have changed. I’ll contact the Pack in the Pocono’s and see if they’ll help. Last I heard the Pack leader was isolationist, so we may be on our own on this.”

“I’ll help,” Belinda said. “There are places she may need to go to that a man can’t go. I’ll go with her.”

“Well, she’s not the Curana so she should be safe,” one of the females muttered.

“Excuse me?”

Adrian shuddered at the ice in Emma’s voice as the Pride’s Curana took offense at the woman’s tone. A thin mist surrounded her, a serious indication of just how pissed off she was. “Do you doubt my word that Belinda Campbell had nothing to do with the attack on Rebecca Yaeger?”

Uh-oh, them’s fightin’ words. If the woman knew what was good for her she’d back down and apologize immediately. Adrian watched as several of the women winced and drew away from the offending member of the Pride.

“No, Curana.” The woman bowed her head in submission.

“Good.” Emma looked around at the other members of the Pride. “I expect this nonsense to stop.

Belinda has proven to both Rebecca and me that she had absolutely nothing to do with Olivia’s attack on Rebecca. Punishing her for Olivia’s actions is wrong, and I expect better of my Pridemates.

Understood?”

Adrian watched as Max positioned himself squarely next to his mate, a cool warning in his eyes for anyone who would challenge her. To challenge Emma was to challenge Max, and not a single male in the room believed himself capable of defeating the Alpha. When the Betas ranged themselves right next to the Alphas and added their glares the argument was pretty much over.

Murmurs of assent drifted through the room and the Alphas relaxed. “Sheri will be working part-time at Wallflowers, starting tomorrow,” Emma added in a warmer tone of voice.

“She can move into Becky’s apartment, it’s right above the store,” Simon said, his arm going once more around his mate.

Becky looked up at him. “She can? What about the person who’s currently living there?”

“I thought she could move in with me. You don’t mind, do you?” Simon grinned down at his mate, and Adrian had to hide a smile. The rest of the people in the room didn’t even bother. A few went so far as to chuckle as Becky grunted in response.

“I like my apartment.”

“It would be easier on Sheri and you’d be doing a very nice thing for a new friend.”

Becky sighed. “That was a low blow, Simon.”

“Plus my feet get cold at night.”

“Oh, well, we can’t have your feet getting cold, can we, Garfield?”

“I’ll take that as a yes.” Simon grinned as the room exploded into laughter.

That little bit of laughter helped ease the tensions in the room. People settled in comfortably to discuss how best to help Sheri while getting to know the newest Pride member. Adrian was never very far from her side, and surprisingly neither was Belinda. The two women seemed to hit it off. He sat back and watched as they laughed together over something, then made plans to go to lunch the following day after Sheri got off work. He felt some of his own tension ease; his mate would be safe with Belinda. He’d hit Max up for the full story tomorrow.