A Kitty in the Lion's Den(34)

“What?”

He smiled and leaned closer to kiss her gently on the lips. He murmured against her mouth. “My favorite dessert, food, and color.” She felt him smile right before he pulled back. “Hazel is my favorite color because that is the shade of your eyes.” Her heart stuttered in her chest. “And when I said ‘you’–” He slid his hands down her shoulders, along her arms, and took hold of her hands. “You’re my favorite pastime, Kettah. You’re my favorite everything, in fact.”

She was the one to slam her mouth on his now, and the deep growl that left him had her pussy clenching with the need to be filled by him. He slid his hands behind her to cup her ass, and in one effortless move he lifted her off her feet. Kettah wrapped her legs around his waist and tilted her head to the side to deepen the kiss. Right when he reached between their bodies, unbuttoned his jeans, and slid his zipper down the phone on his desk rang. He cursed. She groaned in disappointment, and they both broke the kiss. He slowly let her slide down the length of his body.

“I should let it go to voicemail.” He cupped each side of her face and kissed her again, but just when the phone stopped ringing, his cell vibrated in his pocket.

“Seems like someone really wants to talk to you.” That had a frown forming between his eyes.

With one last kiss he turned away from her, dug his phone from his pocket and answered it, “Yeah?” He was zipping up and buttoning his jeans when his entire body grew taut over whatever the person on the other end was saying. With each passing moment his body grew tenser, bigger, and his muscles flexed. How could a phone call cause his lion to come so close to the surface? “When did they leave?” Another moment that was starting to have her grow even tenser. “Okay. Thanks, Trace.” He hung up the phone, and for several seconds didn’t do anything but stand there, breathing heavily.

“Maverick?” She took a step closer to him. Before she could reach out and touch him he turned and took her hand in his. He was leading her out of the office and toward the hallway with determined, angry strides. Oh God. She knew what this was about. “They found us, Maverick.” She picked up her speed.

“Yeah, baby, but they won’t get you.” He stopped in front of the door that would lead them up the stairs and to the Fort Knox of above garage apartments. But just as he opened the door and took that first step there was a chorus of soft sounds, ones that a mortal wouldn’t pick up, but that a shifter could hear loud and clear. He shoved her forward.

“Go to the closet, and get to the safehouse, Kettah.” He stared into her eyes until she nodded. “And do not stop no matter what you hear.” He pushed her up the stairs, and she stumbled forward, catching herself before she went face first into the wood. The door slammed shut behind her, and she didn’t wait until she heard the sound of violence, which she knew was going to happen any second now.

She reached the top of the stairs, fumbled with the locks Maverick had shown her how to disengage, and pushed the door open. When she had the thick steel shut behind her, and the first lock latched, the sound of the door down the flight of stairs crashing against the wall rang through. Her hands started to sweat as she fumbled with the rest of the locks. A cry left her, and she stumbled back when someone slammed against the door, vibrating the metal with enough force she felt it down to her bones.

“Here kitty, kitty, kitty.” The sound of Konstantine’s voice came through the metal loud and clear. Oh God, was Maverick okay? She knew how powerful her lion was, but she didn’t know how many of Viktor’s men had come. Could he handle that many? “Kettah, baby girl, I can hear you breathing and feel your pulse race.”

Kettah’s heart slammed against her chest, threatening to burst free. That would surely be a better death than what her brother and father had planned for her, which was a horror she could only imagine. She went toward the door once more, grabbed one more, thicker looking lock, and turned it. But Konstantine slammed against the metal again and again. She had to get to the closet before he broke through. Kettah turned and ran through the living room, and just as she reached the end of the hallway the front door burst open and the sound of her brother racing toward her was frighteningly loud. She ran into the bedroom, slammed the door shut behind her, and darted to the closet. But even though the distance wasn’t at all that far, it seemed like miles and miles away. It was like she was stuck in a dream where she was desperately trying to run away, but all she was doing was moving in place. Konstantine burst through the bedroom, and she screamed. The scent of his malice, of his violence and anger suffocated her. She couldn’t let him get her, because even if she fought back, her brother was bigger, stronger, and there was no way she could beat him. Everything else seemed to go in slow motion. Gripping the handle to the escape route, she opened it and saw the secret latch to the door that would lead her to the outside. Konstantine had a hold of her hair and was yanking her away from the closet before she could reach freedom.