Page 25 of Covert Affections (Shadow Agents/PSI-Ops #5)

Charley would know what to do. Her veterinary practice specialized in large animals, and she'd dealt with injured wildlife before, including mountain lions.

And there was the bit about Charley being able to talk to animals mentally.

Something Lindy had once thought was hogwash but had come to believe it after so many years of being friends.

Charley would be able to do her mind-linking thing with the big cat and tell it to go find somewhere else to hang.

Then again, it wasn’t actually hurting anything or anyone.

It was just strolling around at night, and she did live a decent distance from the center of town.

Close enough to walk, if need be, which she’d done a ton while growing up.

It wasn’t like the creature was wandering around the center of town or anything, and it wasn’t carrying a human body part in its mouth—a sure sign it was a danger to people.

If she called Charley, she’d be waking her for no reason.

Lindy opted to remain in place, watching the animal as it moved with a quiet grace that seemed impossible for its size.

Had she not been staring directly at it, she wouldn’t have even known it was out there.

It was that silent. There was nothing cautious about its approach.

No hesitation as it crossed her yard. It moved as if it had a purpose, as if her home was exactly where it was meant to be.

Was it stalking prey?

Was that why it had wandered onto her property?

Was it following deer or something like that?

The tiniest slither of fear shot through her at the thought that she might actually be the prey it was hunting. But that was absurd. There were a lot of other options in the area at night. Ones that weren’t in a house and far easier to get to than her.

The mountain lion’s gaze locked on her, or at least it felt as if it did.

She twisted quickly and shut off the lamp in the living room, bathing the room in darkness.

When she turned back around, the huge animal was on the porch, staring directly in at Lindy, leaving no wiggle room on the question of if he was looking at her or not.

Had the window been open, she could have touched the thing.

She stifled a scream from shock and stood rooted in place, afraid of making any sudden movements.

Was she the prey it had been after?

“Ohmygod, if I get eaten by a cougar, I’m going to be so pissed,” she whispered, wishing she’d have called Robert after all.

For a half of a second, she entertained trying to have a staring contest with the thing as she channeled her best Robert impersonation.

Unlike Robert, Lindy couldn’t turn into a giant wolf so she had very little juice to back up her threat.

Teresa had told her time and time again that her succubus side could be used as a weapon or as something to bring peace, even healing to the mix.

Lindy wasn’t so sure she believed that was true.

Teresa had far more faith in Lindy and her abilities than Lindy did.

With her luck, she’d tap into her darkness, and it would make the damn cat want to hump her leg or something or demand belly rubs. She’d end up with a mountain lion as a housecat and have to explain to everyone why it kept trying to rub all over her.

No thanks.

She’d take her chances with ending up on its dinner menu.

She moved a finger, giving a motion for it to go away.

It didn’t budge.

Boldly, Lindy added more fingers, making the gesture clearer. Surely, it had to understand she wanted it to leave.

Nope. It just sat there.

She mustered her best version of a threatening growl.

The damn cat had the nerve to blink slowly as if it were trying to wrap its mind around her attempt to scare it off. Her fear of it was fast moving to annoyance.

With a grunt, her brows met. “Bad kitty.”

It tipped its head as if it understood her. She’d have bet money on it looking amused, not like it wanted to eat her for a midnight snack or anything. But she wasn’t an animal expert. Maybe this was the exact look a mountain lion had right before it attacked.

She pointed at it. “No eating me. I draw the line there. Got it?”

She knew it was absurd, trying to converse with the animal since she wasn’t Charley, but she didn’t care.

Much to her shock, the cat inclined its head and nodded.

She took a half-step back, her mouth opening and then closing fast.

No freaking way!

It watched her closely through the window, still appearing almost amused with her.

She swallowed down the lump in her throat. “Great. Wild animals think I’m a joke. I’m really winning at adulting.”

The cat’s mouth drew upward into something that resembled a smile.

She gasped. “Are you smiling at me?”

It gave something close to a nod and her spine stiffened.

For a split second, she wondered if she was still dreaming.

If she’d kick awake in her bed at any second.

When she didn’t, she found herself edging forward, her hand lifting and going to the glass of the window.

A little part of her wanted to pet the majestic looking creature.

Every internet meme she’d ever seen about dangerous animals looking cute enough to touch came flooding back to her.

If not a friend, why is it friend-shaped?

The cat eased closer to the window, and Lindy nearly yanked her hand back.

It wouldn’t take much for the animal to break through the glass and murder her.

She’d never been this close to a mountain lion before, but even with her limited knowledge, this one seemed abnormally large.

Kind of like how she imagined a sabretooth tiger might have been in its day.

Its shoulder height alone nearly reached her porch railing. The faint bit of moonlight that was out caught its muscled form, highlighting a coat that looked like spun gold.

Lindy stilled when its eyes met hers. They were green. She had no clue what color eyes mountain lions normally had, but she’d always been under the impression it was amber. Clearly, she’d been wrong.

The animal purred loud enough for her to hear through the window.

“You’re beautiful,” she said softly, wanting to keep from spooking it.

Lindy knew Charley would have given the thing a name by now.

Something terrible that didn’t fit it, like Lollipop, but she’d have stuck to her guns, insisting the creature picked the name themself.

Lindy channeled her inner Charley and grinned. “I’m going to call you Fluffy.”

The large cat’s ear perked, and it tipped its head, looking less than thrilled with her proclamation. She didn’t care. The name fit. “Hey, you look soft but deadly. It was Fluffy or Murder Kitty. I went with Fluffy. Murder Kitty is a mouthful. Deal.”

Fluffy stretched languidly before curling up on her porch, settling its massive form in front of her window. It arranged itself like it planned to stay there all night, its tail wrapping around its body in a graceful arc.

The sight of such a dangerous predator taking up residence on her porch should have terrified her. Instead, exhaustion swept over her like a wave. The adrenaline from her earlier nightmare and finding the mountain lion had drained away, leaving her barely able to keep her eyes open.

Lindy glanced at the old armchair her aunt had loved so much. She dragged it closer to the window, wanting to stay near the animal. The familiar creak of the chair’s springs welcomed her as she settled into it. From this spot, she had a perfect view of her unexpected guardian.

Fluffy’s attention remained fixed on the darkness beyond her property as if it were standing sentinel, watching over her, not there to eat her or anything.

Its ears swiveled occasionally. For the first time since she'd started living alone, Lindy felt truly safe.

The irony of finding comfort in having a deadly predator just outside her window wasn't lost on her, but she was too tired to question it.

Her eyelids grew heavier as she watched the rise and fall of the mountain lion's breathing.

Sleep crept over her slowly, and she didn't fight it.

The last thing she saw before drifting off was the green-eyed cat turning its head to look at her through the window, a low rumbling purr vibrating through the window glass.