The Darkness in Dreams (Enforcer's Legacy, #1)(40)
The animal was magnificent, primal, a mountain lion so sleekly lethal Lexi took a step back. There was fierceness in the muscles beneath the tawny pelt and a feral heat in his eyes. The last time Lexi had encountered a cat she thought it was a warrior—and it had been a damn cat. This could be an actual predator, hunting in his territory. Arsen had told her about the pumas. They were small compared to the African great cats but they were the deadliest predators on the continent. Stealth was their greatest asset. An adult male could take down a jogger as easily as an elk, drag the body up into the trees, and “no one would know until the crows made too much noise.” It had been part of Arsen’s cautionary tale about why she shouldn’t jog alone.
Lexi took another step back. Hesitated. Something familiar and untamed was moving sharply against her skin.
She tipped her head to one side, considering it.
The predator watched her. She felt his energy swell and roll forcefully beneath the ground. Her heart jumped.
“I know it’s you,” she said, holding out her hand. “This is a peaceful place. Don’t ruin it for me.”
The energy increased. Lexi braced, but the aggression evaporated into what felt like a shudder of indecision. Her legs buckled. She sank to her knees, slid sideways and sat on the ground.
The cat watched, then slowly mirrored her position, shifting his paws and lowering the massive body until he was stretched out to his full length. The tail gave one irritated flick. Lexi noticed the tip wasn’t tawny like the coat but dipped in charcoal brown, almost black. A whisker twitched above the cat-gold eyes. When the scent of wild oranges filled the air, she recognized the mental intrusion.
Lexi reached for Arsen’s technique, found the door in her mind and slammed it shut. “Stop it.”
The tail flicked with aggression. Lexi tensed, pulled her knees against her chest and closed her eyes. The loneliness was crushing.
“This isn’t fair,” she said. “I don’t remember anything about you, and yet you know enough to judge me.” Silence. She looked at the cat over her bent knees. “Don’t you think that’s unfair?”
A few crickets began an early chirp. Lexi took that as permission to continue her argument.
“You probably remember my worst moments, know if I snore.” Still no reaction. “Probably saw me naked.”
The cat made a chuffing sound and Lexi flicked her hand out, brushing the implication aside.
“Not me naked. I mean those other women naked, in the past.”
The cat said nothing. He was waiting, eyes steady and that tail sweeping slowly through the grass. The movement was irritating.
“Naked is not the point,” Lexi said stiffly. “Actually, I’m glad you’re here because I want to tell you something. I know you haven’t been around much. Arsen said you’d recovered, and I’m glad. There’s just something I need to say.”
Lexi dug her heels deeper into the soft earth.
“That day when we were fighting, when I was angry and you were being an arrogant ass… I wasn’t trying to hurt you. I don’t even understand how I did it, but you didn’t deserve what happened.” She paused. “I wanted to tell you I was sorry.”
The tail stopped moving. Lexi thought it would be easier to apologize to an animal when he didn’t talk back or point out that her apology was a little too aggressive to be taken at face value. It wasn’t easy. It was… strange.
“I wish,” she whispered after a minute, “that I could remember you.” She placed her palm down on the still-warm ground, pressed hard. “I know you like to intimidate people, and you jump to conclusions. You go away a lot. I think I taught you how to cook.” Her eyes closed and she tipped her head back. “I wish I understood why we hate.”
She hadn’t expected an answer, not really. Wild creatures didn’t talk. But it didn’t stop the disappointment that made her shoulders droop.
“I feel stupid having a conversation with a gigantic cat.”
The cat growled.
“Okay, a giant mountain lion.” Lexi straightened. “So, if I did something awful in one of those past lives, I’m sorry for that, too.”
The lion shifted his weight and Lexi was smart enough to feel a thread of alarm.
“Please stop,” she said. “If you’re trying to frighten me, fine, but I’m not done.” She gestured toward the trees. “I’ve heard the plane every day and I know you’re coming and going, when Arsen wants you here. I feel bad about that, too, and I’ve come up with a solution. You stick to your space and I’ll stick to mine. Just two people who have to be in the same place, and we’re both capable of being adult about it.” She lifted her shoulder in a half-shrug. “So that’s it. I’ve said all I have to say. We’re not going to fight anymore and you’re probably wild and haven’t understood a single word, so I’ll take the shortcut back since you don’t want me to go the other way.”
Lexi pushed herself to her feet and took a cautious step back, watching him for a moment longer before she turned and ran away.
Thunder rolled over the distant mountains, and the first icy drops of rain pounded little craters in the ground.
CHAPTER 17
Christan watched as she disappeared into the shadows, feeling an emotion so uncharacteristic for him he couldn’t immediately identify it. When he did, it shocked him. A softening. He wanted to soften his attitude toward this woman he needed to hate.