Hour of the Lion

Some had clothing in them already.

“Got it.” She stripped, feeling her skin flush despite the chill. Yeah, okay, they’d seen her naked-hell, had kissed most of her-but still, there was something different about getting all bare-ass in the daylight. In front of both of them. She shook her hair to veil the front of her.

Jamie had no problem with modesty and shimmied out of her clothes without a second thought. Guess shifters must be used to being naked. Hell, if they went out on a hunt, the cave must look like a nudist colony. Weird.

Alec grinned, obviously aware of her reluctance. “It’s best to strip before changing. Gets expensive otherwise, since you’ll end up bursting the seams. But having the clothes rip is good. They’ll fall off and not leave you all tangled up.”

“Unless you’re wearing elastic.” Calum’s smile flashed. “When we weren’t much older than you, Jamie, Alec forgot to remove his clothing. Rather than changing back, he tried to claw his stretchy body shirt off. I think he still has the scars.”

Vic snickered, and Jamie laughed.

“Thanks, brawd.” Alec rolled his eyes. “Needless to say, Mr. Careful never forgot to strip first.”

Jamie shoved her shoes into her cubby and turned. “I’m ready to trawsfur, Daddy.” Her chin rose as she tried to look brave, but the quaver in her voice betrayed her nervousness.

“Me, too,” Vic said. At least her voice didn’t shake. Much.

Calum glanced at Alec, and Vic felt a tingle along her skin as Alec blurred, then reappeared as a massive cougar, his fur so golden it almost shone. His eyes were slightly lighter, almost matching the paler fur on the insides of his ears.

“God, you’re pretty,” Vic said involuntarily and could swear the cat smirked at her words. It-he padded over and rubbed his jaw over her bare hip making her shiver. Sure she knew it was Alec, but…that was a very big mountain lion.

“Behave yourself, brawd.”

With a low feline chuff, Alec moved away to crouch at the tunnel entrance.

“Victoria, is the door clear in your mind?”

“Yes.” It glowed even more brightly today.

“Good. After you trawsfur, find the portal again before you do anything else. It doesn’t look the same from the other side, and you need to be able to jump back quickly if needed.”

Jamie nodded. “It’s scary when you can’t see the door.”

“So it is. For today, you will stay with me and Alec. We may shift back a time or two to point something out.” Calum tilted his head at Vic. “Trawsfur.”

Open the door. Step through. A tingling ran over her skin, starting at her toes, ending at her scalp. Her balance ruined, she fell forward, and stared at her very own fuzzy paws. Cool. As she sniffed the air, a sense of belonging washed over her, being held and loved and never abandoned. To her regret, the feeling dissipated like mist in the wind.

Alec padded over and butted her in the shoulder. The breeze wafted his scent toward her-a cat scent, but very, very male. She sniffed and found herself rubbing him, cheek to cheek. Damn, he smelled good. Pure testosterone.

Pulling herself together, she saw Jamie and Calum had shifted. She simply stared. Calum had darker fur than Alec, almost brown, and his eyes were a golden brown. Instead of just being lighter, his muzzle looked as if he’d rubbed it in snow, making her want to smile.

Jamie bounced around her father on her little paws, batting at his tail, then noticed Alec and Vic. She sprang between them, shoving and rubbing.

Calum followed and… Oooh, Calum smelled as good as Alec. Different though. Could a scent be less…friendly and fun? But richer? Deeper? Vic felt her tail swaying with delight. She rubbed muzzles with him and actually licked his jaw to savor him more. He laid a huge paw across her shoulders, holding her in place as he rubbed her with his cheeks and chin. When he was finished, their scents mingled so thoroughly she couldn’t tell where hers began and his ended. And she was purring.

Jamie bounded over to the entrance and out, then Alec and Calum. As Vic stepped from the cave, the mountain called to her, a force pulling at every cell. Run. Hunt.

Ahead the others disappeared into the forest. Vic let her instincts take over and sprang after them, catching up easily. As long as she didn’t think about it, four legs worked even better than two, and the feel of the wind ruffling her fur was a sensuous delight. She caught a scent, something rustled in the brush, and suddenly she was chasing a rabbit. Part of her screamed, ‘wait, no,’ and the rest of her saw food.

Food?

She halted so suddenly her paws skidded in the snow. Jesus, she’d almost killed Thumper for breakfast. Major ugh.

Calum’s deep chuckle sounded behind her, and she wanted to cringe. Please tell me he didn’t see me tearing after a damned rodent. She turned.

Back in human form, he leaned against a cedar, arms folded across his chest. She couldn’t look away. He was gorgeous, all muscle and dark skin, and an um-hmm…well-endowed male package.

Involuntarily, her belly inched lower to the ground, so her hips rose higher.

His lips curved, and heat flashed in his eyes. “Don’t tempt me, Victoria. Unfortunately, we’re here for lessons only.” He knelt and beckoned with two fingers. “Come.”

He’d put no power into his voice, but she sprang to his side instantly anyway, and he still smelled so good she had to rub her muzzle against him. He stroked her head with his warm hand, and the sensation almost mesmerized her. Her front paws started stepping up and down.

“Being an animal is overwhelming,” he said, the richness of his voice soothing. “You must strengthen the part of you that is human, so, if needed, you can overrule the wildness.” He scratched around her ears, up under her chin. Her eyes slitted closed in pleasure.

“However, rabbits are good to eat, and part of the joy of being an animal is the hunt. And the kill. It’s permitted, cariad.” The hint of laughter told her he’d seen her sudden halt. Dammit.

Jamie and Alec loped over to join them, Alec’s ears forward, his tail in a question mark.

“Victoria found a rabbit,” Calum explained. “Ah, I do need to caution you-we’ve found trespassers in our mountains, setting animal traps. The traps are of an illegal type-quite nasty with metal teeth-and we might have missed finding some. Be cautious.”

His serious gaze went from Vic to Jamie, and then he smiled. “That said, off with you. Alec and I will follow.”

Jamie bounced forward, rose on her hind legs to bat at Vic with her paws, and sprang away, obviously inviting a game of tag. Vic leaped after her, and they chased each other up and down the slopes, through snow drifts, and over icy streams. Finally, in a sunny clearing they stopped. Sides heaving, Vic felt her blood pulsing in her veins. She felt joyously alive.

Something snapped in the woods behind them. With a snarl, she turned and leaped in front of the smaller panther, ready to protect her.

At the edge of the clearing, Alec and Calum, still in cat form, froze. Alec’s ears twitched at Calum, and the two panthers settled quietly down where they were.

I’m an idiot. She shook her head and shifted back to human. Hey, it got easier with practice. She walked over to the cats, shivering as the cold mountain air hit her bare skin. “Sorry, guys. I don’t know why-”

Alec shifted, then hugged her. “You were just protecting her, Vixen. Your heart and your instincts know she’s your cub.”

Jamie trotted over and stropped herself against Vic’s legs. One little panther, so cute she should be outlawed.

“Mine, huh?”

“Apparently.” Alec nuzzled her neck and kissed her cheek. “There’s nothing quite as distinctive-or dangerous-as a mama cat defending her baby.”

“Yeah, I guess.” Her words might have been nonchalant, but not her feelings. Every time she looked at the little panther, her heart surged with love, with the need to protect. And she couldn’t resist bending to hug Jamie, rubbing