Cougar's Conquest by Linda O. Johnston Read Free Book Online Page B

they did appear to have one common goal.
    One that was not good for him.
    Still, their following him would keep Gwynn safe.
    He carefully began walking backward through the darkening forest, glancing behind himself often to avoid tripping over piles of leaves or backing into trees.
    But the two mountain lions kept getting closer.
    Good—but how could he lure them away without harming them or allowing them to hurt him?
    He had brought a weapon, of course. He was in the military. But using it on these cougars was definitely not a good idea. They were unusual creatures that deserved to live, as long as they didn’t harm him.
    Plus, they were Gwynn’s relatives.
    He began to withdraw from the area more quickly.
    That was when the cougar in the lead sprang toward him.
    Brett had no choice. He reached beneath his shirt for his holstered pistol.
    But before he could aim it, a third cougar reached them—a female that had to be Gwynn, since the fourth remained near the house. This one placed herself between the males and him, blocking them. Baring her fangs and making deep, roaring growls.
    The others immediately stopped and stared, as if they didn’t believe what they saw.
    And then their fury and feral nature were focused entirely on her. Both crouched as if preparing to spring on her.
    Shooting was even less of an option now. He might hit Gwynn. He nevertheless had to do something to help her. To keep her safe.
    Since he’d joined the military, he’d intensified his own rigorous workout regimen and added to it official fighting and self-defense techniques that were mandatory for all soldiers. Would any work on a wild cougar?
    As the two advanced on a snarling Gwynn, now crouched and ready to spring back at them, Brett shouted to get their attention. If they attacked him, he would use all his resources—his wits and his training—to fight back, using his gun only as a last resort.
    He would not let them harm Gwynn.
    They hesitated at the noise, and that was enough for Gwynn to leap off the ground, landing on the head and shoulders of the larger, older-appearing cat. She used her claws to remain on top, and Brett saw blood appear on the other animal’s pelt.
    The attack lasted only moments, and then Gwynn was off the cougar and back on the ground facing both of them and warning them with a low feline roar.
    Instead of joining together and attacking her in return, the other two cougars remained still, bending their heads as if in submission. As if they acknowledged she was in charge. They bared their fangs, yet they quickly slunk away in different directions.
    The cougar that was Gwynn looked him straight in the face with her gleaming, dark eyes, perhaps in challenge, or maybe just in acknowledgment of his presence.
    “Thanks,” he told her. Then, very carefully, he backed into the woods.
    He knew she continued to follow him until he reached the parking lot where he’d left his car and got into it. He didn’t always see her, but he heard the soft rustling of the underbrush in areas he had just vacated.
    She was chasing him.
    And still protecting him.
    He wanted to be in a position to protect her instead. But he knew when to back off and accede to circumstances.
    He would protect her in other ways. That was why he was here.
    In the driver’s seat of the car, he put the key in the ignition and turned it. The engine grumbled to life, and the headlights switched on automatically.
    There, standing before him, was a gorgeous, sleekly tan cougar with her erect, rounded ears perked high, her mouth open to reveal her teeth yet again. This time, she looked triumphant.
     
    The moon had disappeared below the horizon.
    Gwynn’s shifting back to human form was finally over.
    She was near her family home, in the parking lot where she had last seen Brett drive off. Nude, of course. The chill mountain wind of morning reminded her of that as it circled her, stirring the leaves on the trees surrounding the clearing.
    Standing still, she