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Chapter Eleven

Dusk was falling by the time Kurt excused them for the night. The acquisition officer ended with a cursory reminder about the charity event the following night, then left the room without looking back.

Overall, they’d made good progress on the logistics of the transition today, as well as coming to an accord with relation to business strategy. The only interruption to their flow was a delivery made to Niko himself.

Frowning as the gorgeous bouquet of red roses was placed in front of him, Niko thanked the courier and took one glance at the tag. The resulting smile got under Jade’s skin. Who was sending him flowers?

Jealousy was an unbecoming emotion, but that didn’t stop her from feeling it.

The entire afternoon, Niko’s charm had gotten on her nerves. She weighed out the possibilities of a romance with him a thousand different ways, from a thousand different angles, and still couldn’t come to the right conclusion.

Oddly enough, the cat chained inside her mind was positively enamored.

The unhinged leopard desperately wanted to scratch the itch, but Jade had rarely given in to impulse.

Fighting off the urge to purr when Niko genially thanked her for this afternoon’s session was difficult.

When she remembered his antics earlier, her determination not to give in to his teasing increased tenfold.

When they were the only two left in the conference room, Jade stood. Gracefully. Proudly. Threateningly.

“Thievery is not appropriate behavior at McArthur Vegas. I’d like to suggest amending the core principles to include something of the sort for DNB.”

“Thievery?” Adopting a shocked expression, Niko placed a hand on his chest in feigned surprise. “Why, I’ve never heard of such sacrilege in my company. One wonders what must’ve prompted such debasement of the moral values.”

Jade didn’t react as Niko slowly closed the distance between them in long, purposeful strides. The leopard brushed up against her skin, purring obnoxiously at his nearness. It took everything within her to keep her eye color from changing and to keep the purr from rumbling out loud.

“Forgive me.” Every deep syllable drummed in his chest, the tension between them rising as his eyes captured hers and held them. “I have never been able to resist a good mystery. And you, Jade Lascaux, take the cake.”

Jade couldn’t resist. “Like your mystery admirer?”

“Who?”

She tisked. “You’ve already forgotten about your roses? How easily adoring women are discarded by the Great Nikolas Church.”

The genuine smile on his features eased any trace of jealousy she’d once had. “The bouquet was a prank gift from Fox, Roman’s ridiculous third in command and another one of my legion’s lieutenants. I’ll be certain to tell him the Great Jade Lascaux stood up for his womanly dignity.”

Gently, he reached out for a loose strand of her hair, delicately rolling it between his fingertips. Being this near to him soothed a part of her soul she didn’t know was bound.

She had allowed herself to become caught in his orbit. Even without her conscious decision, wherever he was, she turned toward him. It’d become a habit.

Up close, Jade studied the angles of his face. He truly was a handsome man—one that both challenged and inspired her. But while Niko readily admitted his fascination for her, Jade couldn’t do the same.

She stepped away, cursing in Farsi. What she didn’t expect was his immediate response—a chastisement in the same language. The shock on her face made Niko laugh, a deep rumble that seemed to caress her ears.

“What a mouth you’ve got on you, dove.”

She collected herself. “I find cursing to be far more satisfying when no one else knows what you’re saying. Besides, dropping the f-bomb in a room full of vice presidents and board members tends to send the wrong impression.”

“Touché. How many languages do you know?”

“Fluently?” At his nod, she counted. “Six, excluding English. And while I’ve studied Chinese and Farsi, I can’t claim to be fluent in either of them.” She pursed her lips. “You?”

“Eight, but I’m counting Italian and Latin separately.”

“As you should.” Then, a grin. “What’s your favorite language?”

“German, hands down. You?”

“French.”

“Ah, the language of love,” he laughed. “Your romantic side is showing again, dove.”

Jade could almost feel the heat rushing to her cheeks, but she knew Niko hadn’t said it in spite. The softness behind his gaze was something she’d rarely seen at home—and never directed at her. It made her feel wanted. A comforting sensation from a man she’d thought was the enemy.

Reaching out, Jade delicately wrapped her fingers around his forearm. “I’ve misjudged you.”

“In what way?”

“You’re not a one-dimensional man. I feel like part of you in just playing that role, but there’s so much more than what meets the eye.” She studied him. “I think you’re hiding your strength.”

What she’d intended to be a cursory appraisal of him ended up being a long, appreciative look at the man before her. Despite the leisurely way he held himself, Jade didn’t doubt that he knew how to move, and that he was just as comfortable holding a blade as he was holding a pen.

Allowing her cat free rein to look through her eyes, the cloudy grey of her snow leopard bled into her iris. “You were right the first time. I’m a big cat.”

Niko’s reaction was immediate, his grin infectious. “I knew it! Which one?”

“Snow leopard.”

Rueful longing shadowed his features. “Ah, dove, what I’d give to see your spots.”

“I’m afraid your wait will be a long one.”

Jade intentionally beseeched her cat to retreat, but the leopard would have none of it. It continued to fight for a front seat, hungry for the man opposite her.

“Why?”

“I stopped shifting a couple of decades ago.” A one-shouldered shrug, feigning casualness when the decision still cut deeply. “Besides, even if I could, there’s nowhere to shift in the city.”

Niko’s face lost the joviality, concern replacing it. “Oh, Jade … That’s no way to live. Come on, I’m taking you somewhere your cat can play.”

When he held out his hand, Jade fought the urge to recoil even as the snow leopard inside of her preened. “Where?”

“Do you trust me?”

She almost laughed. “Who are you, Aladdin?”

“Ah, my romantic sings again,” he grinned. “And yes, I’m Aladdin, if he was an immortal with phase abilities rather than a thief riding on a flying carpet. Come on, dove, live a little.”

She searched his eyes for any duplicity, and found none. Jade’s heart pounded at the thought of releasing her snow leopard. After so many years, and in the presence of an enemy. It would be so reckless.

Niko must have sensed her distress. “I promise your happiness is my only motive.”

Truth.

Her abilities had never steered her wrong, and when the leopard lunged forward, Jade’s hand met Niko’s. They became weightless as the warm embrace of his abilities coiled around her skin.

It’d been years since she’d allowed anyone else to phase her. The odd sensation of pressure and being squeezed like a tube of toothpaste was familiar, but the moment her feet met solid ground, she was on full alert.

Tall, leafy trees, surrounded by mossy grass and sparse ferns, met her gaze.

A lakeshore was visible through the thin foliage, but a veil of ice accompanied the chilled air.

Nowhere she’d been before. No sounds of civilization met her ears.

It’d been dusk in Chicago, but the sun was still shining here.

Wherever he’d taken them, it was hours away.

“Where are we?”

“You’ll have to guess.”

There was a softness to his lopsided grin that lessened her anxiety. He gracefully lifted his hand, palm up, toward the heavens. Before she could speak, snow began to fall. Each snowflake tasted slightly like magic, but the leopard in her didn’t care.

Quicker and quicker, the snow began to pile up. A snowbank rose to her left, then to her right, spreading out over the green landscape without inhabitation. The leopard purred in appreciation, leaping forward in an effort to feel the snow beneath her paws.

“Let your cat play, dove.”

Despite the effort he’d made, it was Niko’s safety she was more worried about. “My cat is dangerous, Niko. She could hurt you.”

Niko shook his head. “I trust you. Trust yourself.”

“You don’t understand,” she breathed. “Julian banned me from shifting because my leopard is uncontrollable. She’s aggressive, and the last time I let her out, she nearly took out his jugular.”

Something in Niko’s expression gleamed with satisfaction, but he merely shook his head. “Have you forgotten that I have barrier magic? I’ll be perfectly safe. You can let your cat out and play.”

When she hesitated, he encouraged her again.

“You said it had been two decades since you shifted last,” he said softly.

“That can’t be healthy for you or your cat.

Maybe that’s why you’re getting the headaches.

Look around, Jade.” He gestured to the space around them.

“There’s no one here for miles. I’ll be safe, you’ll be safe, and your cat will be safe. I promise.”

Inhaling a shaky breath, she mentally checked in with the snow leopard. Though she’d expected to find the feline yanking at her chains, the beast was still, tail twitching with anticipation, and eager .

Before she could second-guess herself, she loosened the chains that bound the animal. Leaping forward into the shift, Jade’s leopard was out of her skin and into the snow in seconds. Momentary pain punctuated the transformation, but it was far less excruciating than that last time she’d done it.

By now, the snow Niko had been creating was nearly a foot deep. The feline had no issue navigating it. Bred for deep snow and loving every second of it, the leopard leapt around the clearing with the foolhardiness of a kitten.

Shirking what dignity remained, Jade allowed the cat to roll and play in the snowy banks, dappling her spotted coat white. Her tail, long and heavy, accounted for her precise balance as she spun atop the shimmering snow.

With every hop and jump, her soul sang in happiness. Nothing compared to the freedom Niko had just afforded her. Pure bliss warmed her heart. Seeing that the cat held no aggression toward him, he removed the barrier between them.

The leopard caught Niko grinning down at her. Genuine delight shone in his eyes. He’d gifted her this opportunity without prompting, out of his own goodwill. It was something she’d never forget.

Her leopard was suddenly far more interested in meeting him than playing in the snow. She crouched, wiggled, and lined up her prey in her sights. Niko’s gaze was distant, focused on something on the horizon instead of on her: a perfect time to pounce.

Though Jade could’ve yanked back on the control, she hesitated. Nothing about it felt angry or predatory, no alarm bells ringing. The cat’s intent was playful. Muscles bunched beneath her in preparation for a spring attack.

Niko noticed the lull in action and his gaze swung over to catch her in the act. His eyes widened. Before he could warn her off, the leopard pounced.

Gigantic paws slammed into his chest, toppling him over while they both tumbled onto the ground. Niko was already laughing as the cat yowled playfully, ending up solidly sitting on his torso while her tail flicked rhythmically in superiority.

“I’ve been bested. I admit defeat.”

Eighty pounds of snow leopard purred when his fingers slowly reached up to sift through her coat, a delicate caress that had both cat and woman melting. Deft, soft strokes lightly combed through the spotted fur. Niko’s reverence was obvious.

When he met her leopard’s eyes, he said simply, “You’re beautiful, dove.”

She could no longer take it. As the cat receded, bowing to the woman for the first time in decades, Jade shifted. In the seconds it took to reassume human form, she realized one thing.

She was now perched entirely over Niko’s body. Her fingers were splayed across his broad chest, her knees resting in the snow on either side of his hips. But while she knew it was a compromising position, she didn’t care.

And when Niko reiterated his initial sentiment, she was done for.

“Beautiful.”

Before she could comprehend her impulse, her lips claimed his, possessive, territorial, and outright demanding. The initial shock of her claim had rendered him stiff below her lips, but only seconds later he grasped the back of her neck and urged her closer.

Raw need pulsed as they gave in to the escalating tension between them. Her fingers grasped his suit lapels, desperate for the taste of him.

Around them, snow began falling faster, unconsciously responding to Niko’s magic. It chilled against her skin, coating them both in white.

He growled beneath her as their kiss escalated. Niko released her neck and took hold of her waist to swing her backward and into his grip. His lips moved to her neck. The sensitive skin pebbled at the soft brush of his mouth, a shiver coursing through her at his gentleness.

The sound of her own moan shook her awake. Where she’d been spiraling into lust only moments ago, Jade realized how quickly they’d gone from zero to one hundred. She stilled, desperate to regain the sanity that’d somehow escaped her.

Responding to the change, Niko retreated. When his eyes searched hers in question, Jade startled. Instead of the emerald gaze she’d come to appreciate, she found a wholly different color shining in appreciation.

Molten gold.