She landed in a crouch, her panther coming forward enough long black claws sprouted from the tips of her fingers, her vision narrowing to blues and greens. Her reflexes were sharper, her hearing more acute. The stranger’s deep chuckle, while sexy as fuck, was also annoying since her Pride had to hear it as well.
“Shut up,” she hissed, knowing he’d hear her.
“Ah, upendo, that’s not possible.”
The silence that followed his statement was almost deafening. “Let me handle this, them.” She stood up, her nails scraping across the concrete as if making a line that dared anyone to cross. “Ridge, he’s with me.” Torrance moved backward, edging closer to the stranger whose scent called to the hussy cat inside her.
“Torrance, come to me,” Ridge ordered.
The male behind her let out a snarl that would’ve had a lesser feline jumping out of their skin. She was obviously not a lesser kitty, or she was just plain stupid. The jury was still out on that one because her final step had her brushing up against him. “What’s your name, upendo?”
She glanced at him, realizing she still had her helmet on. “What does that mean?” she asked, tugging the black helmet off while she waited for his answer.
“Torrance Jackson, I said to come to me, not cozy up to the lion.”
Ridge’s roar would’ve been frightening if she hadn’t known he was worried about her. However, the big lion next to her obviously wasn’t in on the ins and outs of how to read her adopted brotherish. His entire body appeared to grow, yet he hadn’t shifted, not a single hair grew nor had his claws sprouted, but his muscles, holy shit balls, his muscles, which were already really impressive, appeared to get bigger. Damn, if everything grew like that, she soo did not want to take him for a ride, not her first ride anyhow. Oh shoot, who was a liar liar pants on fire? She totally wanted to take a ride on his joy toy even if it ruined her for all other joy toys.
“Hmm, what’re you thinking about?” he purred.
His question was whispered so softly and close to her ear she felt the warmth of his breath feather down her back. “You didn’t answer me when I asked you what upendo meant.” Dear goddess, was that her breathless voice?
“It is from my native language and means love. You boys think you’re being sneaky, but you’re not. I suggest you back the fuck up, or I’ll be forced to hurt the lot of you right here on Main Street,” he said casually.
“Listen, I’m sure you were just riding through. If that’s the case, then hop back on your bike and continue on, no harm no foul.”
Torrance shivered at the hard edge to Ridge’s tone. Her adopted brother was using his alpha voice, the one that would normally have everyone scurrying to do as he said. The lion next to her did that sexy chuckle again.
“Ridge, that’s your name?” the stranger asked, waiting for a response. Ridge nodded. “Well, it seems you and I are at an impasse, friend.”
“Why is that?” Ridge crossed his arms over his chest. His eyes were narrowed like he was calculating the way he was going to kill.
“Well you see, I came here because I had a dream.”
Before the sexy lion could say any more, she was shoved to the ground as two leopards came at them. She was barely able to cry out a warning, but it became obvious he’d been expecting them, and even more obvious, he could handle the two animals even in his human skin, or rather his pumped-up skin. Sheesh, she’d never seen any shifter who had that ability. Within a minute or less he had both animals subdued and held out in front of him, giving them a none too gentle shake.
“How do you want me to put them down?” he asked.
Torrance froze, fearing for her Pride members. “Please don’t kill them. They were only following orders,” she bit out. The two idiots may be assholes on the best of days, but they still didn’t deserve to die.
“I’m not going to kill them. I was asking how he wanted me to put them down. Did he want me to toss them to him or toss them into the field over there? I was giving him a choice.” He sounded totally perplexed as if she’d offended him.
“Oh...um, is it his decision or mine? If it’s mine, I would appreciate it if you put them down in the field over there.” They were cats so they’d land on their feet, usually.
He gave a slight nod, launching both felines over a hundred yards into the field as if they weighed nothing. “So, what’s it gonna be? Are you going to send in the real fighters, or you coming to handle me yourself?”
“Whoa, let’s not and say we did. Ridge, I know you think you need to let him know whose territory he’s in but please don’t.” Torrance didn’t care what it looked or sounded like with her putting her small frame in front of the hulking beast, who’d just tossed two grown male shifters head over tail. All she cared about was having a chance to find out who he was and why her panther was acting the way it was.
Ridge let out a growl, his leopard not happy in the least. “Goddammit, Torrance. I promised to protect you. You said you felt someone stalking you earlier. How do you know it wasn’t him?”
She wiggled
