Randy had the sense to keep quiet. The other didn’t.
“Can we go now?” he asked. He tried for sarcastic, but his voice wavered at the end.
Karl didn’t answer. Just dropped the mangled cards into the case and put the camera back with a lack of care that made Randy wince.
Much as he wanted to ask them if they’d been watching Luna, Leon couldn’t do so without alerting them that she was at the ranch. It sounded as if they’d only been after the Argent. But if they’d sold those photos, someone might have recognized a member of Luna’s delegation, and then the cat would have been out of the bag. Literally.
Not that there needed to be any great secret about the fact cats were visiting wolves. It was more the security complications that arose once her location was known. Easier to fly under the radar whenever possible.
“If I find that photos you’ve taken appearanywhere,”Karl said, “I willfind you.”
He stepped out of their way, and they grabbed their gear, moving away so fast they were practically running. Once they finally judged themselves far enough away, the older one turned to glare at them.
“I’ll see you in court. And put some clothes on, you freaks!”
Karl took a step forward, and Leon swiftly moved in front of him. “Are we making you feel inadequate?” he called, and let it roll out slow and smug. The echo of his purr chased the men down the trail.
Job done—he could hear Karl let out a breath, regaining the control that had seemed to slip for just an instant.
“You believe their story?” Leon asked quietly, once they were out of sight.
“Since they only had one brain cell between them, I think we’d know if they realized your queen was at the ranch.”
Leon nodded. They’d come to the same conclusion, and he found that oddly reassuring. “We should follow them. Make sure they’re really heading out.”
Karl gave a low grunt of agreement. “I don’t think they’re itching for a rematch.” He paused, then added with the faintest flicker of amusement, “At least, not with you. And that’s without seeing your cat.”
Leon stared at him. “Was that a compliment?”
“You’re full cat even when you’re human,” Karl said. And then he grinned—quick, unguarded, and bright. Leon blinked, because that smile waslethal.
Smoothing his hair back, Leon tried not to look as flustered as he felt. “Why waste perfection on just one form?”
Then he smiled back—a small, mysterious cat-like smile because he wasn’t going to lose any cat-like mystique Karl thought he had by grinning the way he wanted to—before shifting and padding off after the hikers.
KARL
They turned back once they’d watched the two hikers get into their truck and drive off. The immediate threat was gone, though the weight remained—for all he knew, they might come back, better prepared next time.
Some of the stress in his shoulders eased, but new tightness took up residence as he realized how long he’d been away from the ranch. From hispack.If anything had happened to them while Karl had been chasing would-be paparazzi…
He shook himself and put those thoughts from his mind as he picked up the trail again to return home.
A few miles on, the rain began. At first, just cold pinpricks that scarcely made it through his fur. Then it thickened into a full-ondownpour, the kind that flattened sound and soaked to the bone. Karl tilted his head up and, in the instant before rain punched into his eyes, he saw heavy clouds stretching horizon to horizon. Absolutely fucking perfect.
He glanced sideways. Wet cats were a cliché for a reason, it turned out—Leon’s usual graceful slink looked more like sulky protest, his fur plastered to his skin in a way that was almost unflattering. But his eyes were fixed ahead of him, and he kept moving.
Karl slowed a little, knowing Leon was built differently, that he couldn’t just keep going at a run forever even though his cat body was bursting with raw power. He imagined those muscles bunching as Leon launched himself into a fight, claws sliding out from his massive paws, and found himself glad the cat was on their side. For now, at least.
Leon was still arrogant, irritating, and far too pleased with himself, but when it counted, he’d read Karl and followed his lead without hesitation. He’d also stopped him, quietly, from doing something he’d regret, when that guy’s comment had been the last straw. Karl would never usually rise to provocation, but he was tired, and they’d been assholes.
Not many people could stop Karl. Most wouldn’t even try. But somehow, he’d let Leon defuse the situation, and been grateful for it.
Right now, looking at how wet and cold Leon was in the damp chill that felt like it was stealing the warmth from Karl’s bones, Karl made a unilateral decision. He’d been letting the past ride him, when he knew Matt would keep the pack safe in his absence. They could afford a short break without disaster. He turned them toward the trees and the nearest cache.
Half an hour later, they were shifted, clothed, and drinking coffee under a makeshift shelter they’d rigged using a tarp and rope. The rain was still coming down, but at least they weren’t gettingany wetter. They were also warm, because the lack of space under the shelter meant they were closer than Karl had been to anyone except his pack for more years than he’d care to remember.
They weren’t touching, but Karl’s body—tired, frayed, full of leftover adrenaline—was confusing proximity with something else.
