Read Merrily Mated (Ouachita Mountain Shifters 3) for Free Online

of taking them. And the way he moved, smooth, every motion deliberate. He tilted his head, eyeing Ryan to the point where he wanted to switch his outstretched hand into a fist and sock the guy a good one.
    But what really had his hackles up wasn’t the rude glower Felix wore. It was his eyes. They seemed to flicker from blue to gray, and narrow at the pupils.
    Like a werecat.
    Could be the sun reflecting. It was bright this morning, the sky cloudless. Could be Ryan’s lack of sleep playing tricks with his imagination.
    There was only one way to find out if his suspicions were true.
    “Felix,” Ryan murmured, pulling his hand back. “Funny name. Like the cat. Reeeear. Pfft pfffft. You a pussy?”
    Felix stiffened. His shoulders bunched up like his skin was crawling. And yes, there it was. Eyes flashing to those of his cat, the way shifters did when their animal was too close. Only an instant but unmistakable.
    Trent frowned, staring between the two of them, not sure what to make of the exchange.
    Suddenly, Felix’s mouth curved up in an unfriendly smile and he lifted his nose to scent the air. “Better than smelling like one. You been hanging around some pussy, boy?”
    Boy? Felix didn’t look a day older than Ryan. Another hint that he was something other. And yeah, he was letting Ryan know that he smelled the cats on him. Of course he’d carry a hint of it. He’d lived with them four years.
    Ryan narrowed his eyes, holding out the tray full of drinks. “Coffee?”
    Felix showed his teeth in a low snarl. “Meow.”
    He stalked off, throwing over his shoulder, “We’ll talk later, Trent. Don’t call me. I’ll call you.”
    Ryan stared after him, watching until he got into a shiny red Ford dually with a snarling cat logo on the side. Alley Cat Industries.
    A smirk grew on Ryan’s face. He’d found the local clan. But a chill whipped up his spine. These cats didn’t seem anything like his family in the Ouachitas.

Chapter Four
     
    In retrospect, a midnight run with her cat wasn’t the best idea Layna had ever come up with. It was up there with that time she’d decided to try kale chips. Nah, fuck it. This was way worse than that. But she hadn’t been able to sleep.
    Five days had passed since Ryan left the lodge. Five miserable days where her cougar shuffled between wanting to chase after him and wanting to claw some sense into him for running.
    Her days were busy, but she’d had a lot of time to think about it at night. Too much time, and her cat wouldn’t settle. She was slowly becoming a walking zombie from lack of sleep.
    She’d run over those last few seconds under the mistletoe a million times. There were so many things she’d do differently if she could rewind time.
    Kiss him back, for one. Show him what she could do with her mouth. Correct him when he said, she didn’t want him. Grab his arm as he went to push out the door. Or run outside with him and jump in that truck so he couldn’t leave. Or, if he still insisted on going, leave with him.
    She belonged with him.
    Her cat slowed its run, coming up to a clearing ahead. The air was chilled and burned her lungs as she breathed deep, scenting for any danger. She knew to be careful. Even though there was a strict no hunting policy on Magic’s land, they encountered poachers from time to time.
    There was no sign of any now. No scent of guns. No sounds besides those of the small forest creatures that came out at night.
    She pawed into the clearing, lifting her face to the starry sky that broke through the tree branches above. Narrowing her gaze, she chose one star and brought it into focus, making it the only one that mattered.
    Maybe Ryan was somewhere unable to sleep. Maybe he was staring up at the sky picking out a star of his own. Maybe it was the same one as hers.
    She liked that idea. The possibility that the distance between them could be defeated because they’d both decided to stare at the sky at the same time. That they could be