Vision Revealed (4 page)

embarrassment. It faded as soon as it appeared. And so did the bathroom. Kane stared at

the oversized leopard he’d spoken to at the bar and grill.

Tore Mann didn’t focus on him but at the hot little female next to Kane.

Jin Rose, you return from the dead?Tore growled.

Do I smell dead to you?Her cocky grin didn’t hide her salty-smelling nervousness or the

thick, pungent odor of her fear.

Kane bristled, ready to pounce on the huge male if he made a move on Jin. An

overwhelming desire to protect what was his washed through him like a tidal wave.

Not yet, but you will. The mark on your head hasn’t disappeared. You’re a bigger fool

than you smell to return here.

You knew I’d come back. I have unfinished business.

Kane blinked, the thick steam from her shower soaking his flesh.

“What did you see?” Jin asked, only her face visible as she held the shower curtain tight

under her chin.

“Jin Rose.” He let her name roll off his tongue, enjoying its sound.

Jin’s pale green eyes grew wide as silver laced around her pretty orbs. “Do I get to finish

my shower?”

“Yes,” he told her, stepping farther into the bathroom and enclosing himself in the thick

cloud of steam with her. “I’m your protector, not your aggressor.”

“And who protects me from you?” The shower curtain dropped and she disappeared

from view.

Kane couldn’t help grinning at her muttered comment. “You won’t need protection from

me,” he assured her. “Tell me why there is a mark on your head?”

“For reasons that aren’t true.”

“Every hunted leopard says that,” he growled, studying her opened backpack. A tank top

and black leather pants were folded on top of the open bag, making it impossible to see

what else was inside without moving the clothing.

She laughed dryly. The smell of her fear slowly subsided and a sweeter, cleaner scent

replaced it. Kane grew hard as steel. The blood drained from his brain to his cock when

he sensed Jin cleaning herself.

“You’re right,” she offered.

He spotted her dirty clothes, an outfit smeared with the stench of humans, dirt and body

sweat, and then dropped his shirt he just peeled from his body on top of it. There would

be a washer somewhere in the motel they could use to clean the clothes, and he could

stand a shower as well.

“In my case it’s necessary for the safety of all leopards.”

Her words, so calmly spoken, stilled his heart. She was in serious trouble, which helped

explain to some extent why he needed to protect her. Stripping the rest of his clothes,

Kane pulled back the shower curtain partway and stepped into the streaming hot water.

His mouth went dry as he stared at her perfect, hot little body with streams of water

flowing over her large breasts and down her flat, hard tummy.

“Oh my God,” she gasped, her gaze dropping to his hard, swollen cock.

“You’re sexier than you were in my visions,” he told her, securing the shower curtain so

they wouldn’t soak the bathroom, and reached for her.

“There’s a line I haven’t heard before.” She smelled of mistrust and lust, an interesting

combination.

Kane focused on the tattoo that circled her biceps for only a moment before shifting his

attention to the streams of soap that flowed over her large breasts. “It’s not a line.”

Jin lifted her gaze to his, her lashes heavy with water and her hair lathered with soap.

She watched him warily while lifting her hands and then massaging her scalp. The

movement sent a wash of aromas drifting through the heavy steam swarming around

them.

“When you’re turned-on, your nipples grow very hard and large,” he informed her.

Jin turned around, putting her head under the water, and began rinsing soap from her

hair. Kane’s mouth went so dry he couldn’t continue sharing what he already knew about

her. Instead he watched trails of soapy water race down her slender back and over the

sumptuous curve of her ass. She wasn’t tall, but then most white leopard females weren’t.

But she was muscular as well as curvy. He loved her round ass and her large breasts. It

was her narrow waist though, one he already knew he could wrap his fingers around

completely, that made her shape perfect.

“I’m sure many females are like that,” she muttered, running her hands over her rinsed

hair and pressing it against her scalp. Thick strands curled against her nape. She had a

long, regal neck, perfect to feast on. And when she turned around, the way she faced him,

cocking one eyebrow as if she could take him on, made it impossible not to touch her.

Kane watched her eyes grow large when he moved in on her. She curled her upper lip

when he placed his hands on her warm, wet flesh. He loved her growl, how it rumbled

through her. Holding her waist firmly, he lowered his face so his cheek was close to hers.

Breathing in her scent was like inhaling a highly addictive drug. The moment he exhaled

her smell, he wanted to drink her in again.

“I’ve had enough visions of you, both aggressive and sensual, to have recognized your

scent in spite of the many ways you try to disguise it. The moment I spotted you off the

road,” he told her, whispering against the side of her head, “I knew who you were even

when your cap slipped and I saw your hair was a different color. I don’t know why you’re

in my head, but I’m going to find out. Growl all you want, little female, but you’re meant

to be by my side.”

“And what if I don’t want to be?” She didn’t try pushing him away or sliding out of his

grip.

“Then I’ll change your mind.” He moved one hand, feeling her soft, round breast when

he brushed over it and gripped her neck.

Jin moaned, still not fighting him when he tilted her head and then captured her mouth.

He pressed his tongue against her wet, full lips. She was warm, soft and smelled so damn

good he could barely form his thoughts. Not once did he doubt that eventually he would

find this female. His visions told him as much. But she was more erotic, more sensual

than he’d imagined she would be.

He pressed his fingers into her neck, feeling the solid, pattering beat pulsing through her

veins as he tilted her head and deepened the kiss. When he entered her, her tongue darted

around his cautiously, but he still didn’t hesitate. Kane didn’t fool himself into believing

anything Jin told him was the truth. He smelled some of her lies but guessed she lied so

often she’d mastered keeping the repulsive scent to herself. And she lied for a reason,

protecting herself from something that scared the crap out of her. But she didn’t lie right

now. He smelled her arousal and felt her compliance the moment it arrived.

Kane dragged his fingers down her neck, feasting on her mouth, and then gripped her

shoulders. She didn’t put her hands on him and didn’t press into him. As willing as she

was to deepen the kiss, to explore with her tongue as he did with his, she didn’t try

exploring his body.

Over the months while considering traveling here and becoming a hunter, his visions of

Jin became more regular. He started believing the more thought he gave to taking on the

responsibility of protecting all leopards, the more visions he had of this hot little female.

He didn’t understand yet why he’d seen her in his visions, looking different than she did

now. But then there was a lot about her he didn’t get. Whoever she was, and whatever

story she fought hard not to howl, Kane knew one thing beyond any doubt. He was

supposed to find her. And he was meant to take care of her. Not to mention taking care of

her would be what a hunter did. She was a leopard. Hell, she was a white leopard, part of

the rare breed that ran through his blood as well. He would learn her secrets and he would

ease the fear out of her scent until all he ever smelled on her was the sweet, alluring

aroma that wrapped around her right now.

She’d completely relaxed, her pulse slowing as she arched her neck, her head tilted back

and allowed him free reign. Kane blinked water from his lashes, noting her eyes were

closed. Then, nipping her lower lip, he watched as she yelped and opened her eyes

quickly. He had the two-second advantage as she brought her fingers to her eyes and

wiped them.

“Do you allow any male to kiss you without protest?” he asked, unsure he’d be able to

kiss her again if her answer was yes.

Her eyes almost flashed silver when she snapped her attention to his face. The steam in

the air turned spicy enough with her outrage to damn near make him sneeze.

“If I tried fighting you I would get hurt,” she hissed, her teeth suddenly pressing against

her lips.

Kane took a step backward, the shower spray bouncing off her shoulders and striking his

suddenly too-sensitive flesh as if he were being poked by many small pins. Tiny hairs

prickled to attention over his skin as he fought not to ball his hands into fists.

“You didn’t think for one moment that I would hurt you,” he growled.

“You climbed into the shower with me. Did you want to clean yourself?” She tilted her

head, challenging him as she narrowed her gaze on him.

“I wanted you.” Kane lashed out at the shower curtain, ripping it from the rod as he

stepped out of the tub. Water pooled at his feet, soaking the towel Jin had put on the

floor, but he didn’t care.

He damn near ripped the door from the hinges when he yanked it open and barely

restrained himself as he squeezed the handle until it cut into his palm. “You’re going to

give more than your body to me. I want your mind and soul too. And I’ll wait until you

can figure out how to pull that off because, Jin, you suck at faking it.”

“You’ll be waiting until hell freezes over,” she called after him, and he heard her shut off

the shower, turning it into a bath as she continued growling under her breath.

There were plenty of males out there who forced females to submit to them. He’d heard

more than one brag about it when he was younger. Personally, he found the act

despicable and unnecessary. A female was a lot more enjoyable when properly seduced

until she turned into a willing, feisty partner.

Docile and timid didn’t appeal to him.

Kane growled, pacing the length of the motel room in front of the beds while combing

his hair with his fingers. He didn’t force himself on Jin. And he couldn’t believe she

thought he did.

Turning to face the bathroom door, which was partially ajar, open far enough that he

could smell a fresh round of soap being applied to her skin, he continued glaring. Light

streamed out, forming a triangle on the now-damp carpet in front of the motel room door.

He started toward it, ready to give her a few more choice words, when he stopped in his

tracks.

She was singing. Crap. Water trickled down his bare flesh, although drying off, or

putting the clean clothes he’d just changed into back on, required returning to the

bathroom. Which is what he planned to do. No female intimidated him or would ever

make him hesitate. But she was singing.

“In the mountains, the snow-capped mountains, my true love waits me there.”She had a

pretty singing voice, although she sang so quietly it was almost raspy. Either way, if it

were true music soothed the savage beast, then he was proof of it right there.

“There is no other. I’ll attack another because my true love waits me there.”

Kane knew the words to the ancient leopard ballad by heart. Jin was using the song to

mislead him. He’d bet a tooth and claw on the fact. It was a love ballad, and a sad song

about fighting off every male so a female could reach the one male she wanted. Many

mothers sang it to their cubs, and he’d heard it more than once growing up. Not that his

mother ever sang it to him. Her one true love had never been his sire, and it hadn’t been a

secret in their small litter while growing up. He’d barely been ten when his sire quit

coming home. Within a year after that, his mother had more males crawling around their

den than he could count. Kane doubted any of them made her any happier than his sire

did.

It wasn’t a life he’d ever live. Kane promised himself when he was still a cub his den

would reek of happiness. His mate would adore him, and their cubs would live without

fear and without hearing their parents howling at each other, unless it was in the throes of

passion.

Until recently, he wasn’t sure that life would ever happen. But he would remain unmated

until it did. Kane wouldn’t settle as his sire had for a female who could barely tolerate

him. Although neither of his parents ever confirmed it, Kane believed his sire forced

himself on his mother during her heat, got her pregnant, and so did right by her and

mated her. Yet another reason he’d never attack a female. There wouldn’t be any

surprises in his life.

“When I come to you, I know you’ll fight for me. My true love you’ll always be.”Her

voice was soft, almost melancholy. Kane imagined Jin craved a perfect relationship as

desperately as he did.

They wouldn’t be together now if it weren’t for his visions. There was meaning behind

what he’d seen in his head. It took time to understand his visions, but he would figure out

why they were supposed to be together. And when Jin was ready to hear it, he would let

her know how wonderful sex between them was. When she got over trying to hide her