Chapter 4

A FOREGONE CONCLUSION

Sophie hated thunderstorms.

She burrowed deeper beneath the blanket, tucking her legs against her chest as another bout of thunder boomed overhead, and with all her might she hoped the turbulent weather wasn't strong enough to rip the roof from its hinges.

It shocked her to realize she'd not only slept through the initial part of the storm, but when she roused from her nap it was to discover the house shrouded in darkness due to a power outage. Still disoriented from sleep, somehow she'd managed to find her way to the bathroom and locate the kerosene lamp beneath the sink. After lighting it, she had quickly changed into more comfortable clothing before cocooning herself in bed where she was powerless to do anything but tremble in fear and wait.

As a child, hiding beneath her bed had often been her method of dealing with her phobia but it had been years since she'd resorted to that recourse and her twenty-six year old adult self refused to cower like that again.

It was tempting, though.

The storm outside her window sounded much like a snarling beast, its presence there bearing down on her along with the sinister memories that threatened to surface. After all, it was on a night similar to this one, following Old Sal's funeral service, that the man who had been dogging her footsteps for years had destroyed what little remained of her life back in the city.

Luka Vasiliev was the most feared enforcer of the Sokolov family, and from the very moment Sophie had the misfortune of crossing his path, the dangerous man became infatuated with her. She knew it was only a matter of time before his obsession would lead him to Whispering Grove, and when it did she wasn't certain if she'd be able to escape him a second time. The thought of Luka getting his hands on her again made her stomach roil with unease; he was a man with an unpredictable temper, and not accustomed to being rejected. Tucking her legs more firmly against her chest, Sophie struggled to calm her breathing even as her body was assaulted with another round of shivers.

But as if conjured by her deepest fears, the same feeling of trepidation enveloped her in that moment. And like before with Luka, it heralded the presence of danger in her midst.

A deafening thunderclap nearly drowned out the awful sound, but Sophie stilled beneath her blanket when she heard the crunch of something break in the kitchen.

The door!

Sophie knew this to be so, because her loft was right above the kitchen and she could feel even the slightest vibration travel upward through the wall touching the side of her bed. If not for the creak of the floorboard next to her pantry seconds later, she might have missed the intruder's whisper of movement as he crossed the threshold and proceeded to invade her home.

Oh...god...

Ohgodohgodohgod!

With a trembling hand, Sophie pulled the blanket off and reached for the burner cell phone on the nightstand to her left-only to realize she'd left it charging on the coffee table in the living room, right next to her car keys and messenger bag.

Stupid, stupid, stupid!

How could she have been so careless?!

She eased herself from the bed as quietly as she could, her fearful eyes riveted to the staircase across the room which would lead the intruder up to her loft at any moment. Beyond the wooden railing bordering the stairs, which overlooked the layout of the living room, everything was cast in shadows. The light from the kerosene lamp didn't reach farther than her bedroom, and the comfort she'd felt from its soft glow vanished when she realized it would undoubtedly lure the intruder straight to her.

A soft thump from below spurred her into action.

Casting her eyes about in desperation, for she was certain there were only seconds to spare, Sophie tiptoed to the window and parted the curtains. Twisting the lock with great care, she pushed the window open as lightning struck the heavens and lit the forest in white. A gust of wind burst forth, the scent of rain and damp earth nearly too overpowering in her heightened state to bear. It sharpened her senses, centering her thoughts to a single-minded purpose: survival. She judged the distance to the ground, her shoulders curling inward with despair. The fall would surely cause her irreparable damage, but perhaps if she left the window open it might mislead the intruder into thinking she'd been desperate enough to jump.

It was a perilous gamble, she knew this, but it was the only card she had in her deck to play.

With that accomplished, she tiptoed back to her bed and arranged the blanket in a manner that she hoped wasn't too obvious for what she intended. Then, sending a prayer to Old Sal, she squeezed underneath the bed frame and wiggled herself backward until her entire right side was pressed to the wall. The blanket she had sprawled over the edge of the mattress offered her cover, and a small opening near the foot of the bed allowed her to partially see the staircase from her hiding place. Sophie was thankful she'd positioned the bed in the farthest corner of the room when she moved in. The side frame wasn't wide enough for a larger person to slip through, and the queen-sized structure was made of oak and too heavy to move. She could barely turn her head or shift her position, but that mattered little.

Because in that very moment, the slow thump, thump, thump of the intruder's heavy footfalls ascended the staircase, each measured step causing Sophie's terror to amplify tenfold.

Her heart threatened to burst from her rib cage, and she couldn't breathe in enough air no matter how hard she tried. She blinked back the tears that threatened to spill, forcing herself into a state of detachment, if only to impede the sound of her distress from reaching the intruder's ears.

It would take only a shuddering breath from her lips, the barest sniffle, and she was a goner.

Hush, Sophie, a tiny voice in her mind implored. Hush, hush, hush...

A sense of foreboding paralyzed every muscle in her body when a great shadow suddenly appeared from the stairwell, heralding the intruder's arrival. Even before his bare, dirty feet stepped into her line of vision, Sophie had known deep down to her core he would be a man. Judging by the size of his feet he was a rather large one, and she assumed by his lack of footwear that he was probably a drifter.

A desperate, homeless man who seemed to have little compunction for his actions.

Sophie could feel the air grow thick with tension as he paused mid-step when a clap of thunder boomed. Then, with hurried strides, he crossed to the left side of the room. When he disappeared from view, she made certain to follow the vibration of his footsteps by pressing her hand to the floor and with a jolt she realized he had rushed in the direction of the open window.

A heavy silence descended upon the room.

Sophie closed her eyes and willed the man to believe she had escaped, chanting the thought over and over in her mind like a prayer. Go away. Please, just go away. So absorbed in her silent plea, Sophie almost missed the sound of the window closing, followed by the definitive click of the lock. Then, an audible sniff reached her ears just as her eyes popped open in shock when she felt the vibration of his footsteps approach the bed. Her body spasmed in alarm when the blanket was partially lifted, granting her a glimpse of the intruder's filthy toes, but the peculiar sounds that followed next made her skin crawl.

A deep, unhurried intake of breath.

Silence.

Then, as the air expelled from his lungs in a whooosh, a distinctive groan of pleasure followed.

Sophie's eyes rounded in absolute horror, blood leeching from her face so quickly her head spun. The intruder was actually smelling her sheets...and liking it. Her stomach churned at the dreadful possibilities assaulting her mind, of what his actions glaringly affirmed and the unspeakable things that were sure to follow if he were to discover her hiding place. Powerless to stop the tears from spilling this time, Sophie could do nothing but tremble in silence and await her fate at the hands of a lunatic.

He didn't make her wait much longer.

Sophie froze when the blanket was tossed to the floor, and before she could brace herself for the encounter the man dropped to his knees, his massive shadow blocking the light completely. In a blink, an arm suddenly snaked beneath the frame catching her by surprise, and if that didn't make her heart stop, then the sight of the unnatural hand attached to it most certainly did.

Claws.

In place of fingernails, he had black claws.

It couldn't be...

Justice North had assured Sophie the NSO would prevent an encounter like this one from happening under his watch, that such an act was punishable by their laws and the residents of the area they called the Wild Zone had been warned not to break it.

Yet it seemed they had underestimated the resolve of this particular male hell-bent on doing just that, and as a consequence Sophie would be the one to suffer for it.

Our Wild Zone residents are the most antisocial Species of Reservation, Justice had explained during his visit. Their animal side rules them, and as such were considered failures by Mercile because they were impossible to control. Too feral and driven by hatred to cohabit with humans for the abuse they suffered at their hands, they live in the most isolated sector of our community.

Sophie's property bordered a part of that sector, and it was for this very reason the NSO leader had taken it upon himself to formally extend a warning about a particular male whose territory was near her home.

A male with an embedded hatred for humans.

Should he cross into your territory, Justice had cautioned, handing her the burner cell phone. Please do not contact your human authorities. Dial 1 for Reservation's security line, and we will handle the matter immediately. Keep this phone with you at all times, Ms. Valentine. Both of your lives will depend on your discretion.

Argh!

Claws raked against the wooden floorboards as the Species male explored the space beneath the bed in an attempt to reach her. She caught a glimpse of the lower half of his face, part of it obscured by a long mass of hair, and she cringed when his lips pulled back on a growl revealing his canines. His nostrils flared when she recoiled further from his reach, likely perceiving a whiff of her scent—her fear—for Sophie was certain that was how he had found her in the first place.

"Female," the male rasped, his voice deep and guttural. A snarl of frustration burst from his lips when he continued to grasp thin air. "Want."

Sophie cringed.

The bed frame protested when he attempted to force his broad shoulder through it in an effort to close the distance between them, but when this didn't work—he snapped. Pulling his arm out, the male jumped to his feet and without warning the nightstand next to her bed skidded halfway across the loft, the contents over it scattering in every direction. Sophie then tracked his feet as he stalked to the foot of the bed, and in a show of brute strength he began to lift the massive thing from the floor.

She didn't hesitate for a second.

Sophie rolled to her left and staggered to her feet, ignoring the pain from her leg as she limped as fast as she could toward the staircase while the male's hands were occupied.

Only, she didn't make it very far.

Something coiled around her right ankle and yanked with such force, she lost her footing and stumbled to the floor. The impact pushed the air from her lungs, stunning her momentarily. She attempted to stand, but the thing around her ankle tightened and dragged her back a foot across the floor. Twisting to see what had grabbed her, her lips parted in shock when they locked on something...bizarre. It was long and thick, covered in golden brown fur and dappled with black spots. The fuzzy white tip was bent at an odd angle, and even through the wool material of her knee-high socks she could feel warmth radiating from it to her skin. Sophie's gaze traveled upward, trailing the length of the thing until the base of it disappeared inside a rip in the male's tattered jeans, directly above his buttocks.

Holy crow, she thought, baffled by the sight. He's got a—a— tail...?

Tilting her head back, Sophie took in the rest of the male's appearance in a daze. He had a tall, muscular build, even more so than Torrent or Wager, and she had thought their physique quite frightening upon meeting them the first time. He wore a pair of old jeans, ripped above the knee to accommodate the bulge of his muscular calves. The fabric was filthy, and faded from exposure to the elements. The rest of him was unclothed, his skin almost the same golden brown hue as his tail. She noted similar dappled markings tattooed on the muscled plains of his back. They followed a linear path northward, outlining the placement of his spine before they dispersed from either side over his shoulder blades, the edges jutting outward like an upside down 'V'.

And it was following this intricate pattern that Sophie finally caught the glitter of his cat-eyes staring back at her from over his shoulder.

He still held her bed elevated from the floor as though it weighed very little to him, but the moment their eyes met the male released it, causing Sophie to flinch when the bed collided violently with the floor. She wanted to avert her gaze as he turned, but one look at his face kept her from doing so.

Her flight reaction was instinctual.

Sophie scrambled backward, every nerve ending urging her to put as much distance between herself and the male as possible.

Again, she didn't get very far.

The tail secured its hold more firmly on her ankle and pulled her toward him, dragging her rump across the floor. She twisted until she was facedown, her nails scraping against wood in a desperate attempt to stop her progression. The act offered little traction, and before she knew it two large hands grabbed hold of her waist and lifted her from the ground.

This is how I die.

The thought came unbidden from the darkest corner of her mind. She felt her body slump in defeat, for what was the point of fighting back when pitted against a creature like him? All it would take to strike her dead, was a single blow from his clawed hand.

Sophie shut her eyes when the world tilted as he adjusted her into his arms, too frightened to look while he committed the act. She felt the heat of his skin press against her side, the strength of his unforgiving hands, and a quiet sob escaped from her trembling lips even as she braced for the pain. A spinning sensation followed, then the thud of his footsteps, and before she could figure out what he intended by moving her, she felt his hands release her and softness cushion the fall.

He'd dropped her on...the bed?

Sophie's eyes flew open in shock when the mattress depressed under the male's bulk, and with growing alarm she watched as he climbed the bed and caged her beneath him. This...she had not expected. There was no longer anger in his expression, just an inquisitive tilt of his head as he studied her features. Trapped, and with barely an arm's length of space between them, she could do nothing but stare back at his alien face.

His facial bone structure was an exotic composition of hard edges and prominent angles, framed by a mass of disheveled tawny hair. A subtle patch of golden brown fur covered the bridge of his nose, accentuating the formation of its peculiar flat shape and drawing attention to the point of his canines denting his lower lip. If she had hoped to find a semblance of remorse or hesitation in his eyes, she found none. They were an arresting shade of moss green, a ring of gold bordering his dilated pupils, and were no less feral in appearance than that of a predator's as it contemplated over the demise of its prey.

Whatever preventative measures Justice North had imposed on the Wild Zone for the sake of cohabitation with an outsider, had been a foregone conclusion. It was obvious by the manner in which the male licked his lips as he locked his gaze to Sophie's throat, that such a creature had no regard for Species Law or the threat of punishment that was sure to follow.

Spill the human's blood...

No, mount her!

Sink your fangs into her flesh until she screams.

Whether that last was intended to inflict pleasure or pain, Arrow couldn't be certain. His beast waged a battle for dominance with two opposing desires. His hatred for humans urged him to end the female's life, even as her heady scent checked that impulse. His attention lingered over the column of her neck, a place he longed to trace with his tongue and learn the taste of her skin, but the clothing she wore didn't offer much to his view. He considered using his claw to pluck the uppermost button and allow him access to it, but when the female shuddered his attention drew to her face. Arrow frowned as he took in her peculiar human features— a delicate bone structure, the slender formation of her nose, pink lips that wouldn't stop trembling—and compared to Species females, he insisted this frail human was not beautiful.

Nothing about her made his pulse race, nor the blood rush to his shaft.

Not the honey-gold of her eyes, large and doe-like as they stared back at him with a mixture of confusion and fear. Not her too soft skin, with a complexion so fair he could follow the trail of her veins without difficulty. And certainly not her thick mane spread out over the bedding, its unusual color a subtle blend of fire and sunlight.

Then, there was the matter of her diminutive stature.

Arrow had never felt more aware of his strength and size, until he had trapped the small, docile human beneath him. A Species female would've bared her teeth at him by now, or raked her claws against his flesh if she felt the need to challenge him for the privilege to mount her. The rush from a fight between a male and the female he courted was merely a mating precursor to heighten their arousal, a natural act among New Species, but this human was obviously too weak to challenge even the less formidable of the males roaming the Wild Zone.

It was fortunate Arrow had caught on to the female's scent before the storm, and not those less worthy of such a prize. This, however, did not mean her presence near his territory was welcome and it was a matter he intended to rectify...

Once her heat cycle ended, of course.

Arrow's eyes roamed over the female as he kneaded the bed, contemplating on where to begin undressing her. She seemed to favor clothing much too large for her body, the concept of modesty still too foreign to him. Her shirt was oversize, the hem long enough to reach above her knees, and beneath it he had caught a glimpse of another fabric concealing her sex when she attempted to escape. Intrigued, Arrow grabbed the edge of the shirt with his right hand but the moment he began to lift it the female bucked and slapped it away. Amused by this small act of defiance, he didn't attempt to stop her when she pushed backward against the bedding to escape from beneath him. It was only when she made a move to sit up, he grabbed onto her ankle and dragged her back with such force that her shirt rode up to just below the swell of breasts in the process. The female sucked in a sharp breath and tried to cover herself, but Arrow secured both her hands with his larger one and pinned them above her head. She fought against his hold, her torso twisting with frantic motions, but at the sound of his low growl she froze.

"Be still," Arrow murmured, brushing his fingertips over her soft abdomen. "I wish to explore."

The female panted as the scent of her fear intensified, an unwarranted reaction since his touch was not causing her pain. Still, he made no effort to reassure her; fear encourage obedience.

Mercile had taught him this lesson well.

As Arrow's hand followed the curve of her waist, he decided this human was too thin. She had no muscle definition that he could discern, and she weighed very little when he'd held her in his arms. How did Shield and those other males mount their humans without breaking them? The female would crumble beneath his weight, he was certain of this. Moving his hand upward, he felt her frame tense when his thumb brushed the soft skin beneath her right breast. Small bumps prickled across her flesh when he deliberately added more pressure there, each stroke causing his shaft to pulse and harden with need. With a flick of his wrist, he uncovered her breasts to his hungry gaze and at the sight of them the male couldn't help but purr in appreciation.

They were perfect.

Not too large to appear cumbersome against her slender frame, but there was just enough there to offer a feast for the feline's growing appetite. He used the weight of his lower body to subdue her thrashing legs, then his hand to cup the precious bounty, and too engrossed in his quest to latch his mouth around the rosy nipple he didn't notice her lips moving.

Not at first, anyway.

In a corner of his mind, the rational part not ruled by his beast's determination to mount the female, he thought her continual silence a bit odd. Even when he lifted the bed to reach her, he had braced for the shrilling noise of her screaming but was surprised when he heard none.

The female was either very brave, or very stubborn.

Testing that theory, he grazed the sharp tip of his fang against the delicate bud of flesh, swirling his tongue over it until her breath quickened and she tugged on his hands with renewed vigor, but still not a single cry of pleasure filled the room.

Nor a whiff of her arousal.

"Do not resist it," Arrow rasped. He moved upward, shifting his attention from her breast to her ear, as he traced the shell with his tongue while his hand traveled south toward her sex. "Give in, my rebellious doe."

Again, the female withheld her voice. She bumped the side of her face hard against his, forcing the male to raise his head so she wouldn't cause herself damage. In doing so, his eyes locked with her pleading ones brimming with unshed tears but it was the incessant manner in which she continued to move her lips that made his hand pause before touching her mound.

Strange, Arrow thought, centering his attention there. The way her tongue lifted before her lips puckered to form an 'O' seemed vaguely familiar. It was almost as if she were saying—

"ARROW, NO!"

A snarl burst from the feline's lips at the sound of an intruder calling out from within the human dwelling. The female beneath him jerked violently when Arrow let out a roar, her lips parted in a silent scream, but he had only a second to spare her a glance before pushing himself off the bed in order to confront the threat. He crouched when the sound of pounding footsteps rushed up the stairs, his tail lashing in anticipation for the fight heading his way.

It came as a shock, however, when 619—no, Andromeda— was the one to enter the female's den and not the rivaling male he expected.

The canine skidded to a halt upon seeing Arrow on the floor, for he was positioned to pounce on her with claws extended. Her NSO uniform was wet and plastered to her body, her feet bared to the elements and forming a puddle of water on the floor. Her light brown mane was secured in a low ponytail at her back, revealing a face that held very little softens despite her sex. Born as siblings by blood, Andromeda and 43 had shared a few physical aspects—both canine and human—but their most noticeable one had been the dark blue coloration of their eyes.

Hers, however, regarded him now in utter contempt.

Andromeda sniffed the air and growled, balling her hands into fists as her attention shifted toward the bed. Driven by instinct, Arrow stood to place himself directly in her line of sight but he could tell by the way her eyes rounded in shock that she had seen the human.

"You bastard," she whispered.

Arrow's tail twitched at the derogatory word, but he said nothing in return. He owed no explanation to anyone for his actions, and he would not apologize for giving into his nature.

His beast began to pace, growing tired of the canine's presence there while a more pressing matter awaited him on the bed.

"Leave," Arrow commanded in a low growl. "That human is not your concern."

"She is under the NSO's protection, you arrogant male!" Andromeda shouted, raking a hand through her mane in a frustrated gesture. "This territory is off limits, and you deliberately disobeyed a direct order from Justice. What gave you the right to break into her home, and attack her like a mindless beast!"

Affronted by the accusation, Arrow snarled a warning at the canine. He wouldn't kill her, but if she continued to provoke him he would be forced to assert his dominance.

"Go ahead," Andromeda challenged on a sneer, spreading her arms wide. "Hit me. Show me what you learned from those soldiers at the testing facility." She thrust her chin toward the bed. "If you are determined to rape a female who cannot even scream for help, it is clear they taught you well."

Arrow took a step back, as if the canine's very words had delivered a physical blow to his gut. He knew that word—rape. It meant to force mate a female and cause her pain, while the male took his own pleasure with her body. The purpose of the act was to terrorize the victim. To establish a type of control.

And in the end, break her spirit.

That...was not his intention.

"Why do you appear troubled, Arrow?" Andromeda shook her head in apparent confusion, dropping her arms to her side as she took a hesitant step forward. "Did she not struggle in your arms, or attempt to escape your attentions?"

Arrow cast his gaze to the side.

"Did she not make an effort to communicate with you?" Andromeda continued relentlessly, taking another step forward. "Justice told me it is physically impossible for her to speak, but did she not beg you to stop with her tears?"

Arrow squeezed his eyes shut, the unbidden image of her pleading eyes causing his teeth to clench. The female was defective? How was he to know this?

Because you were blinded by your own needs.

"She did beg, didn't she?" Andromeda said, crossing the room until she stood directly in front of him. Seeming to take his silence as an answer, she narrowed her eyes at him and delivered her final blow. "If 43 were here, she would be ashamed of what you did to that human."

Arrow flinched, unable to bear the thought, but drawn by the scent of the female's fear he looked over his shoulder and knew this to be true. She had backed herself into the farthest corner, huddled against the wall with her knees pressed to her chest. She was rocking her small frame back and forth, quietly weeping while her fearful eyes tracked his every movement as if anticipating another assault. Turning his back on her quickly, for he couldn't stand to see the way she was looking at him, he took a deep breath and attempted to control the sudden impulse to drive his fist through the wall.

Escape.

He needed to escape

Spinning on his heel, Arrow rushed to the nearest window and forced the glass panel open. Andromeda called out to him, but he ignored the canine and the words she could wield against him more effectively than her claws. Instead, before he lifted his leg over the windowsill, he forced his gaze back to the human female. Her heat scent still tempted him, causing his beast to salivate with renewed hunger, but the knowledge of the damage he could've done to her cooled his ardor.

"Forgive me," he whispered.

At hearing these words, the human's face crumpled with fresh tears and at the sight of her despair, Arrow pushed himself from the ledge and welcomed the biting cold of the rain as he landed on the ground. Then, without looking back, he dashed into the dark forest toward the secret path which would lead him back to the Wild Zone. He dared not remain another second in her presence.

The human was too tempting, too vulnerable, and he could only control his beast for so long.

Author's Note: OMG, sorry for the wait, readers. Weaving parts of Book 1 into Book 2 feels a lot like trying to fit a circle into a square, but I've managed to smooth down those sharp edges a bit. If the name Sokolov sounds familiar, you may want to read back on Book 1 where we get a glimpse into Bishop's history when he was owned by a Mafia crime lord. And apparently keeping up with tradition, the hero of this story leaves quite an impression upon meeting our heroine, but unfortunately it's not a favorable one. Ah, well. Let's see how this bad kitty redeems himself. Props to Andromeda for being a badass. Thoughts? )