He stripped down to nothing and shifted into his animal spirit, his bones and sinew reshaping into the form of a large, tawny catamount. King of the mountain, he was a savvy hunter with extraordinary senses…and an asshole of a younger brother.
He grunted his displeasure at Dean, who grinned at him. Then he hissed at the rest of the table.
The birds and wolf flipped him off. The bear grunted back. The lone fox tipped back his hat and waited for the fallout. Too bad the fox happened to be the sheriff, or Grady might have chewed on the others before spitting them out.
“
Oh Gab-by
,” Dean called out in a singsong voice. “Honey, could you come here for a minute?”
The predators around the table waited with bated breath. Monty slipped an elastic bow tie around Grady’s thick neck and shoved a top hat on his head, then poised a finger over his MP3 player, all-too-coincidentally plugged into portable speakers.
Grady caught the scent of her before she walked in. A new addition to the Catamount Pride, Gabrielle Easton was the hottest thing on two feet or four. He’d seen her around town for years, of course, but he’d never gotten close to the fox Shifter. The pride tended to keep to themselves. But then came the news Gabby could shift into not one, but two animal spirits—fox and puma—and his cat had fallen in complete and utter lust.
The man had too, but it was more than that—Gabby captivated him. The grace of her movements, the sheer excitement that glowed on her face during a hunt, the pleasure she had just being near her family… The woman had somehow found a place in his heart, and he worked like a demon to conceal that fact from his family. Bad enough they knew he wanted the woman. If they found out he was falling for her, they’d try to help, end up interfering and screw up his chances for good.
Not to mention he’d find himself the butt of too many jokes. In a family of pranksters, he knew better than to let his guard down. Unfortunately, the worst joke happened to be on him, because for some reason, Gabby didn’t take him seriously. Him, Grady Chastell, the Great Spirit’s gift to women. He wanted her, and she laughed at him. He didn’t understand it.
Gabby walked in without making a sound. Thick strands of her wine-red hair curled around her breasts, which emphasized the flat plane of her stomach. The faded jeans she wore clung to her luscious ass and those long, toned thighs. A low growl eased from his mouth.
“Down, boy.” Monty snickered and turned on the music.
Jimi Hendrix’s
Foxy Lady
played through Bose speakers, and Gabby stopped in the middle of the room, looking less than pleased. She groaned. “Not again. It’s been three months, guys. Honestly, could you get a little more creative?”
“We could and did.” Dean beamed and pointed to Grady.
He glared at his brother and slowly walked over to meet Gabby, so she could see him make a fool of himself without the table in the way. Trust Dean to include full view of the dance in the bet.
“Go on, boy,” Monty encouraged. “Gabby, to go with your personal theme song, a magnificent serenade.”
The wolf had to have set him up. After his loss, Monty had produced those speakers awfully quick. And really, when had the wolf swallowed a dictionary?
Magnificent serenade?
He glared at the canine, who lifted a brow and motioned for him to begin.
To his mortification, Grady was forced to shake his feline moneymaker. Talk about a show—a cougar dancing to Hendrix in front of the woman he wanted to make his mate. She started laughing hysterically, which brought the rest of the pride’s sharp-eared women, his older brother and pride leader, Burke, and a few more visiting birds into the room.
Why the hell had they merged movie night with poker night, anyway? So more witnesses could watch him make a giant ass of himself as he grooved to ‘Foxy Lady’? Sure as the good Lord had gifted him with a tail, whiskers and fangs, Grady couldn’t dance a lick.
Everyone was talking and laughing, so Grady shook off the top hat and smoothly separated Gabby from the pack. He nudged her into the kitchen, away from the dining room, before he shifted back.
“Please, Gabby. Marry me and take me away from all this.” He meant every word, but as usual, the stubborn woman refused to take him seriously.
“Thanks, I needed the laugh.” She chuckled and tried to escape, but he pressed forward until he’d backed her against the counter and put his arms on either side of her. “Julia keeps renting these god-awful dramadies. This one is about some woman looking for love with a mannequin who comes to life and leaves her. Ech.”
“Hmm.” He loved the way she smelled. Wild, a mixture of fox and feline his cat found fascinating.
She flushed, and he knew she wasn’t as unaware of him as she seemed. He stepped closer, wanting nothing more than to show her how he really felt.
His brother Burke entered and covered his eyes with his hand. “Jesus, Grady. Stop molesting Gabby in the kitchen. What is it with you? I’m really tired of staring at your lily white ass.”
“So I should molest her in another room?”
Gabby looked anywhere but down. Most Shifters were casual about clothing, so her discomfort gave him hope. He thought he scented the faint perfume of desire and would have pushed her for more, regardless of the others just a room away, when Burke grabbed him by the scruff of his neck and pulled him back.
“Shift back, now,” Burke growled.
Grady swore but changed back into his cat, frustrated, horny and heartsick that he couldn’t seem to control himself when it came to Gabby.
She glanced at his neck and bit her lip. If her face turned any redder, she might explode.
He meowed his apology, but she shook her head.
Burke touched her shoulder, and Grady wanted to claw the offending hand away. “Gabby, honey, I’m sorry if—”
She burst into laughter, so loud that a few of the poker players drifted into the kitchen to see what was going on,
again
. “I can’t help it,” she gasped. “That bow tie is killing me! I can’t believe he was dancing to ‘Foxy Lady’. A great big cat with no rhythm.” Tears streamed down her cheeks.
Fucking Monty and his stupid bets. And fuck Dean too. Grady snorted and snapped his tail before slinking away. He walked into the adjoining mudroom and clamped his teeth around the modified door handle specially crafted for them when in shifted form. Exiting into a brisk June night, he morosely wondered where to go from here.
Stretching out his limbs, he decided to run, in the mood to kill something.
Gabby didn’t seem to realize he was courting her. Ever since Burke had mated and married Rachel, Grady had been feeling the urge to settle down. But his animal spirit called out for a kindred soul, a cat. The only pride in Cougar Falls was theirs, made up of the Chastell cats, a bear and his wife, a few foxes, and a wolf. The Catamount Pride were few but tolerant of others. If you were a respectable Shifter, Burke had a home for you.
Grady couldn’t complain. He liked those in the pride. Well, except for Dean and Monty. And lately Burke had become a huge pain in the ass, watching over Gabby like he was her fucking father.
With a snarl, Grady scared a trio of foxes deeper into the woods and clawed a nearby tree to mark his passage.
My territory. My pride. My female
, he wanted to yell.
But no one was out here to listen, and the only woman who needed to hear it didn’t take him seriously. Burke had warned him that heavy-handed wouldn’t work with Gabby. Then he’d overheard Gabby tell her sister how tired she was of all the grabby males in town wanting her now that it was known she could shift into two animals—a trait that gave her celebrity status among their kind. Not wanting to be like all the others, he’d tried the light approach.
Hell, he’d even gone so far as to politely ask her out on an honest-to-God date, but she’d patted him on the head like a dog and told him it wasn’t necessary. A thanks but no thanks he didn’t understand.
He needed to change his strategy with the female before some other hungry Shifter snapped her up. But except for tying her down and forcing her to accept his sincerity, he didn’t know what the hell to do. How could he find a future with her when she sure as hell wasn’t seeing him as anything but a comedian, an embarrassing feline no better than a dancing bear?
Pride goeth before his fall.
A Matter of Pride
© 2012 Marie Harte
A
Cougar Falls
Story
Dean Chastell has a reputation for being a troublemaker and something of a lady’s man. It’s not his fault he’s attractive, funny and hell on wheels between the sheets…or that his pranks often leave his victims smarting. But not even he deserves to get saddled with Stacey Bermin for his sins. There’s no denying the woman is gorgeous. She’s sexy as hell and aggravating in the extreme. She’s also prideful, pampered, calls him
hillbilly
and needs a swift kiss…err,
kick
, in the pants.
And she’s in grave danger.
He never thought they’d manage to spend a few hours, much less a few days, alone without going for each other’s throats, but when trouble comes calling, Dean finds he’ll do anything to keep her safe. She’s not nearly as cold as she seems. In fact, the princess brings out the prince in him he never knew existed. And he’ll move heaven and earth to keep her safe, out of danger…and in his arms, no matter the cost.
Warning: A trickster cat finally meets his match in a proud feline used to getting her way. Hunters, hijinks and danger abound as the pride comes together for one heck of a battle.
Enjoy the following excerpt for
A Matter of Pride:
A door slammed. Swearing, snarls and spitting hisses pierced the early morning quiet of what promised to be a beautiful summer day. Life in the pride was never dull, but today looked to be especially interesting.
Whistling, Dean Chastell grabbed a cup of coffee and reveled in the comfort of having such a close-knit, loving extended family.
“Son of a…! I’m going to kick your ass, Chastell!” Miles Bermin, fellow shapeshifter and current Catamount Ranch guest, had been using the shower upstairs because the water heater in his cabin wasn’t working.
At least, not since Dean had tampered with it.
“Miles?” From upstairs, Burke’s deep voice sounded rusty. “What the hell? It’s not even seven yet.” Great, now Burke would be in a bad mood. Dean’s oldest brother and pride leader wasn’t exactly pleased with him lately. Not after yesterday’s mess with the gray wolves.
The mangy bastards.
Dean decided it might be prudent to leave—and fast—before he was discovered, and bumped into a troublesome gray wolf on his way out the back door.
“Where are you off to so early?” Monty GrayClaw, the only wolf in the pride, yawned and stretched as he entered the house. “I thought today was your day off.”
Dean shrugged and put down his coffee. “Just thought I’d get in a few—”
Burke’s laughter echoed through the house. “Holy crap. Is your hair blue?”
Monty blinked. “Your brother’s up early. This can’t be good. And who’s he talking to?”
“Yeah, it’s blue,” Miles roared. “I have business to attend to today, not to mention a date later this evening. And
blue hair
?”
Monty’s grin stretched across his lips. “Nice.”
Like Dean, Monty didn’t particularly care for the snotty cats visiting from Miami. They tolerated the females well enough—mostly—but Miles was a huge pain at the best of times. It didn’t help that the women in town thought he walked on water.
Dean did his best to look innocent, and failed miserably when Monty started laughing.
Loudly.
Footsteps pounded overhead. Miles’s scent drew closer, robust with the heat of rage. Considering the dude had a few inches on Dean, as well as a surprisingly muscular frame under the stupid designer suits he often wore, Dean decided to make haste. He inched past Monty toward the door.
“I’d hurry if I were you.” Monty nodded for him to go.
Deciding avoidance made sense—because who wanted to fight so early on a gorgeous Friday morning—Dean slipped outside and into his truck. He turned the key and shifted into reverse when the passenger door opened.
Christ, wasn’t one of them enough to deal with today? He stared in dismay at the most beautiful—and annoying—woman he’d ever had the misfortune to know. “Not now, Stacey. I’m late for work.”
“You have today off.” Miles’s sister just stood there looking finer than fine.
“Come on. I have things to do. Shut the door and move away.”
He inched the truck back. Any second now Miles would be out the door…
“I need a ride into town.” She glanced behind her at the back door and frowned.
Fuming because he had two choices—give in to the princess’s demands or suffer Miles’s wrath—he leaned across the passenger’s seat. “What did you say?”
When she leaned closer to respond, he grabbed her by the collar and yanked her inside. She yelped as she tried to right herself, while he gassed the truck and lurched back just as Miles Bermin tore through the back door of the house, dripping wet and wearing nothing more than a towel and blue hair.
“Get back here!”
Stacey swore as the car door slammed, barely missing her pricey skirt. She stared out the front window and gasped. “Oh my God. Is Miles’s hair blue?”
Miles had made one too many comments about Dean’s love life at dinner last night. It was one thing for the rest of the pride to joke about him being the last standing Chastell without a mate, but when Miles said it, he sounded insulting. A lot like his sister. Dean regarded Stacey out of the corner of his eye, wishing he could turn off his attraction to her.
Whipping the wheel to turn the truck around, Dean jumped on the gas and tore down the dirt driveway. He kept his gaze half on the drive and half on the rearview, making sure Miles didn’t decide to go for broke and hunt him down. But all the while he remained painfully aware of the woman next to him.