Leap of the Lion (The Wild Hunt Legacy #4)(96)

She was lying in the grass on her back. Owen lay beside her.

On her other side, Gawain had his hand on her shoulder.

“Ah.” She felt her cheeks heat as her body reported in with the sensitive tingling in her nipples and how swollen her breasts were. There was an aching burn between her legs…and her jaw muscles felt tired. Her gaze dropped to where Gawain’s shaft lay quiet. It was still big, actually.

Her lips curved. Mating was amazing. Her whole body felt limp and thoroughly satisfied.

“Darcy.”

She jerked her gaze up. “Um, yes?”

Gawain’s cheek creased with his smile. “Time to go. The Cosantir needs to set things into motion, now we know where the shifter-soldiers live.”

“I’m sorry.” She sat up. What was she thinking to have fallen asleep? “We shouldn’t have—”

“It was time for a break.” Owen rolled up onto a knee and tucked her hair behind her ear. The tender look in his eyes made her breath catch. “We’ll eat on the run and make this a long day. You’re in better shape, so we should reach the car tomorrow morning.”

Gawain rose, pulled her easily to her feet, and did the same for his brother. “Grab a drink, rinse off, and we’ll be on our way.”

Beside her in the cold water, the males washed themselves off. She managed to stifle her squeaks at the icy water as she cleaned up, moved upstream, and drank her fill.

On the bank, Owen stopped beside her, his expression serious. “While we’re running in animal form, I want you to sink deep into the wild.”

Let go of control. Apprehension constricted her lungs.

“We’re your mentors. We won’t let you get so far you can’t return.” Gawain stood beside his brother.

She shoved the fear down. They were right. Fighting against her animal instincts made her clumsy. She refused to go through life falling off of branches. “I’ll try.”

“Good.” Owen squeezed her shoulder in approval.

“We’ll play a game.” Gawain grinned. “Follow-the-alpha. You simply do whatever Owen does.”

Owen’s smile was almost a smirk. “I’ll be jumping into trees, off boulders, over logs.”

Oh, goody, her favorite things. Not. “And you’ll be doing all this leaping and jumping, too?” She gave Gawain a skeptical look.

He only laughed. “Not a chance.”

Owen turned and jogged toward the forest, shifting into cougar without missing a step.

Wow. She tried the moving-trawsfur—at a fast walk—and her four feet almost tangled into a knot.

“Sink into the wild, catling. Let go.” Gawain shifted and ran easily beside her.

At an easy lope, Owen sprang up and into a tree, leaped off the lowest branch, and was back on the trail.

By the Mother, I can’t do that.

Yes. She could. She would.

Darcy shut her mind down and let the cat take over…all the way. She looked at the tree. The branch. Her body tensed, sprang, clawed up and onto the branch, then she was down and running the trail.

Taking a moment for a happy spin, she flirted with her tail and heard the low chuff of Gawain’s laughter.

Happily, she darted after Owen.





Chapter Twenty-Three





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The next morning, as the rising sun shone down on the logging road, Gawain rolled up the sleeves of his flannel shirt, then yawned. They were almost at his car.

Ahead of him, Owen and Darcy were discussing how she could have caught her breakfast quicker. Instincts were good, but knowledge and practice were also needed, which was why cubs got hunting lessons.

As teens, he and Owen had often been assigned to instruct the newly shifted. Even when young, his littermate had been a fine teacher, although cranky if he thought a youngster wasn’t trying.

Darcy, though, poured her heart into trying…no matter what she was doing.

Like last night…

At dark, despite the chill air, they’d shifted to human long enough to enjoy a hot, fast mating. Gawain smiled slightly, rubbing the scratch marks on his chest. After a day as a panther, Darcy’s instincts had been more animal than human, and she’d clawed him when she peaked. Owen had bite marks on his shoulder.

Seeing her work afterward, she’d turned a brilliant red.

Gawain grinned at the memory. By the Mother, he loved her.

He and Owen had talked over their hopes after she’d fallen asleep. And they’d tried to make plans.

Gawain shook his head. For decades, he’d made lifemating bracelets for shifters. Shouldn’t he have learned the steps of the relationship dance? Then again, most shifters didn’t choose a female who was ignorant of mating, let alone lifemating.

“Gawain.” Owen looked back over his shoulder. “Let’s detour long enough to swing by that camp from the highway. We can get the street address for Tynan and Wells.”

“Aye.”

An hour later, Gawain could scent the tension in the car as he left Highway 20 and drove down a gravel road. Not much here. A few small farms. A couple of fancier vacation homes.

“We’re getting close,” Owen said from the back seat. “Darcy, drop to the floor.”

“What?”

“They might recognize you.”