Page 36 of Love the Way You Lion (Rise of the Resistance #3)

The Bird And The Cat Compare Notes

TAURUS

“ C ome out, come out, wherever you are, kitty…”

I grin to myself, turned on by this entire outing.

I’ve been like sodding granite since she kicked that door down.

It was impressive given she’s only had two weeks of training.

I’ve never asked what kind of experience she had in her ‘dead life’—that’s how I think of the lives the full-time residents of the Rift led before they moved here—but she sure as bloody hell must have had some training.

The constant cracking and loosening of her joints points to it, though it could get explained just as easily by her status as a shifter.

That was some MMA shit, and she looked hot as fuck doing it.

My mate hasn’t discussed the extent of her shifter physical aspects with me, mostly because she knows that nothing about it bothers me.

I wouldn’t give a flying fuck if she could turn into a big cat, but I’m not sure if she even knows.

I doubt she’s tried. Between learning control of the Beast inside, her magick, and everything else going on in our lives, my guess is she’s never considered taking her powers for a test drive beyond what happens automatically.

After I dealt with the unexpected amount of firepower of the Columbian gang members at the door, I found her toying with her food in the choir room.

I watched for a bit before I made my presence known and I swear to Satan, if I didn’t love her with every corner of my rotten heart, I would have fallen for her again.

I’m uncertain if she would have let that flat bint live if she’d hit the note, but I think my kitty knew it would never happen.

Humans are nothing if not predictably arrogant and self-serving, so she played their egos against their common sense.

I’ve caught three more altos since we split up, and my total is now seven.

After her stunt, she was five and I bet she’s nailed a few along the way.

My woman can be deadly efficient when she’s in the mood; tonight is no exception.

Either way, I come out a winner—literally—because I’m going to pound her into the goddamned ground when I catch her.

Who’s on top is merely a matter of competition.

A chorus of harmonized screams echo along the high ceilings. “That’s eight, my love…”

She sang that part and it makes me laugh as I scent the air. Christ, if she were anymore perfect for me, I’d swear we were part of some mystical destiny bullshit. “Keep lying to yourself, minx. You’re mine tonight,” I call back, chuckling when there’s no response.

Her rage is dancing along our connection, and it makes my demon snarl in happiness. She’s not only feeding, but using this trip to clear her mind of the anger at her so-called mate. It’s a good plan and since it’s going to end in some monstrous sex, I’m all in.

The competition and the chase are bonuses .

Three tattooed gits with MP5s jump out of the next corridor and I smile widely, dropping into a deceptively lazy fighting stance.

I’m unconcerned with their weapons and even less with their angry shouts in Spanish.

Disapparating behind them, I tap one on the shoulder and he screams as I tear his throat out before he can get his bearings.

The other two whirl, bullets flying as their trigger fingers react without noticing that I’ve disappeared again.

“Oi, gents, I’m over here now,” I taunt, watching the panic in their eyes grow. They look ready to run and I sigh, knowing that idiots like this are cowards at heart. No playing with my food for me.

Popping in between them, I grab them and knock their heads together, dropping one to feed.

Blood spurts everywhere as I tear messily in frustration.

The one on the floor has a large Bowie and I grin.

My girl loves souvenirs, and what better souvenir than weaponry?

I tuck it under my belt and hoist the moron up to finish him, whispering in her mind as I drink.

~Eleven, my ferocious feline. You’re falling behind. ~

Her laughter tinkles in my mind as I feel the sensation of her ripping the arm off of a victim and clubbing him over the head with it. ~Never, darling. I’ve got a roomful here. ~

I shake my head, ripping the throat out of the last of the morons who dared to attack me and pick up one of the MP5s, considering. Is it cheating? We didn’t discuss rules about weapons outside of ourselves. She doesn’t have any, but if she taps her magick, she won’t need them to keep up.

~That changes the rules, baby. Consider me suited up. ~

Feeling the air in the entire building shift, I curse, knowing that I’ve given her permission to let loose. “Fuck me,” I mutter.

~Planning on it, ~ she rumbles into my mind and I get a picture in my mind of a room that’s now filled with dead women in various states of carnage.

The bad news is that I’m going to lose; she just annihilated fourteen people in one swoop, bringing her total to twenty-two. I don’t know how many more people are hiding in these buildings, but she’s going to wipe this place off the face of the planet if I don’t find her and distract her first.

“I’m coming for you, kitty cat. Be ready!” I shout, dropping the gun and disapparating to the first place that feels like her. Using our connection to end our hunt might also be cheating, but I don’t fucking care.

I’m done playing.

I find her leaning against a wall, draining the Mother Superior on the altar.

Moving to her side with a speed that clones are born with, I sink my fangs into the other side of her neck.

Our eyes meet as the last embers of life burn out in the woman and I swear to hell, my bloody soul—or whatever passes for it—sings.

We drop her simultaneously, breathing hard in the silence of the enormous room as the dance begins.

She moves first, pouncing as quickly as I’d moved a moment ago, and I’m shocked as my back hits the floor.

Her lips curve over her fangs in triumph, but I roll us, pinning her to the ground with a matching smirk.

Her snarl of frustration makes my demon chuckle, and I lose my edge when she darts up and scrapes her fangs over the scar on my neck.

~The cheating never ends, my love, ~ I pant, trying to get a hold of her slick skin as she uses her claws to slice my perfectly tailored shirt down the front. It falls to the side as she hooks her legs around one of mine and wrestles for control.

~Fuck the rules. You’re mine. ~

I almost give up right then, as her words make my cock throb and my brain scrambles.

By the time I’ve regained my senses, she’s gotten loose and is crouching in front of me on all fours like the Beast inside of her.

I can see the primal in her emerald and gold-flecked eyes, as I prepare for the next move.

She’s fully unleashed.

The world seems to stop as we leap at one another, rolling down the stairs of the altar to the aisle, slashing and biting like wild animals.

I rip the leather corset off of her, her breasts tumbling free into my hands, and she groans low.

Not to be outdone, her hands grasp the open silk of my ruined shirt and yank it with a force that detaches it from the arms.

With a mental promise to replace what we’re destroying, I let her take my tit obsession as an opportunity to flip us.

She gives me a fangy smile as she sits on my cock, grinding down as I pinch and tweak her nipples painfully.

I know there are scars from nipple piercings there, and I wonder if she’d get them re-pierced.

I can imagine playing with those fucking things for hours as she screams into the rafters of our bedroom.

~Later, baby, ~ she laughs into my mind, running her claws over my nipples with a mischievous look in her eyes.

~Not a fucking chance, woman. ~ I growl back, remembering her quick piercing of my ear.

A moan echoes as I replace my hands with my lips and tongue before she can shoot back a reply. I can taste the blood of her victims that’s soaked through her leathers, and I make it my mission to make her come before we even get our pants off .

She hears my thoughts and shakes her head, her long mane brushing my thighs as she arches her back and pushes into my mouth.

Her hands slide down my sides, leaving red trails as she shreds the belt and waistband of my pants with a flick of one of the deadly sharp weapons that are part of her.

~We’ll see about that, my pernicious peacock. ~

Taking the challenge seriously, I use my fangs and teeth to torture every inch of her pale skin and rosy buds.

I’m so intent that I barely notice her spine curving impossibly as she arches further back, continuing the slices down the legs of my pants.

I growl when she lifts on her knees, losing contact with my aching cock, and reaches her arms over her head as she bends.

A nipple pops free and I look up, eyes narrowing. Her grin is positively evil as she falls backwards onto her outstretched hands, pushing her body into some sort of bridge. Her feet kick up, flying over her head until they meet the ground and she’s in a crouch at my feet. “What the bloody fuck ?”

“Never challenge a gymnast without locking down all our limbs, my mate.” She springs forward, slitting the pants from the bottom until her claws meet the previous cuts, and tosses the top half of my six-thousand-dollar bespoke garment aside as if they made it in China.

Blood stains both of us from head to toe, and I think she might have innards caught in her riotous waves. The sight of her crawling up my body like some primal barbarian queen makes my balls tighten and I smirk down at her. “Give us a kiss while you’re down there, eh, woman?”