Lian Roch (Bayou Heat)(21)

“Not at all,” he said. “There is no denying that you’re a strong-willed female. Much like our Pantera females.”

“Really?”

“Yes. You’ll fit in well.”

“I’m not planning on fitting in, Roch.”

Christ, his name on her lips was like a stroke to his skin with a goddamn feather. As they walked through the lush flora and the sun grazed his skin, he couldn’t help but imagine her saying it again…in his ear…on his neck.

Against his mouth.

He growled softly and forced those thoughts and images back. Hell, he should kick them the hell out. Never to return again. He had no right to them. Dangerous. Impossible.

When the border of the Wildlands finally came into view he heaved a sigh of relief. She would be someone else’s responsibility soon. He’d get her to Medical and under Dr. Julia’s care. Parish’s mate was human too, and she would serve this purpose well. Then he’d find out who the father of Lydia’s cub was—and how this Haymore Center had gotten a hold of Pantera samples.

His stomach rolled suddenly and he groaned. Shit. What was going on with him? He stopped and took a breath, wondering if he was going to actually get sick in front of his new guest. That would be great. Really fucking fantastic.

Lydia moved closer and put her hand on his shoulder. “You okay?”

He sucked in air. Not because of his wrecked stomach, but because of her touch. It made his skin and chest tighten, and, Goddess help him, his cock twitch.

“What’s wrong?” she asked, sounding surprisingly concerned. “Can I do something?”

“No. It’s nothing. Just haven’t been feeling well lately.” When she eased her hand back and stepped away from him, he laughed. “Don’t worry, Lydia. It’s not catching. Something I ate or drank.” Or who the hell knew?

“Sorry,” she said with a soft laugh.

“No problem.”

“I just want to protect the baby.”

“As do I.”

She stilled, her eyes finding his. They were the color of a Dyesse lily, and the warmth they gave off made him ache with a hunger he’d never known before. Shit, what was he going to do about this? This attraction. No, this…crush he seemed to have on a human female—a human female who was carrying a Pantera male’s cub?

Maybe the male wouldn’t want it.

Maybe the male wouldn’t want her.

It was his cat. The puma’s thoughts, not his own.

A deep growl erupted from his throat.

“Roch?” she said, sounding worried.

“It’s okay,” he said quickly, diffusing her concern. “We’re just on the border of the Wildlands.”

As they entered a thick cluster of trees, and the scent of the bayou wafted over them, Lydia stopped and looked around. The sun filtering through the treetops, changing the colors of the leaves from sunny yellow and green to pale orange. “Wow. It’s beautiful here.”

Roch felt a swell of pride at her words. It was good she could see what he saw. Good for her cub, if it was indeed Pantera. “You haven’t seen anything yet,” he said.

Her eyes met his and they were warm and excited, and Roch had to stop himself from reaching out and brushing her cheek with his fingertips.

“Well, let’s go then,” she said, starting off toward another massive cypress.

“Not on foot,” Roch called out to her.

She turned, her brows knit together. “Then how?”

“Don’t be afraid, all right?”

“Afraid of what?” she asked.

He took a deep breath, trying to calm his cat. He could feel it pacing inside of him, wanting to get out. Wanting to meet her. In a flash of movement, he shifted into his puma. The cat snarled and stretched, and instantly, Roch felt healthy and strong.

He turned and growled softly at Lydia. She was standing there staring at him, her eyes wide, her mouth open. But surprisingly, she didn’t look scared. Just awestruck.

“Oh my god.” She shook her head. “I know this is real, but it just feels…it looks…you are so beautiful…”

Roch’s cat purred with pleasure, then gestured to its back with its enormous head.

She looked from his face to his back. “You want me to ride on you?” she asked, her voice reed-thin.

He stalked toward her, growling at her again. When he pressed his massive body against her side, she nearly toppled over.

“I guess that’s a yes,” she said with a reluctant laugh. She climbed onto his back, her sweet weight pressing into his muscles, then leaned over so her lips were near his cat’s ear.

The puma nearly lost its mind. It lifted its head and howled into the fragrant bayou.

“I hope I’m not too heavy,” she whispered, wrapping her arms around its neck.

A sound almost like laughter erupted from Roch’s cat, before it took off into the trees.

* * *

Lydia studied the pretty young woman with the pale skin and long black hair who had come into her room at the Medical facility just moments ago. Her name was Ashe, and she seemed nice. Hell, everyone Lydia had encountered so far seemed nice. She wasn’t sure what she’d expected. After reading an article about them in one of the more reputable newspapers, maybe she’d imagined a more domineering species. But she hadn’t encountered that yet. Unless she counted Roch. He definitely had a bit of the domineering side. But everyone else had been very welcoming, almost gentle. No doubt they wanted her to feel comfortable as they all figured this out together.

She felt so unsure about being here, yet so curious too. Riding on Roch’s back, her arms around his warm, powerful neck, had been one of the most incredible experiences of her life. And seeing the Wildlands up close, its obvious beauty and quiet magic made her ache to see more, see everything. If her child was really a part of all this, a Pantera, then she wanted to explore, find out as much as she could about them and their way of life.

“I know you must have a million questions,” Ashe said, coming over to the bed and sitting down. “And I’m sure Doctor Julia answered some of them when she took blood samples and your medical history earlier. But I can offer you something that no one else can.” The woman’s brown eyes flashed with companionable mystery.

“What’s that?” Lydia asked, curious.

“I’m human,” she said. “And my mate is Pantera. We have a new baby.”

Lydia didn’t say anything for a moment. She was kind of shocked. None of that was mentioned in the article she’d read. She had no idea that Pantera and humans were interacting. And mating? Was that like marrying?

“You’re human?” she repeated.

Ashe nodded. “And let me just tell you, when I first came here and saw all of this, I was shocked and scared, and I didn’t know what to do. I’d met my mate outside of the Wildlands without knowing he was Pantera.”

“Oh wow,” Lydia said. How had that happened? Maybe Ashe would share the story with her sometime, if she felt comfortable.

“Right?” Ashe grinned, reached over and placed her hand on Lydia’s. “But after the shock wore off, I swear to you, I never knew such happiness existed. Being here, with Raphael and my baby, it’s the best thing that has ever happened to me.”

A soft smile touched Lydia’s mouth. “It sounds wonderful. But you knew your mate, right? You wanted to be with him?”

Ashe nodded.

“That’s not how this went down for me,” Lydia said. “I didn’t want a relationship. I’d done that and gotten hurt. Really hurt.”

Ashe gave her a sympathetic look and squeezed her hand.

“I only wanted a child.” Lydia touched her stomach with her free hand. “So being here in the Wildlands, it’s not about romance and building a relationship with the father. I don’t even know who it is. I’m nervous to find out, you know?”

“Of course. And no one is going to push you to have a paternity test. That’ll be your choice. And when you’re ready, if you’re ready, all you have to do is let Doctor Julia know.”

“I suppose the first thing is to find out if my baby is truly part Pantera.” Lydia laughed softly. “The donor I used was supposed to be anonymous and…human.”

“I understand,” Ashe said. “I really do.” She took a deep breath. “Listen, you’re going to be around for a few days, right?”

Lydia nodded. She had agreed to that. She wanted that. Truly. She wanted to find out the truth about the baby’s biological history. And if the child was half Pantera, she needed to learn as much as she could about them, so someday she could tell her child where they came from. It was amazing really, Lydia thought. Back in New Orleans, every human she’d come in contact with had wanted her to terminate her pregnancy ASAP. But here in the Wildlands it had been the complete opposite—they’d been almost reverent about the pregnancy, and her. She understood why Ashe felt so happy and content.

“You can, of course, stay here at Medical,” Ashe began. “It’s cozy.” She shrugged. “In a clinical, Nurturers-gawking-at-you kind of way.”

Lydia laughed. Nurturers seemed to be the medical staff here. The caretakers and scientists. Her eyes drifted to the door. She wondered if Roch was a Nurturer. She didn’t think so. He didn’t seem particularly nurturing. Protective, strong-willed, handsome, sexy, maybe. But not nurturing.