The Felidae 1: Laithe’s Pride
Jade Buchanan


 All rights reserved.
Copyright ©2007 Jade Buchanan


 Warning: The unauthorized reproduction or distribution of this copyrighted work is illegal. Criminal copyright infringement, including infringement without monetary gain, is investigated by the FBI and is punishable by up to 5 years in federal prison and a fine of $250,000.


 ISBN: 978-1-59596-627-8
Formats Available:
HTML, Adobe PDF,
MobiPocket, Microsoft Reader

Publisher:
Changeling Press LLC
PO Box 1046
Martinsburg, WV 25402-1046
www.ChangelingPress.com

Editor: Connie Alberts
Cover Artist: Bryan Keller

  



  

 This e-book file contains sexually explicit scenes and adult language which some may find offensive and which is not appropriate for a young audience. Changeling Press E-Books are for sale to adults, only, as defined by the laws of the country in which you made your purchase. Please store your files wisely, where they cannot be accessed by under-aged readers.

  

  

  

 Dedication

  

 Laithe and his pride would still be sitting inside of my head if it wasn’t for the support and encouragement of my friends and family.

  

 Thanks go to Laura, Nik, Joy, Melissa and all the ladies at JR, my sister Sarah, my parents, and my friends for listening to me at every step of this journey and for encouraging me to reach high and attain my dream. And finally (and most importantly), Changeling Press for giving me this opportunity and my editor, Connie, for putting up with my mistakes and teaching me to be a stronger writer.

  

  

  

 Chapter One

  

 Rowan Brandt had never felt lower than at this particular moment in her life. Her day-to-day life consisted of trudging through the crowds, bypassing people who could care less if she lived or died, and she felt alone. Strange to feel alone while surrounded by people, but the truth was, she’d never really felt anything other than alone.

 But this day in particular just happened to be worse than most. Like fate had decided to step in and give her a big kick in the ass.

 This morning sucks big time.

 Her day had started out well enough with the most fabulous dream. She couldn’t remember much about her dream man, but she remembered his deep, penetrating, amber eyes. It was like he’d looked right into her soul with those eyes. He seemed so familiar for some reason -- like she knew him. He felt so familiar, so comfortable, she’d instantly relaxed in his presence.

 She couldn’t remember anything else because just at the moment she thought he would speak -- they were rudely separated by the sound of her telephone ringing.

 A phone call telling her she was late for her dentist appointment sent her into a panicked frenzy. Twelve minutes later, after getting ready in record time, she was hurrying for her bus.

 Running down the five flights of stairs in her apartment building -- she could never depend on the outdated elevator actually coming when it was called -- she was already out of breath.

 Rounding the corner of her building, she realized that someone had cut out a section of the sidewalk ahead of her. Veering off the path, she squished down into the mud lining the side of the pavement. It looked like the landscapers hadn’t finished laying the sod yet. Rowan fumed as the black muck oozed around her foot.

 When she pulled up her foot, her left shoe remained firmly stuck in the mud. A fitting analogy for her life, but nevertheless, the last thing she needed this morning.

 Grabbing the shoe, she quickly hopped back over to the sidewalk, managing to put on the mud-caked remains before continuing toward the bus stop a block over.

 By the time Rowan was nearing the stop she could see her bus just coming up the road. Fearing that he’d go right past her, she began running to get to the stop in time.

 Huffing, she frantically waved him down, gasping for breath as the bus pulled to a noisy stop beside her. Flashing her bus pass at the bored driver she began moving to the back of the bus.

 Plopping down beside an older woman Rowan tried to calm her breathing, attempting to take in slower breaths. Holding her large bag on her lap, she leaned her head back and closed her eyes.

 “You know, if you lost just a little weight, you wouldn’t have trouble breathing, dear.”

 Her eyes popped open at the words coming from the woman beside her. Smiling tightly, Rowan did her good deed for the day and neglected to tell the woman to shut up and mind her own business.

 Twenty minutes later, and exactly forty-two minutes late for her appointment, she entered the dentist’s office.

 “You’re lucky we aren’t going to charge you for your missed appointment.”

 “I’m so sorry, I don’t know what happened. I know I set my alarm, so I’m no --”

 “Right, I’m sure you did,” the woman at the front desk said, interrupting her apology. “Please sit down and we’ll get to you when we have an opening. It may take some time,” she said with no apology and a hint of impatience in her voice.

 “I’m sorry, I understand completely.” Rowan apologized to the back of the woman’s head after being summarily dismissed.

 God, what a wonderful way to start a Monday. I can’t believe I overslept again.

 Looking down, she realized her dress shirt wasn’t quite tucked into her pants. Glancing at her feet, she realized her socks were different colors. And yes, I’m wearing two different colored trouser socks. Fantastic, could this day possibly get any worse?

 Resigned to waiting, she was pleasantly surprised when her name was called and she was brought into the back of the office. Directed to sit in a chair, Rowan leaned back as the hygienist applied the topical anesthetic to her gums, chatting about nothing.

 Rowan nodded at all the appropriate times. It was pretty hard to answer back when she had a Q-tip stuck in her mouth.

 “Would you like to watch a movie?”

 Rowan nodded and was promptly handed a set of earphones and a remote. Flicking through the channels, she found a movie that she wanted to watch and settled down to lose herself in it.

 “Ummm, I’m sorry but I can’t hear anything,” Rowan said around the Q-tip.

 “Oh, the earphones aren’t working?” the hygienist asked.

 “I don’t think so. I’ve tried to increase the volume on the set but it won’t work.”

 “Well, it looks like you might not be watching that movie. Let me see if there’s something I can fix.”

 Rowan sighed. How typical.

 “Hello, Rowan. How are we this morning?” Her dentist came into the little room followed by his overly cheerful greeting.

 “Fine.”

 “I bet you’ll feel better once I get these fillings done. Of course, we wouldn’t be here if we’d been flossing, now would we?”

 “Sorry,” Rowan mumbled. No, we wouldn’t be here if we had a choice .

 “Okay, let’s see what we have here. Open up.”

 Out of the corner of her eye, Rowan could see him gather his needle. Although, she couldn’t feel anything when he placed it against her gums and began to insert the anesthesia.

 Closing her eyes, she tried to find her center, to take herself somewhere else. She slowly started to relax, breathing deeply, imagining her body sinking into the chair under her. With every inhale and exhale, she concentrated on letting her muscles release. Starting with her toes, and moving up her body until she was completely loose.

 “How is that numbing coming along? Can you feel that?”

 Rowan shook her head to let him know she couldn’t feel her lip anymore.

 “All right, I think it’s fine to start.”

 Over the sound of the drill, she could make out the dentist and hygienist talking about their weekends. She winced when he started to drill into her tooth, feeling the rush of cold hit her exposed nerves. Jerking her head back with a grimace of pain, she tried to signal to the dentist that it hurt.

 “Oh, looks like we aren’t numb enough. Hold on a minute, Rowan.”

 Rowan sighed as the dentist pulled back to get out his needle again. At this rate, she wouldn’t be able to feel her face if he numbed her tooth any more.

 A few minutes later, after the corner of her left eye went completely numb, the dentist returned to his drilling.

 * * *

 Laithe Gatti had never been more infuriated than he was at this particular moment in his life. He stalked the corridor of his warship, The Shahnaz , bypassing his pride as they made themselves scarce. His ears lay flat against his head, a strong indication of his poor mood. A low, rumbling growl could be heard when he strode toward the stairs that would take him to the bridge.

 Laithe’s day had started out well enough with the most fabulous dream. He was in the presence of a beautiful woman, not like his kind, but she possessed the most appealing scent reminiscent of the nawra flowers on his home planet. He stared down at the light russet pelt covering the top of her head, fanning out into a mane around her hairless face. She had the softest brown eyes with tiny flecks of green like the color of the grasslands where he made his home.

 And then she was gone, an infernal racket interrupting the two of them. Laithe reared up in surprise, roaring his displeasure when she disappeared.

 Something had happened to wake her out of a deep sleep. He’d lost his connection to her but he could still feel her faintly, almost like a low buzzing in the back of his mind. Her panic made him pace in agitation. His hair stood on end, his mane bushing out while he continued to utter soft growls.

 Stomping onto the bridge, he pulled up a grid of the territory they were patrolling. Using the faint connection he could still feel to the unknown female from his dreams, Laithe pinpointed her location.

 He sensed she was the one. She has to be the one . He had never felt this connection with any of the females he had been in contact with. Of course, as an unmated male, he was never allowed near the unmated females, but he would have linked to his mate by now if she was present among his kind. The very fact that he could enter her dreams and connect his mind to hers told him that she was the one.

 He just needed the little female to relax into a calm state again and he would have her. Until he could merge with her completely during their first mating, he would only be able to connect to her when she let her mind rest.

 He was positive she was the one. The one destined to be his mate and the mate of his pride.

 Ah, there you are, little flower. Laithe grunted in pleasure, their bond strengthening when his mate’s mind relaxed. A minute later, he was roaring in fury at the pain he experienced through his connection to the female. His mouth ached, a shaft of pain running along his gums, making his head pound from the pressure. He heard some instrument of torture running in the background and when her mind slipped further into his control, Laithe could hear the voices of her two attackers. She was uncomfortable. He sensed her body was tense, flinching from the sound of the instrument.

 Her face was numb and they were holding her down in a chair, inserting an instrument into her vulnerable mouth.

 A loud, snapping roar sounded again. Laithe called to his pride, his anger ripping through the vessel, vibrating the ship with an intense echo.

 Seconds later, his pride rushed up the stairs, his brother Asad leading the way. The rest of the men ran in behind him.

 “Brother, what is the matter?” Asad asked.

 “They have her. They have my mate and they are hurting her,” he snapped out. “We go hunting. Now.”

 A variety of grunts and snarls filled the bridge when his pride let out their displeasure. Returning to their stations, the men worked in synchronized harmony, guiding The Shahnaz toward the coordinates Laithe entered.

 “She is here,” he snapped.

 Catan, the Lynx from Kanad, sidled up to him, his body shaking when he rubbed his muzzle against Laithe’s neck and face, licking a line along his jaw.

 Laithe turned to the smaller man, allowing Catan to calm him while he continued to growl softly. The little Lynx had been a member of their pride for several years, but he still had not overcome his fear of the larger members of the pride. Catan had joined Laithe’s pride after a vicious attack by a rival Leo pride, leaving the Lynx without a family. He had been repeatedly raped, and his family slaughtered. Catan had been fortunate that Laithe had been passing close to Kanad -- Catan’s home world -- after the other pride had left him for dead. They had taken him in, healed him and made him a member of their family.

 Laithe had never felt the same as some of his people did toward the other clans of the Felidae . While the Leo clan were the most powerful and dominant species among the Felidae , he had been raised to appreciate the differences among his people. He had been born to the Leo, but he had always felt comfortable around the other clans. His own pride consisted of his three younger brothers, of course, but the other four members of the pride were made up of Felidae from the other clans. His childhood friend Fahd was of the Pardus clan, as was Morgan. The largest member of their pride, Rajiv, was of the Tigris clan.

 Laithe’s pride was the only one among the Felidae to have so many members of the clans represented and it was rare among them to intermix.

 A low snarl sounded off to Laithe’s left. Turning his head, he saw his brother Asad frowning in their direction. Asad had always been partial to Catan, but recently it seemed that his feelings were strengthening. Until Catan got over his fear though, Asad wouldn’t make a move for fear of scaring him away. But in the meantime, he wouldn’t let anyone else near him either.

 Catan stilled his body, freezing at the sound. Without turning to Asad, he backed away from Laithe to move closer to Usama, the youngest Gatti brother and his dearest friend. Usama made room at his console for the smaller man to sidle in close to him without turning to acknowledge anyone in the room.

 Usama often became lost to everything around him when he looked to the stars. A dangerous habit, but then he was used to being in danger. Born the only white lion in his pride, Usama was fated to be at a disadvantage from the start. Lacking the natural camouflage of his kind, he had to rely on his brothers when they hunted. Laithe often thought it was because of this disadvantage that Usama was such good friends with Catan. Both young men had to deal with many prejudices growing up.

 Laithe turned his mind away from his pride and focused back on his mate.

 We are coming for you, Nawra. Don’t be afraid, we are coming for you.

 “There she is,” Laithe commented, smug male pride evident in his voice at locating his mate.

 The men around him readied themselves, unaware of exactly what they would be facing when they reached her location. She would likely be shocked at first. She lived on one of the outlying planets and it had been a very long time since their people last visited her home world. She would likely be unfamiliar with their kind.

 “I believe she is in her abode. It should be easy enough to grab her and rescue her from this life. Make ready to hunt.”

 Laithe was answered with grunts and a coughing roar from Fahd. The anticipation was building in all of them, although he noticed little Catan looked more nervous than anticipatory.

 “We hunt my mate this night. We won’t come back empty handed.”

  

  

  

 Chapter Two

  

 Rowan stumbled up the last step into her apartment. She was miserable, bone- tired, and although the numbing on the side of her face had worn off, she now had to deal with the residual ache in her tooth and her cheek.

 To make matters worse, because she’d been late for her appointment, she’d also been late for work, and her boss refused to listen to her reason why.

 She’d ended up having to stay late to make up for her error. The day had completely dragged, and her eyes were strained from looking at so many pages of paper. Working in a law office sounded great, until you considered her job as a photocopier.

 Letting herself into the front door of her apartment, Rowan dropped her bag on the linoleum floor and kicked off her shoes. Stumbling, she pulled off first one, and then the other trouser sock, balling them up and throwing them into the laundry basket situated in the small storage room off the front hall.

 She wandered into her bedroom, undressing as she went, leaving a trail of clothes behind her from the front door. Her bra and panties were the last things to drop, falling to the floor of her bedroom.

 Too tired to pick any of it up, she merely left everything where it fell. Rowan grabbed a long-sleeved, plum colored shirt out of her dresser, matching it up with a pair of thin, black yoga pants. Choosing to go barefoot, she returned to the living room. Grabbing the yoga mat curled up in the corner of the room, she unfolded it onto the floor.

 Turning the TV on and lying down on her back, she attempted to calm her mind, letting go of the stress of the day. Although she was new to this, she had to admit it felt good to try and influence her body to relax by releasing her mind first. Another few years of practice and she’d be able to pull up that sense of calm immediately whenever she needed it.

 Stretching gradually, Rowan began to move through her poses, following the instructions on the DVD. As she moved her leg out into a lunge, she began to relax, the stress of the day starting to melt away.

 She slowly pushed herself up into downward facing dog, straightening her legs and pressing her hips up and back. The stretch ran the length of her aching body, and muscles that had been tense all day protested the movement. She let out a little moan.

 “Mmm, I like the look of that, Lev.”

 Rowan squealed at the male voice coming from behind her, followed by several deep male chuckles. Twisting desperately to look behind her, she lost her balance, falling to her side and landing on her ass with her legs up in the air.

 “I don’t know, Morgan. I think I like the look of that even better.”

 Rowan stared up at the shapes crowding into her small living room, appearing to suck up every available space.

 Terrified, she locked eyes on the figure who stood at the front of the group. When he stepped into the light, all she could see at first was how big he was. And then she gasped when his body came fully into view.

 He wasn’t human. He couldn’t be human. He had to be something else. Who the hell was this guy? She tensed, staring up at him, praying that he wasn’t going to hurt her.

 Before she could panic further, he leapt the distance between them, landing crouched between her legs, pressing something against her temple.

 Rowan stared up at him, shocked, frozen when her vision started to fade. She couldn’t focus on anything, and her muscles refused to cooperate when she tried to move. Then everything went black.

 * * *

 Rowan opened her eyes, blinking in the dim light. What the hell?

 Slowly stretching out her limbs, careful not to jar her aching head, she tried to remember what she could have possibly done to feel so awful this morning.

 She turned over, her eyes widening as she took in her surroundings. She was definitely not in her bedroom. The bed she was lying on was incredibly firm with just a hint of softness, but what took her aback was the size of it. Looking over her shoulder she could see that she was roughly in the middle of it, but Rowan bet that if she stretched out both arms she wouldn’t come close to touching the edges.

 She was covered by a light blanket, black in color but with a slight sheen that reminded her of an oil spill. When she moved, the dim light reflected off it, bringing up more colors to the surface. The rest of the room was devoid of any furniture, but the walls… the walls made her feel like she was in the middle of the Serengeti.

 “Don’t panic, don’t panic, don’t panic. Okay, you just need to figure out where you are, Rowan,” she mumbled.

 There was a mural on all four walls that crept up to splash across the ceiling, almost like a holograph. She could swear she saw the grass moving as if blowing in an invisible wind. Short trees were set in the grass at intervals and the ceiling was a brilliant blue with thin, wispy clouds blocking out a yellowish light.

 Rowan slid out of the bed and touched one of the walls. The surface was completely smooth. So it is like a holograph. Weird .

 As she wandered around the room with one hand on the ever-changing walls, Rowan realized she could hear something coming from outside the room. A loud chuffing sound, almost like someone was sawing through a very rough piece of wood.

 Backing up, she tried to remember where she’d heard that sound before. It was on some nature channel, talking about the Big Five animals in Africa. The fiercest and most deadly animals that men hunted on safari -- elephants, rhinos, buffalos, lions and leopards. There was footage of a leopard making that noise, and ever since she’d watched the lions and leopards, she’d been fascinated with learning more about them.

 Which made her think of those… things from last night.

 “What exactly happened last night? I was doing yoga, and then… those men came in. They were men, weren’t they? What the hell else could they be?”

 Everything was out of focus. Her head felt like it was lined in cotton balls.

 “One of them did something to me, didn’t he?” She couldn’t quite remember what happened. The night’s events played out in her mind, fuzzy like a bad copy of an old VHS tape. “They… they weren’t human. I don’t think they were human.” Oh, God, were they real?

 “I’m in a room somewhere. So am I going to act like some stupid chit that I’d make fun of in movies and try to leave, or do I stay put?” she mused.

 A moment later she realized her decision was about to be taken out of her hands when a whoosh sounded at her back.

 Turning, Rowan saw one of the trees in the holograph shimmer before a door suddenly appeared in its place. Sliding into the wall beside it, the door opened for a massive beast who stalked through the space into the room with her. It was the man from last night.

 He was unlike anything she’d ever seen before. Standing head and shoulders above her, he looked close to seven feet tall. His entire body was covered in short, tawny hair. A thick, chocolate brown mane flared out around his head and over his shoulders before trailing a thick line down his chest. The line of dark hair ended at his belly, and Rowan quickly looked away before sliding her eyes back to glance between his legs. Blushing at the fact that she was eyeing up some stranger’s package, she darted her gaze upward.

 His body was long and stocky. His legs were incredibly broad, the muscles bulging in them even as he stood still. A thick tail swung with a slow swish behind his legs, the tufted end resting on the floor between the heavy pads of his feet. Rowan moved her gaze up his long length, stopping to run her eyes over his thick powerful arms and hands -- paws? -- that looked more like human hands than the animal he resembled. His fingers were long and tipped with short, black nails.

 His head reminded her of a cat’s. His amber eyes were set back amidst the fur on his face. His nose was wide and topped off by a spot of pink. The fur around his muzzle lightened, making it look like he had a white beard. His long, thin whiskers twitched before he advanced into the room.

 He moved at a snail’s pace, stepping carefully when he neared her. Almost as if he was afraid of scaring her. Rowan knew she should be terrified, but she was so fascinated by him she was frozen in place.

 “Forgive me, Nawra. I did not have any choice but to stun you. I was afraid the journey back to our ship would have been a poor one for you and I did not want you to be sick.”

 Rowan stared up at the talking cat man. He can talk? She didn’t realize she’d said the words out loud until he answered her.

 “Of course I can talk, Nawra. Are you feeling any effects from the stun?”

 “You mean besides the fact that I’m standing in a room that can’t possibly exist, talking to a cat? No, I think I’m just hunky dory, thanks. Wait, how is it possible that I can understand you. What, you talking cat people actually speak English?”

 “We all have translators inserted into our heads when we are young, so we can communicate with any other species we encounter in our travels. It allows us to speak your language to you.” He paused. His tail started to jerk, swinging back and forth while he drew closer to her. “We tried to get you out as soon as we could. You must believe me.”

 The look he gave her was so beseeching she felt her heart turn over once before settling back in her chest. She couldn’t figure out how she was able to discern any expression amongst all that hair. The only thing she could see was his eyes, but -- wait a minute -- his eyes… those eyes…

 “You… I… I know you…” Rowan stepped closer to the giant, lifting a trembling hand to place it against the fur on his face. Looking into his deep, amber eyes, she felt an unbelievable pull toward him. She was compelled to move closer to him, which was utterly crazy! She was positive she’d never met him before.

 He remained silent, unmoving, while she ran a slow hand down his face. Reaching up again, she placed her fingers against the fine, silky hairs covering his nose. When she ran a thumb down his nose, he drew in a deep breath, letting it out with a rumbling purr. His ears swiveled toward her as he pushed into her touch.

 Rowan giggled at the chuffing sound coming from his barrel chest. It wasn’t at all like a cat’s purr. It was louder, but he only purred when he exhaled, making her hand tingle from the force of the vibration.

 Moving her other hand up, Rowan fisted it in his mane, feeling how soft the hair was. She wove her fingers through it, reaching in to cup the back of his head when he leaned down to allow her room to touch him. A curious melting in her stomach alerted her to the fact that she found the silky threads to be incredibly erotic to the touch. This can’t be happening . He wasn’t even human. Yet she couldn’t catch her breath when he rubbed his head against her hand.

 Rowan couldn’t figure out if this was actually happening or if it was just a dream, but if it was a dream, then no harm could come to her. If it was reality, then there wasn’t much she could do anyway. She could only hope that he wouldn’t hurt her. But for some reason, she didn’t fear him. Looking into his eyes, a switch flipped somewhere in her mind and she knew he wouldn’t hurt her.

 “I would never hurt you, Nawra. You must believe that.”

 “What does that mean? That word you keep calling me. Wait, how did you know that was what I was thinking about?”

 He pushed his face into her palm again, batting his head against the hand that had stopped moving.

 “Your face is incredibly expressive, Nawra. It is very easy to tell what thoughts are running through your head.” He shifted his eyes down while he spoke. Somehow, the words didn’t quite ring true, but she shook off the feeling that he was hiding something more.

 “The nawra flower grows in the fields by my home. They are beautiful and possess the most wonderful scent. When you walk among the grasslands the little nawra flowers are hidden until you press against them. Then they release their fragrance and bewitch you with their smell.”

 “Oh.” Rowan couldn’t breathe when she looked up at his face. Her heart pounded in her chest.

 “May I touch you?” The question was accompanied by another hard press of his head into her hands.

 “O-okay,” she whispered.

 He crowded her backward until her thighs hit the edge of the bed. Lifting both her arms, he methodically raised them, keeping his gaze on her face. When he pulled her into his body, she gasped at his strength. His entire body was corded with muscle. It was like hugging a wall. Her nipples tightened when they came into contact with the soft fur covering his chest. Her pussy spasmed, sending a wet, heated ache between her thighs.

 He growled, swinging her over to lie on her back. Rowan gasped as he released one nail and ran it deliberately down the middle of her shirt. The plum-colored cotton parted like water, revealing her body to his gaze.

 “I have waited a lifetime for you, Nawra.” He stopped, laying his head against the breast that was revealed to him. “I almost can’t believe that you are actually here with me.”

 She couldn’t believe that this was happening to her. He wasn’t human, but she was so turned on her pussy ached. She needed him. She needed him to fill her or she might go crazy from the pressure. Although, she was very likely already on the road to crazy-ville. He was a cat , for Christ sake!

 “Who are you?” she asked, breathless.

 “My name is Laithe and I am one of the pride leaders of the Felidae . I am your mate, little flower, and you are mine.”

 “The dream, it was you in my dream. I remember your eyes.”

 “Yes, it was the only way that I could connect to you.” He pushed up, levering over her, holding himself with both arms. “I tried to get to you in time. I know I failed you, but I swear nothing will ever harm you again.”

 “What the hell are you talking about?” Rowan asked, irritated. She shoved hard against his chest to give her more room to move. She didn’t want to have this conversation flat on her back.

 He didn’t even budge. “The torture. They were doing something terrible to you in your mouth. I could feel your pain.”

 “The what? Oh, God, you mean my dentist appointment? Well, I agree that it’s a form of torture, but, no, that wasn’t anything bad. It was normal. Heck, I have that done a few times a year.” She paused before continuing, smiling at the incredulous look on his face at her declaration. “I should probably stop eating so much candy, but really, I swear it’s because I grind my teeth when I sleep. Are you telling me that you don’t know what a dentist does? I mean, everyone goes to the dentist to get their teeth cleaned.”

 “You mean you actually volunteered for that?” If his face became any more surprised, she might just burst into laughter. “You will never do that again. Is that clear?”

 “Ummm, that didn’t really sound like a question.”

 “It wasn’t a question. I am telling you that you are never to do that again.”

 Rowan opened her mouth to argue with him that there was no way in hell he was going to tell her what to do, when the breath was stolen right from her.

 He leaned in, capturing her mouth with his own. As he ran his hands up her sides, he tore off the rest of her shirt, leaving her completely bare from the waist up. Sliding his mouth along hers, he bit down on her lip before moving over her jaw and down her neck. Her skin tingled. His lips brushing against her sent shivers of heat down her spine. She gasped, arching into him. She’d never been aroused this quickly before, and frankly, it was a little terrifying.

 The mane around his head brushed against her skin, adding another layer of sensation. She squirmed, desperately trying to ease the growing ache in her pussy. It was like lying on a fur rug, feeling it caress her body as his agile mouth moved down to suck her breast completely into his mouth.

 “Oh, God, oh, God, Laithe. Don’t bite me,” she gasped out when his sharp teeth rubbed against the sensitive skin. This was impossible. Why was she letting him get this close to her? But it felt so good, so incredible, that she didn’t want him to stop what he was doing.

 “Mmm, I think you would like it, Nawra. I could make you like it.” Looking up at her, he waited until she caught his gaze before he pulled back. Opening his mouth enough for her to see his sharp canines, he ran a light tongue against her nipple. His cool, hard teeth contrasted with the heat against her other breast as he moved his palm up to capture it in his hand.

 Arching her back, Rowan cried out at the ache that filled both breasts, throbbing in time to each pull on her nipple. Laithe lifted himself up and she moaned when he covered her again, his heated length pressing against every inch of her naked skin. He pushed her thighs apart, inserting his hips between hers. Where did my pants go?

 “Wait, just wait a minute. What are you doing?” she gasped, even as her body leaned into him.

 “Nawra, this is what you want, is it not? You have gained pleasure from everything we have done.”

 “That is so not the point. Oh, God, Laithe…” she hissed when he lowered his head to her breast again, nipping against the skin.

 “My word, little flower, that I will only go as far as you are comfortable with. When you want to stop, say the word, and I will honor it.”

 “Oh…” Her breath hitched. “You’ll stop?” she questioned.

 “I give you my word, Nawra,” he said. The only problem was that she was starting to think that she might not ask him to stop, if he kept doing that to her. His mane brushed her chest, rubbing against her nipples with every movement of his head before he drew her nipple back into his heated mouth.

 He stroked himself against her, inflaming her senses, making her mind go blank. All she could feel was the glorious fur pelt that was encasing her, all she could smell was the spicy and amazingly appealing scent of him every time she breathed in. His hands rubbed and kneaded her flesh, while his damnable mouth continued to torture her breasts.

 He rubbed the length of his body along hers, bringing his hands down again to grasp her hips tightly. Looking up, he caught her gaze, smiling wickedly before sliding one canine along her nipple. She moaned, closing her eyes. He chuckled darkly, sliding his teeth along her tender flesh until she opened her eyes again. Catching her gaze with his own, Laithe opened his mouth, flashing his teeth before biting down on her nipple with his smaller incisors.

 Her pussy spasmed in reaction. The building ache was eased somewhat by the large, hairy thigh that he inserted between her legs, brushing up hard against her clit.

 Fisting her hands in his long, thick mane, Rowan arched up into his leg, pleading with him to ease the throbbing between her thighs. She was melting, her liquid flowing hotly from her pussy as she rubbed herself against him. She couldn’t think, couldn’t breathe as she screamed in frustration.

 “Please, please…” This wasn’t normal. It wasn’t like her to practically beg a guy she’d just met. She had never been a casual hook-up kind of girl.

 And then he was there, his hard cock brushing up against her pussy as he teased her with his thick length.

 “Is this what you want?” he asked, taking himself in hand and rubbing his cock in circles around her clit.

 “Please, Laithe. Oh, God, I can’t…”

 He butted up against her entrance, partially entering her before backing off once again. Moaning, Rowan arched in frustration, pulling his hair, clenching her hands tighter into the mass around his shoulders. She was so damn close… so close…

 Teasing her again, Laithe rubbed his cock against her clit, waiting until she shattered, clawing at his back, before sliding into her. He was so thick she could feel the walls of her pussy stretching to accommodate his cock.

 Laithe was the only thing she could hold onto as she came, crying out from the pleasure of him filling her, the pressure almost too much.

 She contracted around him. He continued to thrust, keeping her orgasm high without letting her come down. When he finally entered her completely, he paused for a moment, waiting until she tugged his hair before he pulled himself out. Rowan tensed, making an unbearable ache gnaw at her pussy. When he withdrew, something caught inside of her, like tiny hooks raking against her walls. It felt like they caught on every nerve ending in her pussy, inflaming her until she couldn’t breathe for the pleasure. She screamed at the sensation, and came again. Within minutes he followed her, stiffening and making the room shake with a roar that rumbled up through his chest.

 She could feel the heat of him, filling her with his seed. Rowan clawed his back, raking her nails along the soft fur when his echoing roar filled the room.

 Panting, Laithe fell hard on top of her, covering her with his body. The last thing she was aware of was the tail that curved around her ankle, keeping them locked together even as his shaft stayed hard within her body.

  

  

  

 Chapter Three

  

 “Hello, gorgeous.”

 Rowan blinked up at the man leaning over her. He was big. Almost as big as Laithe, but where Laithe was all golden god, this cat had the look of the devil. Sleek, black, short hair covered his face and what she could see of his body. When the light hit his fur, it had a shine. She could make out darker spots on his skin, little rosettes a shade deeper than the rest of his black fur. His whiskers twitched when he leaned down closer to her.

 “Laithe never did tell us your name,” he whispered from above her.

 “Mine,” growled the man behind her, tightening his arm around her waist.

 Somehow they’d shifted while they slept, and Laithe now spooned her from behind.

 The man above her smiled, his eyes sparkling at the threat that sounded in that one word.

 “Ah, I see,” he said. “Is that your name or your title?”

 Laithe growled again, a low rumbling reverberating through Rowan’s body as he pressed her back further into his chest.

 “Don’t push me on this, Fahd,” Laithe snarled.

 The man -- Fahd -- only laughed, bending down to sniff at her face.

 “Mmmm, you smell good. Like sweet flowers and Laithe, all rolled into one.”

 Leaning over her, Fahd pressed his dark body down onto hers, pushing his face closer to Laithe’s. Rowan shifted to her back to watch them both. Who was this guy? And what the hell was wrong with her that she found him just as irresistibly sexy as Laithe? She seriously needed to get out more when she got home. It was insane that she was attracted to two men who were covered in fur.

 “Mmmm, and you smell even better. Like the little one here.” He inhaled deeply, holding his breath, a look of ecstasy passing over his face. “It smells like you rolled around in each other.”

 Rowan watched the look slip over his face, fascinated by the two men pressing nearer, their faces mere inches from her own.

 “I wonder if your taste will be as sweet as your smell,” Fahd mused.

 Inching closer, Fahd deliberately lowered his head, pressing his body harder into Rowan and holding Laithe’s arm captive between their bodies. Their hard bodies compressed her on either side, and she squirmed at the feel of them surrounding her.

 Lingeringly, so drawn-out she could hear each breath, she panted. Fahd bent down and melded his lips to Laithe’s. Someone moaned. Rowan was pretty sure it was coming from her as Laithe moved up and into the kiss briefly before pulling back. She was a little freaked out by how turned on she was when they kissed. First there was everything that had just happened with Laithe, and now Fahd clearly wanted in on the action.

 “Mmm, just as I thought. You taste so sweet. I always thought you did, but this is even better with the addition of the little one here,” Fahd said huskily.

 She whimpered, causing Laithe to swing his head toward her. He must have mistaken her shocked look for disgust because he immediately heaved Fahd off them, pushing the man backward hard. Fahd twisted mid-air, landing with agile feet at the end of the bed. Smirking at Laithe, he remained silent, obviously daring Laithe to contradict him.

 * * *

 Laithe turned to Rowan, burying his face in her sweet hair, the russet color so unlike what he was used to seeing among his people. Her milky white skin was unbearably soft, the tiny hairs covering her body catching in the light, casting a glow over her skin. Her brown, almond eyes blinked up at him, before she closed them, tilting her heart-shaped face to the side. Her nose was thinner than he was used to seeing, her mouth wide and luscious. She was larger than the sleek forms of the females of their clans. Her body was curved, filled out in all the right places, more than a handful. He loved every luxuriant inch of her. Although she was so little she barely came up to his chest.

 He didn’t know what to think about Fahd’s kiss. It wasn’t as if he hadn’t wanted to be with Fahd again, but he didn’t want that to happen in front of his mate. At least not until after he explained the particulars of their culture to her.

 Refusing to meet Fahd’s eyes, Laithe breathed in the scent of the nawra flowers still present on his mate’s skin. He didn’t know what to do, and his little mate wasn’t giving him any signals. She was still frozen beside him, the harsh panting of her breath the only sound in the room. He prayed to the gods that she wasn’t disgusted by what had just happened. It was just a kiss, nothing more, and if she didn’t like it then there would never be anything more.

 Finally giving in to his curiosity -- the silence weighing heavily in the room -- Laithe opened his eyes to look at his mate. She was so beautiful, and more than he ever expected he would have. The other pride leaders would look at him with jealousy at his fortune for being gifted with such a mate.

 She looked back at him, her cheeks flushed and her eyes glazed over. At that moment, Laithe wished for a deeper connection with her. Now that they had mated, her mind would link to his. A single thought was all it would take to see through her eyes. But he would never be able to hear her thoughts, or gain access to her mind without her permission and he would dearly love to know what she was thinking right at this moment. He refused to tread in her mind without her giving consent first.

 “Oh, God that was… that was so hot,” she whispered as if in answer to his silent question. “Do you… are you lovers?”

 Laithe couldn’t believe her reaction. He hadn’t anticipated that she would be so accepting of Fahd. It might be conventional practice among the men of the Felidae to accept other males into their beds because of the lack of females, but he didn’t think that was a practice that Rowan had been raised with. Maybe he had more in common with his human mate than he thought.

 Fahd made a soft grunting noise, his only response when Laithe raised his head to look at his childhood friend. They had known each other since they were cubs. Fahd’s father had long served as a guard for Laithe’s own father. Fahd had pushed for a deeper relationship between them for years before finally giving up and taking his pleasure with other men. Other than a few heated times when they were younger, Laithe and Fahd hadn’t been lovers in years.

 Laithe had always been different from him, different even from his brothers. Knowing that one day he would take over the responsibilities of his father, Laithe kept to himself for most of the time. His father wasn’t just one of the most powerful men among the Felidae , he was the most powerful man among them. Haytham Gatti was the Appaliunas, the Father Lion of the Felidae . Along with his three younger brothers, Haytham had ruled the Felidae since reaching adulthood. They had been lucky enough to have found their mate, Ariel, among the Leos and she had birthed them four sons.

 It was widely understood that Laithe would take over his rule in time. But early on in their relationship, Haytham had cautioned him against accepting anything further with Fahd, telling Laithe at the time that Fahd was just too impulsive to serve as his second, his personal guard the way Fahd’s father served Haytham. Laithe had watched Fahd grow into a more cautious man and while he cursed the fact that it was his rejection of Fahd that made him grow up, he was proud of the man that he had become. He was stronger now, and more fitting to serve on the Ruling Pride. Laithe had always wanted to connect again.

 “You liked it, Nawra?” he asked, unable to think of anything else to say.

 “Yeah,” she whispered, “I thought it was amazing.”

 “Shall we do it again then, my Lord?” Fahd asked, smirking as he broke his silence.

 Laithe growled. He absolutely hated it when Fahd did that. He constantly seemed to mock him, mock his position, and mock his title. Why now, of all times, was he approaching Laithe again? Was it because of Rowan? Perhaps he was afraid of losing Laithe completely to his mate. He hesitated. Now was not the time to question Fahd, but he would find out his reasons sooner or later.

 Fahd trekked around the bed, coming up behind Laithe, before crawling into it.

 “Because I would dearly love to do it again. It has been much too long for us.”

 Laithe watched his face when he leaned forward, bringing their mouths together once again. He felt the press of his little mate at his side as he rolled to land on his back, Fahd on one side of him and Rowan on the other. His cock hardened, filling painfully and rising up to rest on his stomach. If he wasn’t careful, he was going to come just from the thought of being with both of them.

 Fahd moved his mouth against Laithe’s, capturing his breaths as they both moaned into the kiss. Rowan leaned closer to them, running her smaller hands through Laithe’s mane, leaving one to twist in the thickness behind his head and moving the other to his chest.

 Out of the corner of his eye, Laithe saw Fahd react to the presence of his mate, reaching over and pulling her into them. Turning, Laithe released Fahd’s lips to capture Rowan’s, tasting the difference between his two lovers. Fahd’s lips followed, turning the kiss into a three-way of little bites and nips.

 Rowan moaned, and Laithe moved his hands to run them over her smooth skin, so different from his own form. Losing patience with the slow, torturous pace they were setting, Laithe released them both, and turned to place his mouth squarely over one of her breasts. He couldn’t breathe, his pulse was racing so fast. The thought of being with Fahd after all of these years, coupled with the joy at finding his mate accepting of him, was pushing him closer to losing his control completely. He sucked hard at the nipple in his mouth, smoothing his tongue against the nub. It was so soft, the skin unbearably supple against the roughness of his tongue. He raised his head, releasing it with a pop.

 Fahd moaned, a rumbling purr coming out of his throat. He placed biting kisses along the top of Laithe’s spine, taking advantage of the expanse presented to him. Moving his hands, he cupped Laithe’s ass, kneading the flesh and biting down on his shoulder blade, raking his teeth along Laithe’s skin.

 Laithe growled in response, pulling harder on the breast he took into his mouth again. Rowan bucked up underneath him. Sliding down her body, he thrust two fingers into her pussy, growling again at the wet heat he found there. She was so warm, her honey coating his fingers when he sank them into her gripping channel. It was incredible; he loved that she was wet because of both him and Fahd.

 “Please, Laithe, I need you now,” she whimpered.

 “Not yet, Nawra. You are not quite ready.”

 Laithe continued to drive his fingers into her pussy, fucking her with his hand. A chill moved down his back when Fahd shifted away, returning before Laithe could complain about his absence.

 Fahd smoothed his hands down Laithe’s spine, following the path with his hot mouth. Reaching his ass, he palmed each cheek in his hands, spreading them to lick his way along the crack.

 Laithe reared up, arching his back when he felt a gentle probing touch against his ass, circling around and around before finally pushing just the tip inside. Without warning, it was removed and two lubricated fingers were roughly shoved into him, making him back into them. He realized Fahd must have found his stash of lubricant, and then his mind was racing back to exactly what Fahd planned to do with that lube. He stretched him, filled him to the point that he was aching for more. Fahd knew what Laithe liked even after all this time. His touch was driving Laithe crazy. Each stroke inside his ass made him hotter. The teasing little probes, scissoring his fingers to stretch the tight entrance. His cock throbbed, his balls drawing up tight. He wasn’t ready to give in to the pleasure just yet, though. It had been years for him, and he was going to fucking come from the pleasure without a care for anyone else if he wasn’t careful.

 Laithe moved back against the digits in his ass before giving a throaty moan and pulling away. Moving to rest on top of Rowan, he grabbed a thigh in each hand, pushing her legs up and out to give him better access to her core.

 He pressed his face into her stomach, biting down on her belly. His lips curved when he saw the rosy mark he’d made on her pale skin. Continuing downward, he smoothed his hands along her curves, delighting in how different she was. Her skin was so soft, smooth against his palms. The only fur covering her was at her mound, a small triangle of pelt to cover her otherwise hairless body.

 He nosed the hair, following its path down to her wetness, then struck out with his tongue, swiping along her folds. He held her down when she arched into his mouth. The taste of her was intoxicating. He pressed his mouth closer to taste as much of her honey as he could, sweeping his tongue out again, licking her pussy and lapping directly from her heated passage. She clenched her inner muscles around his agile tongue, squeezing her thighs against the hands holding her in place for him.

 A knowing hand pumped his cock, squeezing the base when Laithe jerked in surprise. Grunting, he concentrated on Fahd’s strong grip around his cock, stroking up and down, memorizing every contour, as though he was trying to find differences from their last time together.

 Laithe released one hand to slide a finger in Rowan’s core, thrusting it alongside his tongue. He needed to taste more of her. Their bond was allowing him only a glimpse of her passion. He could see in her mind her thoughts were centered on him feasting between her thighs. When her mind clouded, he couldn’t take any more of it.

 Between Rowan spread out in front of him, and the feel of Fahd’s talented hands on his body, he was ready to be fucked. He reached down for one last stroke of his fingers before pausing. Pulling away from Fahd, he lined his aching cock up with her pussy. Fahd’s hands dropped down to hold his thighs, wrapping his fingers around his bulging muscles.

 “Rowan?”

 “Oh, God, if you stop now I’ll kill you!” she wailed.

 “Wait!” Fahd gasped.

 Laithe huffed, his displeasure evident as he felt the wet heat of his mate pressing against his cock, beckoning him forward.

 “If we are going to do this, I want you to fuck me.”

 “What?” Laithe gasped, turning to look over his shoulder at Fahd.

 Rowan whimpered when Laithe pulled away.

 “Please, Laithe, it has been so long for me, and I need you this once.”

 “But you have…”

 “No, I haven’t. You are the only one that I have ever trusted enough to do this. I may have fucked other men, but you were the last to take me.”

 Fahd pushed back when Laithe sat up and turned to look at his friend.

 “You never said anything. I just assumed.”

 “If… if this is going to be a one-time thing, then I want it to be just like this. I want it to be my choice. Please, Laithe.”

 Laithe’s heart bumped painfully in his chest. He couldn’t believe that Fahd was begging him for this. That Fahd trusted him enough to take a part of him that he’d refused to give to anyone else. A wave of tenderness assaulted him, blinding him to everything but the beseeching eyes of the only man he had ever loved.

  

  

  

 Chapter Four

  

 Rowan waited for Laithe’s reaction. She had a brief thought as to why she wasn’t upset about this, but it disappeared quickly. She considered herself kind of boring in real life and the last time she could remember having sex was more than a while ago. A one-night stand that ended badly when he’d informed her that he was married. Rowan had been so upset -- especially considering the man had been introduced to her by one of her friends.

 She had decided to retreat and lick her wounds, refusing to return her so-called-friend’s calls until she could get over her hurt. What kind of friend set you up with a married man? It only served to reinforce her reasons for being alone. If you were alone, you couldn’t be hurt.

 But here was a man -- beast man, whatever -- who was attracted to her. He wanted her. And for whatever reason, he wanted her so badly that he’d kidnapped her to be with him. She realized that she was a little demented to not only be okay with that, but to be flattered by his attention. Talk about having Stockholm syndrome. But really, what had he taken her from? A boring life, a horrible job, and a lonely existence without any friends or family. She had no idea where her parents were at this very moment. They weren’t exactly close and they never had been. She was a disappointment to them, never quite managing to be the daughter they’d hoped for. They’d decided to wash their hands of her after their last fiasco where she’d failed to live up to their expectations.

 She waited for the men to figure out what they were going to do. Frustrated, Rowan decided to speed up the process a little.

 “I don’t care who does what, but one of you is going to fuck me. Now! ”

 She was surprised by the words that came out of her mouth, but they must have been floored. Both men ceased their argument -- one she hadn’t really been paying attention to. Something about fucking other men or some such blah, blah, blah. They swung around to gaze at her.

 “You are comfortable with this?” Laithe asked. “I want to make sure that you are not upset by what is happening. I want to make sure that you understand that this is your choice. Do you understand that? If this is not what you want, we will end it now.”

 “I’m sure,” she breathed out. She reached out and grabbed his arm. “I’m sure about this. It’s what I want.”

 The men looked at her closely before turning to each other.

 “Fine,” Laithe gritted out. “Switch positions.”

 Fahd grinned down at her, moving around Laithe. “More than fine with me. As much as I want to fuck you, Laithe, I can’t wait to taste the little one here too. She certainly liked you before. We could all hear her moaning through the walls. Will you moan for me, gorgeous?”

 Rowan gasped when she was lifted up and turned to her stomach. He fit himself more closely into the V of her legs, brushing up against her. His cock felt massive from where she was lying.

 “Please,” she whimpered. Looking over her shoulder, she locked eyes with Laithe, desperate to make sure he was okay with this. She didn’t even know the man, but for some reason she felt connected to him, and that connection made her want to make sure he was agreeable to this. After all his talk about this being her choice, she needed to know that he was all right with what she’d chosen.

 And just like that, she was mentally connected to him.

 There was something hovering at the edge of her mind. It was almost like opening a door she didn’t know was there, opening a door that led her straight into Laithe’s mind. There was a dizzying rush of thoughts and feelings that weren’t hers. Blinking, Rowan stared down at the black pelt of the man under her. Her eyes felt like they wouldn’t focus, and she blinked again.

 Suddenly, she realized that she was looking down at Fahd as he leaned down to nuzzle the side of her neck. The sight of his black fur brushing against the pale skin under him was confusing at first. What the hell? It took her a moment to realize that she was seeing through Laithe’s eyes. Seeing what he was seeing. Okay… that’s definitely going to take some getting used to.

 Fahd licked a path up her neck, bringing her back into her own body. As she blinked once, her vision readjusted and she saw the sheet that lay beneath her through her own eyes. At the edge of her mind, she could still feel Laithe’s presence, but she couldn’t focus on that when Fahd blanketed her body with his own. He slid down her back, rubbing along her exposed skin and bringing a shiver to the surface with the feel of his thick, luxurious fur.

 He brought his hands from her shoulders along her spine in a caress that had her arching up in response. He molded her body, learning her curves with every inch of his talented hands. The solid pressure of his palms brought goose bumps to her skin, sensitizing her to agonizing degrees. He appeared to be memorizing her body with his hands, brushing them along her skin. Her breath caught in her throat at the intensity of his touch.

 Fahd smoothed his palms over her body, reaching around until he grazed the sides of her breast with both hands. She wiggled, moving into his touch when he cupped her breasts. His hands were soft against her skin, the brush of fur erotic, sensitizing her body. He ran the pads of both thumbs against her nipples, flicking them before moving away. He curled his fingers around her waist, settling in place before he leaned down and mouthed the curve of her lower back.

 “This, this right here,” Fahd said. “You’re so soft right here. How do you get so soft?”

 His lips traced a path down her spine, trailing over her ass before the sensations suddenly stopped. Rowan struggled to lift her head, her body gone soft and pliant. Turning her neck to the side, she glanced behind her. Fahd stared down at her, Laithe looking over his shoulder. The two men were pressed front to back. Laithe’s arms held the black man close in to his body.

 “You are so beautiful,” Fahd said reverently. “I can’t believe this is happening. I never thought I would ever get this chance. I…”

 Laithe angled his head, brushing a tender kiss on Fahd’s shoulder. Fahd gazed at her, a look of such tenderness on his face that Rowan felt her heart turn over. In this moment, he looked so terribly vulnerable she couldn’t stand it. What had happened between them? It was obvious that they cared for each other in some way, and Fahd had made it seem like they’d been involved in the past.

 Fahd pulled away from Laithe, falling to all fours to hover above Rowan. He smiled, his lips pulling back in a smirk so wicked she gasped in anticipation. He shifted back and dropped his head to lick a rough path along the inside of her thigh. His tongue rasped against her skin, awakening nerve endings that she didn’t even know she had. Rowan sobbed, turning her head into the sheet when he leaned forward and placed that rough appendage against the sensitive flesh of her clit. Licking along her folds, he sent a shaft of heat through her core. She tensed her thighs, burying her head in the sheets under her. Her eyes rolled back, toes curling at the pleasurable pain. He thrust his agile tongue into her, filling her. It wasn’t enough… she needed something more, something bigger. She needed his cock.

 Rowan whimpered, wiggling her hips, pressing back into him. Her nipples brushed the fabric under her, rubbing back and forth, creating a delicious friction. Fahd chuckled darkly, pressing one last swipe to her flesh before moving to settle back over her. He pressed two fingers into her aching center, running the digits along her walls, inflaming her. She leaned back into his hand, gasping when he withdrew his fingers to brush his cock against the folds of her pussy. He slowly slid inside, filling her with his cock, filling the emptiness inside her in a single move that seemed to take forever. She could almost count the seconds ticking away, the time it took for him to fully seat his cock in her.

 Rowan arched upward, consumed with need from both the feel of Fahd pushing inside her and the images coming from Laithe. The echo of his pleasure from watching his friend take his mate was evident, making her own pleasure skyrocket. She could feel what was happening to her, but she could also sense Laithe, the painful throbbing of his cock, the pressure in the base of his spine. She was going to die from the sensations alone. Rowan pressed her face down into the sheets below her. Everything was bigger, more enormous, all her feelings magnified because of Laithe.

 She could see in her mind Laithe moving his gaze up, watching Fahd take her. She turned to look over her shoulder again and he smiled at her, flashing his sharp teeth. The sight of his bared canines stirred something primal in her.

 Fahd buried himself to the hilt inside her, bringing her attention away from Laithe when he began to purr. Her whole body came alive, the purr vibrating through her. Her nipples ached, turning to hard little points that chafed against the rough sheet. He filled her, stretching her walls with the thick length of him. She was going to lose it any minute now. She was stretched almost unbearably from the incredible width of him. Her pussy ached with the need for release. It reminded her of being stuffed with her favorite vibrator, only better, stronger, hotter and way more intense.

 Fahd began to pull out of her, and suddenly she experienced the same sensation she’d had when Laithe had fucked her. Tiny spines raked the sides of her pussy, making her gasp when they caught in her channel. What the hell are those?

 Fahd drove back into her, holding himself inside her, biting down on the back of her neck but not breaking the skin. She found she was a little terrified that she loved the proof of his animalistic nature. It seemed so barbaric, like he was holding her in place. For some reason, the added danger sent her winging further toward climax.

 Fahd groaned against her skin, pushing deeper into her and then his body tensed. Rowan concentrated and brought up an image of Laithe, looking down at Fahd’s back. Oh, God… his cock was actually pushing into him. She had no idea how she was able to see through Laithe’s eyes, but she couldn’t hold onto the thought for long.

 Laithe drew back, and Fahd followed him, nearly pulling out of Rowan. She mewled, desperately trying to push her hips back against Fahd, before he slammed back into Laithe’s hips. Back and forth, he pumped into her, his purrs growing louder, vibrating through her body.

 Rowan threw her head back as soundless cries burst forth from her, clamping down hard on the cock sawing into her body while she climaxed. Fahd groaned in response, losing his rhythm and pushing into the slick sheath of her pussy erratically. Each jarring movement sent those damnable hooks scraping inside her core, prolonging her orgasm with the erotic pressure.

 In the back of her mind, Rowan felt Laithe’s urgency like it was her own. She was bombarded with images from his mind, the sight of her and Fahd together, the feel of Fahd’s tight ass as Laithe ground into him. He was getting closer and closer to his own orgasm. She heard him let out a loud roar before Fahd was thrusting hard into her again. Fahd purred out his own orgasm, the three of them melting into the sheets. Dimly, the last thing she was aware of was the chuffing roar as Laithe called out his climax.

  

  

  

 Chapter Five

  

 Rowan was dying, she was sure of it. She could only vaguely remember the last disastrous time she’d had sex, and she had definitely never had sex twice in a row. With two different men. Yep, she was definitely dying. Lying in a tangle of limbs, Rowan sighed. If this was a dream, she never wanted it to end.

 Starting at a noise, Rowan twisted around when the door slid over again. Two more men walked into the room.

 “No no no no no no! I am not doing this again!” she yelled.

 Laithe sat up in the bed, looking over Fahd’s shoulder to glance at her. Rowan grabbed the blanket from beneath them, pulling it out from under Fahd to wrap it tight around her body.

 “Ah, now you’ve hurt my feelings, little hairless one.”

 “Leave her alone, Morgan,” Fahd grumbled, not moving from where he laid sprawled half on top of her.

 That would make Morgan the one with the spots. His sleek body was covered with yellow tawny fur, little black rosettes providing a contrast to the rest of him. The man standing behind him looked so much like Laithe that Rowan knew he had to be related to him.

 “What is it with you people? How many more of you are there, and how many more are going to want to come in here? And why are you all naked?” she asked, her voice rising.

 Laithe sighed, forcibly pushing Fahd off and pulling Rowan into his arms, causing a snarl of disgust to come from Fahd. “Nawra, I want you to meet my brother Lev. The other man is Morgan, and he is a member of our pride, although if he doesn’t behave, he will be finding somewhere else to live. As to clothing, we normally go without clothing when we are on the ship, but we will wear a strip of cloth when we are among our people.”

 “So you don’t wear clothes?”

 “What is the point when it is just us?” Laithe responded.

 “So you don’t wear clothes?”

 “Is there an echo in here?” Morgan asked, looking around the room before grunting at the elbow that was jabbed into his stomach by the man beside him.

 “Cut it out, Morgan. Can’t you see she is uncomfortable?” Lev said, the disgust evident in his voice.

 “In case you didn’t notice, Lev, I was trying to break the tension in here.”

 “Well, it wasn’t working, pea brain.”

 “Pea brain? Pea brain? Oh, you are going to regret that one.”

 Morgan pursued Lev, chasing the larger man around the room. It would have been comical except for the fact that Rowan couldn’t breathe. This was all too much. She needed answers and she needed them now.

 Gasping, she looked up at Laithe helplessly.

 “Everyone out now!” he roared.

 Grumbling, Fahd stood up and gracefully sauntered toward the door. Stopping halfway there, he turned and paced back to the bed. Grabbing Laithe by the scruff of his neck, he leaned in and placed his mouth against Rowan’s. She moaned at the taste of him, and he took full advantage, thrusting his agile tongue into her mouth.

 He sat back to look at her, studying her face before turning to Laithe and kissing him too. Laithe reached up to place a hand against Fahd’s cheek, keeping it there even after Fahd tried to back away.

 “Aww, does this mean we have to find another third when we want to spice things up?”

 “I swear to the gods, Morgan, if you don’t stop this, I will…”

 The rest of Lev’s threat was muffled when Fahd turned from the bed, grabbing a handful of Lev’s mane and forcibly pushing him out of the room. Morgan followed shortly after, blowing a kiss to the couple on the bed before Fahd could kick him out as well.

 “I’ll be in my quarters if you need anything.” Fahd paused, looking as if he wanted to say something more. He shrugged his shoulders and turned to leave.

 “Fahd…”

 He turned back when Laithe called him. Laithe seemed to be struggling to say something. He turned to Rowan, a look of utter confusion on his face. She didn’t know what he was asking for, but she refused to speak until she understood more about what was going on. She was nearing her wit’s end.

 Fahd smiled gently, “It is all right. We’ll figure it out. There is no rush, Laithe.”

 Laithe watched him walk out of the room with a look of sorrow on his face. Rowan gazed down, twisting the sheets in her hands. With just the two of them left now, the tension skyrocketed. “Do you want to tell me what’s going on? I’ll admit that question might have slipped my mind a bit when you first walked in. And then there was the whole thing with Fahd coming in, but seriously, why am I here and what are you going to do with me now?”

 She thought she was being very calm -- level-headed even -- until Laithe pried the blanket out of her hands. Her knuckles were white from clutching it so hard.

 “You are my mate. I told you, I am one of the pride leaders of the Felidae . Our people are made up of a variety of clans, each one different from the others. I am of the Leo, as are my brothers. You just met Lev, and we have two other brothers who you will be meeting later. Fahd is of the Pardus clan, as is Morgan. They normally do not associate with other clans, but the two men have known me for many years. We became friends when we were younger and they chose to stay with me when I received my own pride. The other two you haven’t met yet. I will introduce you to them later.”

 “Okay, you say you received your own pride. What exactly does that mean?” She sat up, trying not to become lost in his words. This was fascinating, like watching a documentary on TV.

 “The Leo clan forms prides.”

 “Kind of like the lions on Earth? Wow, I wonder if you guys are related in any way. I know that humans are descendants from a common ancestor that we share with primates. It would make sense if you guys had something similar.”

 “It is certainly possible. I have seen footage of your wildlife, of course. Any pride that chooses to accept patrol duties must acquaint themselves with the worlds they come across. Earth is in our territory, although it is a remote, outlying planet. So we don’t have much contact with you.”

 “Have you ever?”

 “A very long time ago. Our people have always been fascinated with the universe around us. From the earliest of our time, our greatest minds have dedicated their lives to finding ways for us to explore.”

 “Right, curiosity killed the cat, and all that,” she snickered at the look on his face.

 “And just what is that supposed to mean?” he asked, frowning.

 Laughing, Rowan tried to roll to the side to escape the arm swiping out toward her. His hand caught the sheet around her, pulling it off and throwing it to the end of the bed. Laithe grabbed her around the middle, growling and pushing his face into her stomach, nipping the flesh he found there. Rowan giggled when he tickled her belly with his mane, brushing his face back and forth until she doubled over and gasped for him to stop.

 “Where was I? Right, our men have always been curious. Don’t even say it! I don’t want to hear another word about killing any cats. Anyway, it has always been the males of our people that have traveled, protecting our territories, and finding new places to visit while the women stayed on planet, hunting and caring for the young. Over time, our people grew anxious. They wanted to send out more scouts to learn more, to learn as much as they could. So they decided to alter our genetic make up to produce more male cubs.

 “Unfortunately, it backfired on us. Males now outnumber females greatly. We tried to reverse the effects of what we had done, but nothing worked.”

 “So what happened?”

 “During all the testing that was done, we found that some mated pairs had a mental connection as well as an emotional one. It didn’t happen all the time, but we noticed it occurred mainly with the leaders of the prides. It was theorized that the same thing that made a male Leo a pride leader made him a better and more desirable mate. So a law was passed by the Appaliunas, our king, that only mates with a mental connection would be recognized. Any other mating was outlawed, to cut down on Leos stealing females that didn’t belong to them.

 “I had resigned myself to waiting to find my mate. I have never connected with a female before, and I wasn’t sure if it would ever happen. Then I felt you, saw you in my dreams and sensed you in my mind. I knew you were mine. I had to find a way to get to you. I thought you were being abused, you must believe me, or I would have given you more time to understand what was happening. I would have limited myself to appearing in your dreams until you began to accept our bond.”

 “I do understand, but you have to see this is going to be really hard for me. I have no idea what you’re talking about. I’ve never experienced anything like this.”

 Rowan sighed, looking at the wall and staring at the imaginary wind blowing through the grass. Strangely, the sky was darker than it was before, turning an inky indigo. She thought about his words about the females of his kind. It sucked that they were outnumbered, but seriously -- was that all he wanted, some broodmare to procreate with?

 This was all so weird. Things like this didn’t happen to people like her. Rowan Brandt wasn’t the type of person that had adventures. She didn’t do crazy things. She wasn’t used to having anything out of the ordinary happen to her. She wanted to pinch herself to make sure she wasn’t dreaming, it all seemed so fantastical. Although, if it was a dream, it was certainly the most erotic one she’d ever had.

 “Just give me time. I promise that if you just give me time to woo you, you will be happy to live among my pride.”

 “Well, a little wooing never killed a girl.” Rowan smiled at the look of happiness that crossed his face. “Look, I don’t know what’s going on, but I’ve never felt this way about anyone before. I feel like I’ve known you forever, which is just plain weird, because this isn’t like me. It isn’t normal for me -- for any human -- to let go and trust someone innately. That’s just how we were made. We’re a pretty suspicious group.

 “But I do have questions, and I want to make sure that you’ll answer them. I’m not going to just blindly accept everything that’s happened. My life may not have been perfect before, but consenting to be your mate is just crazy. I have a life… I had a life. Well, I sort of had a life. I need to think about this.”

 “Of course, Nawra. You must believe me. I will answer any questions you have for me.”

 Rowan smiled shyly up at him. He reached out, waiting for her to accept his hand before he drew her to him. Leaning back against the wall, Laithe cuddled her into his chest. She hesitated for a moment. “How did you know you would be a pride leader? I mean, how did you know it was you and not one of your brothers?”

 “The pride leader is the strongest male, the most dominant male in a pride. Most of the time, the pride is arranged along family lines, but occasionally the males are not related. When we reach maturity, we must participate in a series of intricate tests that we do not speak of. It is only the males of our people that know what we must go through in order to prove our worth to the Felidae . If we pass, we are given a pride to rule. The strongest pride becomes the Ruling Pride and they are marked with a symbol when they pass the tests.”

 “What kind of tests?” she asked.

 “I cannot say. It is one of our sacred rites. It is only revealed to those who are deemed worthy.”

 “Well, that just sucks,” she said, pouting.

 He grinned in response, sliding his head down to nibble along her earlobe. “I would tell you if I could, little flower. It is not something that we take lightly,” he whispered, breathing the words out against her ear.

 “Ah… I understand,” she panted. “So… what does the mark look like?”

 Laithe held out his forearm, turning it so she could see the inside of his right wrist. On it was the shape of a lion, tinted a shade darker than the fur around it. Rowan gently ran her fingers over the mark, tracing the outline so that she barely touched his arm. It wasn’t just in the hair. It looked like it was pressed right onto the skin. It looked like a burn, and she thought it must have hurt like hell to have it done.

 “Does this mean that --”

 “My father is the Appaliunas, and he rules the Felidae along with my three uncles. It is accepted that I will take over his rule in time. The Leo has always accepted responsibility for the other clans, because they choose to be solitary for the most part. There are a few exceptions and they have their reasons for doing so.”

 “Can I ask you about Fahd? What just happened here?” she asked, averting her eyes, fidgeting with her hands while she waited for his answer.

 “I’m not sure what to tell you. It is expected that each member of the prides has the right to mate with any of our females, with her consent. I don’t expect you to make up your mind about that until you get to know each of them better. I promise you, Nawra, I will not push you into anything you are not ready for.”

 “Ummm… did you just say each member of the pride?” She raised her eyebrows, looking at him in surprise. There was no way that he expected her to have sex with everyone on his ship, was there?

 “It is expected, little flower. Females are so rare among us that this is the only way for our people to survive without going to war,” he explained.

 “I get that, I really do, Laithe. But there’s no way that I’m just going to roll over and have sex with a bunch of men because it’s the right thing to do for your people. I’m not like that.”

 He nodded, a frown furrowing his brow. “I don’t know what you want me to say. I cannot ignore the needs of my men. However, I do understand your reasoning, and I would never discount your feelings on this. You are my mate, and I want you to be happy. If it means that much to you, I will let you take this at your own pace, Nawra. It will be your choice. Always.”

 Rowan nodded, unsure of exactly what to say at the moment. There was a lot that she was going to have to think about. “I’m willing to stay with you… as long as we can take it at my pace.”

 Laithe stretched, making Rowan cover her ears and giggle when he let out a loud roar. Prowling to the edge of the bed, he hopped off, turning to hold out his hand to her.

 “I have no problem with taking it at your pace. As long as your pace allows me to fuck you whenever we both need it.”

 “Uh… excuse me, fur face. You’d better be careful, or you won’t be fucking anything around here,” she teased, pursing her lips to hold in her smile at the silly grin on his face.

 “Don’t give me that look, Nawra. I was merely joking with you. It is time for you to get acquainted with my ship.”

 She heaved a sigh, determined not to let out the laughter that was bubbled up inside her, then looked down at her still naked body. “You’re going to get some clothes for me, right?”

 “I would prefer to keep you naked, but if you want to be clothed, then I will accede to your wishes,” Laithe purred.

 “All right, fuzzy, show me what you have in the form of ladies’ wear,” she giggled, crawling to the edge of the bed.

 Ten minutes later -- and after a brief tug-of-war over what he deemed clothing -- Rowan stepped through the opening in the wall and out into the corridor. She had a strip of cloth wrapped around her waist, covering her ass, and she’d placed another strip around her breasts. It was this that Laithe had argued over. He wanted her breasts to be bare, but she’d resolutely put her foot down. Enough of his pride had already seen her naked.

 The walls of the corridor were the same shimmering black as the sheet that covered her in Laithe’s bedroom. They walked toward the stairs set in the end of the corridor, Laithe filling her in on the mechanics of the ship itself. She didn’t have the heart to tell him that she wasn’t getting any of what he was talking about, he just sounded so excited about how everything worked. A scientist she was not.

 Walking up the stairs, Rowan had the opportunity to watch Laithe’s ass move in front of her. He definitely had a prime ass, and she figured she could bounce a Canadian Toonie off it, never mind a measly quarter. And heck, she didn’t even mind the fur, although she hoped that she wouldn’t have to chase after him with a vacuum to clean up behind him. Did cats shed a lot? Because there was no way that she’d be okay with having fur over all of her clothes. Rowan picked at the wrap around her breasts -- what little clothing she was wearing anyway.

 When Laithe reached the top of the stairs, he paused to wait for her to catch up, and suddenly she was glad for his support beside her. The entire top of the ship looked out into the stars. She was completely surrounded by the bright spots. She’d never really been one for star-gazing, but this put everything she’d ever seen in the city to shame. Millions of twinkling lights blinked around her, the sight so unbelievably peaceful she realized she might be spending quite a bit of time up here.

 A smooth, rich voice intruded. “Laithe, we have nearly reached Felid and I have already informed Father that we are approaching with your new mate.”

 Rowan peered up into a face that resembled Laithe’s but for the lighter color of his mane.

 “Rowan, meet, Asad, my brother. The only brother you have yet to meet is Usama, and he is distinct in his coloring. You won’t mistake him for someone else.”

 Asad bowed to her, his tail bobbing in the air behind him.

 “Little flower, I must see to the approach. Would you like to look out the windows at the stars?”

 Rowan followed his gesture, turning to see a large bank of windows set away from the consoles. She hummed happily, bouncing once before walking over to them, glad to have the time to herself.

 Rowan nibbled on her nail, lost in thought while she gazed out the window. She turned her head to glance at Laithe who directed his men to do whatever it was they had to do to get them home. Home… it was weird to think of home right now. She wondered how much time had passed since they’d taken her. She’d probably missed work, and it was a damn good thing she didn’t have any pets or they surely would be dead within a few days from starvation.

 She snorted at the thought of pets. Technically, one could say that she did have pets now. Sure, Laithe probably wouldn’t find it funny, but she had a feeling that he took quite a few things too seriously. It should be fun to shake things up a bit more. Not that she was planning on staying for long. She would go with them to their home world, see the sights and then she would just have to ask them to take her back. Back to her life, the uber-interesting one where she had no friends. Sighing, she leaned against the glass, trying to get comfortable.

 Off to the side, she saw a large, black shape make its way onto the bridge. Fahd moved effortlessly among the other men, brushing up against Laithe when he passed him and wrapping his tail around the other man’s leg. She could hear Laithe’s rumbling purr when he leaned into the caress. She turned to see what everyone else thought about the action, only to notice that none of them were paying any attention at all.

 She’d always had a secret fascination with men having sex with other men. She used to devour every piece of gay romance she could get her hands on. There was just something about two men together that set her loins on fire. Loins? It looks like someone has to cut down on the historical romance books. Snorting, she turned back to look out the window.

 Wait a minute.Rowan looked closer at a dot in the window that was getting larger. Is that…?

 “There is so much that I want to show you, Nawra. We are approaching Felid, my home world,” Laithe said, coming up behind her. He placed his hands against the glass on either side of her head, caging her in. Bending down, he pressed his face to her neck, breathing deeply. She tilted her head to the side, loving the feel of his mane against her skin.

 In front of her, the planet grew larger and larger until she was able to make out distinguishing features. It looked smaller than Earth, not that she’d ever seen Earth from outer space. But it just seemed smaller. There was more land than ocean. The area directly in front of them was a large, green sea of land, stretching to cover the majority of the planet.

 The closer they came, the more features she was able to see, mountains rising up from the ground, trees dotting the landscape. Small, thin rivers bisecting the grasslands. It was all so fascinating. So similar to parts of Earth, but so damn different…

 She rubbed her face against Laithe, breathing in his scent, like spicy nutmeg. He made her feel so protected standing behind her. Like nothing bad could ever happen to her when she was with him. Maybe it was his size, but her muscles relaxed whenever he was around, the tension draining out of her. Normally she was so wound up, but just being with him was enough to make her at ease and it left her amazed. Yet, she couldn’t forget that no matter what she felt in his arms -- however much comfort she found with him -- there was something greater at stake.

 She was going to have to make a choice soon.

  

  

  

 Chapter Six

  

 “Welcome to my home.”

 Laithe motioned for Rowan to disembark in front of him. They had just landed, and as far as she could tell, it was exactly like the holograph in his room. Thick, tall grass blanketed the land for as far as she could see in three directions, a deep vibrant green.

 Directly in front of them, low buildings sprouted up among the trees and grasslands, blending in with the surroundings. Laithe had already explained to her when they made their descent that this was the territory his father lived in. All over Felid, different territories had been set up for each pride. There were even some Pardus living on Felid, although they had their own home world on one of the outlying moons.

 Laithe mentioned that it wasn’t uncommon for the Leo to kill any Pardus they came into contact with, and Fahd and Morgan sometimes had a rough time of it when they visited other prides. His family was one of a very few among the Leo that were accepting of other clans.

 Rowan was already nervous. She was about to meet the rest of Laithe’s family. On the way down, Laithe had left her alone in the atrium while he and his pride made the last minute preparations to land. She’d thought long and hard, taking the opportunity to figure out how she felt about all of this.

 She couldn’t explain it to herself, but she definitely felt a connection to Laithe. Those few minutes during their lovemaking when she saw things from his perspective had been unbelievable. He was so gentle with her, but she had the feeling that he could be ruthless when he wanted to be. She didn’t think that they would let a weak Leo become a pride leader. He had to be something special.

 And he seemed so totally devoted to his pride. He was so gentle with the little man named Catan. Laithe had spoken briefly about him, explaining that he had been abused horribly and might be nervous about approaching her. And he was accurate -- when she’d met Catan he’d hidden against the console he was working at, nodding once before turning and hiding his face again. It wasn’t until Asad had moved closer to him that Catan had relaxed, leaning into Asad’s bigger body, rubbing his face up against his shoulder.

 And that was another thing. The pride seemed so open with their affection. All day she’d noticed them touching each other. Little brushes against the other men, stroking their fur, intertwining their tails. But it didn’t appear sexual. At least it wasn’t sexual most of the time. They’d genuinely seemed to take comfort from the presence of each other.

 Rowan was a little jealous of the affection until she realized that they were doing it to her as well. Whenever Laithe spoke to her, he managed to position his body so he brushed up against her. He constantly stroked his palms over her arms, holding hands with her whenever they were together. Fahd too touched her frequently. It was… different, and she realized it wasn’t so bad. Thinking about it now made her go all soft inside. She could have a family if she chose to stay with these men. It almost boggled the mind, but she wasn’t going to let any doubts ruin her happiness. For the first time she could remember, she actually felt as if she might belong.

 Her own family had never made her feel this way. She had been a disappointment to them, never smart enough, never pretty enough. They wanted her to be like them, traveling the world and trying to save everyone else, but when she’d balked at their restrictions, they’d finally washed their hands of her. It was disappointing, but she’d learned to live with it. She just wasn’t made to be like that. It was almost comical that after years of refusing to move to Africa to be with them, she was now living in a place very similar.

 Looking up when Laithe pressed a hand against her back, Rowan spied a group of people exiting one of the buildings. This must be Laithe’s family.

 “Go with Fahd and the others, Nawra. I must speak with my family. It is customary, do not worry,” Laithe reassured her.

 She turned to look to Fahd, moving forward when Laithe ran his hand down her arm one last time. Fahd took her elbow and propelled her over to a separate abode, Morgan and Rajiv following behind them.

 She admitted to herself that she was a little intimidated by the large Tigris. He looked exactly like a really fierce Tony the Tiger, something that should have made her laugh, but she had a feeling not many people made fun of Rajiv and lived to brag about it. There was darkness to him that told her he wasn’t a man to mess with.

 Morgan, too, was silent, keeping his distance from the rest of them, walking past them into the abode and down through a hallway to disappear. Rajiv stopped at the entrance, waiting for Fahd and Rowan to enter before remarking that he would stay outside.

 She was left alone with Fahd, watching him wander into what must be a sitting room that sprawled down to a lower lying platform. It was the same vibrant green as the rest of the hut, and Rowan wondered if they had somehow made it out of the grass outside. It was all the same color. She stood in place, eyeing the interior of the small house.

 “This is Laithe’s home when he is on Felid. We all have rooms here, befitting our status as part of his pride. Although it is pretty rare that we are actually here, and not on The Shahnaz ,” Fahd offered, staring unblinking at her while she looked around.

 It wasn’t that she was trying to avoid his eyes, there was just so much else to see. Okay, fine, she was avoiding him. This was so awkward now that Laithe wasn’t here. She still couldn’t believe that she’d slept with him. Her face grew hot. There had been absolutely no sleeping involved in what they had done. She just didn’t understand the connection to him. Were her feelings because of Laithe, or was she coming to care for Fahd? She was so unsure about these new emotions. This whole thing was giving her a headache.

 “He has gone to talk to his family, in case you were wondering. He needs to make his case to keep you, to prove that he has mated. Once his father accepts his mating, we will bring you to them to undergo the ceremony.”

 “Whoa… wait a minute… what ceremony? Why didn’t Laithe say anything about this? I thought everything was agreed upon already. Does this mean that his father can reject our mating? What the hell will happen to me if he does? Are you going to send me back?” Rowan knew she was panicking when thoughts started to fly around in her head. Her chest felt tight at the idea that there was yet another thing that she couldn’t control. This couldn’t be happening… not when she was this close to considering staying. Now Fahd was telling her that some other guy could make her leave him.

 “Calm down, gorgeous. Laithe will not let you go. And if his father even thinks about it, Laithe and the rest of us will keep you regardless.” Fahd stood up to move in front of her, placing his hands on her shoulders.

 Rowan looked up at him, memorizing the features of his face. He seemed so strong, so gentle. Suddenly she wanted to know more about him. She just needed to find the words.

 “I think we need to talk,” she said.

 Fahd sighed, exhaling loudly while he brought up one hand to rub against his nose. Turning, he started to walk away, grabbing her hand at the last moment to tug her over to the platform. He sprawled out along it and urged her to sit beside him.

 “What do you want to know?” he asked.

 Rowan took a deep breath of her own. “I want to know what’s between you and Laithe. And what it means to me.”

 Fahd paused, clearly considering his words. “Laithe and I go back many years. My father, Pantheras, has been the personal guard to Haytham for many years. They are very close. They love each other very much.”

 “But isn’t Laithe’s father mated?”

 “He is, and he shares his mate with his brothers, Laithe’s uncles. But he also shares Laithe’s mother, Ariel, and himself with my father. My mother was a Pardus, but she died shortly after my birth. My people are different from the Leos. It is not as common among us to share mates. And it is nearly unheard of among the Tigris. A Tigris male will kill any man that tries to steal his mate. The Pardus are similar. We are solitary by nature, and will only come together to mate.” Fahd paused, rubbing a hand down his face with a sigh.

 He shifted in place, the tip of his tail swishing out and bumping into her calf before he continued. “So, many times, a female will be shared by different men, but they will not reside together. She has her own territory overlapped by the territory of the men that she is mated to. It is natural for the female to raise her young, and so I was with her when she died. My mother was killed when a rival Pardus tried to force her to be with him. She fought back, and he killed her. My father heard about it and came as soon as he could to take me to live with him. But I had already been alone for several weeks. I almost followed her into death.”

 “Oh, God, Fahd, I’m so sorry. That must have been horrible.” Rowan nestled closer to him, offering comfort by running her hand along his shoulder.

 He purred quietly and butted his head forward into her chest. “I don’t really remember it. I was fortunate that my father was living with Haytham at the time. The men of my clan have no idea how to raise young -- they just don’t do it -- but Ariel took one look at me and instantly claimed me for her own. It is almost unheard of for a Leo female to claim other cubs, but she did. I’ve never asked her why she claimed me as her own, but she is such a gentle woman -- fierce as hell when someone threatens her mates or her cubs, but gentle with us.

 “I guess I fell in love with Laithe as we got older. We were always doing things together. We had almost reached maturity when Morgan came to live with us. His mother was killed in a similar fashion to my own, a horrible fate when you consider how few women we have. The three of us were pretty inseparable growing up, but I always felt differently about Laithe. We became lovers, and I thought we would be together forever.”

 “So what happened?” Rowan asked, almost dreading the answer.

 “His father didn’t think I was appropriate to be Laithe’s partner. And he was right at the time. Oh, Laithe didn’t agree with him, but I knew the truth. Laithe needed someone strong to support him, and we were always the other way around. Laithe was the strong one growing up. He was always protecting me from something. It wasn’t until he told me that we had no future together that I realized if I ever wanted to be with him, then I needed to be a better man. I needed to be the man that Laithe deserved. I needed to be stronger, smarter… better. I needed to be able to stand up for myself without waiting for Laithe to save me. I just… I don’t know what will happen now.”

 Rowan saw the indecision written on his face. She had a sense that he was talking about her addition to their pride. Rowan thought back to when they’d made love. Laithe had shown such emotion for the other man, she had a feeling she knew what he wanted to happen. But was she strong enough to accept Fahd’s place in Laithe’s life? It pretty much went without saying Laithe wanted Rowan. If he ever wanted to have children, then he needed her. Or was he starting to have feelings for her? She couldn’t imagine going back to a life without him. She thought she could grow to love him in time once she was offered the chance to know him better.

 Until she talked to Laithe, she would only be guessing at his feelings for her. So what was she to do? On the one hand, she could deny Fahd, and tell Laithe that she didn’t want the other man to be with them. But she knew that Laithe had feelings for him, and she didn’t think she would be able to live with knowing that Laithe would forever yearn to be with another man. Or she could accept Fahd into their lives, and hope that Laithe’s feelings for her were strong enough that he would eventually fall in love with her.

 If she was honest with herself, she wanted both men in her life. She wanted to get to know them both. There was something so appealing about Fahd. He had a vulnerability that Laithe didn’t have. He called to something inside her. Laithe was so dominant, so alpha male that he made her toes tingle just thinking about him. Her passion for Laithe was immediate, despite how crazy it was. He could inflame her with just one look. Her feelings for Fahd were different, but no less powerful. It was more of a slow burn, a subtle yearning to be with him. The way he talked about Laithe made her chest ache from the passion in his voice. She wanted that… she wanted someone to talk about her like that. It was ridiculous. She couldn’t have feelings for Fahd too. Could she? Was it crazy to want to be with two men?

 Christ, this was so much easier when it was just her. Now she had to worry about everyone else. Well, she had a definite decision to make. Was she strong enough? Heck, she was going through so many different changes, she might as well see what Laithe’s way of life offered.

 Rowan leaned down, touching her mouth to Fahd’s with a gentle, undemanding kiss. “I don’t know what will happen, but if Laithe wants you in his life, I have no problem accepting you.”

 Fahd looked at her in shock, opening his mouth and then closing it several times, no words coming out.

 “Do you mean that?” he asked, grabbing her shoulders again.

 “I think so… yes, I mean it,” she replied. If he heard the indecision in her voice, he was good enough to ignore it and not point it out.

 Pulling her down on top of him, Fahd kissed her, slowly and so heartbreakingly tender her heart turned over in her chest.

 God, she didn’t know what she would do.

 * * *

 Laithe entered his home, fiercely proud that his father had approved his mating with Rowan, his Nawra. His mother and his uncles were overcome with joy that he had found someone to be with. His mother urged him to go and bring back his mate, to introduce her to the rest of them and to hasten the bonding ceremony.

 Standing just inside the doorway, he stopped at the sight in front of him. His heart stuttered as he looked upon his mate, sleeping peacefully in the arms of the only man he had ever loved. He couldn’t imagine not having either one in his life, and he only hoped this was a good sign that meant his Nawra was willing to accept Fahd in their lives. For whatever he might feel about Fahd, it was the little human that he was mated to. He couldn’t explain the connection they had. He could feel the presence of her mind, even as he stood looking upon her. They were so connected that it was as if she was a part of him. He could no more let her go than he could voluntarily cut off a limb. He loved her. If he had to lose one of them, then he had no choice but to let Fahd go.

 He had already spoken to his mother about it. She had to go through the same thing when his father had brought Pantheras into their relationship. He asked her how she had dealt with it. Her answer was she already had so much love in her heart because of Haytham and his brothers that it was easy to open up and accept another love in her life. He could only hope that Rowan felt the same.

 Clearing his throat, he walked over to the two, staring down at them as they began to wake up. Fahd looked up at him first, tightening his arms around Rowan as she mewled in protest. Laithe smiled down at him and his heart turned over again as Fahd rubbed his cheek against Rowan’s hair. She whispered Laithe’s name, and then whispered Fahd’s when she began to stir.

 “It is time, Nawra. We must begin the ceremony.”

 “Laithe?”

 Fahd chuckled, sitting up with Rowan in his arms, smiling indulgently at Laithe.

 “She has had a tiring time of it lately. Give her time to wake up before you start spouting off orders.”

 Laithe laughed softly, leaning down to kiss Rowan’s forehead. “I will send in Morgan, Rajiv and Catan to her. They will serve as her family and prepare her for what is to happen. And I believe that it will take a stronger man than all of us combined to keep Mother out of here.”

 “Right, come on, gorgeous, time to get up.” Fahd shook her gently, grinning when she finally opened her eyes to frown at them.

 “I’m up already, so stop shaking me, you jerk.”

 Fahd kissed her quickly on the lips, sliding his mouth erotically against hers. Just when she started to respond, he ended the kiss, moving her to the side to slide out from under her.

 The two men stood beside each other, wrapping their tails together, and staring down at Laithe’s mate. Rowan blinked up at them, smiling when she stretched her limbs, making them groan at the revealing pose she was in.

 “We don’t have time for this, but you will be paying for that later, mate.”

 Rowan giggled at the mock frown Laithe sent her way. He was about to pounce on her when he heard the voices of his father and his uncles coming toward them. Sighing, he wandered to the door, letting them in. He watched as the four men passed by him, each one a variation of what he would look like in a few decades, followed closely by the smaller form of his mother. Behind them, Pantheras stood silent, protecting the back of his father. His father Haytham was the one he most closely resembled, his thick, chocolate mane setting him apart from his brothers. The darker mane was considered a sign of his leadership capabilities, making both father and son more desirable to the females of their kind.

 Rowan stood up behind him, and when he glanced back he contemplated her standing in front of Fahd. The other man had his hands at her waist, supporting her even as his tail wrapped around her leg. Laithe grunted in approval.

 “Are you ready, son?” Haytham approached him, his uncles falling back to stand as witnesses.

 Laithe nodded, turning to Rowan.

 “I would like you to meet my father, Haytham.” He waited, watching while his father inclined his head to his mate. “Behind him are my uncles, Leander, Lavi and Apollo. The black Pardus who resembles Fahd so much is his father, Pantheras. Finally, I would like you to meet my mother, Ariel.”

 Laithe’s mother stepped forward, clasping Rowan’s hands and kissing her cheek.

 “Welcome to the Felidae , child. We are so very blessed to have you,” Ariel said, before moving back to her mates.

 From behind them, Laithe perceived movement. Rajiv prowled into the room, followed by his three brothers. He frowned at Usama, standing close behind the Tigris. He knew they had been intimate; he could smell Rajiv all over his brother. He just hoped Rajiv would take care of Usama. He wasn’t as strong as the rest of the Gatti brothers. Morgan appeared from the hallway leading to Lev’s room, coming forward to stand behind Lev, offering up his own form of support. The two of them had their own choices to make soon. They couldn’t continue on with the casual affair they were having. They would soon be faced with other challenges, and Laithe decided that he couldn’t interfere. They would have to decide whether it would bring them closer or separate them for good.

 “Are your witnesses here, son?” his father asked.

 His pride stepped forward, walking around his uncles to stand beside Rowan and Fahd. Laithe grunted in approval at the show of support. If he wasn’t careful, he might just start bawling like a little cub. His emotions were so close to the surface he was afraid they would erupt at the first opportunity.

 “Who represents this man in his mating?” his father asked.

 Fahd stepped forward. Laithe smiled when Fahd moved up close to him, brushing his arm against Laithe’s in camaraderie. He could feel his three brothers behind him, and looked back at them just as a white tail brushed his back. His brothers would always be there for him.

 “And who represents this woman in her mating?”

 At the question, Rajiv stepped up to Rowan’s back, Catan and Morgan flanking her on either side.

 Haytham grunted in approval, and his mother beamed at all of them, leaning back while her other mates crowded around her. His uncle Leander brushed a kiss across her shoulder, when Lavi and Apollo each took one of her hands. Pantheras remained at their backs, but he smiled when she looked back at him. Laithe wanted that for himself. He had grown up in such a loving family that he wanted to have that kind of relationship with his own pride. He knew that Rowan was the central figure they needed.

 Rowan fidgeted nervously, waiting to see what would happen next. No one had informed her of exactly how this ceremony would take place. She glanced at the men surrounding her, smiling at Catan when he peeked shyly at her. He seemed just as uncertain as she was, and she leaned further over to brush up against him in support. Immediately he purred, rubbing his face against her neck. He had to bend down a tad to do it, but it was odd being with someone that was only a little taller than her. The other men in the pride towered over the two of them.

 She turned her attention back to Laithe when his father started to speak again.

 “Have you brought a symbol of your union together, my son?”

 Laithe reached down into the strip of cloth he had wound around his waist. It was tied around and under his legs, like a loincloth. He pulled out two small objects, making Fahd gasp. Rowan had no idea what the significance of the objects were, but for some reason, Fahd looked like a gentle wind might blow him over he was so shocked.

 “By the powers that were given to me, as your Appaliunas, I bless these symbols, and pray they give you the strength to keep what the gods have gifted you with. Go now and know that you have the blessing of your people.”

 Laithe turned to her, a look of such savagery on his face she nearly backed up. Or at least she would have backed up, if Rajiv hadn’t chosen that moment to step forward, effectively preventing her from moving. Laithe moved in front of her, grabbing her around the waist, and guiding her gently to the platform to their side, ignoring her squeak of protest.

 The others parted to form a half circle around them when Laithe leapt over her to lounge on her far side. Fahd moved fluidly, sliding on to the platform. She was now surrounded by the two men.

 Fahd lifted his head to look at Laithe.

 “Will you accept this symbol, Nawra, as a token of our mating?” Laithe held up a small ring. It looked like plastic, a clear ring with a tiny line of chocolate brown set in the very center of it, and an opening at one end.

 “What is it?” she asked, leaning closer to look at the ring.

 “It is made of a metal that is common on our planet. It is customary for our males to make them ourselves when we are considering the mate bond. I had this made years ago, when I first accepted my pride leadership, in the hopes that one day I would use it. A piece of my mane has been inserted into the metal, before it was cooled, identifying you as my mate.”

 “Wow, you made this yourself? So why is it open on one end? It looks too small to fit on my finger,” she laughed, then quieted when she realized no one else seemed to find it the least bit funny.

 “It doesn’t go on your finger, Nawra. It goes here,” he replied, threading his fingers under the cloth at her waist to brush up against the folds of her pussy.

 “Oh, my God, please tell me you’re joking.” She glanced over at Fahd, only to realize by the heated look on his face he would be no help to her. She turned her attention back to Laithe, refusing to look at any of the witnesses. Oh, God… “Uh…wait, just please, wait a minute.”

 “What is wrong, Nawra?” he asked, concerned.

 “A piercing is so permanent, Laithe. It’s not exactly something I can remove if I get bored with it, or don’t like it in a few weeks.”

 “I realize that, Nawra. It is a symbol of our unity together. It represents the connection between us. A piece of me, permanently entwined with you. I want this for us. I want us to be two people united together as one. It is a symbol of my promise to you, that I will always protect you and cherish you.”

 “Oh…” she sighed. “That’s beautiful, Laithe.”

 “If you really do not wish to do it, we can wait until you are more comfortable. But it is customary among my people. I will not back down on this,” Laithe said.

 Rowan took a deep breath, realizing the witnesses bothered her more than to have the piercing itself. Besides, with Fahd on her other side, he did block some of their view. Turning once more to Laithe, she nodded, flushing when he growled in response.

 “Thank you, Nawra. You have gifted me with a priceless treasure. One I will hold dear.”

 He leaned over, kissing her briefly on the lips before moving downward, licking along her jaw and down her neck. She shivered at the wet heat, darts of pleasure radiating from each pleasure spot he found. Laithe bit down, waiting until she bucked up against him before moving down her body. Fahd rose up on her other side, providing more coverage against the people at his back, holding himself above her.

 Laithe pulled aside the strip of cloth at her waist, twisting his body to place it on the platform behind him. She was now completely bare to his gaze. He smiled up at her, briefly showing his canines before kissing her belly. His lips were hot, searing her skin. His lower lip brushed the crease of her leg before he angled his head and blew his moist breath against her clit. Her pussy clenched, an ache building inside her.

 Rowan shifted, embarrassed to grow wet when there were so many people in the room. Besides, if there was one thing she’d found out recently, it was their acute sense of smell. They would all know exactly how hot she was.

 Fahd gently urged her to open her legs further, grabbing the thigh closest to him and holding it out. Laithe held down her other leg too, moving up and over her to settle between them. He looked up her body, catching her gaze when she stared back at him, panting at what he was about to do.

 He threaded his fingers through the triangle of hair in front of him, calming her. He licked her folds once, a strong sweep of his tongue, before parting her. He blew on her clit again, sucking it into his mouth until she drove up into him, putting pressure on the hands holding her down.

 Before she could think, Laithe released one of his deadly claws, piercing through the thin skin of her inner labia quickly and efficiently. Rowan arched, letting out a loud gasp. Laithe leaned in and blew another breath against her clit, making her arch into his lips, begging him for more. She whimpered when Laithe threaded the small ring through the hole, closing it with one powerful snap of his hand.

 Rowan looked up at Fahd, widening her eyes when he gazed down at her expectantly. Laithe reached up, handing Fahd a small ring almost identical to the one she now had attached to her body except the strand of fur imbedded in the metal was a thick, black color. She nodded. She wanted to get this done all at once. Her whole body ached from the tension, but she couldn’t wait to see what would happen next.

 Quicker than she realized, the two men had switched positions, and it was now Fahd who gazed up at her from between her legs. Laithe lounged against her side, pillowing her against his powerful frame. He lowered his head to nuzzle against her face, whispering to her quietly while she waited.

 Fahd grinned up at her, holding her gaze and caressing her thigh with his cheek. Rubbing against her skin, he reminded her of the cat he was. He started to purr, the hypnotic sound vibrating through the room. With each rub of his head, he brought his face closer to her pussy. Carefully avoiding Laithe’s piercing, Fahd’s long, sensuous tongue swiped out, licking along her folds. His nose bumped her clit, and she mewled. He rolled his eyes up to watch her, nudging her clit again.

 Fahd didn’t waste any time. He quickly pierced her labia with one claw just below the spot where Laithe’s ring sat. While she fought to keep still, Fahd ran his ring through the hole, closing it quickly before levering up and gathering her in his arms. He had tears in his eyes when he gazed down at her.

 “Thank you, Rowan. Thank you for this gift. I will treasure it always.”

 She was barely aware of the others when Laithe’s father spoke out again. “Welcome to the family, Rowan, and may you have many years and many cubs with the men you have chosen.”

 While they filtered out, Rowan clung to Laithe and Fahd, whimpering when she closed her legs and the rings brushed up against her folds.

 “Damn, I wish we had fucked before putting those in. You are going to be tender for awhile,” Fahd remarked, running his hands down her sides.

 Laithe remained at her face, kissing and licking along every surface he could reach. She lay between them, realizing that there wasn’t anywhere else she would rather be than between these two incredible men.

  

  

  

 Chapter Seven

  

 Rowan winced when she stepped outside of their home, feeling the twinge of the two rings in her labia brushing up against the opposite fold as she walked. They would be leaving soon, so the men could start patrolling their assigned territory again, but she would miss this place. She’d gotten to know Laithe’s mother, Ariel, better in the three days since they’d arrived. She was such a gentle woman, but she had a wicked sense of humor. Rowan had a brief regret that her own mother wasn’t like that, but she was resigned to the fact that there were certain things she would never be able to change.

 Speaking of which, she wondered where her unruly mates had gone. They had nearly gone crazy not being able to make love to her. Because they still felt guilty that it was they who had caused her even a twinge of pain, they had refused to fuck each other until she’d healed completely, even though she’d told them she wanted to see them together.

 Two nights ago she had finally given up and attacked Laithe when he walked in the door. She fell to her knees in front of him, and when he hesitated, she pulled off his loincloth, revealing his hardening cock. Fahd bumped into him from behind, just as surprised as Laithe. She leaned forward, licking along Laithe’s cock, tracing the veins with her tongue. He slumped when she began to take the head between her lips, sucking deep and pulling him into her mouth.

 Laithe fell back against Fahd, allowing the darker man to hold him up with an arm around his waist. Fahd reached down, curling his strong fingers around the base of Laithe’s cock. She sucked hard, swallowing convulsively. Backing off, she heard Fahd murmuring encouragement. He pumped Laithe’s shaft, covering it wetly with her saliva until his cock shone. She felt so powerful at that moment, the two men so enraptured with her actions. Rowan licked along his shaft again, before taking the head in her mouth once more. He bucked into her mouth, growling when Fahd began to kiss along Laithe’s shoulders. Fahd finally bit his neck, sinking his sharp canines into him. Laithe groaned and spilled himself down her throat.

 Rowan rewarded his release by immediately pushing him aside and engulfing Fahd’s cock. While Laithe showered her with encouraging words, he rubbed down her back, urging her to suck his friend deep. Fahd held her by the hair, plunging into her throat. He came soon after, his pent up lust clearly not allowing him to last very long. Both men groaned when Rowan licked up all of Fahd’s salty seed.

 Rowan smiled now, thinking back on it. Several times since, she had sucked both men, once joined by Laithe as they both took turns deep throating Fahd. And just last night she had finally convinced them that she wanted to see them together. Laithe had ended up lying on top of her, kissing her passionately as Fahd thrust into his ass. Every time Fahd pushed in, Rowan could feel the echo of his push against her. Laithe’s entire body jerked from the hard fucking he received. With her lying under him, she had a direct connection to him.

 Fahd bit down on Laithe’s shoulders, slowing his thrusts to lick a path along his spine. Laithe nearly begged Fahd to go harder, faster. To stop teasing him and just fuck him. Fahd chuckled at that, the darkly erotic sound sending chills down her own spine.

 She climaxed right with them, just from the sight of the two men together. She couldn’t imagine being without them now. They were a part of her. She smiled, feeling the twist of the rings on her labia. Literally, they were a part of her.

 * * *

 Rowan glanced up when Usama shouted out to her. She grinned at the younger man, although to be honest, she wasn’t sure how old he was exactly. She would have to bring that up to Laithe the next time she talked to him.

 Usama neared her, bounding up to lift her off the ground in a massive hug. “Hello, sister! And what are you doing out here alone?”

 “Well, I was looking for someone to give me a tour of the place. I haven’t had much chance to explore since we got here, and we’re leaving soon. I’d like to know something about this world,” she replied, brushing her hand along his white mane.

 “Where are Laithe and Fahd?”

 “The heads of the prides have journeyed here to speak to your father, and so Laithe has been called in for awhile. Fahd has finally accepted his position as Laithe’s guard and he is in there watching Laithe’s back.”

 “Well then, shall we?” Usama asked, gallantly bowing before offering her his arm.

 Rowan giggled before she curtsied and placed her hand along his forearm. As they rounded the corner of the abode, they came upon Catan walking toward them.

 “Hey, we are just on our way to go touring. Do you want to join us?” Usama asked.

 Catan nodded before coming near them. He laughed when Usama offered his other arm before moving to the far side of Rowan. Grabbing onto her arm, he shuffled closer and rubbed his face along her shoulder. Rowan reached up to pat him on the head.

 As they walked, Usama filled her in on some of the history of their people, Catan looking off to the side while Rowan listened intently. All of a sudden, Catan stiffened and let out a little hiss. Rowan turned to see what held his attention and was startled to see a group of four male Leos watching them.

 Usama snarled beside her, releasing Rowan to crouch in front of her and Catan. “You are not supposed to be here, Shyam. Get back before Laithe and my father find out about this.”

 The man at the front of the group paced forward, gliding on his powerful legs toward them. He completely ignored Usama, instead focusing all his attention on the Lynx quivering beside her.

 “Abomination! You should not have lived. You are undesirable, little cat, and I suppose it is time that I ensure an end to your miserable existence.”

 Rowan’s heart seized in her chest, like a band had just been placed around her body and tightened painfully. This couldn’t be happening. She panicked. There was no way that Usama could protect them all against these four men. She knew she wasn’t a fighter and Catan had frozen beside her. Before she could think about it, she reached out to Laithe, and instantly he was there in her mind, looking out of her eyes.

 A loud roar sounded from the abode where the pride leaders were meeting, echoed by more as Laithe must have told them what he’d seen. Shyam turned to look in the direction of the sound before lunging forward to attack Usama. His pride members panicked, glued to the spot until he coughed at them to move. They began running in the direction of Rowan and Catan while Usama battled Shyam in front of them. It was very apparent who the stronger fighter was.

 Rowan screamed when she saw the blood spurt across Usama’s white coat. Catan roared, jumping at one of the men closing on them, trying to keep them back away from Rowan. She stumbled, tripping on something that caught in her feet, and fell hard on her back. Crawling backward, she screamed again when one of the Leos jumped her, landing square on top of her body when she kicked up at him.

 Out of the corner of her eye, she watched while the other two men pulled at Catan, dragging him off to a crop of trees to the left of them. Usama fell heavily under Shyam, screaming in pain when a loud snap was heard. Rowan screamed again when the Leo on top of her leaned down to sniff at her neck.

 Suddenly the clearing was filled with a terrifying roar. Rowan had a glimpse of a large orange and black body leaping into the air, jumping ten meters or so to end up on top of Shyam. Before he could move, Rajiv bent down, biting the back of Shyam’s neck and crushing through his spine. Rowan winced at the sickening crunch, watching Rajiv fling himself off the dead body, then reach down to cradle Usama in his arms. He held back his head and roared again, his voice echoing through the clearing.

 The man holding her started to back up, but before he got further than his knees Laithe grabbed him from behind, biting through his throat. The flash of blood just missed hitting Rowan. Fahd wrapped an arm around her waist, twisting her body to hold her close to his chest.

 She looked to the left and watched the rest of the pride follow the massive form of Asad, running in the direction in which Catan had been taken. Asad’s roar of pain sounded when he realized that he wouldn’t be able to catch them. They could hear the sound of a small ship taking off.

 Rowan was surrounded by heat when Laithe wrapped his arms around her and crushed her between his body and Fahd’s. She wasn’t sure who was shaking -- it was probably all three of them -- but she knew tears flowed down her face as the reaction set in.

 “We’ll get him, Asad. I promise you, we will get him back. No one comes into my pride and takes one of my family!” Laithe snarled.

 Rowan turned her head, watching Rajiv carry Usama over to them, growling while he ran his eyes over the smaller man’s body. Lev and Morgan instantly glided up to them, running their hands over Usama and checking for injuries. Asad remained standing off to the side, staring in the direction that Catan had been taken.

 “I promised him,” Asad whispered, the harsh sound breaking Rowan’s heart. “I promised him I wouldn’t leave him.”

 “We hunt, brothers!” Laithe let out a loud roar. The other pride leaders shifted violently when they looked down at the remains of Shyam and his pride member. A volley of roars sounded out. Rowan looked around as the men banded together to get back one of their own. One of her own. They would get him back, and the men who took him would regret their actions for however long their miserable lives lasted.

 They would get him back.

  

  

  

 The Felidae 2: Asad’s Mate

  

 Asad has lusted after Catan ever since the pride rescued the little Lynx from a brutal attack, but he is afraid his desire for him will push Catan into running from him. Yet, he wants Catan as his mate.

 Catan’s dreams are filled with terror. He can’t rid himself of the overwhelming fear he has for the men who attacked him and his family. The only man he has ever wanted is Asad, but he isn’t sure if he can ever be what the big Leo needs.

 When Catan is captured by the same men who brutalized him once before, Asad must do everything he can to save him. Can Asad and Catan ever have a future together when their love is haunted with fears from the past?

  

  

  

 Jade Buchanan

  

 Jade Buchanan was born in the summer of 2006, out of a slightly shy but definitely warped mind. Jade’s alter-ego spends her days working in the world of safety management consulting, but at night she lets Jade out to play. Preferring to live in the world of fiction in which she was born, Jade can be found wandering through fields of words whenever she can. Now if only she can find her dream man -- a time-traveling Scottish laird who was born a werewolf that became a vampire and lived on a pirate ship, only to make his way to the new world and work on a ranch in Montana (with a brief foray in the Navy SEALS), before conquering the space time continuum and becoming a space marauding pirate and ruling the galaxy -- she’d be a very happy lady.

 Jade would love to hear from you. She can be reached at jade.buchanan@yahoo.com or you can visit www.myspace.com/jadebuchananbooks