his Bailey’s eyes until she was gone.
Gone.
“Nooooooo,” he roared, but Felix just chuckled, cruelly tossing Bailey’s lifeless body to the wet ground.
Gash crawled to her, all the Alley Cats suddenly gone. Gone, now that it was too late. Gone, now that she was gone.
“No. No, goddamn it, no!”
He pulled Bailey into his arms, cradling her face and getting blood on her pretty cheeks.
No. She can’t be dead. Mate can’t be dead .
Tears streaked his cheeks and he didn’t even care that Felix was laughing at him. He wanted to be dead too. He should be dead if she was. There should be no Gash without Bailey. No him without her, it just wasn’t right.
“No, Bailey. No. Come back to me. Please come back to me.”
Felix crouched down to hover over Gash as he rocked his mate’s limp, lifeless body and begged her to live.
“I see why you like it here, brother. It’s not as boring as I assumed it’d be. Of course, how could it be boring with the Alley Cats showing up?” Felix whistled his eerie sound as he stood to leave. “I’m really starting to like the Ouachitas.”
A growl rose in Gash’s throat. He was ready to die, but he wasn’t going without taking his brother with him. Easing Bailey’s body back to the ground, he let his cat come forward to get their revenge. With a screeching roar, he shifted and swiped Felix across the face with his powerful claws. The crack of his brother’s skull resounded in the silence. Before he even knew there was a fight on his hands, Felix was lying broken on the ground next to Bailey.
Gash roared, throwing all his pain into the sound and letting it out for the world to hear. Let them know. Let them all know how much he’d lost. How much he’d loved. Let them hear it.
But Bailey screamed and he snapped his jaws shut, coming awake to find his mate sitting up in bed, wide-eyed with terror. Feral sounds filled the room, and a painful grinding in his chest told him he was partially turned.
Shit.
Too close to mate .
Gash sprang from the bed, landing on the hardwood floor in a heap before letting his jag-lion go. Fur broke out along his limbs. Fingers turned to claws. His panicked breathing became soft growls.
Shaking his coat out, he faced his mate. His Bailey. She was real and living and safe in her own bed. He wanted to go to her, nuzzle her neck to absorb her scent, lick her. Anything to remind him what he’d just experienced was only a dream.
Carefully, she rose up to her knees, letting the sheet fall away. “Gash,” she murmured. “What happened?”
He needed to tell her. She deserved to know all the ugly things he hid in his heart. Hide nothing from mate. She’s too important.
But right now, he still felt the bloodlust thick in his mind. He needed to calm down first.
Gash paced the small space of her bedroom, his paws padding along the floorboards nervously.
Need to run. Need to escape. Need to —
A small growl brought his head around just in time to watch Bailey’s shift. In a blink, she went from buxom beauty to majestic tigress that stole his breath away. He’d never seen her animal before, and now his cat paid attention to every detail. Her markings were black as shadows against a sunset-colored coat. Pointy ears tipped silver-white. Copper eyes fringed in long, thick lashes.
Bailey’s eyes. Still hers.
With a fluid grace, she leapt from the bed and loped toward him, her tail sashaying in a sexy way that had him forgetting about his panic. When she reached him, she brushed her face against his fur, pushing at his body with hers. A long lick behind his ear and more rubbing before her purr vibrated through the room.
Aw, yes, mate was doing what she did best. Breaking him down, one soft touch at a time. Taking all the ugly things and replacing them with beautiful ones.
Sweet mate. Mine . Forever mine.
***
Bailey continued giving Gash her face, her throat, her back. Communicating animal to animal that he was safe. She was safe.
His
Gone.
“Nooooooo,” he roared, but Felix just chuckled, cruelly tossing Bailey’s lifeless body to the wet ground.
Gash crawled to her, all the Alley Cats suddenly gone. Gone, now that it was too late. Gone, now that she was gone.
“No. No, goddamn it, no!”
He pulled Bailey into his arms, cradling her face and getting blood on her pretty cheeks.
No. She can’t be dead. Mate can’t be dead .
Tears streaked his cheeks and he didn’t even care that Felix was laughing at him. He wanted to be dead too. He should be dead if she was. There should be no Gash without Bailey. No him without her, it just wasn’t right.
“No, Bailey. No. Come back to me. Please come back to me.”
Felix crouched down to hover over Gash as he rocked his mate’s limp, lifeless body and begged her to live.
“I see why you like it here, brother. It’s not as boring as I assumed it’d be. Of course, how could it be boring with the Alley Cats showing up?” Felix whistled his eerie sound as he stood to leave. “I’m really starting to like the Ouachitas.”
A growl rose in Gash’s throat. He was ready to die, but he wasn’t going without taking his brother with him. Easing Bailey’s body back to the ground, he let his cat come forward to get their revenge. With a screeching roar, he shifted and swiped Felix across the face with his powerful claws. The crack of his brother’s skull resounded in the silence. Before he even knew there was a fight on his hands, Felix was lying broken on the ground next to Bailey.
Gash roared, throwing all his pain into the sound and letting it out for the world to hear. Let them know. Let them all know how much he’d lost. How much he’d loved. Let them hear it.
But Bailey screamed and he snapped his jaws shut, coming awake to find his mate sitting up in bed, wide-eyed with terror. Feral sounds filled the room, and a painful grinding in his chest told him he was partially turned.
Shit.
Too close to mate .
Gash sprang from the bed, landing on the hardwood floor in a heap before letting his jag-lion go. Fur broke out along his limbs. Fingers turned to claws. His panicked breathing became soft growls.
Shaking his coat out, he faced his mate. His Bailey. She was real and living and safe in her own bed. He wanted to go to her, nuzzle her neck to absorb her scent, lick her. Anything to remind him what he’d just experienced was only a dream.
Carefully, she rose up to her knees, letting the sheet fall away. “Gash,” she murmured. “What happened?”
He needed to tell her. She deserved to know all the ugly things he hid in his heart. Hide nothing from mate. She’s too important.
But right now, he still felt the bloodlust thick in his mind. He needed to calm down first.
Gash paced the small space of her bedroom, his paws padding along the floorboards nervously.
Need to run. Need to escape. Need to —
A small growl brought his head around just in time to watch Bailey’s shift. In a blink, she went from buxom beauty to majestic tigress that stole his breath away. He’d never seen her animal before, and now his cat paid attention to every detail. Her markings were black as shadows against a sunset-colored coat. Pointy ears tipped silver-white. Copper eyes fringed in long, thick lashes.
Bailey’s eyes. Still hers.
With a fluid grace, she leapt from the bed and loped toward him, her tail sashaying in a sexy way that had him forgetting about his panic. When she reached him, she brushed her face against his fur, pushing at his body with hers. A long lick behind his ear and more rubbing before her purr vibrated through the room.
Aw, yes, mate was doing what she did best. Breaking him down, one soft touch at a time. Taking all the ugly things and replacing them with beautiful ones.
Sweet mate. Mine . Forever mine.
***
Bailey continued giving Gash her face, her throat, her back. Communicating animal to animal that he was safe. She was safe.
His
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