Ka'Cit's Haven (Riv’s Sanctuary #3)

He must have seen the look in her eyes because his shoulder muscles moved underneath his skin like they were tickled.

“Don’t,” he said. One word.

Behind him, his tail stopped the sort of wagging it was doing and was now waving in the air slowly.

Like a cat looking at a mouse.

Hunting.

And she was the mouse.

“Don’t.” This time, it sounded more like a warning and, despite that his words were something she should probably heed, her instincts were telling her to do the opposite.

Nia darted off the bed, sliding off the edge so fast, she barely saw his head snap in her direction.

She was on her feet by the time she heard the growl behind her and a squeal left her lips as she felt the tips of his fingers brush against her cloak, just missing her by mere centimeters.

She was too fast. He wasn’t going to catch her, and adrenaline pumped in her veins, fueled by pure delight, as she darted across the room.

When she turned around, he was on all fours on the bed in a weird sort of way.

He was on the balls of his feet and his fingers were pressing into the bedding—almost like how a sprinter positions themselves at the starting line.

Fuck.

The way he was looking at her should terrify her, but instead, all she could feel was excitement flooding through her veins.

As she inched along the wall, keeping her back to it and her eyes on him, Ka’Cit tracked her with unblinking dark eyes.

They’d bled completely black and his tail was stretched out straight behind him.

He looked like some kind of large cat, like a black leopard or something, and the playful danger surrounding him only made a thrill go through her.

Something was slamming hard against her chest and it took her a few moments to realize it was her heart. Her eyes were wide as she watched him, ready to leg it if she even saw the slight movement of a muscle.

Her back was still plastered against the wall for some kind of grounding as she took her eyes off him for a second, just to glance around the room.

It wasn’t the best place for a game of hide and seek.

There wasn’t anywhere to run but inside the shower.

Her gaze focused there before finding him again and she could see that he knew exactly what her plan was.

If she could only get there before he moved…

But if she ran…

She knew he was going to catch her.

She could feel it in her bones.

“Don’t” she said as a laugh bubbled in her throat. She was frickin’ terrified and excited at the same time. “Ka’Cit…don’t.”

Ka’Cit tilted his head almost imperceptibly. “Don’t what?”

“Don’t chase me.”

His tongue flicked out as he licked his lips and his fangs showed momentarily.