Claws and Effect (7 page)

***

Another week in captivity passed slowly. Now that I was talking, it wasn't quite so boring, and with the kittens to watch over, there was always something to do. They were up to eating every three hours, which meant we got to sleep a little longer, and their eyes were now open.

Ellis spent most of his time in the cabin with me. If Everett came by for his shift, Ellis usually ended up chasing him off with an excuse that he needed to go and write. Occasionally, Everett would have to swing by for a few hours while Ellis left to do some work, but he'd always return with a present for me. One time, it was a slice of cake. Another time, it was a deck of playing cards. It was always just small things designed to make the hours a little more pleasant.

He didn't hit on me, though. I kept expecting it, especially after I'd started showering nude in front of him. Ellis was always the perfect gentleman, which made things interesting. On one hand, I liked that he was exactly what he said - he just wanted to be my friend. On the other, I tried to think of ways that I could entice him a bit more. I took to sleeping with no bra on, my breasts pressed to his chest, my face tucked into his neck. I used every excuse I could to touch him, and I made sure that my touch lingered.

And we spent hours together, just laughing and talking, and it almost began to feel less like a prison and more like a vacation. It was a vacation I couldn't leave, of course, but it wasn't so bad. Not with Ellis to keep me company. He was great company, too. We played ridiculous games together, from stuff as simple as 'I Spy' to more complex things like 'I Never'. We'd take walks in the woods, too, never straying far from the cabin. Ellis would switch to his were-cougar form to protect me, and I'd carry on a one-sided conversation as we walked, my hands tucked in my hoodie, just enjoying the peace and the outdoors.

Now that I had a friend and I knew they weren't going to kill me? This wasn't so bad after all.

But I still wanted a way to break through Ellis's defenses. It'd come. I'd just have to be patient.

***

"Hey Lily," Ellis murmured against my neck, rousing me from my afternoon nap.

"Hmm?" I burrowed closer to him, snuggling my face against his collarbone and nuzzling it. He was delicious to sleep against. His body was big and warm, and I seemed to fit against all his hollows perfectly.

"Time to get up."

"Don't wanna," I mumbled sleepily, pressing back against him again.

"Come on," he said, patting my shoulder. "You can't sleep the day away."

"I bet I can," I told him, hiding my face against his neck and inhaling his scent. He just smelled so good. I loved sticking my nose against the crook of his shoulder and just breathing deep.

"Come on, Lily," he teased, his hand dancing along my shoulders. "Don't be a pain in the ass. Get your face out of there."

Pain in the ass? I'd show him a pain in the ass. I stuck my tongue out playfully, letting it swipe against his throat. It was nothing more than a quick, silly, ticklish gesture.

But Ellis's reaction was wild. He groaned low, and his hands tightened around me. His hips pressed against mine, and I felt the press of his erection against my hip.

My breath caught. It should have made me terrified, but this was Ellis. Friendly, talky Ellis who rescued kittens and tried not to watch me when I soaped up my boobs in front of his face. Ellis with the big tattooed arms and muscular shoulders and who smelled so very good. So when my mouth grazed his neck again, I nibbled on his throat.

Suddenly, I was flat on my back on the bed, Ellis's big body over mine. He'd moved so fast I'd hardly registered it. I stared up at him, noticing that his pupils were dilated with lust and that strange, feral green gleam was in his eyes. His face was inches from mine, and as I watched, breath ragged, he leaned in.

Ellis was so close that I could practically taste him again, but he hesitated, and his gaze flicked to my eyes. "I'm going to kiss you, Lily. Tell me to stop if you don't want me to."

And he leaned in, gently brushing his mouth over mine.

I didn't tell him to stop.

His lips tickled. I felt the prickle of a five o clock shadow rough on his cheek as his mouth pressed against the side of my cheek, then he began to kiss my jaw. His movements were slow, steady, and determined, and it made goosebumps rise all over my body. I realized - belatedly - that he had my hand pinned above my head, but I didn't even care. This was Ellis, and he was safe. And he continued to press light, grazing kisses against my face until my breath was panting in my lungs and I was watching him with longing in my eyes. These butterfly-light kisses were sweet, but they weren't quenching the ache that was building inside me.

Ellis seemed to realize that I needed more. He moved back toward my mouth, and his nose brushed against mine in a gentle tease, and then he leaned down and studied my mouth.

I licked my lips, panting.

As I did, he leaned in and caught my tongue between his lips, capturing it before it could disappear back into my mouth.

I gasped, lust rocketing through my body in response. My mouth fell open and I moaned, the sound an invitation I hoped he would take.

He did. Ellis's mouth swooped over my own and then he was kissing me. Not soft and sweet like before, but rough, fierce, claiming kisses so deep that I felt like I was being devoured. I was helpless under the onslaught of his kiss...and I loved it. Over and over, his mouth moved over mine, tasting, licking, flicking, teasing. A moment later - an endless, delicious moment later, he lifted his head and I whimpered a protest.

"We need to get up," he said, though he wasn't moving from his spot on top of me. His eyes were shining, his lips slick, and I wanted to kiss them all over again.

"Why?" My voice sounded ragged even to my own ears.

"There's a party today."

That startled me out of my kiss-drugged haze. "A...party?"

"For Marie. And she wants you there." He leaned in and gave me one quick last kiss on the mouth, and then got off of me.

I sat up on the bed, my senses reeling from that kiss. I pushed at my messy hair, trying to grasp everything. The kiss. He'd gone nuts when I'd bitten his throat. Did I regret it? God no. I wanted to bite him again, see if he reacted the same way. But...Marie. Party. "Why am I going to a party?"

"Because I'm invited and I can't leave you? And because Marie wants to see you?"

"Oh. But what about the kittens?" I looked over at the box, where SuperGirl and Wonder Woman were sleeping (Ellis and I were terrible with names, we'd decided). "Will they be okay?"

"We'll feed them before we go, and we'll be back in time for another feeding, I promise."

I touched my hair again. "I don't have anything to wear."

He laughed.

I blushed. "Okay, that sounded stupid, but you know what I mean. All I have are sweatpants."

"It's not a super formal party, and all of the shifters will probably be stripping down at some point anyhow." He wagged his eyebrows at me. "Try to keep your hands to yourself."

I snorted. "Don't worry."

He laughed. "Just hurry up and dress so we can get you blindfolded."

"Blindfolded?" I sputtered. "Why?"

"So you won't know where our super secret cabin is and how to leave." He waggled his eyebrows at me.

I crawled from bed and grabbed my cleanest pair of sweatpants, switching them out. "I don't see why I have to be blindfolded," I grumbled. "It's not like you can't smell my trail, remember?"

"Boss's orders," Ellis said cheerfully, but there was a forced note in his voice.

"Your boss sucks," I said, picking up a long-sleeved shirt and sniffing it. Clean enough. I dragged it over my head and maneuvered so I swapped out my sleep shirt with it. There. All dressed. I dragged my fingers through my tangled hair. "I don't suppose there's a comb around here?" I normally didn't bother since it was only Ellis, but since we were heading out to see the others, I felt self-conscious at how I looked.

"No comb, sorry. But you're going to put the other women to shame as it is, so it's probably for the best that you look like a wreck."

I laughed and threw my shoe at him. "You beast."

He gave me another playful look. "Meow, baby."

This...was flirting. And it was fun. Still shaking my head, I took my shoe when he tossed it back to me and put it on, and spent a few minutes finger-combing my hair while Ellis changed his clothes and fixed bottles for the kittens. We fed them, cleaned them, and tucked them back into their box, and then it was time to go.

"One blindfold, coming right up," Ellis said, and pulled out one of his long, dirty sweat socks.

"Ew, no!" I said, laughing. "Don't put that thing anywhere near me!"

"Come on. We gotta get you blindfolded."

Laughing, we wrestled over the fake 'blindfold' for a moment, and then Ellis trapped me in his arms. My breathing grew shallow and I stared up into his face. This flirting thing was potent. He gazed down at me, and the dirty sock was forgotten. After a moment, he brushed his knuckles along my jaw. "No more teasing."

"No more dirty socks."

"Fair enough." He produced a black length of fabric. "You want to change shirts before I put this on?"

I looked down at the sweatshirt I was wearing. "Is this one bad?"

"It's warm outside. Won't you get hot?"

I tugged at the long sleeves. "I want to wear this one. It covers up all the bite marks."

Ellis was silent. When I looked up, his expression was grim. He said nothing, though, just gestured for me to turn.

I did, obedient, and then I was blindfolded. My hands stretched out, feeling around. "I'm going to run into every tree from here until Sunday."

"I've got you," he said, and his arm slid around my waist.

That...was more distracting than being blindfolded. "Are...we going to be able to walk like this?"

"Oh sure," Ellis said easily.

We made it out of the cabin and a few feet more before I stumbled on a rock.

"Careful," Ellis warned, then sighed. "Actually, change of plans. Put your arms around my neck. I'm going to give you a piggyback ride."

"A piggyback ride? Seriously?" I mentally pictured Ellis with me sprawled across his back and swallowed my laughter. "How far do you think you'll be able to take me before your back gives out?"

"Oh please. You're a twig. Besides, I'm strong. Feel."

I reached out and he took my hand and placed it on his bicep, then flexed. I felt it move under my fingers, rock hard, and another giggle escaped me. My pulse was fluttering in response to his nearness, and I had to admit, I rather liked feeling him flex that bicep. "This is just a ploy to get me to admire your guns, isn't it?"

"You figured me out. Now, come on."

I felt him squat low, and with his hands guiding me, I went to his back, looped my arms around his neck, and gave a squeak of alarm when he hauled me into the air. With a bounce, he hefted me higher on his hips. "You good?"

"I'm good," I replied, clinging to him for dear life.

Chapter Five

He was strong, it seemed, because he was able to carry me all the way in. We tromped through the woods, the only sounds that of my breathing and the crunch of Ellis's feet on the undergrowth as we talked and chatted about the weather, Everett's books, and the kittens. I hugged his neck and clung to him, enjoying just being outside, even if I couldn't see anything.

"All right, we're here," Ellis said at one point. "You can get down."

I peered through the black fabric of my blindfold. "I don't hear anything."

"We're still a short ways off, but you can take the blindfold off now."

I did, blinking at the bright afternoon sunlight. We were still in the woods, but in the distance I could see a plume of smoke from a chimney, and caught the occasional hint of laughter on the wind. We were close. I slid off his back, my feet landing on the ground. "Where are we?"

"Top secret," Ellis said again, and I rolled my eyes. I stuffed the blindfold into his pocket. "Come on," he said. "You can meet the others."

"Other whats?" I asked.

"Shifters, of course. This is a clan party. My family's throwing a shindig to welcome Marie to the cougar clan."

I gasped, stepping away from Ellis in shock. "She did what?"

His brow furrowed as he looked over at me, clearly surprised by my reaction. "My brother Josh changed her into a shifter."

"How does that happen?"

Ellis shrugged. "He bit her until she turned."

I shuddered, my memory full of Andre's sucking, painful bites. "I thought you said you weren't like the vampires."

"We're not," he told me. "I promise. It's very rare that someone's turned. Marie was only turned because she was dying, and Josh didn't care if he got in trouble or not."

He tried to pull me against him to hug me, but I pulled away. My mind was full of flashing images of teeth and fangs and pain. Poor Marie. How she'd suffered. I swallowed hard. And we were celebrating this like it was something good? I didn't understand.

"You okay?" Ellis asked softly, dropping his hand.

"Yeah, just...yeah." I crossed my arms tight over my chest and walked a few paces away from him.

***

Marie's party turned out to be a picnic and barbecue. The backyard of the house was filled with wooden tables and people milling about them. In the distance, a row of grills were lined up, and one man stood at them with a beer, flipping meat while others played football and a few others hovered around the tables, chatting. I counted heads - there were maybe twenty or more people of all shapes and sizes. All of these people were shifters? They looked so normal.

Marie was out on the football field, looking healthy and incredibly happy. She gave me a cheerful wave and nearly got tackled thanks to the distraction. She was no longer ghost-pale, her skin a healthy flush and she looked like she'd put on a few pounds. I guessed being a shifter suited her. I still longed to pull her aside and ask her if she was okay. If she had nightmares about teeth like I did.