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refined
as her. He cleared his throat and pointed at the tray he’d brought in. “There’s
a sandwich, fruit and water here on the table for you. May not be the most
glamorous meal for a queen, but I had no idea when you’d be able to eat so I
got something that could sit a bit.”
    She shifted and looked uncomfortable. “What the hell is
going on? What am I doing here?”
    “You were attacked while you were jogging near the camp
where you and I were to meet.”
    “Yes. A leopard attacked me.”
    “Right, and I stopped him.”
    “No, a mountain lion attacked the leopard, and that’s what
stopped it from killing me.”
    Nathan bowed his head as if introducing himself. “Yes, that
was me, shifted. Justin Finland is the name of the one who pounced on you and
tore your clothes. He’s a bit of a hothead and a lot of an asshole but he wasn’t
exactly trying to kill you.”
    She blinked a few times. “The mountain lion was—you? Who…
Who or what the hell are you, really?” She moved from his lap and
grabbed the blanket off the floor and wrapped it around herself then stood up
and headed toward the wardrobe. “What are all of you? What is all of this?”
    He chuckled a little. “I really am Nathan Dawson, a sales
manager at DodgeTech. All of us here are shape-shifters, from all over the
country, even a couple of international folks. We Werecats can take on the form
of a human and one of the big cats, like a cougar, lion or tiger. We’re all
part of the Pride, which is sort of like a fraternity in some ways. We meet up
once a quarter in different places around the country. Someplace private, where
we can be ourselves.”
    “So the one that attacked me, that you call Justin, he’s
here also?”
    “Yes.”
    “I see.” She frowned at her clothes and back at him. “Why
did you strip me? He didn’t tear up everything I had on completely.”
    “Anything left on you would only have been uncomfortable for
you when you shifted. And also probably would have gotten further ripped as
your body changed form.”
    She opened the wardrobe and stared inside at what she
recognized as her purse and suitcase. “Where are we?”
    “In a hidden cave on Mount Diablo.”
    “Why am I here? And if this is my suitcase in here with my
purse, how did it get here?”
    “You’re here because between hitting your head and your
newfound condition, you needed someplace safe to rest.” He got up and moved
toward Sofia. “I found your hotel key in your purse. Went there, grabbed your
things. I took the liberty of checking you out of your room so you don’t have
to worry about—”
    “You did what?” She frowned and swung around. The blanket
slipped down a bit to reveal the bouncing of her breasts with the movement. “If
you could take the time to go through my stuff, find out where I was staying
and go all the way to my hotel, why didn’t you just take me and leave me
there?”
    He had to put forth effort to keep his focus on her face.
“You’ve been unconscious for over thirteen hours now.”
    “Thirteen hours?” Her brows rose and she twisted her mouth.
“Why didn’t you take me to a doctor?”
    “One of the members here is Dr. Cassandra Kennedy. She took
good care of you.”
    “I could have had good care at a hospital, too.”
    “You’re safer here.”
    “How in the hell am I safe hidden in here with a bunch of
crazy cat people?”
    “No one here’s going to harm you. I wouldn’t let them.”
    “I’m already harmed, in more ways than one!” She shook her
head and rolled her eyes, throwing up her palms.
    He put his hands up and patted the air. “Don’t get all
worked up now, Sofia. You need to relax for a bit, and eat something. Let’s
talk so I can help you understand.”
    “I’m not sure I want any more of your help,” she spat.
“You’ve even infected me with whatever it is you have that turned meinto
one of you cat-shifting-things.”
    He took a deep breath, licked his lips. “We didn’t do