A Leopard's Path by Lia Davis

She was open to him. Her magick flowed freely between them, exploring and nipping at his skin. Ana stroked gently, drawing a moan from him.
    She dipped her head and bit his lower lip as she guided him inside her. Pleasure surged through him, and he wrapped his arms around her and thrust deeper, no longer able to wait another moment. His leopard urged him to bite, to claim her again. The man would lose the battle. The urge was too strong.
    Ana cried out, scored her nails into his shoulders and rode him. Pleasurable pain fueled his desire to possess her inside and out. Increasing the tempo, he bit her in the tender spot where her throat met her shoulder. Her rich, sweet blood coated his tongue as his fangs broke the skin. By the way her body tensed at first he could tell she was shocked by the bite. He tightened his hold on her as their pleasure mingled and grew.
    The iridescent threads of the mating bond formed and weaved together, forever linking them. Her emotions—a mix of happiness, sadness, and confusion—poured into his subconscious. A sense of wholeness surrounded him like he had found a piece of his soul he didn’t know was missing.
    Ana’s pleasure crashed over him, intensifying his own. Her muscles tensed around his cock a moment before she screamed her release. He squeezed her hips and thrust twice more. His balls tightened as an orgasm pulled him over the edge.
    Hugging her close as they shuddered out the remains of the climaxes, he kissed her temple. “I love you.”
    She released a breath and he could hear the smile in her voice as she said, “I love you, too.”
     

Chapter Fourteen
     
     
    Jared didn’t know what to say or how to act. Which was a first for him. For fifteen years, he had searched for his son, yet he couldn’t form a complete sentence now that he was face to face with him. He wanted to know so many things but didn’t know where to start.
    “How long have you known about me?”
    Jared squeezed his eyes shut for a brief moment. “Since you were born.”
    Nigel fell silent as they walked down the sidewalk toward Travis’s house. Talk about a loser dad. “Your mom…”
    “She told me you were dead.”
    That didn’t surprise Jared in the slightest. He guessed he was dead to Sable. “She wasn’t playing on my side when we met.”
    Shit. This is hard .
    “I get it. Felix needs to be put down. I know Mom has done things she regrets.” Nigel stopped and faced Jared, his brows drawn. “She doesn’t realize I know what she did. I have your gift of sight, or whatever it is, as well as Mom’s magick.”
    Jared glanced down the dirt path. Nigel knew way more than any kid his age should know. Then again, he had been born in the Onyx Pack. Jared held out his hand. “I want to be in your life. Even though Sable and I can’t go down that road again.”
    Nigel stared for a long moment before taking Jared’s hand in a firm handshake. “I’d like that. However, you can’t run from what the Fates have in store for you.”
    A smile tugged at Jared’s lips as Nigel started walking again. The kid had used his power that would some day make him a Justice. The same abilities Jared possessed. Falling into step with Nigel, Jared embraced the silence between them the last few steps to the Hunters’ house.
    When they reached the door, it opened to Brenna. She smiled at both of them and moved aside. “Hello. Ready to do some tracking?”
    Nigel nodded grimly and brushed past her. Jared reached for him, but Brenna rested a hand on his arm. When he glanced at her, she shook her head. “I lost my mom, too. I understand how he feels right now.”
    Yeah, Jared got it, but Sable wasn’t dead. Jared would know if she were. However, Nigel had a right to be angry.
    Jared studied Brenna, and the reality of what she and her brother had gone through at such a young age weighed on his heart. Too much pain and loss. Sometimes, it felt like they were fighting a losing battle.
    Jared entered the home and was