The cat padded toward him, and Abram’s heart pounded while sweat damped his skin. Shit! I might really have to shoot this damn cougar. He drew his gun but before he could aim, the cat stopped in its tracks. Seriously? It knows?
The mountain lion sat down and then slowly rolled over on its back, showing its belly while lifting its paws. Abram’s eyes widened and he lowered his weapon. The air around the animal seemed to move differently and then the clicking and popping noises started. A sickening sensation churned around in his stomach as his heart sunk. Bile inched up his throat as he watched the big cat’s paws transform into hands and feet. He shivered as the animal’s fur gave way to smooth skin, and he swallowed down his revulsion as Maddie emerged.
She stood up, naked and beautiful. Abram stilled, staring at her. He hadn’t seen another person shift since he was a little kid, and he barely had any memory of the experience. The way he grew up, shifting was like masturbation. No one else could know.
Maddie strutted with as much sex appeal as any supermodel on a runway. She held her head high, her wide smile pushing her cheekbones upward while showing her perfect teeth. She seemed so proud, but shifting made him feel exactly the opposite, and he tried his damnedest to transform as little as possible.
His bottom lip trembled as she closed the distance between them. Even as she stepped directly in front of him, he couldn’t force himself to move or speak. She placed her palm on the side of his face. “Are you crazy? Put away the gun.”
He’d forgotten he was holding the firearm but holstered the weapon as soon as she reminded him. “You’re a shifter?”
“That I am, baby.” She flashed him a flirty smile, her eyes hooded.
“I was afraid something happened to you.”
“I got a little antsy and decided to go for a run, but that’s awful sweet of you to worry.” As she leaned in closer, he squared his shoulders and tensed, turning his gaze away from hers.
She stepped back, her eyebrows lifting and curving, creating furrows on her forehead. She tilted her head, trying to get a read on his body language. What’s with him?
“I guess this is the special bond you and Davis share?” His expression was difficult to read.
“Are you jealous?”
He shook his head. “Not at all.” His nostrils were high while his upper lip was slack. “You knew what I was all along.”
“Wait…are you disgusted?” Maddie’s jaw dropped.
He glanced at her face and then looked down, his features seeming to shrink as he looked away from her. “I just don’t understand why you had to do that.”
Maddie’s eyes widened and she touched a finger to her dropped jaw. “That? Why did I do that?” She paused, dropping her jaw again and shaking her head. “That is who I am.” As her shock gave way to anger, her nostrils flared and she gritted her teeth. “I felt close to you and wanted to share that with you. I thought you’d be happy and eager to show me your innermost self too—my mistake.”
He glimpsed at her, his jaw tense and his expression alert. “You’re looking at my innermost self. I showed you everything down there on the blanket. I don’t like to shift. I only do it when the urge is so strong I can’t stand it any longer. It’s not who I am.” His tone of voice stung just as much as his words.
Maddie balled up her fists and pounded the side of her leg while stomping her feet and screaming. “No! This can’t be happening. I finally feel the overwhelming pull of destiny I’ve heard so much about, and I get you?” She stared up at the moon and stars as if they might tell her why she was fated to pair with a self-hating equine shifter. Her tears flowed, running down her cheeks.
As if her fit had stirred him, Abram stepped closer and tried to put his arm around her. “I’m sorry. I didn’t mean…”
She slapped his arm away and jumped back. “Yes, you did. You meant everything you said, but you’re wrong. You have no idea who you are.”
“Maddie, don’t be like this.” He reached for her hand.
“Don’t touch me!” She shrunk away from him. “First thing in the morning, we ride back to the ranch with no stops and no talking. Stay the fuck away from me.” She stormed off to her tent. After she crawled inside and zipped it closed, she burrowed into her sleeping bag, hiding her face as she continued to sniffle and blubber.
Chapter Five
Abram slumped his shoulders as he slowly stepped onto the front porch of the house. His stomach gurgling with nausea, he caught sight of three people seated around the patio table. Scarlett’s blond hair shimmered in the sunlight as she chatted and laughed with Gram. Davis sat like a bump a log, hanging on every word out of his lover’s mouth.
I don’t want to be around a happy couple right now and I sure as hell don’t feel like talking to Gram. He could smell the fresh coffee and hash browns, but since at the moment nothing could have been less appealing than trying to eat, he considered turning tail and running.
“Hey there!” Davis called out as he glanced over.
Shit. No escape.
