“Of course.” Molly stared up at him.
“I really enjoyed tonight. I’m here for a day or two before I go back to the front line. I was wondering if you’d like to go on another date.”
Molly smiled. “So is that what this was, a date?”
Hayden suddenly felt a little presumptuous. They didn’t really know each other.
“I’m sorry,” he started to apologize, but Molly put her finger to his lips.
“I’m joking. I enjoyed ourdatea great deal, and I’d love to do it again.”
Hayden took Molly’s fingers in his hand and kissed them. He thought he heard her let out a little purr. It excited him.
“Let me know when you’re free tomorrow, and I’ll see if I can get us a picnic.”
“I will.” Molly pulled her hand away and placed it at her side. “Goodnight, Hayden.”
“Goodnight, Molly.”
She disappeared into her sleeping quarters, and he made his way back to his with a spring in his step. He may have lost his best friend from his side for a while, but in Molly, he was discovering something completely different, and it excited him beyond anything. Had he just found his partner for life? Maybe true love at first sight wasn’t a myth after all.
Chapter Three
Molly had really enjoyed the previous night with Hayden. She was attracted to him and couldn’t wait to spend more time with him. First she had a more pressing issue to deal with—her puma was going crazy, which had led to her making a mistake while she was on duty earlier. Thankfully, it didn’t cause a major incident, but she was very aware, as a nurse, she held her patients’ lives in her hand.
She’d crept out of the sleeping accommodation and was in the depths of the jungle area surrounding the camp. It was dangerous, and her heart beat wildly. If she was caught by the enemy, it could mean death, and if she was caught by her colleagues, it would be a court martial, but she couldn’t deny the wild cat within her anymore. It was going insane. She hadn’t thought about this being a consequence of aiding in the war. It was stupid really—it should have been her prime concern as a puma shifter.
When she found a quiet clearing, she listened out with her enhanced hearing for anyone nearby. She could sense nothing so quickly removed her clothes and folded them up neatly. She hid them under a pile of leaves in the hope that if anyone came that way, they wouldn’t find them. She had to wear dog tags at all times to identify her, and they were tucked into the pocket of her pants, so it would be easy to identify the clothes belonged to her.
She listened out again before she shut her eyes and allowed her body to change. She went down on all fours as her legs sprouted the tawny brown hair of her species. Her hands and feet changed to those of a cat’s, and her nails shifted to sharp claws. The fur now covering her entire body spread over her face as the bones changed and cracked to reform into a puma’s features. Her nose changed, and her sight intensified. Sharp canine teeth grew longer in her mouth until the transformation was complete. Her wild animal wanted to let out a loud roar, but she knew she needed to be silent until she’d run as far away from the camp as possible.
She’d studied a map earlier of the surrounding area, so she knew where the armies were stationed. She was aware that if she went North East the jungle would be denser, and there’d be less chance of being discovered. Pumas weren’t native to this part of the world. Only the Indochinese tigers and leopards lived here, so she really needed to make sure nobody spotted her. There was also the added threat of there being explosive booby-traps hidden in the jungle. She’d learned from Hayden it was in an area such as this where he and Trent had been injured. Until she was away from civilization, this was going to be more of a slow and steady run for her puma. She really didn’t mind. After a week of not changing, it was a blessing to have even a few minutes in her natural form.
Quietly she made her way North East and was lucky enough not to encounter anyone. It was almost as though people knew she needed to be free. She climbed higher up the Rào C? mountain region on the border of Vietnam and Laos. It was the perfect place to escape with only indigenous tribes living there and no dangerous explosives.
When she sensed she was in a safe area, she let go and allowed her puma to run. She bounced over rocks and ducked under branches. She scratched her claws on the trunks of tall trees and even dared to let out a series of growls. She didn’t attempt her high pitch yowl, though. A puma was known for that noise, and it could be heard for miles around. It was too much of a risk.
Eventually, she grew tired and made her way back to where she’d left her clothes. Her large, fur covered paws trudged through the wet jungle. Monsoons seemed to unleash their torrential downpours most days here, not that they brought much respite from the heat. Still, her puma was satisfied now, and she could look forward to enjoying her evening with Hayden.
When she located her clothes, she sat down in her puma form for a few moments to enjoy the freedom before she allowed her body to shift back. It always amazed her how tiny she seemed in human form, but as a puma, her body was large. She was a short female, little more than five foot, but thanks to her love of running wild in natural form, she had curves in all the right places. She dressed and made sure her hair was in place. It was important to a cat shifter to have nice looking hair. She licked her hand and swiped it over her head in a catlike movement before she started to make her way back to camp.
The thought of a picnic with Hayden caused butterflies in her stomach. She’d really enjoyed getting to know him, and the thought that he’d soon be returning to the front line scared her. She wondered if he could ask for a little longer leave, but she knew he wouldn’t. He was a man who’d never run from a fight—he was destined to go on to greater things.
Molly would just have to hold on to the hope she’d see him again, and when the war was over, they could forge a relationship together. She was already developing strong feelings for Hayden after only a few days. It wasn’t love yet, but it definitely could be. She was almost skipping by the time she reached her accommodation.
“Molly.” The voice startled her, and when she turned around, she saw Hayden staring at her. His nostrils flared, and he was obviously full of rage. “What were you doing in the jungle?”
Chapter Four
Hayden couldn’t believe what he was seeing. How could he have been so stupid. Molly had obviously been in the jungle for an illicit liaison with someone else. Why on earth would she be so stupid to go there otherwise? It was well known what happened in the jungles around the compound. He was livid, but it was his heart that hurt the most. He thought he’d found something special with her, but obviously he hadn’t. It was all a sham, and he wouldn’t allow himself to be made to look a fool.
“Hayden, what are you doing here?” Molly protested, every syllable was laced with guilt, and it only served to strengthen his growing hatred for the woman he’d thought he might love one day.
God, he had been a fool.
“I saw you,” he reiterated. “In the jungle. People only go there for one reason.”
Molly’s eyes went wide as realization dawned on her. “You thought I was meeting someone?”