Total pages in book: 131
Estimated words: 121389 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 607(@200wpm)___ 486(@250wpm)___ 405(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 121389 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 607(@200wpm)___ 486(@250wpm)___ 405(@300wpm)
Heart thudding, her cat managed to get safely to the other side of the window.
It wasn’t too difficult to reach the far edge, from where she gauged the distance to the rooftop on the other side. And realized she’d miscalculated. It was too far for even her cat to jump. Not wasting time, she turned right instead and kept on going along the ledge across the back of the building, looking for a tree, something that she could jump on to climb down to the ground.
Nothing and more nothing—until the large drainpipe that funneled water away from the roof and into what was most likely an underground water tank. Changelings didn’t waste water when they could collect and recycle it. No leopard could’ve climbed down that drainpipe, their body weight far too heavy. It would’ve collapsed. But she had a feeling it would hold her far slighter weight.
She had nothing to lose.
The drainpipe gave a small groan when she jumped onto it, but it held. Deciding not to push her luck, she went down as fast as she could, parts of the pipe digging into her stomach as she slid down. The cat flattened its ears but kept going, leaving deep scratch marks on the plas.
The leopards would see that, of course, but she’d be long gone by then.
All at once, she was thumping onto the ground on her butt. Ugh. Her cat looked around to make sure no one had spotted that hideously embarrassing descent. No other ocelot would ever let her live it down.
But there were no ocelots here. Not unless that scent on Tamsyn had been true.
Driven by a sense of pounding urgency, she shook off her sore butt and ran around the side—and though she should’ve gone to the very front of the building and found a hiding spot from where she could watch for Tamsyn’s exit, she went to a gate in the fence directly opposite where she’d come down.
The gate was closed but not locked.
Not worrying about who might see her, she shifted and unlatched it, then shifted back again. A naked woman would attract far more attention than a small cat that stuck to the shadows. Most people wouldn’t see her in that form—and the ones who did would probably mistake her for a freakishly large housecat. Not a mistake that would hold on a closer look, but she didn’t intend to let anyone get that close.
Sliding through the gate, she looked left then right, saw that the sidewalk was empty. Again, she should’ve gone right and made her way to the front of the building … but she went directly across the sidewalk and to a black car shaped as sleek as a bullet.
The passenger-side door slid back.
Her cat wasn’t the least surprised to look up and see a Psy with eyes of piercing blue waiting for her. Bunching on her haunches, she launched herself into the passenger seat.
Chapter 21
Ivan Mercant: Telepath, 6.2, black hair, killer blue eyes, and ice-cold sexiness. Here’s the tea, wild women. This fine specimen of manhood has long floated under our radar. How, we do not know. The man is so hot that certain bear ladies were willing to risk freezer burn to get close to him.
And it is thanks to our lovely bear readers in StoneWater that we now have knowledge of Mr. Ivan Mercant. They tell us he attended their alpha’s mating ceremony to another Mercant (covered in our special mating issue!), slayed many a heart, and left without a backward look. Oh, ouch.
We know you’re all wondering about the scary part of this description. Word is he’s a security specialist—and that the bear dominants confirm they wouldn’t pick a fight with him unless they meant it. Because the man doesn’t play if you come for him or his.
Can we say swoooooooon?!
—From the “Scary but Sexy” column in the March 2083 issue of Wild Woman magazine: “Skin Privileges, Style & Primal Sophistication”
UNTIL THE MOMENT that a small cat of gold and black jumped into the passenger seat of his vehicle, Ivan hadn’t known what he was doing here. Hadn’t known why he’d canceled a comm meeting with his Grandmother and left his apartment by stealth—because a Mercant always had a secret way out.
He’d just known he had to get here in time, and he had to do it without alerting the leopards. Now he stared at the stunningly gorgeous cat that sat there staring back at him with eyes so huge and wild that they held him captive. He had the most intense urge to stroke her fur but was rational enough to know she was a wild creature who hadn’t given him the permission.
Somehow finding his footing, he said, “Your daypack is in the back seat,” and pulled away from the curb.
But she hissed and clawed at his arm when he indicated that he was going to turn left. He looked down, changed the indicator to the right. “You want to be in front of the DarkRiver building?”