Feral Love Read online

  “You fuckin’ pencil dick!” Jazz screamed after him, fully prepared to chase after him. The heart-wrenching sound of Li’s sobs, however, stopped her in her tracks. She turned, rushing toward the other cat shifter. Her eye was blackened and her lip split. Blood flowed down her chin. Jazz gently gathered Li in her arms, muttering softly in an attempt to soothe the smaller woman. “It’s okay. It’s okay. If he comes back, I’ll kill him,” she whispered. Li buried her face in Jazz’s chest, clutching the front of her shirt like a lifeline.

  “You were right,” she sobbed. Jazz tilted her head, attempting to get a better look at the other woman. Li held fast, however, shifting to press her face against Jazz’s neck. Jazz shivered, gently brushing a hand through Li’s hair.

  “I’m right about a lot of things. You’ll have to be specific,” Jazz offered, trying to lighten the mood. Li sniffled. Her body continued to quake, but her sobs died down somewhat.

  “About the Dogs of War. About Rodney. About everything,” she mumbled hopelessly. Jazz growled unhappily, scooping Li up bridal-style and carrying her out of the alleyway. Cate rushed toward them, Elsie following close behind.

  “Is she okay? Why would they do this?” Elsie inquired softly. Cate snorted, crossing her arms over her chest.

  “They probably got all the information she had and figured they had no more use for her,” she groused. “As we speak, the Hellcats’ headquarters is probably up in smoke, and…” She fell silent after a pointed look from Jazz. “Well. That’s that,” Cate mumbled in defeat.

  “No,” Li murmured, sluggishly picking her head up from Jazz’s shoulder. “They don’t know where your hideout is. I never told them. They orchestrated this whole thing to find out. Rodney’s been planning this for years. Grooming me for it,” she managed to say, her head swimming.

  “You mean all this is just so…what? So you could infiltrate and report where our location is? Didn’t you already do the whole infiltration thing?” Cate asked. Elsie gave her hand a rough squeeze, leveling a stare at the other Hellcat. Li simply laughed, a weary and weak sound.

  “If you haven’t caught on yet, Cate, I never told them about meeting any of you,” Li teased gently.

  Cate’s eyes widened, but Jazz was the one to ask the question that loomed. “Why didn’t you just tell them? You didn’t have to take a beating. You could have just told them,” she said, her voice cracking. Li smiled, shifting in Jazz’s grip. “What are you—” Jazz inquired, falling silent as Li gently grabbed her face, tilting her head to press their lips together. Jazz returned the affection as if it was the most natural thing in the world, her mouth brushing against Li’s bloodied lips. Li winced, and Jazz offered an apologetic look.

  “Wow,” Cate drawled, and Jazz blushed nervously.

  “Oh, uh…yeah. That was…wow. Why’d you do that?” Jazz stammered out, turning down the alleyway that Li had memorized as being the entryway to the Hellcats’ hideout. Li laughed warmly, kissing her newfound love on the cheek.

  “Don’t be dumb,” she said and yawned, jumping slightly as Jazz moved to set her down. She realized with a start that it was the same pillow where Jazz been placed her on her first night with the Hellcats. She settled in, smiling slyly up at Jazz and said, “Don’t suppose you wanna recreate the first morning? Or, more specifically, the dream you girls woke me from?” Jazz reddened, drawing her bottom lip between her teeth.

  “Uh…” she replied.

  “Articulate,” Cate pointed out. Then she scowled, shaking her head. “Too much like that morning. Me and Elsie are gonna go make it rain on some strippers. You two have a blast,” she added, grabbing Elsie by the wrist and pulling her to the door. Elsie squeaked but offered little complaint as she and Cate slipped through the door that separated the main front of the club from the back area they occupied. Li stretched languidly and stared up at an awkwardly shuffling Jazz.

  “Mm. Well, where are the other Hellcats?” she inquired softly.

  “Lupe and Angel had a family arrangement. Mica is probably taking care of her mom. They’ll be back in a few hours, I guess,” she said, meeting Li’s gaze. The smaller woman sat up, offering Jazz a sultry little wink before pulling her shirt off over her head. Jazz’s mouth hung slightly agape, and Li giggled, grabbing the front of the other woman’s jeans, and pulling her closer.

  “You’re serious about this?” Jazz inquired, hips giving a weak little jerk as Li began to fiddle with the button on her jeans.

  “Well, I need a little guidance. I’ve never…” Li trailed off and cleared her throat. “I’ve never actually been with another woman. Or even considered it before I met you,” she said, smiling awkwardly. She drew her hands back, looking momentarily unsure of herself. “I understand if you’re not interested, though, I mean, considering,” she offered, averting her eyes.

  “You’re the most beautiful woman I have met in my entire life.” Jazz said softly, smiling tenderly as Li reddened and peeked up at her. “But first things first. Let me take care of you,” she said authoritatively. She dropped to her knees, reaching behind Li to unclasp her bra. Li shuddered as her breasts were exposed, feeling suddenly self-conscious. She attempted to cover herself, but Jazz grabbed her gently by the wrists and pressed her back against the pillow. “No hiding,” she murmured, leaning in to press a tender kiss beneath Li’s ear. Li squirmed, her breath hitching as Jazz continued to kiss her, forging a path down the side of her neck.

  Suddenly, sharp teeth pricked her skin, and Jazz began to suck and lick at the place she’d marked. Li groaned, tangling a hand in Jazz’s hair and thrusting her chest towards her. Taking the hint, Jazz enveloped one of her breasts with a large hand, gently tweaking and stroking a nipple to attention. Li gasped as Jazz dragged her tongue down and away from her neck, lavishing her neglected nipple with tender licks. Li rolled her hips continually, gasping for breath as her skin grew flushed. With a firm hand on her hip and a soft nip to her nipple, Li cried out as the first, small orgasm rocked her body. Jazz smirked against her, pinning her hips to the ground and pulling away from her chest.

  “I like…I thought you would be sorta rough,” Li gasped, staring up at her new lover. Jazz quirked a brow, slowly working her way back down Li’s body. Li squeezed her eyes shut as Jazz palmed the front of her jeans, rubbing her through the thick material. Li whined softly, mouth hanging open as she pressed against the touch.

  “I wonder if you’re as tight as the skinny jeans you wear,” Jazz proposed, and the smaller woman gave a little shudder as Jazz’s hands made swift work of unbuttoning and unzipping. After a gentle tug, her jeans slid off her hips and down her legs to be cast to the side. Jazz pressed a finger to the wet spot on the front of her panties, chuckling warmly as she jerked against the touch. “So wet,” she purred, lowering her head and deeply inhaling her partner’s scent. Li gasped as her panties were nudged to the side, and thick fingers began to gently slide along her slit. Jazz took her sweet time in parting Li’s outer lips, leaning in and swiping her tongue against the engorged bundle of nerves that strained for her attention. “Soon,” she whispered, resting her cheek against Li’s thigh and slipping a finger inside her. Li cried out in pleasure at the intrusion, clenching her fists at her side.

  “More. Please,” she managed to force out and was rewarded by a second finger curling into her. Jazz took a moment to enjoy the expression of sweet ecstasy on her lover’s face and pressed her palm against Li’s clit as she began to thrust her fingers. Li grinded shamelessly against the proffered hand, her inner walls clenching around the sweet intruders. Just as she dreamed: fingers curled, pressing in that oh-so-right spot until she was seeing stars. “Jazz, oh god,” she cried out, thighs locking together around Jazz’s hand. Jazz continued to move her fingers in a slight curling motion, intending to drag out the other woman’s orgasm for as long as possible. Li all but screamed her name, her entire body tensing before going limp. Jazz eased her fingers out of the other woman’s dripping core, bringing her fingers to he
r lips and sucking them into her mouth. Li peeked an eye open upon hearing the lewd sucking sounds and groaned in agonizing arousal at the sight. Jazz rumbled a laugh, which was cut short when Li launched herself toward her, pinning Jazz to the ground and pressing their lips together in a heated kiss. Li could taste herself on the other woman’s tongue. She slid her hand under the front of Jazz’s shirt and gently caressed the woman’s pronounced abs. “Jesus fucking Christ, you’re a goddess,” Li murmured, jerking the larger woman’s shirt off with a flourish.

  “Here I was, thinking the same about you,” Jazz said and grinned, reaching behind herself to aid Li’s clumsy fingers in unclasping her bra.

  “It’s harder when it’s on another person,” Li whined, tossing the bra aside as if the garment had offended her. Before that moment, Li had never considered another woman’s breasts. At least, not like this. This, the sight of Jazz laid out like a feast before her had the blood rushing to her loins. She ducked her head, dragging her tongue along the swell of her new lover’s breasts. She wasn’t entirely sure what to do. She knew what she liked, but Jazz was so much more experienced. However, the long moan that spilled past Jazz’s lips as Li worshipped her breasts was more than enough of an incentive for the smaller girl to continue. She knew she couldn’t draw out an orgasm just from playing with the other woman’s breasts—god, how did Jazz even do that? She didn’t have time to linger on that thought as she kissed her way down the blonde goddess’ body, biting and sucking all the way. She wanted to leave her mark, prove that Jazz was thankfully and blessedly hers. She briefly fumbled with the button on Jazz’s jeans before having a Eureka moment and managing to yank yet another garment off with little preamble.

  “Someone’s eager,” Jazz panted. Li answered with a short growl. As skin was revealed, Li bit the supple flesh of Jazz’s hip, pressing a hand between the larger woman’s thighs. She thoroughly explored what was presented to her, grabbing Jazz’s ass in her small hands and guiding the woman’s hips to her mouth. Jazz opened her mouth to speak, but her brain seemed to short-circuit as Li’s tongue found her clit. Apparently, her time with men had done little to teach Li about foreplay, but Jazz idly mused that they would have time for that later. There was something about the sense of urgency behind every swipe of Li’s tongue that sent her mind reeling. All at once and far too quickly, her orgasm washed over her, and she moaned the other woman’s name. Li made a show of sensually lapping up every drop that spilled from Jazz’s core, and the larger woman almost came again just at the sight. She pressed her thighs together, however, and Li climbed up her body, meeting her with a kiss.

  “That was…” Li started, and Jazz took her hesitation as a cue to interject.

  “Amazing? Outstanding? Awesome? Mind-blowing?” she supplied. Li smiled goofily, resting her cheek on Jazz’s shoulder.

  “Yeah,” she murmured. Jazz rumbled a laugh, quieting down as Li moved to get comfortable at her side. The smaller woman looked entirely exhausted, though Jazz couldn’t quite blame her after the day she’d had.

  “Go to sleep, babe. I’ll be here when you wake up,” Jazz murmured soothingly. For the first time in a long while, Li felt safe as she drifted off.

  ***

  When the other Hellcats began to trickle back into the hideout, Cate made a crude comment about opening a window to let the aroma of their affair out. Jazz snickered but shushed the smaller woman and gestured to a still-snoozing Li.

  “What a lightweight,” Cate snorted, moving to rummage through the refrigerator. Elsie smiled gently at Jazz and waved off the other woman.

  “Don’t mind Cate. She’s just mad because she doesn’t have the stamina to outlast me. I think it’s sweet. You’re absolutely radiant,” Elsie assured their leader. Mica was the third to return, looking on at the scene with a somewhat incredulous gaze before shrugging her shoulders and smiling cheerfully.

  “Way to hit it, boss,” she said softly and approached Jazz to slap her a high-five. Jazz felt somewhat chagrined that she didn’t have somewhere more private to take her lover, but at least she felt safe surrounded by her gang, her friends. Angel and Lupe were the last to make their way back to the hideout, drunk and touting wine they’d brought from their family affair.

  “Seems like we have plenty to celebrate,” Lupe called, and Li stirred slightly. She peeked an eye open and gasped, pulling the blanked Jazz had draped over her more tightly around herself.

  “Hey, don’t worry. It’s nothing we didn’t see the first time we met you,” Cate teased, and Li stuck her tongue out at the other woman, burying her face in the pillow and covering her head up with the blanket.

  “Sorry, baby, I don’t really have a place. Besides here,” Jazz offered awkwardly.

  “It’s okay,” Li’s replied, her voice muffled by the blanket. Angel and Lupe joined Jazz at a table and shoved the bottle of wine toward her.

  “So, dish. How’d she get here? Seems like we went away for the day for no reason. Everyone’s in tip-top shape,” Angel said and grinned.

  “Except for her,” Cate muttered, gesturing towards Li. “Turns out she’s not so bad. Got her ass beat for our honor. Well, Jazz’s honor. Real romantic, those two,” she continued. Li groaned melodramatically, and Jazz rolled her eyes at Cate’s antics.

  “More or less,” Jazz admitted when the three previously-absent females looked toward her. “She could have gotten out of a beating if she had given away our location. She decided not to. So here we are. Which brings me to my next point, now that you guys are back,” she said and paused to pop open the bottle of wine and take a long drink. She could feel the eyes of every person in the room watching her, including Li, who apparently had decided to come out from her hiding place. “Hey, Mica, do you have some clothes she can borrow?” Jazz inquired, and the Hellcat in question snorted in response.

  “Hey, I dunno. I kinda like her like this,” Mica said and grinned, slapping Cate a high-five. Elsie narrowed her eyes toward Cate, who held her hands up in an attempt to placate her lover.

  “Well, she is pretty hot,” Cate offered. Elsie rolled her eyes and grabbed Li by the arm to guide her to a back corner of the room.

  “Here, honey, you can go through my clothes. Should be a good fit for ya,” Elsie said and smiled before rummaging through a pile of clothes. She winked at Jazz, and Li stood awkwardly beside her for a moment before beginning to dig through the pile as well.

  “I hope you guys have quarters for the laundromat,” Li muttered. Jazz chuckled before gesturing for the Hellcats remaining at the table to get closer.

  “So. My next point: wiping out the Dogs of War for good. They’ve been nothing but trouble for the Hellcats for years. I know we discussed this after Jane…after Jane was killed. But we didn’t have the resources then. I think—” Jazz started, but Cate cut her off.

  “I’m in,” Cate interrupted, resting her chin on her hand. She glanced toward Li and Elsie who seemed to be pretending to have a montage to pick out an outfit for Li. Elsie was even supplying the music. Cate rolled her eyes, smiling goofily at the back of Elsie’s head and glancing back to Jazz. “Things are hitting too close to home,” she said, reddening at the knowing look in her fellow gang members’ eyes. “Jane was bad enough, but I don’t…I can’t imagine losing Elsie,” she murmured.

  “What did you say about me?” Elsie called from across the room, and Cate stiffened before calling back.

  “Just talking about your great ass, babe,” she replied, receiving an indignant look. She lowered her voice and said, “Anyway, you guys get the idea. For some of us, this is all we got. I can’t imagine losing any one of you. We gotta deal with this problem before it gets worse.” Jazz gave Cate an encouraging smile.

  “Yeah, we’re in. No question. What’s with the secrecy, though?” Lupe inquired, inching the bottle of wine closer to herself. Jazz looked mildly chagrined, and grabbed the bottle before Lupe could fully grasp it, taking another long drink. Lupe narrowed her eyes, but her expression grew che
erful when Jazz handed her the bottle.

  “I don’t want Li to get any more involved than she already is. She’s risked life and limb for us, and she didn’t even really know us,” Jazz muttered.

  “Yeah, chick, but she knows you pretty intimately now,” Cate said and grinned, wagging her eyebrows. Jazz rolled her eyes and watched Li as she pulled on a new outfit. It wasn’t the other woman’s usual style, but Jazz found it suited her small lover rather well.

  “Yeah, which is part of the reason for the secrecy. If she was willing to go to such lengths before, what do you think she’d do now if she thought I was getting my big ass into trouble?” Jazz asked. The Hellcats shared a laugh, quieting down as Li glanced in their direction. Elsie was quick to distract her, however, going on a tangent about how cute she looked in that outfit.

  “So, what’s the plan?” Angel inquired, grabbing the bottle of wine from her sister. The two briefly bickered over the bottle before Lupe grudgingly handed it over.

  “We hit them tomorrow. They’re expecting Li to come and give them a report tomorrow evening, so they won’t be expecting a visit from us. We carry guns, and we shoot to kill,” Jazz said. The other women’s eyes widened.

  Cate leaned in, whispering urgently, “We could do serious time for this, J.” Jazz nodded, eyes never leaving Li’s slender form as she struck various poses for Elsie.

  “And we will definitely die if we don’t nip this in the bud. I don’t see any other options. The mongrels have to die before they get one over on us,” Jazz said, though she didn’t seem particularly happy about the situation. Elsie grabbed Li by the arm, shooting Jazz an inquisitive glance. Jazz inclined her head slightly, and Elsie dragged Li over to the other Hellcats. Li draped herself across Jazz’s shoulder, pressing a kiss to the gang leader’s temple.