A Cat Among Wolves Ch. 02

He shook his hair out of his eyes and looked over her again. She looked resigned to her fate, and he wanted to hug her - and then shake her for finding trouble again.

"I'll do it. With these injuries a doctor would ask way too many questions. And I'm going to have to use the smelly stuff to sterilize the needle."

Marcus kept up a steady stream of soothing talk and worked quickly. He had to crowd her into a corner to get her to stand still, and even then it was a bit of a mission.

Sabeen minded her manners and resisted the urge to kick him and run. The antiseptic made her nauseous, and she was developing one heck of a pounding headache. By the time Marcus was done she had spots in front of her eyes, and wasn't sure how much longer she would be able to stay standing.

He took one look at her and wrapped her in a towel before picking her up and carrying her to her room. He nearly took her to his, but thought that may be overstepping the boundaries a bit. Hell, he'd seen her naked, had her sleep on him and tended her wounds, but it would have been totally improper for her to wake up in his bed. Sometimes he confused even himself he thought shaking his head.

Sabeen pressed herself into his chest, and it felt surprisingly good to have her there. He slid her into her bed carefully, discarding the towel. He thought briefly about finding her some clothes but decided he liked her better this way. She lay sleepily against the pillow, and he reached out to tuck some of her curls behind her ear. This was totally normal, with all the adrenaline in her system she was going to crash a bit when it all diapeared. The color was coming back into her face and he could hear Finn and Bucky coming back along the side of the house.

"Stay put. Sleep. That's an order. If I catch you up I'll drag you across my knee and punish you myself." His cock twitched a little at that thought, and her eyes opened wider from surprise... And maybe a little curiosity? He didn't ponder it, instead turning to head downstairs.

***

"We've got ourselves a bit of a fire-cat here, there's no doubt about that." Finn said shaking his head.

"She took out four guys and a female. Based on the tracks, they all came at her at once too. Mostly nice efficient kills. She crushed the female's throat and broke one of the guys necks before they could change. She stabbed a tiger in the heart with a dagger, and ripped the other two's throats out. That girl isn't scared of gore thats for sure."

Bucky nodded agreeing with Finn. "She took the time to hide some of the signs of a fight and dragged the bodies down into the valley too. And those guys were big. Even the female was big."

"So its taken care of?" Marcus asked.

"Yeah mate. We're good." Finn agreed.

It was a sad fact that deaths happened in their community, and the wolves were more than capable of disguising the evidence and, if need be, making a death look accidental.

In their human forms shifters looked entirely human - including their blood. If one was found dead it would cause a lot of trouble to Marcus and his wolves. Dead wolves were easily explained in the forest, but exotic large cats would have been much harder.

***

Later that night Marcus entered her room to find her holding a creamy white notebook and looking a little guilty.

"Before you say anything, you can't prove I got out of bed to get this." She said.

He sighed drumming his fingers against her chest of drawers. " You're right. I can't prove it, but do I really have to?."

She moved over a little on the bed and he flopped down gracefully on it, his back against the foot board and his feet crossed on the covers near her hand.

"Now, you were about to tell me what the hell happened, and how long you knew they were sniffing around." She bit her lip and fiddled with the cover of her diary.

" And that is an order."

She shot him an angry look and gave him exactly what he had asked for.

"Sir, I first suspected the Moon pack tigers were in the vicinity when running with you at 0530 hours on Saturday the 11th. I picked up no substantial proof of them until scenting them at roughly 0600 hours this morning..."

"Sabeen don't fuck with me. Just tell me what happened."

She growled and told him the story in plain words, getting increasingly angry with him, although she had no idea why.

At the end of her tale he examined her face and nodded slowly.

"Why didn't you come to me and let me know you thought they would try something?"

"Because I handled it. It was my problem, and I fixed it. Besides I didn't think you'd really appreciate me coming to let you know that - yet again - I was about to cause more trouble than you really want to deal with on top of everything else." She shrugged, a bit like a sullen teenager.

"So instead of alerting me and my wolves to a security threat, you just assumed the cats were here for you and let it all play out until you were left with no choice but to fight and kill them. And on that subject, I would never have expected you to fight shifters you've lived your whole life with. Were you close with any of them?"

Marcus's voice had lost a little of his angry tone as he watched her. Sabeen thought back to Robbie's attempt at raping her and sneered a little.

"Yeah. Real close."

Marcus sighed and got up off the bed. Sabeen's heart dropped. Clearly he thought she was a heartless bitch for that, but she had no way of telling him what she really felt. She hadn't had much practice at feelings and sharing in the Moon Pack.

"Fine we'll talk about it later. If you need anything call. Don't get up. Give your body a chance to heal and there's a chance I'll let you out of your room by Thursday."

He left the room ignoring her cry of "THURSDAY?! Are you fucking kidding?"

Later that night, despite her harsh words to Marcus she cried for the cats she had killed. She hadn't given a flying fuck what happened to Robbie, but she had genuinely cared about Taj. Marcus, in his own room, heard her crying but forced himself to allow her to grieve in private. Instead he paced in his room wondering how to get through to his tiger.

For some reason when she heard him pacing in his room she cried harder.

***

After Sabeen had healed sufficiently for Marcus's liking he had begun to take her everywhere with him. She assumed it was a matter of him not trusting her alone anymore. She found it hard spending almost every moment with him, aware of whenever he shook his hair our of his eyes, whenever he smiled at one of his wolves, and whenever he frowned at her. She tried to distance herself from him by talking less and putting a wall of sorts up between them.

Her crush on him grew to the point she would look longingly at the adjoining door between their rooms and be damn glad that she had moved her drawers to block it.

She kept telling herself that she just wanted a piece of that gorgeous body, but that explanation didn't seem to mesh with the way her heart leapt and pounded when he smiled at her, and the times when she caught him looking at with something a little like lust. If she just wanted his body then why the heck did her heart get involved, and why did her throat ache when - on the very rare occasions - he looked at her fondly.

It was clear to her that he was in no way as enamored with her as she was with him. Most often she caught him frowning at her. Or he'd be yelling at her for something she had no part in - like when Finn didn't do his share of the dishes. No. Marcus definitely had no soft feelings there for her, so she tried in vain to cut herself off from her soft feelings for him.

***

One grey afternoon she was sitting in the car waiting for Marcus to return from visiting a wolf who had needed to talk to him 'confidentially'. Sabeen had thought it was far more likely that the woman had wanted to 'speak' to him without the bother of her hanging around, but hadn't said anything as he'd ordered her back to the car. It was quite possible he wanted to be alone with her. And that was none of her business - despite her wanting to drive the 4x4 through the woman's oh-so-pretty garden. (Jealous? Her?)

She was staring into space when she saw Bucky, sprinting around the corner in wolf form. He was closely followed by a black truck and looked as relieved as she'd ever seen a wolf when he spotted her exiting the 4x4.

She left the door open for Bucky to jump in and waited beside the car, ready to jump if they were dumb enough to try ram her.

The car stopped and an older man stepped out, flanked by a big man. They both smelt like some sort of cat, possibly lions.

"Sabeen Moon. Now this is a surprise. I heard a rumor that you worked for Marcus now, but I had hoped sincerely that it was not true. Tell him the council will meet him tonight at 8 to discuss payment."

Before she could think to get a word in they both melted back into the car, and it took off around the corner.

"What was that all about?" She asked Bucky.

He just sat with his head on his paws in the back seat waiting for Marcus and avoiding her eyes.

"Alright. Keep your secrets, he shouldn't be too long." she sighed.

When Marcus returned to the car he looked majorly pissed off, and smelt of another woman. She took one look at him and seethed inwardly.

"Marcus while you were in there having a 'chat'..." he interrupted her

"Its none of your damn business what I was doing in there. Unless Bucky needs to go somewhere we're going home." He growled at her.

She sighed and pursed her lips. In the back seat Bucky looked back and forwards between the two of them before changing to his human form. It was clear to him that something was going on between them and he would need to pass on the message.

"Marcus, Gregory chased me here. We're meeting the council tonight at 8 and he mentioned that he'd heard the rumor that Sabeen was working for you, but had 'hoped it was not true'. And no I don't need to go anywhere." Bucky said.

Marcus sighed and swore.

"I didn't screw her. I walked in there and she jumped me. Just like you knew she would." He said to Sabeen, whose mood lightened a little.

"Bucky, gather the wolves... just the trustworthy ones, get Rob and Finn to help. Anyone breaths a word to Ange and Theo and I'll personally make them into a winter coat for Sabeen."

She snorted. "Sweet. I'll wear the skins of my foes and I'll be a proper barbarian."

***

"Just one more time people..." Finn muttered to himself as they crossed the road.

"We know this is an ambush, why are we doing it?"

Marcus growled low in his throat and no one answered Finn.

Sabeen shivered a little in her coat. She had dressed light so that she wouldn't impede her movements, but winter was on its way and she could feel it.

There were ten of them, Marcus's most trusted, and best fighters - her included. Four of the wolves were in their beast forms flanking the group on each side, and the rest were flanking Marcus. She could tell he'd been tempted to have her changed and at their backs, but it was clear she may have to do some talking tonight.

As to why they were there... It was the same reason they had taken the Theirs job in the first place. When the council calls, its a really bad idea to say no - especially if you want to continue living comfortably. They were just too strong for the wolf pack to turn down, and all had agreed when they were first contacted that this was the best way to be allowed to live in Ashton in peace and comfort.

Walking into the hall they saw an impressive amount of security men around the walls, almost two for every wolf that was there. In the centre of the room five older men stood behind a table. They smelt of cat, four of them were definitely Jaguar, but there was the same more ambiguous scent from the afternoon.

"Marcus, my boy. We had no idea you'd bring so many with you. Please have a seat, although some of your wolves may have to remain standing." The oldest, and more important looking cat directed.

Sabeen and Finn stood each side of Marcus and the others took a seat as directed. the Wolves sat fanned out, so each could keep an eye on a different set of guards, leaving the men at the table to Sabeen and Finn to worry about.

"Now let me know how the mission went." He smiled beguilingly at them.

"And please don't skip the part where Sabeen joined the fray. We are most anxious to hear that bit."

Marcus told his story plainly, and with very few interruptions. Sabeen didn't listen, she spent the time examining the men behind the table. Gregory listened intently, along with three of the other men at the table, but the last one at the end of the table, a wiry looking guy, nearest her kept glancing her way. He looked annoyed and a little confused.

The hairs on the back of her neck pricked, and she resorted to taking a quick look at wiry with her mind. She saw he was majorly pissed at her, and concealing something from everyone in the hall. At first she thought it was a weapon, but by concentrating more she saw it was something he treasured, and something he thought she was going to try take away from him.

Her curiosity peaked and she watched him covertly through the rest of the meeting. She desperately wanted to know what he had, and why he thought she wanted it. She was asked several questions about Anya's parentage, and the meeting wrapped up with the men passing a briefcase to Marcus.

"Sorry to be cliché but this really is the most convenient was to pay you." Said the man who had welcomed them.

"Quite alright." Marcus said, nodding farewell to the group.

The wolves and Sabeen turned towards the door. Sabeen felt a pull in her mind, and she pulled back. Hard. She didn't like things fucking around in her mind. Then she felt a weight in her pocket.

Looking around nonchalantly she saw that no one would have been close enough to put anything there. Remembering wiry's fear of her taking something from him she kept her chin down and kept walking. They were almost at the door when wiry screeched.

"She's taken it! The Tiger has it! Stop her!"

The guards around them reacted instantaneously, closing in on the group. The men at the table all turned towards wiry and asked what was missing. Sabeen and the wolves didn't wait for his answer they attacked, holding the guards at bay while Marcus and the men in human form got out the door and ran to start the cars.

She yelled for the wolves to leave while she singlehandedly held the guards away from the door. She took a bit of a beating for it, but it was far easier for one person to stop ten from leaving through a single door than it was for ten to squeeze through past her. Besides, it was her they wanted they could damn well have her. One of the guards picked her up by the front of her shirt.

"Stop now. All of you." Gregory yelled.

"Leon, what has she taken? Tell me now or she walks free!" the man thundered.

"Erm. Nothing. I was mistaken." Leon said glancing at the floor pouting.

"My apologies to you and the wolves. Please pass on my sincerest regrets for Leon's behavior to Marcus. Leon isn't quite the councillor he used to be. We fear age is catching up with him."

All four of the men were looking at her with a mix of embarrassment and curiosity. The big man that had picked her up gently set her back on her feet and straightened her coat, following her outside.

"I am sorry miss." He said handing her a tissue and indicating his cheek, meaning he'd probably split the skin just under her eye socket.

She signed and applied pressure to the cut. "No problem. It would have been a miracle if I'd gotten through this week without some sort of injury."

He gave her a wholly male once-over that told her in no uncertain terms did he think her cheek detracted from her charms. She winked and headed towards the cars. Marcus glowered at her from the door he was leaning against.

"You know I was debating going back in there and rescuing you when I realized that you were more than probably have a wonderful time fighting, and If you had stolen anything, then you damn-well deserve to be getting your arse kicked."

The anger in his voice didn't quite mesh with the way he took the tissue from her and dabbed at her cheek.

She sighed and explained what had happened leaving out the guard. He was close enough to see that with his own eyes.

"However we had better get the hell out of here, because I think I do have something of his. I have no idea what it is but apparently its quite the treasure."

Marcus stared at her incredulously before shaking his head and sliding sexily back into the car. The man could make getting into a car look sexual! She really needed to get laid.

***

Back in the house Marcus waited until it was just Rob, Finn and her still left in the lounge before looking at her expectantly. She pulled out glass globe.

Judging from its size it should really have been much heavier and much more obvious in her pocket. She told the others exactly what she had seen and felt throughout the meeting and they all had a good look at it.

"I wonder why he thought it was so precious?" She mused looking deep into the glass.

If she looked really hard she could see a faint glimmer, she concentrated on it and looked with her mind to see if she could gain any knowledge of the thing.

Without warning the globe lit up bright gold. She let go of the thing and tried to look away, but it stayed floating there, pulling at her mind and surrounding her with warmth. It was a surprisingly pleasurable experience, almost like a giant hug, despite the fact that it felt a little like the globe was trying to shoe-horn her into it, mind first. She unconsciously took a step forward.

Sabeen felt herself falling and tried to pull herself free. The globe didn't let go, it kept hugging and pulling.

Suddenly panicking and seeking escape she sent her other senses out around her until she found an object to grab onto. Her hands making contact she managed to shut her eyes against the globe, and with one last strong tug at her mind it let her go, falling to the floor with a thump.

Cautiously she opened her eyes, and they fell straight to the globe. Nothing was glowing about it now and it sat unmoving against her foot on the carpet. She let out a shaky breath and then thought to find out what she had grabbed onto.

It was Marcus. She was tightly gripping a forearm that he had offered to her with one hand, and the fabric of his tee-shirt with her other hand. He looked down at her with concern, and braced her there with his other arm over her shoulders. Finn and Rob were standing to either side looking confused.

"Are you ok?"

"Yeah... I think so. That was just the weirdest sensation. It felt like it was trying to fit me in there. It wasn't a bad thing, but it scared the hell out of me and I panicked." She said, still looking up into his eyes, mesmerized.

"Are you sure it wasn't trying to hurt you?" He asked.

"Yeah it just..." She realized she was still clinging to him, and disentangled herself.

"I don't know what it was doing, but it wasn't bad. It was like a giant hug and lots of warmth. And then I was falling, and I panicked." She said, taking a step back from him, and picking up the globe again hesitantly.

"May I?" Marcus asked.

"Yeah sure. What's mine is yours, and I don't want that an awful lot at the moment. "

Sabeen handed him the globe and went to sit on the couch. The other men tried looking into it as she had done and didn't get as much as a flicker out of it. Marcus asked her to try again and she flat out refused.

"Unless thats an order I'm going to bed. I've got no desire to do that again."

Marcus looked hard at her thinking it over, and reluctantly decided against ordering her to do it. She had felt good in his arms, and he wouldn't have minded a repeat.