Feral, Chapter Three

Chapter3
 Sam wasn’t really sure what she was doing, but she wasn’t about to let him walk out that door again. She didn’t think her heart could take it. Whatever the connection between them was, she was pretty sure that it was something more than just physical. She wasn’t going to give it any name right now for fear of losing him again. But that didn’t mean she was going to sit here like some helpless female while he faced Thane and his family alone. She had her own weapons. Ones she’d worked long and hard to master. She was relatively sure she could hold her own against Thane. One on one that is. If the rest of the family decided to jump in, she’d be in trouble. But in a fair fight she might surprise them all. The thought didn’t give her near the confidence boost she’d hoped for.
She took her butterfly blade out of the bedside table drawer and slid it into her black riding boot. She turned around to find Riley looking at her like she was an unknown creature again. It was all she could do not to laugh at him. He was going to have to get over his image of her as some seventeen year old kid who was painfully shy and afraid of everything because that just wasn’t her anymore.
She’d spent the ten years between then and now training her mind and body. She was pretty good with a blade of any kind. And she was OK with a gun, though she really didn’t like to use them. Too messy. But she’d also discovered that she had talents outside of the physical spectrum.
Besides her ability to effectively lock out everything and everyone from her conscious mind, she could also follow thoughts back to their original owners, which is why she could communicate with Riley’s cat she supposed. And why she spent an awful lot of time alone. She had enough problems with her own thoughts, let alone everybody else’s. She didn’t do well in crowds.
She stuck her tongue out at him. Catching him off guard. And was rewarded with one of those Han Solo smiles that made her insides melt. Did he really have to be that adorable?
“What do you think you’re doing?” She didn’t really plan on going with him did she? Regardless of the knife in her boot, and her obvious ability to use it, Riley had no intentions of letting her go back with him. She was the last person his mother would expect him to bring home. And given how she felt about Sam, it was for Sam’s own good that she stay as far away from the compound, and his immediate family as possible.
“What does it look like?” She was shaking at the thought of facing his mother again. But she wasn’t going to let him know that. She was terrified of the woman before she knew she could have torn her apart at any time and fed her to the other members of the clan. “I’m not going to let you walk out on me again.”
“Kitten,” he sighed. Here came that stubborn thing. “You can’t come with me and you know it as well as I do. My mother will have you for breakfast, literally. That’s if Thane doesn’t get his claws on you first.”  He didn’t even want to think about that. He’d take a fight with his mother over what he knew Thane would do to her simply out of spite. His brother’s appetites had become more and more deviant over the years and he had developed a habit of what he called “playing with his food.” Riley found it disgusting and added it to the growing list of reasons that his brother was going to wake up one morning and find his Karma had bit him in the ass. The thought made him smile.
Sam wasn’t sure what had put that absolutely frightening smile on his face, but she really wished he would quit. She shivered at the cold light in his eyes and swore she could see the cat’s eyes behind them. Alert and ready for the hunt. It was enough to make her second guess her decision. If Riley was so close to wild sometimes, what was the rest of the clan like? Somehow she was sure that he was probably the most “civilized” of the family. That thought didn’t do anything to help steady her trembling hands.
The thought of facing his brother wasn’t what bothered her. Thane was a jerk, and probably more than a bit insane in a cruel kind of way. But Lydia was a whole other animal. Cold, calculating and down right mean on a good day. She could whip the wings off an Angel and do it with a smile. And Sam had never seen that smile reach her eyes. Unless it was when she was tormenting her younger sons.
Thane was perfect. The pureblood. Jaguar through and through. Mean, territorial and cunning. But Riley and Caleb were only half. Their father was human. Making them “weaker” in the clan’s eyes. Beneath them and only barely tolerated. On one hand it broke her heart to think of what these last ten years must have been like for Riley and Caleb. And on the other she realized that the girl she had been back then never could have stood up to Lydia and her family. Let alone been standing here with a single blade in her boot and a few “tricks” up her sleeve contemplating literally fighting for him.
Riley was trying to fight the compulsion to either shake her or lock her back in the bathroom. Did she really think her little blade could protect her if his mother decided to be the bitch they both knew she could be and ordered the clan to kill them both just for the hell of it? He had to admit that the fact that she was willing to take that step melted his heart. But he’d be damned if he’d let her get hurt out of some sense of wanting to protect him. It just wasn’t going to happen.
There was iron in his voice when he came around the end of the bed and stood in front of her.
“I will not let you risk your life to protect me. I’m quite capable of dealing with my brother, and my mother for that matter. You on the other hand wouldn’t last ten minutes in a room with them if they decided to get ‘mean’ “.
Seriously?! He had to be kidding. “What? You can risk your life, getting injured in the process, for me,” she waved a hand at his bandaged arm, “but I can’t do the same for you? Get out of the last century darling.” She drew the word out, mocking his earlier use of it. She was not some helpless little female that needed his protection dammit!
This time he did grab her by both arms. He was just short of shaking some sense into her. He felt the Cat tense. It was anxious. Not knowing what was going on. Riley wasn’t too sure himself. He’d never intentionally hurt her. But his nerves were shot. Too much had happened tonight. He needed time to process it all. And that meant he needed to know she was safe. Or at least as far away from his family as she could be. Not jumping straight into the middle of hell.
Sam gasped and tried to back away. But his hands were iron bands on her upper arms. She could see the violence swirling in his aura. Deep black bands that shifted across his skin, half showing black on black spots. While his eyes turned a deep burnt gold. The cat was so close to the surface. Riley growled low. Barely above a whisper, it was enough to scare the hell out of her. She knew he would never intentionally hurt her, but if he could barely control the big cat with her, she was starting to rethink her ideas of thinking she was strong enough to face Lydia. Yet.
“Riley please. You’re hurting me.” She took a deep breath and let it out in a long defeated sigh. “Alright. You win. I’ll stay here.” She hung her head. She would not cry dammit. She wasn’t sure if she wanted to cry at the thought of him leaving, or the humiliation of giving in and admitting she was scared. Either way, she really didn’t want him to see her cry again.
Riley let up on his grip and pulled her into his arms. He rested his head on hers and held her tight. He knew she was trying not to cry. And he had to give her respect for even trying to protect him. It made him love her even more. Nobody had ever tried to protect him. He’d spent all these years protecting Caleb, and her. But he had to keep her safe. There was no other option. His heart, wouldn’t allow it.
He released her and stepped back. Looking down into her shining blue green eyes broke his heart. The raw pain he saw there was just too much. He’d give anything to make her smile like she had been only a little while ago. But it wasn’t possible right now. He had to leave. Now. Before he changed his mind again.
“Promise me you will stay here Kitten. I need to know you are at least this far away from my family.” He sighed. “I will be back. As soon as I can. You just have to trust me.” He reached out and tugged on her hair and tried a halfhearted smile. It didn’t quite reach his eyes.
Sam saw his attempt at a smile and somehow it made her feel even worse. She knew he was trying to make her feel better, but the fact that he felt the need to only proved to her how much of a baby she was being. What choice did she have?
She gave him a shove and headed for the door before she changed her mind and acted like one of those idiotic women she detested so much.
Riley followed her to the door. Definitely not liking leaving her alone. But she was a whole lot safer here than with him right now. She turned to face him and he pulled her against him again. His mouth came down hard on hers as he kissed her. The pure emotion branding them both.
Sam leaned into him and kissed him back for all she was worth. Neither one of them had any way of knowing what the daylight might bring, but she was determined to make damn sure there was no doubt in his mind how she felt this time.
Riley broke the kiss and stepped back. Dazed by the force of the emotions between them. Sam looked up at him wide eyed. He realized she’d been completely aware of what she was doing. She smiled one of her dazzling smiles and opened the door. “Out Mister Kacey. Before I cause a scene and beg you to stay. I hate to beg so go.” She smiled again. Hoping it looked more convincing than she felt. “Out. I’ll be here when you get back.” He tugged her hair again as she pushed him toward the open door. He half turned in the door way, as if to say something else, then turned and walked away. Letting him go was the hardest thing Sam had ever done in her life. She closed the door and slid down it to sit on the hardwood floor. She curled her arms around her legs and hung her head. She couldn’t hold the tears back anymore. She cried until she couldn’t cry anymore. She got up, dusted the debris off of her dark blue jeans and walked over to lay back down in the bed that was still warm. She pulled her pillow close that still had Riley’s scent all over it and slept.

Feral, Chapter Two, Part Four

Sam sat up and rubbed her wrists. The new bruises adding insult to injury with her skin still raw from Sheba's scratches. She'd completely forgotten about the furry lump in the cage in the corner. She looked into the cage and saw Sheba pressed as far back into the corner as she could get. Her ears laid back and her eyes glowing green as they never left Riley's face. She hissed, and to Sam's complete chagrin, Riley hissed back. The cat whined and tried to make herself even smaller. She knew the scent of a bigger predator when she smelled it and she wanted no part of Riley's cat.
    Sam closed her eyes for a minute and reached out for him with her other senses. It was a trick she'd learn while studying. It helped all of her other senses to open up if her eyes didn't get in the way. Logic was like that. Your brain listened to sight and sound before anything else because people are trained to live only in the physical world. But she knew that there was another world. Just below the surface. In that world, Riley's cat stalked the darker places of his soul. Pacing as though caged. Without thinking she reached out to comfort it.
    Riley whirled on her as he felt her energy completely bypass him and collide with his cat. His eyes widened as he looked at her. Her colors swirled in an almost visible storm around her. Blue and green and silver sparks. What the hell was she doing?! She shouldn't have been able to get passed his defenses. Let alone be able to "talk" to the Jaguar.
He wanted to shake her but he didn't dare touch her. There was so much raw power flowing off of her in waves. If he even came near her, there was no telling what might happen. Instead he stood there and watched her. Opening his own defenses more to see what she would do.
    Sam was aware of Riley's slight pushing against her to test her defenses. But she'd worked long and hard on them and he was nothing more than an annoyance. She ignored him and turned back to the big cat. She wanted more than anything to communicate with it. She'd always had an affinity for Jaguars and Panthers. Out of all the big cats. She'd never stopped to wonder why. She'd just assumed it was like her "totem" animal and left it at that.
     But maybe it was because she knew this cat. And she'd been looking for him all this time. To her surprise and delight she felt the big cat stretch and purr as their energies collided. She gave the cat a mental "hug" and was rewarded with a groan from Riley.
    Riley wasn't sure what she'd just done, but whatever it was he felt a wave of heat all the way into the deepest part of his soul and his body tightened painfully. It didn't matter that they'd only just left that bed she was sitting on. He wanted her right then more than he ever had in his life. He clenched his fist and took a step toward her. To his utter shock, his cat growled a warning at him and turned back to where her energy swirled in a glittering arch between them. He stood there in shock. Not knowing what to do.
    She chose that moment to turn to him and astrally push against his own defenses, just as he had hers minutes before. He reflexively threw up his shields. But she brushed them aside like they were nothing. He was suddenly sucked into that storm of colors that surrounded her and he felt his defenses shatter as she dropped her own shields and bared her soul to him.
     It was all there. The hurt and confusion when he'd left. The endless tears and silent screams as she lay awake at night wondering what she'd done so wrong. The total emptiness of watching all of her friends date and fall in love, while she sat in the corner not able to join them because the thought of being with any of the guys that approached her made her violently ill.
    Working nights for the last five years at that damn record shop just so she wouldn't have to spend the dark nights alone anymore. What had he done to her? He cursed his family and the cat and everything that had come between them. He never meant to cause her that much pain. It hadn't been his fault dammit!
    Sam felt the sharp sting of Riley's guilt and anger cut through her own pain like a red hot spear. She'd never meant for him to see any of that. He wasn't supposed to know about all those feelings she'd kept locked away for years now. Not feeling anything for fear of shattering into a million tiny pieces. Just like her balcony door. She tried to pull back, to retreat back into her own head, but the three of them were caught. The circuit was closed and she didn't know how to open it. She'd never felt so connected to anyone as she did to both sides of Riley. Because that's how she saw the cat.
    Riley could fight all he wanted to pretend that he and the cat were separate. But she knew better. She saw with her inner eyes. She saw the cords of pure energy swirling through Riley's colors that bound them together. The cat was just as much a part of him as his arm or his heart. And she saw something else too. A shining silver cord that connected her to Riley. It was so bright. Shimmering between them like spun silver. She could see every thread that wound the cord, rope like between their hearts.
    She'd read about them while searching all the occult books she could find for a way to forget him. But she'd never actually "seen" one before. She reached out her "hand" and touched the glittering strands. It made a sound like ringing bells. High and pure. The sweetest sound she'd ever "heard". She felt it like a summer rain. It washed over her and calmed the sparks of power that eddied around them both.
She found that she could open her eyes now, which she did. Riley was standing no more than two paces away from her. With a completely dumbfounded expression. Like she'd suddenly grown a second head.
    She smiled and waited for him to catch up. She was used to people looking at her like that. She didn't know how she was able to do the things she did, but she had learned how to control and use it well over the years.
    “What the hell was that?” Riley wasted no time in giving her the third degree. “How did you do that? You shouldn’t be able to do that. And how in the nine billion names of God can you talk to the cat when I can’t even do it. No matter how hard I try.” Riley had no intention of telling her that the reason he was so angry was because in all his training he’d never found any way to communicate with that part of him. He could change at will now, but he knew others in the clan could actually remember what happened and could control their cat. He would never tell them that he couldn’t. When the cat took over he had no memory of it. It was his shame to bear and he bore it in silence. He shuddered to think how his brother would use it against them all if he ever knew.
    Sam could see and feel some kind of battle going on just below the surface of Riley’s consciousness. It swirled just below his awareness and caused black wisps to fade in and out in the colors between him and the big cat. The connection between them wasn’t complete.  It caused them both so much pain. But somehow she knew that if she tried to help or said anything about it it would only cause him more pain. So she let it go, for now.
    “I spent the years after you left studying. Wicca, Buddhism, the Occult, anything that might help me find a way to erase you from my memory.” The confession brought her no joy. Nor did she expect it to. But he at least deserved the truth. “Meditation helped me to deal with the pain and Wicca helped me find a direction for all of the things about me that I never understood. It just kind of made sense.” She shrugged and shifted her weight on the bed. She didn’t tell him about all of the fights with her family over her choice of paths, or that she had learned a lot about his family. Or that there were other clans out there too.  Other “Were’s” and creatures not even remotely human. Most humans went on with their daily lives completely unaware of the world that lay just out of range. Like a flash out of the corner of your eye. Glimpsed but never quite seen.  But she had seen and she knew it was real.
    He sat down on the bed next to her and reached out to twist one golden lock around his finger. He really did love the way her hair curled around his hand. “I’m so sorry sweetheart. But I have to go.” He saw her heart sink and wanted so much to take her in his arms again. But he knew it was time. “I could promise you that I’ll be back tonight, but I can’t. I don’t know what’s waiting for me when I get home. But you can bet that Thane will have a welcoming committee waiting for me.” That was probably an understatement but there was no use worrying her any more than necessary.
    “I know. But that doesn’t make it any easier to watch you go.” Oh would you listen to her!  She sounded like all of those helpless women in the movies. Fawning all over the hero to save them. Those kinds of women had always disgusted her, and now here she was acting just like them.  What the hell was happening to her?
While Sam was lost in her thoughts, Riley picked up his clothes and tried to figure out what exactly he was going to tell his brother. He had no doubts that Thane had sent Ellington to “take care of” Sam. The question was, how long it would take for Thane to figure out Ellington wasn’t coming back. The guy had never been known as reliable. He would leave the clan compound for days, even weeks, at a time. Usually drinking and chasing whatever he could find in a skirt that would give him the time of day. But if Thane had sent him on a direct order, and Riley was pretty sure he had done just that, then he might have twenty four hours to get Sam and Caleb out of town. That was assuming that either one of them wasn’t going to be stubborn as hell.
Riley pulled his boots on and turned back to see Sam nearly dressed as well. What the hell did she think she was doing?

Feral, Chapter Two, Part Three

When Riley finally looked up, he was surprised to see tears shining in her eyes. They ran down her cheek to disappear into her hair. He panicked. "Did I hurt you?" He would never forgive himself if he'd hurt her.
    "No." She sighed and tightened her grip on his body. Sending new waves of pleasure through them both. She smiled and reached up to brush the tears away.
    "Then what is it?" He rose up on his left elbow to look down at her. He'd never seen anything more beautiful. Her hair was damp still. Whether from her bath or their lovemaking, it didn't matter. And her skin glowed. He smiled and traced the small "love bite" on her neck where he'd marked her.  She was finally his. After all these years. He dared the council or his brother to try and take her away from him now.
    "I'm happy." She said it so simply. A flat truth that warmed his heart. He felt tears shining in his eyes at the thought that he could make her that happy. It gave him hope for the future.
    But then he remembered that they wouldn't have a future if he didn't figure out how to get his brother to leave them alone.
    Sam saw the shadows pass across Riley's eyes. What was he so afraid of? His family? It couldn't be that bad could it?  She reached up and twisted her finger in his hair. "What is it, love?" Had she missed something?
    Riley sat up and ran his finger through his hair. This was the part he'd been dreading. He hadn't come here tonight with any other intentions than protecting her from Thane's hired lackey. But he hadn't counted on the intense feelings she always brought in him. Or that the cat would react so strongly to her. It shouldn't have. She was human. It shouldn't have cared about her at all. But it's reaction to her scent had been unmistakable. He'd have to figure out what that meant later. Right now she was waiting for an explanation.
    "I have to go back." He didn't turn to look at her as she sat up and tucked the robe around her. "Thane will be expecting me and if I don't show, things could get ugly. For both of us." He wasn't looking forward to it. He hated being there under Thane's thumb. But as the second son, and a half breed too, he had no choice. It was submit to Thane's rule, or die. And the second was not an option. He had her to protect, but his little brother would never survive without him. If it wasn't for Riley constantly keeping the stronger clan members from killing him, Caleb would have been torn apart as a weakling and a half breed too. There was no mercy in the clan.
    Samantha pulled a face at the mention of Riley's older brother. She'd never liked him. He was a slimy, arrogant jerk. All that ever mattered to him was tormenting his younger brothers as much as possible. She remembered poor Caleb as a sweet kid with a quick mind. She hoped that too many years on the receiving end of Thane's abuse hadn't hurt him too much. Or worse, turned him just as mean.
    She took a deep breath and reached out and put her hand on his shoulder. "Alright Riley. You obviously have something you don't want to tell me. I promise I'll try to be a big girl and take it like a man. " She tried to smile but her insides were turning to mush. And not in a good way like earlier.
    Riley shifted on the bed so he could face her. The uncertainty in her eyes broke his heart. But it was now or never. Either he told her the truth and hoped for the best. Or he walked out that door and never looked back. He couldn't even hope to protect her from Thane, or his mother, if she didn't know and understand everything.
    "Just promise me that you will hear me out before you call the nice guys in the white coats to come and get me." He tried to smile. But it didn't quite reach his eyes.
    Now she really was worried. What on earth could he possibly have to tell her that had him thinking she'd call the cops, or worse on him? "I promise not to call anybody until you're finished."
    Riley sighed and got up. He turned to face her. "The easiest way to tell you is to show you." And without another word, the air around him shimmered, like sound waves you could see, and he was gone. In his place was the biggest black jaguar Sam had ever seen.
    Her heart sped up to rollercoaster pace and she scooted backwards across the bed instinctively. Landing on her feet on the far side. She stared in disbelief at the big cat as it sat down and stared back. It's eyes were brown. Not yellow like all the other cats she'd ever seen. You could barely see his black on black patterned fur in the growing dawn light. She was just beginning to catch her breath as the air shimmered again and Riley was standing where the cat had been. Still in all his glory. Sam felt the room spin and sat back down on the bed.
    Riley sat down across from her and took a deep breath. He didn't know what her reaction would be. His heart beat an unsteady rhythm as he waited. He didn't have to wait long.
    She started laughing. Laughing? Really?  Not exactly the reaction he'd expected. He stared at her open mouthed. Which only made her laugh harder.
     "Oh baby." She tried to talk but she was laughing so hard she couldn't catch her breath. That's what he'd been so afraid to tell her? Little did he know that she already knew about it. His cousin had been her best friend. And her father had been an alcoholic who liked to talk while he was drunk. She heard him tell stories about Riley's mother and her family for years growing up. She always chalked it up to the imagination of a drunk old man. Until she'd grown up and started studying the occult. That's when she'd found out that his stories were more fact then fiction.
    The longer she laughed, the more pissed off Riley got. What the hell was so damn funny? He was about to grab her and shake her, when she reached out and pulled him across the bed. They tumbled together and she landed on top of him. Straddling him like she'd done earlier.
    "I already knew." She saw his eyes go wide and then he growled and flipped them again. Now he held her hands above her head and glared down at her.
    "You knew? How?" He was completely non-pulsed. She knew? All this time he'd thought he had to hide it. Stay away from her so she'd never know and hate him. Or worse, fear him. He glared at her and tightened his grip on her wrists.
    "Ouch!" She protested. "Riley, that hurts." She struggled to get loose but his grip was like iron. "I knew because your uncle had a big mouth. Especially when he was drinking. Which was all the time. You forget I spent most of my teens swapping weekends between my house and your aunt and uncle's." Sam tried again in vain to pull her hands free. Riley was scaring her. She thought he'd be happy that he didn't have to hide his true nature from her. Instead he was furious with her. It didn't make any sense.
    Riley allowed her to continue struggling while he processed the fact that there was a very real possibility that they'd wasted the last 10 years for nothing. The thought did not make him happy. Or his cat either. He felt the growl low and hard in the depths of his soul. He released her arms and pushed off of the bed. Turning his back on her until he could control the cat again.

Feral, Chapter Two, Part Two (Warning, Adult Content)

***This chapter comes with an added reminder that this blog is ADULT only. I would hope that all of my readers are over 18, if you have come to this blog in error, or are not comfortable with adult content, be it language or of a sexual nature, please leave now. If, on the other hand you are here because you relish the "good bits" of life, then please, continue reading♥
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Riley was sitting on the couch again. While it wasn't exactly the way it was before chaos had reigned down on her little world, it was at least clean and the furniture that had survived was upright. She mourned the pieces of her slate topped coffee table that he'd heaped up in the corner by the door. That table had been through several moves and a couple of states with her. Oh well, no use crying over split slate.
     Her eyes returned to the man on her couch. He sat against the arm, just as he had before. His head back, looking for the entire world like he was asleep. Until he spoke. "Feeling better?" He raised his head and gave her a raw look. His heart in his eyes. "I have to go very soon, kitten. I can't put it off much longer."
    He stood up and came to stand in front of her. He was so close she could feel the heat of his body radiate towards her. She looked up into his eyes and instantly realized her mistake. She tried to pull away, but it was too late. She was lost in the golden heat she saw there.
     Some things never change and she should've known better than to let him get that close and even more, to meet his eyes. They had always been her undoing. She could get lost in their warm brown depths forever.
    Riley knew better than to touch her. But he couldn't help it. When he'd looked up and saw her standing there in that damn marshmallow of a robe, her hair spilled down her back, and those silly zebra slippers, it was the cutest thing he'd ever seen. He was off the couch and across the room before he realized it. And then she'd looked up at him with those blue green eyes of hers. Did she know what they did to him?
    Before his head could tell his heart any different, he hooked his hand in the knotted belt at her waist and pulled her against him. Whether it was shock or something else, she didn't resist as he kissed her for the first time in ten years.
    Samantha was just trying to remember how to breathe. Cherished memories became real again as Riley pulled her against him. Then when his mouth came down on hers, she was swept up in the heat that always surrounded her when she was in his arms. His hand was warm on her back as he tangled his fingers in her hair.
    Pulling her head back, he broke the kiss and stared down at her. Riley could see the waking passion in her eyes. Every warning signal in his head went off. It would be morning in less than 30 minutes and his brother would be waking the clan. He couldn't risk what doing what he really wanted to her might do. If he shifted in the heat of passion, he might hurt her, or worse.
    She picked that instant to lick her lips. He growled and kissed her again. The clan be damned! He'd given the last 10 years to them. They could wait for him now.
    Sam's legs turned to jello as he deepened the kiss. Plunging his tongue deep into her mouth. Taking what he wanted. She leaned into him. She told herself it was just to stay on her feet. But she knew better. Her insides were pooling somewhere below the knotted belt and all she could think was how much that belt was in the way.
    He seemed to feel the same way. He pushed her away just long enough to untie it. He slipped his good arm inside the robe and pressed her even closer. Her skin was soft as silk under his calloused fingers. He ran his hand down across one round hip and felt the beast inside him raise its head. She was all curves and silk. And it sensed the closeness of a mate.
    He tried to reign it in. But the soft whimper Sam made when he cupped her breast was more than he could take. With a feral growl he braced her against him with his good arm under her adorably rounded bottom and half carried, half drug her to her bed.
    He pushed her gently and she fell back. The marshmallow robe fluffing open around her. Giving him an unobstructed view of her soft curves. It was one of the things he'd always found so irresistible about her. The other men in his family had a thing for the super model type. But he liked her curves. She was soft and round and perfect in all the right places.
    Samantha lay there, watching Riley unbuckle the belt of his tight black jeans and kick off his hiking boots. Not the least self-conscious. How could she be when he looked at her like that?
    She prayed she wasn't dreaming. And if she was nobody better wake her up. She kept her eyes locked with his as he stepped out of his jeans and kicked them out of his way.
    She bent one knee and pushed herself back on the bed. Completely unaware of the view she was giving him. But he wasn't. Gods, she's killing me. He thought as he kneeled on the bed. Pressing her into the thick cotton comforter.
He groaned as he realized that his right arm wasn't going to hold his weight. He shifted his weight to his left arm and laid his right leg between hers. Pinning her under him.
Sam arched her back and wiggled to get more comfortable. She'd forgotten how much bigger than her he was. Not in height he was only 3 inches taller than her, but in shear body mass.  Everything about him was steel in velvet. From his broad shoulders to his perfectly defined legs, she ran her hands over every part.
    She was so intent on how happy she was just to be touching him again that she looked up to find him smiling down at her. Laughter in his eyes. "Did you miss me?"
    "You know I did." She replied. She didn't know why, but she suddenly felt shy. She hadn't been with anybody else since him and she now realized why. Because her body belonged with his. They fit perfectly. She reached up and traced his lower lip with her index finger. She smiled as he nipped the tip of her finger before leaning down to kiss her again.
     While his right arm wouldn't hold his weight, that didn't mean it wasn’t good for other things. He pushed the robe off of her shoulder so he could plant a kiss there. And then continued the trail until he came to the already tight peak of her right breast. He cupped it in his hand. The weight of it more perfectly round than he remembered. But she wasn't a 17 year old kid anymore. She was a full grown woman. And he wasn't 19 anymore either.
    The soft sound of Riley's mouth against her breast pulled Sam's stomach tighter. She reached up and tangled her fingers in his jet black hair. Arching her back against his mouth. She sighed and pushed at his shoulder. All she got for her trouble was a growl as he switched breasts and began to draw lazy circles around her left nipple with his tongue. It reminded her of a cat. The rough feel of his tongue was heaven.
    Riley felt himself losing his battle with the beast inside him. It growled and whined. Begging for release from its chains so it could claim its mate. It felt so right to hold her. To stroke her with his tongue. And touch her where ever he wanted.
    He pushed her left leg down. Giving him better access to her body. He slid one finger deep inside her. She was already so wet. Ready for him. The scent of her was more than either he or the big cat could take.
     He covered her mouth with his own as he shifted his weight and entered her. He felt her tense and then relax as she adjusted to the feel of him inside her. He pressed deeper and was rewarded for his efforts as she pressed against him.
     Sam wrapped her legs around him and moaned. All the nights she'd woken up in a cold sweat from dreams so hot she hurt couldn't hold a candle to the real thing. She lifted her hips to meet him and tightened her grip on his shoulder. The feel of him sliding inside her driving her insane. She tried to whisper his name but all that came out was a gasp as he rolled with her and landed on his back. Still buried deep inside her.
    She tucked her toes behind his knees and rode him like she wanted. His hands on her hips. She threw her head back and laughed. A deep, silky laugh that tugged at his heart. The pure joy of it brought him near tears.
     Sam quickened her pace. She could feel every part of her body pulling tighter and tighter. Centered around where their bodies were joined. She knew it wouldn't be long now before she got the release she'd need for so long.
    Just before she could hit that height, he rolled them again. He pressed her back into the bed with his full weight and slowed the pace. Sam wanted to scream in frustration.
    Riley looked down at her. She was glowing. He could see the colors swirling around her through the cat's eyes. All blue and green and silver. Like the deep forest under a full moon. The big cat echoed her frustration by whining in Riley's head. They had both been so close. But Riley knew that if he didn't slow the pace and let her come to him easier, he wouldn't be able to keep the cat chained. He would shift and claim her as the cat. He couldn't risk that.
    He pressed into her with deep even strokes. Just wanting to feel her slide around him a little longer. She moaned and dug her nails into his shoulders. She whispered his name between breaths. Begging him to release her.
    "Samantha," he breathed her name, "open your eyes. Look at me". She did as he asked. Her eyes had gone dark. Blue green had turned to deep blue. The color of the sea at night. His eyes held hers. He quickened the pace again. This time making sure their eyes stayed locked on each other. Maybe it would hold the cat at bay. He felt her body tighten around him as she came. Her eyes went wide and she arched her back. Never wavering from his face.
    Watching her come was more than he could take. He buried his face in her hair as his own release shook him. The big cat roared and went still. Finally sated after all these years. It curled up in a dark corner of Riley's soul and slept. Secure in the knowledge that his mate was his.

Feral, Chapter Two, Part One

Chapter 2
    While Riley wrestled with his demons in the living room, Samantha tried desperately to make sense of what had happened tonight. She sank into the steaming hot water in the tub. Grateful again that she'd taken this flat. Her rattled nerves needed the calm that only a good soak could give her. Even if the heat did nothing to calm other parts of her. Damn him. She slapped the water and sat up. She couldn't even make it through five minutes without thinking about him. She really needed to get a grip on her emotions before she went back out there.
    There was no denying that there was still something very real between them. But no way was she ready to throw in the towel and forgive him. Not by a long shot. And there was no way she was going to give in to the crazy things his body did to hers whenever they came within 2 feet of each other.
    So, where did that leave her? Sitting in a hot tub thinking even hotter thoughts about a man she hadn't thought she'd ever see again. Sill confused about who the other guy had been. Why, according to ol' brown eyes out there, he'd been sent by someone to see to her untimely death. And where they were supposed to go from here.
    She knew where her traitorous body wished they'd go. And her heart seconded that. But her head just couldn't follow suit. Damn logic anyway!
    She slapped the water again and gave up.  She was standing, dripping water on the deep pile peach colored rug when she realized that her robe was laying on her bed where she'd left it this morning while getting dressed for work. No way was she walking out there like this. His vows to the contrary notwithstanding, she wasn't going to put that much temptation in front of him right now.
     There was a soft tap on the door while she stood there trying to decide what to do. "Hey, thought you might need this." She heard the chuckle in his voice and could just imagine the look on his face.
     She opened the door a crack and tried her best to stand behind it.  She held her hand out for the robe. He smirked and hung it over her hand.
    "You know you're being ridiculous right? It's not like I haven't already seen every sweet inch of you." The wolf's grin was back, as was that strange light in his eyes. A mix of playfulness and raw animal hunger. It got her every time. She shivered and tried in vain to blame it on the water that was slowly drying on it's own from her naked skin.
     She snatched her arm back and shut the door. I am such a coward. She thought as she wrapped the fluffy pink robe around herself. Probably not the sexiest thing she owned. But certainly the most comfortable. She shook her hair out and slid her now dry feet into the zebra print slippers she kept tucked under the sink.
     She remembered all too well what he'd seen, and touched before. That was the problem. If he was a complete stranger that had come to her rescue, she wouldn't be standing here like an idiot again. Trying to keep the door between them for as long as she could. She sighed and reached for the doorknob.
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Tune in next week for part two of chapter two ;) If you like it so farm share the link with your friends, post a comment to let me know if I'm on the right track and if you want to read more about Sam and Riley. Until then, love from PA,
~Tabz

Feral, Chapter One, Part Three

     Looking back at the wrecked flat, she tried to take stock of what was salvageable. She walked to the coat closet and pulled out the broom. She began sweeping the shattered glass out onto the balcony. Anything to keep from having to look at the man who lay on her couch. His head leaned back against the arm giving her a full view of his neck and naked chest.
    Damn it! Did he have to be so blasted good looking. It ought to be illegal for any man to look that delicious. Even with the injured arm and everything else, she could feel her defenses slipping. One by one the bricks were falling.
    "Sam." Riley lifted his head and looked her in the eye. "We still need to talk. And I have to leave soon." he shifted his weight on the couch and held up his hand.
     Sam just stood there. She wasn't sure what he was going to say, but she was pretty sure she wasn't going to like it. She also wished there was anywhere to sit but the couch. Being so close to him rattled her already over sensitized nerves. He grinned at her hesitation. “I’m not going to rape you Sam. Although, at another time, the idea has potential."
    That heart melting smile came out again. Along with a silent challenge in his eyes. Her knees suddenly felt like jello. Somehow she didn't think it would ever come close to rape. You can't rape the willing. And if she didn't find a way to keep some distance between them, he would find out that that idea worked both ways.
    She gave herself a mental shake to knock the steamy images out of her head that shouldn't have been there in the first place and decided that retreat was NOT the better part of valor. She leaned the broom against the counter and walked back over to the couch intending to take her seat in the corner again. Riley had other ideas as he grabbed her wrist and pulled her back down on his lap. This time she sat up, like he was nothing more than a very comfortable couch cushion.
    Except that there was no doubting that Riley was all man. He was all solid muscle that shifted under her in ways that made it hard to breathe. And just then Sam was trying very hard not to breathe, or wiggle in any way. It wasn't easy.
    Riley took it upon himself at that minute to shift his weight on the couch again. Garnering a scathing look and a gasp from Sam as body parts connected that she had been working very hard at keeping as far apart as possible. His silent chuckle did nothing to help either as his body shook with the effort of trying not to outright laugh at her.
    "I promise Sweetheart. I'm not going to bite you. At least not right now. So will you please relax. I can't help the fact that I still want you and I refuse to try and deny it. Neither one of us are kids anymore." He reached up and tugged her hair again. It seemed to be his favorite thing to do. "So sit still. All that wiggling is breaking my concentration."
    Ugh! He really did think he was irresistible to her didn't he? Problem was he was probably right. She sighed and tried very hard to sit perfectly still.
    "Now that I have your attention. Where was I?" He still had one lock of her hair twisted around his fingers. He continued to play with it as he talked. "Like I said before, leaving you wasn't my idea. It certainly wasn't my choice. I was waiting around for you to grow up so I could marry you."
     That half grin flashed into being again and Sam swallowed hard. This was ridiculous! You'd think she was still that 17 year old kid who melted every time he looked at her. She was damn near 27 for Goddess sake.
    Get a grip girl! Before he wraps you around his little finger and then disappears again. Remembering the pain that caused last time was enough to bring her back to reality. And she held onto it like a life line with both hands.
    "Then what happened?" She hoped her voice sounded a bit more steady to him than it did to her own ears. "One minute we were having a ball. The time of our lives, then, poof! You were gone and that tyrant of a cousin of yours was giving me the "Dear Jane" routine."
    Even now she could remember the arrogant look on her face as she'd delivered the "bad news" that Riley was gone. "Family concerns" that had nothing to do with her and could she please not try and call. It would be better off for everybody if Sam just forgot she’d ever met Riley. Thank you and have a nice day as the door closed quietly in her face.
    "I'm sorry kitten. It wasn't my fault. I was 19. I went where they told me too. That's the way my Family works." The way he put such emphasis on the word family seemed like it should be capitalized.
    Riley stopped playing with her hair long enough to stroke her cheek. "I didn't even find out what they'd done until it was too late. I was on a plane to half a world away when my aunt told me that I wouldn't be allowed to see you when I came home."
    So he hadn't left because he wanted to? Fine. But that didn't absolve him of not doing something about it afterwards. "But it's been 10 years Riley. And as you pointed out, we aren't kids anymore. So why didn't you try to find me? And how did you know where I was now? None of this makes any sense."
    "I know. And I promise, I'll explain everything. But not tonight. All I can say is that my family is very strict. And there are certain, traditions, that have to be followed. One of which is returning to our family home. I didn't know that I had to go until it was too late."
    The absolutely dejected look on his face was more than any woman could take. She reached out and tucked a stray strand of jet black hair behind his ear, and smiled. That same stray lock had been her favorite toy back when. Well, that and kissing him. But she didn't think that would be wise right now.
    Instead she settled for returning to his lap. If she was gonna let him get under her skin like this again, she might as well enjoy it. He didn't resist. He simply wrapped his good arm around her and sighed.
    He rested his chin on her head for a minute before breaking the silence. "As much as I'm enjoying this, I really have to go. It will be morning soon."
    What did that have to do with anything? She sat up and looked him in the eye. "So let me guess. You're about to disappear again aren't you?" The tears started to well up again as she saw the guilt in his eyes. She growled and pushed away from him. It wasn't fair dammit!
    He tried to reach for her with his wounded arm but only succeeded in groaning as pain shot through it. Samantha used her own momentum to leave the couch and put as much space between them as she could. How could he!
    She rounded on him, murder in her eyes. "You should have let him kill me. At least that way I wouldn't have to watch you go again." She wanted to scream at him, she wanted to cut his heart out. She wanted to drop to her knees and beg him not to go. But she couldn't do any of those things. So she just stood there, her fists clenched so hard she could feel her nails drawing blood on her palms.
    Riley hauled himself up off the couch with his good arm and took the three steps across the room to stand in front of her, his boots crunching the broken glass back into sand. He tried to reach for her, but was left hanging as she spun and headed into the kitchen. Putting the solid depth of the breakfast counter between them.
    "Sam, I'm not going to disappear again. I couldn't now even if I wanted to. Which I don't." He saw the look in her eyes. He knew that look. He'd seen it many times since leaving her. It was the look of a cornered animal. Half fear, half fight. Either one could win. He hated to be the reason for it. But he couldn't stay here with her. Not tonight. Maybe not ever. His heart broke at thinking that he might very well have to leave her again. For her own safety. But telling her that right now would probably push her over the edge. And he couldn't do it.
    Samantha leaned against the refrigerator behind her and tried very hard not to cry. She wished she could start this night over. She'd have taken that extra shift when Steven had offered it if it meant she didn't have to do this. Stand here and pretend she wasn't going to completely fall apart when he walked out that door.
    Instead she sighed and looked him in the eye. "So what happens now?"
    "Now, you are going to get in that monster tub I saw in there while I clean up this mess, since you seem so adamant about it." He smiled halfheartedly at her. "And then I'm going to put you in bed." A light flared in his eyes as he said it but Sam was trying hard to pretend she wasn't seeing it or the images that skirted her own vision.
    He held up his hand as she started to protest. "Sweetheart, don't fight me. You are exhausted. Just do this for me." Now she could hear how weary his own voice sounded.
    She decided to take his advice. She did need to wash the dirt and broken glass off. And try to process everything that had happened. “Fine. But don't think this lets you off the hook. At some point we will finish this conversation." She yawned and took the three steps to the bathroom door. "And don't get any ideas, Mr. Kacey. I'm locking the door."
He smiled and watched her go. She had no idea that he could splinter that door to dust if he wanted to. But if it made her feel better to put something solid between them, so be it.
    Maybe it was for the best anyway. It would be dawn soon. And if he wasn't back at the compound by the time his brother awoke, there would be hell to pay. As it was he was going to have a time convincing his brother that Ellington was just sleeping one off somewhere. Until they found his decapitated body. But hopefully by then he would have Sam as far away from here as he could get her. Then he would come back and take whatever punishment his brother and the council wanted to deal him.
    He set about righting furniture and sweeping the glass out what was left of the door and off the balcony. Somehow this wasn't exactly what he'd expected her life to be like. He expected someone as giving and beautiful as her to have been married with a couple of kids by now.
    But he'd be lying to himself if he said he wasn't glad she wasn't. The thought of anybody else touching her did things to his vision that weren't healthy right now. He took a deep breath and tried to calm the red storm that he could feel in the pit of his stomach.
    How in the nine gates of hell was he going to tell her the truth? “Hi sweetheart, I'm sorry I walked out all those years ago, but I had to go back to my families’ compound in Mexico and learn how to control the animal inside me. Oh yeah, and by the way, I'm half jaguar." Somehow he didn't think that would go over well.
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And that is the end of chapter one. If you would like to read more about Sam and Riley, please comment here, follow me on Twitter and FaceBook and let me know you want more.

Thank you for taking the time to share in their story and I look forward to hearing from you.

~Tabz

Feral, Chapter One, Part Two

 
"Alright Mr. Kacey. Spill it. Who was that guy, why was he here and what did he want?  We'll get to my questions about you in a minute." She ran a hand through her hair and hoped she sounded a little more stable than she felt. She sat down on the other arm of the couch, propping her feet on the springs so she could face him.
    "His name was Ellington and he was here to kill you. But it's my fault." He looked up and there was such sadness in his big brown eyes that it was all Sam could do not to hop across the couch and throw an arm around him.
    "Why would anybody want to kill me?"
    "Because they thought it was the best way to punish me." He took a deep breath and rubbed his hands on his black jeans.
    That was when Sam noticed the thin trail of blood that ran down his right arm. His silk shirt had been ripped from shoulder to wrist and a long thin gash was welling up. Her heart skipped a beat. "Riley Joseph Kacey, why didn't you tell me you were hurt." She growled at him and jumped up from the couch. She turned to take the ten steps over to her bedside table and get her small first aid kit out of the drawer.
    He stopped her by catching her good wrist with his left hand. "I'll be fine. It's just a scratch."
    "No, just a scratch is what Sheba gave me. That is a real wound that needs cleaning at the very least." She wrenched her arm loose and walked over to the bedside table. She pulled the kit out and turned back to him. "Can you take off your shirt?"
    "I thought I'd never hear you say something like that again." He grinned and began unbuttoning the torn shirt with his left hand.
    Sam pulled the end table up from where it lay against the far wall and set it up right in front of the couch. She laid the kit down on the table and reach out to help him with what was left of the shirt.
    Ignoring his words for fear of saying something scathing, she pushed the shirt off of his shoulders. Careful not to move his right arm too much.
    He groaned as she pulled the sleeve away from his wrist. "I'm sorry." She muttered through clenched teeth. She was trying very hard to maintain some shred of control over her sanity. Being so close to him hurt or not, was definitely not helping.
     She remembered all too well the feel of those strongly muscled arms under her fingers. It didn't matter how many years had passed. Some things you just don't forget.
    She tried changing the subject for her own sake. "Why would it punish you to hurt me? And who are 'They'?" She pulled the antibiotic spray from the kit and sprayed his arm generously with it. He winced but didn't make a sound.
    "Did he have a knife?" The wound wasn't very deep but it was a very clean cut. She patted it dry with another gauze pad. Then began opening a roll of sterile gauze. "It looks like it's not deep enough for stitches, but I'm going to wrap it anyway. At least until the bleeding stops." She knew she was rambling because she was so nervous. But she couldn't help it.
    "No, I think he picked up a piece of the door. It all happened so fast." He looked like he wanted to say more. Instead he reached out and wrapped a lock of her hair around his left hand. "I'm so glad you never cut your hair."  He gave it a little tug and let it go.
     Sam made a mental note to cut it all off as soon as she could. She tied the gauze tight against the wound and stood back to admire her "field dressing" skills. Instead she locked eyes with Riley. And her heart did that skippy thing it always had when he looked at her like that. Like she was either the most precious thing in the world, or a fresh kill in front of a hungry leopard.
    "Will you please stop looking at me like that? Sheesh!" She made a poor attempt at feigned anger to hide her melting insides.
    "Like what Sweetheart?" He was grinning again. The cad had figured out he was getting under her skin. And he was enjoying it. Yup. Definitely a fresh kill in front of a hungry leopard.
    "Don't you 'sweetheart' me. You gave up the right to call me that 10 years ago." This time the anger in her voice was real. So were the tears she was trying desperately to fight back. She turned away and made a big deal of putting everything back in the kit.
    "For what it's worth. I am sorry Samantha. I never meant to hurt you." The pain in his voice sounded so sincere. She wished she could believe it. She wanted so bad to believe him. And at the same time, it was easier to believe that he was a black hearted ass who never cared about anybody but himself. At least that was what she had told herself over and over for the last 10 years. Each brick in the wall around her heart was engraved with it.
    "Save it Riley. It was a long time ago. I'm a big girl now. Not some 17 year old kid who will fall for that Han Solo smile and those big brown eyes again." Now, if she could only convince herself of that, she'd be OK. Because right now, she wasn't so sure.
    "Fine. So be it." He didn't seem convinced, more like "humoring the madwoman." But she let it go. For now. "I'll answer your questions." he reached down with his good arm and dragged a couch cushion over to throw up on the springs. He slid down the arm and leaned against the corner of the couch. Sam did the same, so they sat facing each other like general's on the battle field. Neither side willing to yield.
    "It goes all the way back to when I left you. I can't tell you about what happened tonight without telling you why I left back then."  A shadow passed across his face and was gone. Sam was too busy wrestling her own memories to see it.
    "I want to make something very clear to you Sam." He leaned forward. "Look at me." His voice dropped to that silky tone, somewhere between warm chocolate in July and hot cocoa with extra marshmallows in December. "I didn't leave because I wanted to. I left because I was forced to. If I had had my choice, my life, your life, would have been very different."
    That shadow was back in his eyes again. This time Sam saw it. And it made her heart flip. Her chest tightened and she lifted her hand without thinking. She caught herself just short of crossing the couch and pushed herself firmly against the cushions. Her arms folded tightly across her chest.
    She couldn't believe she was sitting here having this conversation. Her flat looked like a tornado had hit it. The cat was softly mewling to be let out of her cage. And the only man she had ever loved was telling her that the last 10 years of pain, anger, and finally feeling nothing because she'd walled herself in so high nobody got through, was all for nothing. She didn't know whether to cry, or go back in the kitchen and get that knife out of the sink.
    "What was so important that you had to leave without a word? Not one word in explanation. I would have settled for a note. Something. Not to have some relative tell me that you weren't coming back and could I please not call or try to contact you." This time the tears rose to the surface faster than she could push them down again.  They spilled over and ran down her cheeks. She brushed them away with the back of her hand.
    Riley ignored her squeak of protest and his own injured arm to pull her across the couch and onto his lap. He wrapped his good arm around her as she buried her head against his chest.
    Sam gave in to the tears. Between the events of tonight and the pain of 10 years of trying to pretend that she had ever stopped loving him, she couldn't fight them anymore.
    She wasn't sure how long she laid there. Even after the tears dried. Completely unwilling to move for fear that she would wake up in her bed across the room and find that it was all a dream / nightmare. It really didn't matter which one it was. For just a moment she could lay here and pretend.
She rubbed her cheek against his chest remembering / loving the feel of his warm skin against hers. Even his scent hadn't changed. Like rainy summer nights, he always smelled warm and clean.
    Riley wrapped her hair around his arm and pulled her head back. She looked up and was surprised to see tears shining in his eyes. “I missed you too Sweetheart." He smiled and let go of her hair.
    Sam rocked back onto her knees as he dropped his right foot to the floor to make room for her on the couch. Sam's eyes widened as she saw the evidence of how much he'd missed her straining against his tight black jeans. She narrowed her eyes at him and he had the good sense to give her a guilty grin. Though it looked more "wolfish" than repentant. She accepted it anyway and left the couch to check on Sheba.
     Said feline had given up her queenly protests at such treatment and was sound asleep, with her back to the cage door, snoring softly. Sam decided just to leave her in there for now. Since she was unsure what else might happen tonight.
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Feral, Chapter One, Part One...

Prologue

 Sam must have walked by the place a million times on her way home from work. And it never failed to send a shiver down her spine. Whether it was due to fear, revulsion, or something else, she was never quite sure.
    It certainly wasn't the kind of place she would have been caught dead in. The music was too loud for one thing. The bass beat like a heart drum through your feet as you passed, and no light spilled from the open doorway. The windows of the old warehouse were completely painted black.
    Sam tried hard to suppress a nervous giggle as she stole a glance at the twin mammoths guarding the doorway. A deep purple velvet rope stretched between them like some weird umbilical cord. Did they really think they looked cool? Yeah, some girl's might have thought they were good looking, in a thugged out Blues Brothers kind of way. But they gave her the creeps.
    She ducked her head and picked up the pace. Hoping to avoid catching their attention. She really didn't want to think about a confrontation with the walking walls.
    It was only a couple more blocks to the renovated warehouse flat she shared with Sheba. Her entirely too fat Calico and Persian mix cat and one very lonely spider plant that had seen better days.
                                                                               Chapter One                               
    The key gave her grief like always as she had to jiggle it while pulling up on the doorknob. She knew it wouldn't do any good, but she'd try the idiot landlord again in the morning. Maybe if she bugged him enough, he'd get off his butt and fix it. Well, it was worth a try anyway.
    She flipped on the light and let out a little huff to blow a stray blond lock out of her eyes. She knew she should cut the unruly mass of corn silk curls that hung to just below her ribs. But she couldn't bring herself to do it. She looked in the dingy mirror that hung above the side table as she flung her keys in the glass candy dish that had been her grandmother's last birthday gift to her.
    Time was starting to catch up to her. At least it felt like it. She couldn't actually see the crows feet and worry lines yet. But she thought she could feel them there. Just below the surface. Waiting to spring up at her one morning when she least expected it and shout "Hey you! You're getting old." But it was probably just her imagination.
    What she did see in the mirror wasn't as bad as all that. She tried very hard to take care of herself. At just shy of her 27th birthday, she still looked better than some girls 5 or 10 years younger. While she didn't believe in "exercise" per say, she did believe in hard work and staying active. She walked most everywhere and didn't own a car. Public transportation was too readily available in LA not to use it.
    She stood 5'9" in her bare feet and still wore the same size 14 jeans she had in high school. She'd never been one of the "skinny" girls. Her curves had hit her at about 12 and there had been no help for it. Funny though, she'd never dated much back then. Not because they hadn't asked, but because she simply couldn't bring herself to be bothered with them. Her mind was always on her books. And her heart, well, she wasn't going there. Not tonight.
    She gave herself a mental shake and nudged the door shut with her heel. Sheba picked that moment to hop up on the table and demand to know why she hadn't been fed yet. "I know Sheba. I know. I've got what you want right here in my pocket." She reached out and scratched the black spot behind the cats left ear. Her favorite greeting.
    She was rewarded with an even louder bleat as Sheba dropped down from the table to saunter into the "kitchen" of the one room flat. Which amounted to a counter jutting out into the middle of the open space and an L shaped counter top behind it with just enough space built in between the battered cupboards for an old chipped porcelain double sink and the four burner stove that looked like it had been there since the 50's. Her poor old fridge sat against the end of the counter. Facing sideways so it didn't block the bathroom door.
    She gazed longingly at her only luxury, the ancient cast iron tub that took up most of the tiny bathroom. Truth be told, it was her sole reason for taking this flat over the other nicer ones she had looked at. As tall as she was, an old tub like that one was a Gods' send at the end of a long night at the record shop where she worked.
    Sheba bleated impatiently in front of her bowl. Pulling Sam back to the business at hand. She'd get her soke. It would just have to be later. She sighed and hit the light switch over the sink. The sound of the electric can opener was all Sheba needed to push her fuzzy head against Sam's leg in appreciation of the tuna to come. She dumped the tuna in the bowl and turned to rinse the can for recycling.
    That's when she caught the shadow of something on the balcony. Her senses immediately began to sharpen. She slowly reached for the butcher knife lying in the bottom of the sink. She got a tight grip on it and turned round to face whoever was out there.
    Making sure to stay behind to counter, she took two steps forward and leaned over just enough to get a good look out the sliding glass door. A flash of movement was all the warning she had as the glass shattered in.
    Two men came stumbling through the stardust of glass as it fell, grappling like Grecian wrestlers. She jumped back just in time to avoid being hit as they smashed against the counter hard. The one who hit the counter let out a loud gaff of air and slid down against the low wall under the Formica.
    That's when she heard a voice from her past grate out through clenched teeth, “Lock yourself in the bathroom and don't come out till I tell you to. NOW!"
    Without thinking twice she snatched up Sheba in one hand, stilling holding the knife in the other and did just that.
    She leaned on the sagging sink cabinet and tried to catch her breathe. Please, please Goddess, tell me I imagined that. Tell me that isn't who I think that is. She prayed silently. All the time listening intently to the destruction going on outside the door.
    There was a resounding thud as something very large hit the bathroom door. Then everything got eerily still. A faint russelling was all she could hear. Then a strong knock on the door followed by labored breathing and he said, "Alright. You can come out now."
    But I don’t want to come out. She thought to herself. She really didn't. She didn't want to see if she was right. But she couldn't stay locked in here like an idiot either.
    She dumped Sheba unceremoniously in the claw footed tub and, still holding the knife, slowly opened the door. Her heart broke as she looked up into the warmest brown eyes she'd ever seen.
    "Hi." He said. That halfhearted, incredibly irresistible smile she remembered melting her heart. She didn't know what to do. On one hand she wanted to collapse in his arms. On the other, she wanted to see what would happen if she used the knife in her hand on his cold black heart. As always he read her like an open book. And promptly took a step back to allow her to pass.
    After surveying what was left of her possessions, she was seriously considering that knife thing again. She whirled on him. "WHAT in the nine billion names of GOD were you doing? What are you doing here? And I hope you realize that you ARE going to help me clean up this mess don't you?"
    He started to chuckle, but obviously the look in her eyes and the knife in her hand helped his sense of self-preservation kick in, because he began to cough instead.
    "I was saving your pretty little neck Samantha darling." The way he drew out "darling" made her want to scream. And not in anger.
     "So, what did you do with the body? Since I don't see any blood I am assuming he got away?" She hoped she sounded smug and cold. Because she certainly didn't feel that way. She wasn't sure exactly what she was feeling, but it was anything but cold.
     He turned his back on her and started picking up the larger pieces of glass and carrying them out to the balcony. Completely unafraid of the knife she still gripped tightly. Either that or he was daring her to do it. Knowing him it could have gone either way.
"Hell's fire," she muttered and went to put the knife back in the sink. Glass crunching under her booted feet. Damn but she was glad she hadn't had time to kick her shoes off yet. At least it wouldn't be too hard to clean up the needle sharp shards. Hardwood floors were good for easy cleaning.
    She half turned and stole a good look at him in the wane light from the single bulb over the sink. What she saw made her heart sink all the way down to her lower belly. Where it melted and pooled like chocolate on a hot summer day. If anything, 10 years had made him even better looking.
    Their birthdays were only a couple weeks, and two years, apart. So that would make him almost 29. There wasn't a bit of gray in the thick dark hair that curled against the collar of his expensive looking silk shirt. In fact, he didn't look that much older than the last time she'd seen him. When he'd walked away from her without looking back even once. There were no lines showing on his face. He really didn't look a day over 19.
    He caught her staring and that smug, rogue's grin came back. "See something you like?" His eyes turned that annoying / totally sexy shade of deep gold.
    Sam grunted and walked back into the bathroom. Sheba was still trying to get her over sized butt out of the deep sided bath tub. Ordinarily Sam would have been rolling on the floor laughing at her. But given the current circumstances, she just reached in and hauled her out. She carried her to her travel cage on the opposite side of the flat. Sheba let out a very unhappy meow and fought Sam as hard as she could. But she eventually lost and submitted to the confinement.
    Sam was in the process of rubbing the scratches on her wrist Sheba had been nice enough to gift her with, when the hairs on the back of her neck stood up. She looked up from her wrist just in time to see him take a step back. A strange light glowed in his eyes.
    "Riley?" She didn't know if it was just the sound of her voice, or the tremble of real fear she couldn't hide, but he shook his head and turned away.
    "Riley, what is going on?" She walked over and reached out to put her hand on his arm. He snatched his arm away like she'd burned him. "Go fix those scratches. They look kind of deep." He never even turned around to look at her.
     She was surprised to find that his rebuff hurt. And it made her angrier than she'd been in years. She held her wrist under the hot water to rinse the worst of the scratches. She'd worked long and hard to build a thick wall around her heart when he'd left. And she wasn't about to let him literally come crashing back into her life and break it down so easily.
    She pulled open a drawer and grabbed a dish towel. Wrapping it around her wrist, she turned back to the rest of the room.
    Riley had moved away into the "living room". She always thought of each space in quotations since it was all really one space. She had tried to separate each area by grouping the furniture. Of course right now that was a joke since most of her furniture was in pieces.
     He had turned her threadbare old couch back upright and was sitting on one arm. Hunched over like the weight of the world was on his shoulders.

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Tune in next Saturday for the next installment, same bat time, same...awwwhh, you know the drill ;)