Free Rogue Shifter [High-Country Shifters 3] by Melody Snow Monroe Page A

a piece and popped it in his mouth. His eyes closed as if he’d just stepped one foot closer to heaven. She picked up a small ball like the one he’d tried and tasted it. “Mmm. This is good.”
    Malik whispered in her ear. “Not as good as your pussy tastes.”
    Oh, my God . He so did not just say that. Heat raced up her face. At least his comment confirmed what they’d be doing after dinner.
    Cavon insisted on paying for the meal. Cal Martin wouldn’t have paid him after Cavon only worked one day, but she figured his pride prevented him from using Lara’s card or hers. He was truly a one-of-a-kind man.
    Malik stood and pulled out her chair. “Thank you, Master.” She winked.
    He leaned over. “I think we can dispense with the formality tonight.”
    Just thinking about what delicious events were about to unfold, her pussy nearly exploded. They stepped outside, and the balmy evening seeped into her soul. There was a hint of cedar in the air, but it was intermittently mixed with something else, probably the garbage behind the restaurant. As they passed the alley, a man in a white apron was shooing away about five cats from the dumpster.
    Her heart went out to them. “Poor little kitties are hungry.”
    Malik grinned. “Wait here.”
    Cavon looked up, and from his expression he was sending out some kind of warning to his brother. Damned this telepathy stuff. “What did you say to him?”
    “Be careful.”
    “You know what he’s up to?” At least Cavon wasn’t trying to stop Malik, so it couldn’t be too bad.
    “Yes.” He walked her passed the entrance to the alley. They stopped and peeked around the corner. “Just watch. This should be good.”
    Every time the cook would sweep a kitten away from the spoiled food, another one would come in and jump on the garbage. The man picked up the downed bags and tossed them into the open smelly dumpster. That seemed to prompt the cats to climb on top.
    “Shoo.” The worker waved his broom again, but the cats seemed unfazed.
    Out of nowhere a huge lion jumped from behind the dumpster. The man let out a shriek, and Amy had to clamp a hand over her mouth to keep from laughing out loud. The man brandished the broom in Malik’s face. If this had been a real mountain lion, she bet that would have been the man’s last act.
    Instead of scaring the poor guy, Malik roared at the kittens, faced the man, and whimpered. He tucked his tail between his legs and raced off. The poor cook dropped to the ground. At least the little kitties heeded Malik’s warning and charged off.
    She had to step away from the alley before she gave away her presence. She plastered her back against the wall and wiped the tears from her eyes. “That was the funniest thing I’ve seen.”
    As casual as could be, Malik rounded the corner in front of the restaurant and sauntered toward them. Once he reached her, he kissed her. “Like the show?”
    “It was too much fun. No one got hurt, but you do need to be careful. You never know how some people will react. That cook could have a gun stashed on him.”
    He winked. “I guess I’ll have to watch my step.”
    Not wanting to alert the cook that anyone had caught him being confronted by a lion, they hurried down the street.
    Three kids crossed the street and shouted. “Malik.”
    She recognized one of them as the boy who Malik had given advice to.
    “Hey, Jeremy. Practice any of the moves I told you about?”
    The kid glanced at her and Cavon. A few seconds passed. “They know,” Malik said.
    She kept forgetting about the shifters’ ability to communicate without speaking. Her fists unclenched.
    “The three of us have been discussing tactics.” Jeremy turned to Cavon. “Your friend is an incredible fighter.”
    Cavon smiled. “I know.”
    “Malik showed the three of us some really good moves this afternoon.” The other two boys grinned and nodded their heads.
    Now she was confused. “Malik, you saw these boys today?”
    He told her how he