Dire Warning WC0.5 by Stephanie Tyler Page A

a witch experiment with her familiar gone awry, hence their giant nature, and some said it was a witch’s curse on humanity for the Salem Witch Trials, but since the big cat shifters all hated witches, they were okay in Vice’s book.
    “Wanna run?” Vice asked. He could kill two birds with one stone.
    “Meet you in the woods by the school in an hour,” she told him as Cain came toward them. “Don’t be late.”
    “Never.”
    Cain looked at Katya as she passed and just raised a brow.
    “Rifter doesn’t need to know about this,” Vice said as they walked out of the bar toward Vice’s truck.
    “Didn’t see a thing,” Cain said as he climbed into the passenger’s side. “But seriously, we’ve got nothing. Maybe we should shift and hunt? Because I sure as shit can’t get a trail.”
    “Because there’s not one,” Vice said. “This is all a dead end. The murder’s a one-off, which means it’s personal.”
    “How do you know that?”
    “With humans, it always is.”
    “Stray said Cyd’s still looking for the tape,” Cain said.
    “I’ll drop you at the PNR house and you can wait and take it from him if he finds it. I’ll run home,” Vice said. Cain wisely didn’t mention the lioness, just took Vice’s clothing as the Dire shifted and ran the forty miles back toward the woods near their house.
    “Right on time,” Katya said. She’d waited to shift until Vice showed and they made sure they were alone. Then she stripped as his Brother Wolf howled with appreciation, because the lioness was gorgeous in human form—curvy with tawny skin, her hair waving down her back––and Vice almost shifted back to take her then and there.
    But Katya was too quick, and she and Brother Wolf had a nice long run through the dense woods, farther than Katya was allowed to go by herself, based on the rules their queen, Queen Cat, had laid out.
    Later, after they’d shifted back, they lay together on a blanket Katya had brought, neither affected by the cold air.
    “You’re looking into the murder of that human female, right?” she asked.
    “Maybe.”
    “Such a boy scout.” Katya rubbed her cheek to his.
    “That’s me.” He turned on his back and stared at the night sky. “What’ve you heard?”
    “Just that we’re supposed to be extra careful until it’s all resolved. Queen Cat said the humans might have evidence that Weres exist.”
    “We’ll take care of it.” He rolled back over, this time, directly onto her.
    “Bet you will, wolf.”
    “Damned humans,” he muttered.
    “Humans aren’t all bad.” But she wrinkled her nose as she said it. “I mean, I’m not into them, but I guess everyone experiments outside their pride.”
    “True that.” His gaze swept over her naked body and she giggled.
    The others , as they were all known as, could just withstand more. Hurricanes, snowstorms—they dealt with it all by going to higher or warmer or safer ground, no big deal. They could make their lives anywhere, and being nomadic definitely had its advantages. They were faster, stronger, lived a long time.
    But Vice didn’t want to think any longer, and Katya was quick to give into his kiss. Soft fur had given way to the softest skin and Vice bucked into her, losing himself in the wildness of the sex. He would have bite marks and scratches everywhere when all was said and done, and he wouldn’t be satisfied, but in the moment, he could pretend. And so he did.
    It was slow and sensual with Katya rolling him to be on top, where she’d never get to be with her own breed. Vice had grinned the first time she’d told him where she wanted to be and he’d invited her to take a Dire for a ride.
    Now, she rocked her body against his, with his cock buried deep inside of her and his fingers digging into the soft flesh of her hips. Her entire body hummed with pleasure, a vibration that went straight to his dick.
    So much better than looking for human murderers or Weres. So much better than anything.
    Katya bit