Marc (Bowen Boys, #4)(16)

When no one seemed to be watching, she walked around the store again just to make sure. When the clerk looked at her for the second time, she purchased the first thing she touched and put it on the counter. He smiled at her when she realized what she’d bought.

“That one is pretty reliable. My girlfriend and I use it all the time. I suppose one of these times we’re going to get caught, but it’s a good pregnancy test.” He asked her if she wanted a bag and she nodded, mortified.

She stuffed it into her bag and left, this time more alert than before. She was just rounding the corner to her apartment when she saw him. It took her a few seconds to remember if he’d been someone from the office or from the house. When she remembered his name, her skin grew clammy and she backed against the building. She was sure he’d not seen her, but she was still afraid. She watched him move to a car. He drove down the street before she moved again. It was time to go. They were too close for her to live there any longer.





Chapter 6


Marc waited for her to come out of the building for ten minutes. He wished he’d realized sooner that she lived there, but he’d been so wrapped up in not believing she was his mate and hadn’t bothered to look into where she was or even how close she was. Her fear had made him move toward her to find her. Dumb luck had him in the alley when she’d gone into the building at the basement level. He pulled out his key to open the door when she didn’t come out after ten minutes.

The entire first floor looked like she’d never been through there. He looked at the stairs and noticed right away that she’d gone that way, but she’d been careful to step on the carpet and not the wood on either side. Even the cobwebs hadn’t been disturbed. He moved up to the second floor and noticed the same thing. He looked up the stairs to the third floor, where he heard her talking. He wondered if she was alone, and realized she was. There were no other scents in the stairwell but hers.

This part of the building was vastly different than the rooms below. She’d cleaned it, and it nearly sparkled. He looked in the kitchen and saw that she had two more boxes of the noodles on the counter, and there was a single plate and fork on a clean towel on the counter. He moved toward where she was, pulling his gun just in case. She was stuffing clothes into her backpack when he saw her.

He had expected her to be on the defense, but her shifting from human to cat startled him, especially how smoothly she did it. He didn’t move as she looked at him, a low growl coming from her throat. He slowly put his gun away, stepped into the room, and closed the door. If she wanted to, she would be able to break it down, but he was hoping to get to talk to her before she wanted to run again.

“You’re a beautiful panther. I knew you would be the moment I saw you.” She snarled at him and circled around him as he moved closer to her. “I knew you were a cat, you see, even if you didn’t tell me. I could smell you as one of my own kind.”

She stopped moving and sat down. He didn’t think she was willing to listen, because her fur was still standing at her neck and her claws had not retracted. He sat down on the floor and held his hands in front of him as he talked to her.

“I bit you. Do you know what that means?” She shook her head. “I didn’t think you did. You seem to be very uninformed about what you are and knowing who the others are around you. It means I’ve marked you as my mate. I took your blood. That’s how I knew to come looking for you. I could sense your fear.”

She looked out the window and then back at him. He supposed that he could have moved toward her, but thought she’d have his throat ripped out before he could shift to bring her down. Besides, he wanted her trust more than anything.

“You’re being chased by someone. He wants you because you’re a cat, right?” She lay down but didn’t answer him. He was okay with that for now. He reached out to her mind and connected with her.

Would you rather talk to me this way? She lifted her head and growled low. I want to speak to you, and if you won’t shift, this is the best way. I’m not here to hurt you but to protect you.

I don’t want your protection. I don’t need it. She looked at her bag, then back at him. I have to change and you’re keeping me from being able to.

I’m not leaving you. You can either shift with me here or I shift with you and we sit here all night. Either way, I’m not leaving you until we figure out together what’s happening.

She really was a beautiful woman and a gorgeous cat. He smiled at her and stretched out his legs as he started talking to her. She laid her head down and watched him. Marc had a feeling it was going to be a long night.

As my mate, you and I are connected on a level that no other animal or human can breach. We’ll be able to communicate no matter the distance. You can’t block me from speaking to you nor finding you. The same applies toward me. Especially when you’re afraid like you were before. What scared you? He didn’t expect her to answer, so he wasn’t surprised when she didn’t. I’m assuming that it has to do with Roy Dawson and his animals. Does he want you for breeding purposes, or something else?

He’d seen her stiffen and knew that she was afraid of the man. He was going to tell her how he’d found out the man’s name when she spoke finally. He didn’t move as she started telling him things he couldn’t believe of a human being.

He has a bunch of people like me. Well, not any of them are like me, I’m the only panther. He sells us to people who want an exotic animal in their homes. She’d said sell like it was a dirty word. When we get into the house we’re supposed to case the place and report back to him what we’ve found. He tells us what to steal, and he comes to collect it where he tells us to leave it.