The Snow Leopard's Pack (Glacier Leopards Book 5) Read online

  There was a teasing note in her voice. Cal smiled. “Nope. One of a kind.”

  Her eyes closed for a minute. “One of a kind,” she whispered. The words resonated with longing and the echoes of loneliness.

  Cal pulled her close, tucking her head against his shoulder. “You’re the one,” he murmured into her ear. “All mine.”

  This time, her laugh sounded like part of a sob. “All yours,” she agreed. “And—and you’re all mine.”

  That was something to hear. His mate wasn’t just someone who belonged to him...but that he belonged to her. He thought about being Lillian’s. Lillian’s mate, Lillian’s leopard...Lillian’s husband. All hers.

  It brought a deep, slow pleasure into his chest. A sense of love and safety that he’d never imagined for himself.

  It was what he wanted to give to her, of course. But it looked like she was giving it to him, too. And that was more than he’d ever thought he’d have.

  “All yours.” He could hear his leopard’s rumble in his voice.

  It was right. It was all so right. Cal’s arms tightened around his mate and he held her as her breathing slowly evened out into sleep.

  ***

  Lillian was nervous.

  She and Cal had arrived at Glacier Park early, an hour or so before the snow leopards had planned to meet. Cal had told her that in addition to Teri and Zach, there was Zach’s brother Joel and his mate Nina, and two other couples, Grey and Alethia and Jeff and Leah.

  “Leah isn’t a leopard,” Cal told her. “But she’s part of the pack just the same.”

  That was a bit reassuring. Lillian thought that being the only human faced with a whole crowd of shifters would be nerve-wracking as hell. This way, at least there’d be one other non-leopard there.

  Maybe she wouldn’t feel like so much of an intruder, that way.

  As much as Cal and Teri had assured her that it was normal for shifters to form quick bonds like this, Lillian couldn’t help but suspect that it would take a while for her to be welcomed. After all, this was a group of people who had to hide from most of the world, who shared a magical, strange secret. Who had a whole separate form—with a separate identity, perhaps?

  It was something she could never quite be part of. And sharing it would’ve made them quite close, surely.

  But right now, Cal was distracting her from the prospect of the meeting by showing her around some of his favorite spots in the Park.

  Lillian had been to Glacier before, of course, since she’d grown up right next to it. There had been endless class trips back in school, and she’d visited one or two times on her own. But Lew hadn’t been very outdoorsy, and somehow even after they’d split, she’d forgotten that this gorgeous natural wonder was practically on her doorstep.

  Now, she stood on a rocky crag overlooking an endless mountain lake, and she thought she might never catch her breath again. The sunrise lit everything on fire, leaving her feeling as though she and Cal were alone here at the beginning of the world.

  “It’s beautiful,” she whispered.

  Cal’s arms came around her from behind. “If I’m ever upset about something, if I can come stand in this spot, it just...recedes. I’m reminded of how big the world is, how powerful nature can be, and I remember that my problems are all small in comparison.”

  Lillian just nodded. The sun’s rays rippled on the water. The sky was a bright robin’s egg blue; the morning felt full of possibilities. Like everything was new.

  She leaned back into Cal and they watched together until the sun rose enough that the light faded from the lake. When it was done, Lillian felt infused with such a calm and peace, she was sure she could handle anything.

  She turned back to Cal. “Let’s go to this meeting.”

  They took Cal’s truck back to his office in the main building. Cal sat behind his desk, pulling a chair up next to him for Lillian. She took the seat beside him with a confidence that she hadn’t had an hour ago. Somehow, the glorious sunrise had melted her trepidation away.

  It wasn’t long before the other leopards started to appear. First was a tall, quiet man whom Cal introduced as Grey, his “top man,” and his mate Alethia, a beautiful and stylishly-dressed woman. Lillian watched Alethia covertly as she took a seat, with Grey standing behind her, his hands on the back of her chair. Somehow, she’d imagined that all female snow leopards would be like Teri: tough and outdoorsy, not too concerned with fashion or make-up. Alethia looked like she’d just stepped out of the pages of a magazine.

  Then there was Jeff and his mate Leah. They’d brought a sleepy toddler, an adorable little girl with beautiful dark eyes whom Leah introduced as Emily. “I don’t think she’ll make any trouble,” she told Cal, who assured her it wasn’t a problem.

  Leah was the human woman, Lillian remembered. She looked like any mother of a young child, tired but happy. Jeff, her mate, gave off an aura of cheerfulness that was somehow immediately reassuring. He rested a hand on Leah’s shoulder when she sat down, then moved his hand to stroke over Emily’s fine-looking hair.

  Lillian tried not to be jealous. But the sight of the baby sprawled trustingly in her mother’s arms...

  She glanced at Cal. He was looking back at her, and somehow she understood that they were thinking the same thing. That will be us one day.

  Teri and Zach were the next to arrive, followed soon after by Joel and Nina. The office felt crowded with all of them in there, but there was a sense of energy, Lillian thought. Purpose. They were all coming together to accomplish something, and they knew it.

  “All right,” Cal said, once everyone was present. He didn’t raise his voice at all, but everyone immediately fell silent. “A few points of order. First of all, let me introduce Ms. Lillian Lowell to all of you. She’s Teri’s sister. And my mate.”

  Lillian could almost feel the indrawn breaths from most of the people there. Teri was wearing a self-satisfied smile, she noticed. Everyone else was suddenly regarding Lillian with great interest.

  “That much is your business, but nothing else about her is, so keep any questions to yourself,” Cal continued. Lillian wondered if she should feel offended at the presumption there, but she didn’t at all. Instead, she felt a rising warmth at the protectiveness in his voice.

  “Lillian’s been threatened by Gordon Hennessey and his crowd of mountain lions,” Cal said, “and I’m not putting up with it anymore. It’s time to take action. But I won’t strong-arm anybody into a fight. Anyone who wants to sit this whole thing out is welcome to leave, or stick around and hear all the news and then step aside. Nobody, and I mean nobody, is obligated to put themselves in any kind of danger on my behalf. Do you all understand?”

  Nods all around the room, but not one person made any motion towards leaving. The pack was all wearing identical fierce expressions. Lillian was struck especially by fashion-model Alethia, who was wearing a gorgeous dress and heels and a full face of makeup, but looked like she was ready to shift and launch herself at the nearest mountain lion any minute.

  “All right,” Cal said. “Here’s the situation, then.”

  He started detailing what had happened so far. As he was talking, Lillian felt her phone vibrate. She pulled it out of her purse.

  It was Lew.

  She excused herself with a murmur, holding up her phone; Cal paused, but Lillian didn’t look at him, not wanting to interrupt. She slipped out of the office quickly and answered it.

  “Lew?”

  “Lil?” His voice sounded panicky. “Lil, oh God, you’ve got to help me! I—”

  Then his voice cut off, and it was replaced by a deep, growling one. “There you go, Ms. Lowell, you’ve heard his voice. So you know we have him. And I think you can guess what we’re going to do to him if you don’t show up with our money, and soon.”

  “I don’t have any money,” Lillian tried to explain.

  “Tough,” said the voice. “From what I’ve seen, you’ve got the smarts to get some. Unlike this loser.�
� There was a thud and a yelp; Lillian flinched. Had he hurt Lew?

  “Come to the Hennessey cabin today with the cash,” said the voice. “If you’re not here by dark, you don’t want to know what’ll happen to your little hubby here. Bring your snow leopard boyfriend and both of you will face some consequences, believe me. Five against one isn’t pretty.”

  The line went dead.

  Lillian stared at the phone. Terror had risen in her during the call, but now it was being replaced by something else.

  Determination. And anger.

  Lew wasn’t going to get her in any more trouble. It wasn’t going to happen. She was going to make sure it didn’t—and this time, she wasn’t alone.

  ***

  Cal frowned after Lillian as she slipped out. But surely she would’ve said something if the phone call was urgent. Maybe it was just her mother wanting some kind of reassurance.

  He finished outlining the situation, looking around the room for input. If he was honest with himself, he felt hesitant about what to actually do. Starting an all-out war with the mountain lions would involve everyone in this room, whether they wanted to be involved or not. And he couldn’t help looking at Leah’s little daughter, aware that consequences might spiral out of control.

  He wouldn’t involve anybody against their will. But maybe if Grey or Zach participated, they could give Gordon and his brother a bit of a thrashing, teach them a lesson...

  But it probably wouldn’t stick. That was the problem. How to make them understand that they had to back off for real? They were the type that if they lost a fair, one-on-one fight, they’d retreat and then come back with something mean and underhanded, and Cal didn’t want to risk any of his people against dirty tricks.

  The door opened, and Lillian came back in. Cal instinctively sat up straighter at the sight of her white face and the determined set of her mouth. Everyone turned, following his gaze.

  Lillian squared her shoulders under their eyes and held up her phone. “That was my ex-husband,” she said quietly. “He’s being held by the mountain lions in their cabin. They’re hurting him, and they’ve given me until the end of the day to show up with their money. They said that even if I bring Cal, I won’t get anywhere, because it’ll be five against one.”

  “Screw that,” Teri said immediately. The tension broke as people chuckled.

  Lillian’s mouth turned up slightly at the corners. “That’s exactly what I was thinking,” she said. She looked calmly at Cal.

  And slowly, one by one, everyone’s eyes came back to him. “Well?” said Grey finally. “Got a plan?”

  In that moment, Cal realized something.

  Every person there wanted him to make a decision. They were all waiting to hear what his plan was, how he thought the situation should be handled.

  None of them was afraid of what he might say. None of them thought that he’d lead them down the wrong path.

  They wanted him to lead them.

  And for the first time, without any reservations, he was willing. Because his mate needed help.

  “Listen up,” he said quietly. “These mountain lions think they can make the rules. They think there’s enough of them that they can hurt people, threaten them, and no one can stop them. Because they’re shifters, the police are wary to get involved, and they’re taking advantage of that.”

  He took a deep breath. “They don’t think we’ll band together to stop them.” He met everyone’s eyes. “That’s my fault. I’ve kept this pack as loose as possible, because I don’t want any of you to think you’re being forced to do what I want.”

  Disagreement and disbelief was obvious on their faces. In fact, with every word Cal spoke, he realized further how misplaced his fears had been. These people trusted him, and they trusted him because he’d always wanted to do right by them.

  And he was suddenly certain that this was the right thing. Sure, the mountain lions were sneaky and vicious, but they were also cowards. If they realized what a force they’d reckoned with...

  “So I think it’s time to show them what being a snow leopard means,” he finished. “There’s only five of them. They think they’re facing five against one, but they’re wrong.”

  “They are so wrong,” Teri said fiercely, to another round of chuckles.

  “Same rules apply,” Cal said. “No one’s coming against their will. Anyone wants to stay behind, there’s no consequence and no one is upset with them, am I clear?”

  “You’re clear,” Alethia spoke up. “But I’m in.”

  The chorus of agreement filled the room.

  ***

  Gordon Hennessey’s face was as eloquent as any words. It was easy to see that he hadn’t expected this.

  They’d come as a group. Lillian had insisted on joining them; Cal had deeply wished to tell her to stay behind and safe, but she’d squared her shoulders, looked him in the eye, and said, “I have a right to see what happens.” And he’d acknowledged that she did.

  So now Lillian was standing several yards back from the cabin alongside Leah, who’d dropped baby Emily off with her in-laws. Between the two humans and the cabin were Cal, Grey, Alethia, Jeff, Zach, Teri, Joel and Nina.

  Gordon stood in the doorway, flanked by his brother and with three scruffy figures vaguely visible behind them. They clearly were not prepared for eight angry snow leopards.

  Still, Gordon put on a sneering face. “What’s this?” he asked, gesturing at their group. “Your kindergarten class?”

  Cal glanced over at Grey and nodded once. Grey blurred and shifted. Around him, the rest of the group did the same.

  Now Cal was standing amid seven powerfully-built big, gray cats. Teeth bared. Claws flexed.

  Gordon swallowed, but kept it up. “What are you going to do?” he asked. “Charge us? We can get to the human before you do, no matter how many of you there are.”

  “That’s not what I’m here for,” Cal said calmly.

  Gordon raised his eyebrows. “No?” He pointed at Lillian. “She sure showed up here fast after we threatened him.”

  Cal shook his head. “He’s not the issue.” He took a step forward. “You’re not going to kill him, anyway.”

  Gordon took a step forward too. “Oh, I’m not?”

  Cal met Gordon’s eyes; they were a pale yellowish-brown, and fear lurked in them. “You’re not a killer,” he said.

  He knew that to be true. He’d seen plenty of real killers, back in the Marines, and Gordon didn’t have that coldness to him.

  He was a slimy little lowlife, a petty dictator who reveled in his small-time power, but he wasn’t a murderer. He wouldn’t even hurt the man beyond a little roughing, Cal would bet all his money. There’d be too much trouble coming his way from the law, if so.

  “Besides,” he added, “if you kill him, you’ll never get any money from him.”

  Gordon smiled a little. “That’s a problem, all right. That’s why we’re calling his wife, isn’t it?”

  Cal could hear his voice sharpen, could feel his leopard growling in his chest. “That is why I’m here.”

  “Oh, right.” Gordon shook his head. “She’s part of your little commune. Your peace-loving hippie pack. You snow leopards just hang out and do your own thing, don’t you?”

  A growl started emanating from someone’s throat. Cal thought he recognized Teri. Then it was taken up by someone else—Zach, probably—and it spread, until he was standing in the center of a deep wall of threatening sound.

  He saw it. Gordon flinched back.

  “It doesn’t matter what you think about us, Gordon,” Cal said quietly, his voice carrying over the growl. “It doesn’t matter what you say. We are stronger than you are. We are more than you are. And from here on out, you will mind your own business and leave us alone.”

  His voice cracked out sharply on the last word, like a whip. As if on cue, his pack’s growling evaporated, leaving his own voice the only sound ringing through the air.

  From the look on Go
rdon’s face, he could tell that they’d already won. It was turning resigned.

  His next words confirmed that. “And somehow this includes the lady we’ve been after, does it?”

  “It does,” Cal said. Anger vibrated through his voice—how dare Gordon keep implying threats to Lillian, even while he was in the process of backing down? “Because she’s my mate.”

  Gordon’s eyes went wide. Cal could hear one of the other mountain lions muttering, “Shit,” behind him.

  That’s right, he thought, his leopard growling approval. They hadn’t known what sort of can of worms they’d opened, before. Now they did.

  Gordon nodded slowly. “Your mate. Why didn’t you say anything before?”

  Cal just stared at him.

  After a minute, he dropped his eyes. “Fine. All right. Matter’s closed, then.”

  His brother Wayne’s whiny voice rose up in the air. “But how am I going to get my money, then?”

  “Shouldn’t’ve gambled with a loser like that, should you?” Gordon snapped at him.

  The irritation was evident in his voice. Wayne had caused a whole lot of trouble for him, and Cal knew he’d realized that he couldn’t take this any further without risking too much for too little gain.

  Wayne, Cal thought, would be held on a tight leash for a while going forward.

  Cal felt a hand on his shoulder. Lillian had come up beside him—further up than he wanted, but she was still surrounded by seven alert snow leopards, at least. And he doubted anyone was going to attack now. “It’s over?” she breathed, as though she couldn’t quite believe it.

  Cal nodded. “It’s over. You’re safe.”

  And he hadn’t, of course, expected Lillian to collapse sobbing into his arms or anything silly like that, but he had to admit to being started when she took a long breath and shouted, “Lew?”

  There was a moment of startlement that hung over the whole group, and then suddenly a face popped up behind the crowd of mountain lions at the door. Disbelievingly, Cal watched as Lillian marched forward to the front of the group, and the lions actually parted to let Lew through to talk to her.

  “Lil,” Lew gasped, coming forward. “Listen, I don’t know what’s going on, but you gotta—you gotta...” He trailed off, staring out at the array of snow leopards, most of them now sitting tall and alert around Cal.