Page 9 of Creed (Rock Hard Mountain Men #3)

Getting my feet under me, I pulled the knife from my belt and met the creature head on.

There must be something wrong with it. Mountain lions were fierce creatures, but they didn’t usually go after full-grown adult humans for no reason.

Maybe in the middle of winter, if the creature was starving, I could understand.

However, it was summer, and there had to be plenty of much easier prey for it to go after.

A quick glance confirmed that the mountain lion was male, so it couldn’t be a mother defending cubs.

It must be sick and acting irrationally. Unfortunately, that would only make the fight harder. An irrational opponent couldn’t be predicted.

The cat swiped at me, its claws extended, but didn’t press the attack farther. It was only testing my strength.

I couldn’t let it perceive me as weak.

Standing to my full height and extending my arms out from my body, I made myself look as big as possible. The knife remained clutched in my hand, and I shifted my weight to the balls of my feet, ready to react at a moment’s notice.

The cat swiped again, a little closer now.

I blocked its paw with my knife, letting it feel the sharpness of the blade.

It’s claws barely touched the steel, but the force of the blow was enough to send a numb vibration up my arm.

It was only about three feet tall, but solid muscle. Taking it down would not be easy.

I could shoot it if necessary. There was a gun in my pack, which I might be able to grab if I hurried, but I didn’t want to kill it if I didn’t have to. This wild animal was no enemy combatant. It was simply a creature fighting for its life. There would be no honor in killing it.

The flickering firelight made the mountain lion’s expression look like something straight out of a nightmare as it snarled at me. Its teeth were sharp and long, and even more intimidating than my knife.

Its back legs hunched. It was about to lunge again.

Before it could move, I charged forward instead.

The cat startled, not expecting the sudden attack.

Its hesitation gave me just enough time to drag my knife across the side of its flank.

The cut was deep, and blood immediately stained its tawny fur.

I hoped the injury wouldn’t be fatal, but I couldn’t afford to hold back anymore.

I’d avoided a killing blow. That would have to be enough.

Still facing the cat, I stepped back while keeping myself between it and Kayden, waiting to see what would happen.

The pain left by my knife seemed to be enough to temporarily shock the creature out of whatever insanity had taken hold of it. Shaking its head, the mountain lion whined and backed off, slowly slipping out of the circle of light created by our fire.

I stayed where I was, bloodied knife still held tight in my hand, as I tracked the faint shadow of the creature in the dark.

It hung around for a little longer, just out of sight.

It seemed to be looking for a better angle of attack.

After several tense minutes, it eventually gave up and disappeared back into the trees.

I continued to stay on alert for a little longer, but when it was clear that the creature wasn’t coming back, I finally relaxed.

I knelt down and wiped my blade on the grass to get rid of the blood. I would have to clean it properly later, but many people found blood to be a frightening sight, and I didn’t want to stress Kayden out anymore.

“Sorry about that,” I said as I shoved my knife back in its sheath. “Are you all right?”

He was still lying in the dirt where I’d shoved him. It was a miracle I hadn’t stepped on him during the fight. He seemed completely frozen, staring up at me with an astonished expression.

He didn’t seem to have heard me at all. He wasn’t even blinking, and even when I repeated myself, he still didn’t respond.

I resorted to shouting his name, the same way my drill sergeant used to scold me. This finally got a reaction. Kayden jumped to his feet, moving too quickly and tripping over himself. I caught him before he fell, pulling him closer to help support him.

“It’s okay,” I tried to soothe him. I’d seen people suffer from shellshock after their first run-in with violence, and I was afraid that’s what I was witnessing now.

“The creature probably won’t come back now that it’s been scared off.

We should be safe now, and if it does come back, I promise I’ll protect you. ”

He slid his hands up and gripped my shoulders. At first, I thought he was just trying to steady himself, but then he pulled me forward and kissed me.

I didn’t even realize it was a kiss at first. I’d never actually kissed another man before, and the few kisses I’d exchanged with women had been brief, hesitant exchanges done mostly out of obligation.

This was heated and intense. His lips parted and his tongue forced its way into my mouth like he intended to devour me.

I was too stunned to move and let him do whatever he wanted.

The kiss lasted for a few moments, but then Kayden suddenly tensed up and pushed me away. Clamping both hands over his own mouth, he backed away until he was well out of arms reaching. As he started at me, his eyes were filled with more fear than he’d even shown for the mountain lion.

I hated that expression.

“I’m sorry,” he gasped out from between his fingers, still holding his hands over his mouth. “I didn’t mean to. I’ve just... I’ve never actually seen you in action before. I knew you were a soldier, but I didn’t expect... I mean, you were just so hot I couldn’t help it.”

He backed away even farther, all the way to the edge of the firelight so he was half concealed in shadow.

Lowering his hands from his mouth, he nervously twisted at the hem of his own shirt like a child waiting to be punished.

“I’m so sorry. Please tell me I haven’t just ruined everything.”