"Good morning, little cat," he said softly, brushing her lips again. He‘d enjoy greeting her this way for the remainder of his days.
"Good morning," she said, obviously trying for composure, but her husky voice told him different. "Um. You were talking about lessons?"
"We‘ll coach you on shifting, control, and the tricks of being an animal," Alec said. "It‘s pretty strange at first."
"So I found out," Victoria said with a wry smile. "And you two are my instructors?"
"If you like." Calum ran his finger down her pink cheek. "Being asked to mentor is an honor, so if there is someone you would—"
"No," she cut him off. "I promised Jamie we‘d learn together. Having the same teachers is only logical."
"Indeed." Logical. Bugger it, he hoped she liked him and Alec as more than just instructors.
He wanted her in his life, in his arms, arguing with him over politics, brightening his days. Yet, she‘d spoken no words of affection—and they weren‘t permitted to do so at this point. "I‘ll wake Jamie, and we‘ll get started after breakfast."
"Start this morning?"
Her nervous expression brought a smile to his face. She wasn‘t nearly as blasé as she tried to appear. "Yes."
*
Fucking-A, the air in the tunnel was freezing. Vic shivered even more, knowing the next step would be to take her clothes off.
"Strip," Calum said, and Vic choked on a laugh.
"My clothes go…?" She looked around the dark cave. No furniture, no closets, no hangers.
"Here." Alec took his shirt off and stuffed it into the wall where cubbyholes had been carved out of solid rock. 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
