It’s soft, barely audible, but my ears are highly sensitive, trained to pick up the faintest distress.

My body tenses.

Is she hurt?

I move closer, instinct coiling tight in my muscles, ready to react?—

And then I see through the wide, unobstructed window.

Maya.

In the bathtub.

Head tipped back, eyes closed, mouth slightly open as another pleasured moan escapes her lips.

Oh.

Oh, hell.

Heat slams through my chest, claws digging into my palms as I force myself not to make a sound.

She’s utterly relaxed, stretched out in steaming water, bare skin glistening, dark waves of hair spilling over the edge of the tub like silk.

And the scent?—

Even from here, I can smell her, warm and sweet, laced with something that makes my gut tighten with need.

I want to join her.

That’s insane.

A muscle in my jaw tics violently as I force myself to retreat—wrenching my gaze away and stepping back into the shadows of the trees.

I take a long, steadying breath, my claws digging into the bark of a nearby tree to ground myself.

This is not what I came here for.

I need distance.

I turn and take the path leading back to my own cabin—conveniently just up the ridge.

Halfway there, something small and soft rubs against my leg.

I glance down to find a black-and-white cat weaving around my feet, tail flicking like he owns the place.

I crouch, reaching down to scratch behind his ears. “Well, well. Who do we have here?”

The cat purrs loudly, arching into my touch.

I scoop him up, cradling him against my chest as I continue walking. “You don’t belong to the Wild, little one.”

The cat blinks up at me, unimpressed.

I smirk, rubbing under his chin as I carry him toward my cabin. “Guess that makes two of us.”

Chapter Six

TEA, TRAITOROUS CATS, AND AN INVITATION