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Note: You gotta read this… Chapter 11 on Friday.

Please read chapters one, two, three, four, five, six, seven, eight, and nine if you haven’t already.

After five years, Daisy Sawyer has finally come home. Not that she’s too happy about it. She had a great life in LA: rubbing elbows with celebrities, hopping from one exclusive bar to the other, and best of all, she didn’t have to answer to anyone. But when a drunken night of partying lands her in jail, the only person she can count on is her estranged brother, Alec, the leader of a powerful were-leopard clan. Forced to choose between a prison sentence or face the life she abandoned years ago, Daisy returns… but she doesn’t have to like it…

Christian LeBeau owes Alec Sawyer his life. He will do anything for the man, even babysit his bratty baby sister. But Christian never imagined that Daisy could grow up to be so beautiful… and forbidden in more ways than one. His mind tells him she is the one woman he can never have, but his body refuses to listen. All he has to do is take care of Daisy until Alec finds her a proper were-leopard to marry, then Chris could wash his hands of her and get on with his life… but fate seems to have other plans.

And now, I present to you… Chasing Daisy…

Chapter Ten

Christian kept Daisy’s hand in his own, even as she tried to pull it away. If Alec noticed their linked hands, he didn’t say anything nor did he indicate that he cared one way or the other. His eyes were locked onto Daisy, wary and alert. He had the look of a man who was expecting his sister to take off her clothes and dance the can-can in front of his guest. Daisy was aware of her brother’s scrutiny and seemed to be trying her best to ignore it. Christian could feel the tension vibrating within Daisy’s body; she was as taut as a bow string. But there was something else, too. Desire. She was attracted to the were-lion and the very thought of it made him want to launch himself across the elegant spread of the dinner table and wipe the smirk off the shifter’s face with a well-placed punch.

Marcus Hargrove was one of the suitors he had personally vetted. On the surface, Hargrove seemed like a good candidate. He was wealthy—the CEO of his family’s real estate development business—intelligent, and ruthless. At the age of fourteen, he took over as the Chieftain of his pride after assassinating his own father who had gone mad. At thirty-five, he had never been married, which was odd, considering the importance his people placed upon family and producing strong, worthy heirs. Both Christian and Alec had toured the lion’s stronghold and Christian noted to himself more than to Alec that there were plenty of eligible lionesses from which Hargrove could take his pick. But instead, he had reached out all the way to California. And outside his own species. Could the Chieftain find no one who would marry him? Not that Christian was able to find any evidence of it since no one in the pride was willing to talk to him. Try as he might, he could not find any dirt on him. That kind of cloak-and-dagger shit made him twitchy.

“It is a pleasure to meet you, sir,” Daisy said primly, executing a perfect curtsy.

The Chieftain bowed in response. “The pleasure is mine, Ms. Sawyer.”

Christian slid the woman next to him a sidelong glance. What the hell? This was not the Daisy who had told him repeatedly to fuck off and almost broke his spine just yesterday using the power of her mind. Had she been given a lobotomy when he wasn’t looking? He had been half-expecting her to flip her middle finger at the dinner party before storming off and locking herself in her room. Never in his wildest dreams did he think she would pull this lady of the manor bullshit. What the hell was she planning? He squeezed her hand and she glared at him in response. She attempted to yank her hand out of his grip again and this time, he let her go, pulling out a chair for her on the left side of her brother. Nodding at both men, Daisy sat down, prompting Alec and the Chieftain to do the same. Excusing himself quietly, he was about to leave when Alec called him back.

“LeBeau, won’t you join us for dinner? Come, take the seat next to my sister.” Alec gestured to the space next to Daisy, then turned to the Chieftain. “You’ve met Christian LeBeau already, haven’t you? He’s my right hand man. He takes care of my sister. and keeps her out of trouble.”

The Chieftain smiled at Daisy. “But I’m sure Ms. Sawyer is no trouble at all. If I were her bodyguard, I wouldn’t even want to be paid for the job. The pleasure of her company would be enough compensation.”

Christian stared at the lion in disbelief. How could he have said such a thing with a straight face? The Daisy he knew would laugh at him and possibly come up with some snappy retort about buying a book to improve his pick-up lines. Or something snarkier, guaranteed to cut into the lion and shut him down. Christian shot a look at Daisy to see her reaction, but she seemed to be busy sliding her napkin out of its ring, slowly unfolding it, and spreading it out on her lap. He was tempted to put his hand on her shoulder and give her a little shake. Where was the fire, the fury that he had come to expect from her?

“Chris?” Alec said, motioning toward the seat again.

His first instinct was to say no. He had pack members to interrogate and people to shake up. Actually, he had copious notes to pore over and recorded interviews to listen to, in hopes they would yield a clue as to the identity of the sick fucker slaughtering the leopard females. He had his entire evening planned: spend a couple of hours in his room looking over the meager evidence they had and maybe watch some hockey on TV afterward while listening for Daisy to head out for her run. He thought it was a good, solid plan. It certainly beat watching Daisy make calf-eyes at the lion, while attempting to choke down every bite of the steak Alfred had prepared for dinner. Knowing the factotum, the serving was sure to be excessive and bloody.

He fought to keep down the bile as Alfred dropped a giant platter of meat in the middle of the table.

He couldn’t abide eating anything that once possessed a soul or a consciousness. His people respected the sanctity of life, thus they only ate what nature generously provided: fruits, nuts, and vegetables. Even the smell of meat, raw or cooked, was enough to make him want to vomit. He glanced surreptitiously at Daisy. She had piled her plate full of asparagus, potatoes, and corn, ignoring the big slab of bleeding beef in front of her. He saw that the Chieftain was watching as Daisy gathered her food. If the lion thought it was odd that the carnivore he was courting seemed to be grazing like a bored cow rather than chowing down, his face didn’t show it. Instead, he looked amused. Alec, on the other hand, froze with his fork halfway to his mouth and frowned at his sister.

Christian wondered why Daisy had decided to become a vegetarian. Did she truly have an aversion to eating meat or was it just another rebellious trick on her part designed to annoy her brother? He tried not to stare as Daisy slipped a spear of asparagus between her full, pink lips. The lion, however, was now gawking at Daisy as though he was considering skipping the main course and going straight for dessert. Christian counted in his head how many shifter protocols he would be violating if he chose to snap the lion in half and wondered why he didn’t care as much as he thought he would. But instead he forced himself to focus on spreading his napkin on his lap and filling up his plate.

He suppressed a shudder as Alfred slapped a smaller, yet still generous slab of meat on his plate. Their eyes met for a brief moment. The factotum knew everything. It was why he had started serving vegetarian dishes. He couldn’t have cared less if Christian starved—meat with a side of meat was all the factotum had served before Daisy came along—but now there were three or four entrees that Daisy could choose from. It was what Christian had suspected all along: the silent, robotic factotum was secretly fond of Daisy.

“Is there something wrong with the steak, my sister?” Alec asked softly.

Daisy, who was cutting her potatoes into cubes, stopped and looked at her brother. “I wouldn’t know.” She stabbed a cube with her fork and popped it into her mouth. “I don’t eat meat.”

The Chieftain glanced at Daisy, his blue eyes sparkling. When he smiled, his big white teeth reminded Christian of Chiclets.

“You’re a carnivore,” Alec said as though speaking to a small child. “It is in your nature to eat meat.”

Daisy picked up an asparagus and chomped it in half. “The leopard can eat all the meat it wants, but I don’t have to.”

Alec’s eyebrows drew together in a knot. “You are the leopard.”

“And you are the asshole, but somehow you also manage to be Alec Sawyer,” Daisy retorted. She frowned as though reconsidering her words. “Or Alec Sawyer is an asshole. I always get those two confused.”

Awkward silence quickly descended upon the dining room. His dinner forgotten, the lion sat back against his chair and watched the two siblings, staring at Daisy one moment before switching his attention to Alec in the next. Daisy ignored her brother’s glare and returned to her plate, forming a fort of asparagus and spinach around her potatoes. Christian pushed his steak with the back of his fork. Daisy had insulted her Alpha in front of another Alpha. It was an unforgivable offense, punishable in most packs by death or banishment. Alec will do neither to his sister, but Christian couldn’t help but wonder nevertheless about how Alec would punish Daisy. The thought of it alone made him grip his fork until the metal threatened to bend in his hand. Above their heads the chandelier shook and the lights flickered.

It was the lion’s roar of laughter that broke the tension in the room. “Your sister certainly has spirit, Sawyer. I like that in a female.”

A smile tugged at Daisy’s lips as her gaze swept over the man in front of her. “May I ask you something, my lord?”

Christian heard Alec’s sharp inhale. He looked at him just as Alec picked up the glass of amber-colored liquid in front of him and downed it in one gulp.

“Anything, my angel,” the lion replied.

“Why would you look to another species for a bride?” Daisy demanded. “Don’t get me wrong, I love all the colors of the rainbow and I’m all about equal opportunity loving, but would your pride even accept a female that isn’t a lion?”

Christian considered grabbing the whiskey decanter from Alec just so he could pour some for himself. Alec had resumed attacking his steak as though he were determined to eat his weight in cow. Christian poked at his own steak with the tines of his fork.

“My pride knows that I only want what’s best for us,” the lion replied smoothly. “They will approve of the match, if only because I am their Chieftain. They will accept the female I choose for a mate.”

Daisy chewed on the tip of an asparagus, then pointed it at the lion. “Even if she’s not one of them?”

“The elders believe that the child resulting from the mating of two different animals will prove to be stronger, faster,” the lion said. “It is good to throw in something new into the gene pool once in a while.”

Daisy was quiet for a moment as though she was thinking about what the lion had said. “Then why would you choose me? I don’t know if my brother had disclosed this to you, but I have a little bit of a substance abuse problem. I’m probably not the best candidate for breeding.”

The lion’s eyes glimmered. “Why not? You’re beautiful, obviously intelligent, and a descendant of a powerful feline family. I’d be a fool not to consider you for my mate.”

“Perfect for a broodmare, then,” Daisy replied, idly twirling her fork in the air. “Expected to do nothing but lie down, spread my legs, and squeeze out kittens for you. Hmm… tempting.”

Christian spared a glance at Alec who had begun to cough violently. The factotum, standing only a few feet behind him, was at his side in an instant and smacking him right between the shoulder blades. A ball of chewed up beef flew out of his mouth and landed on the mountain of mashed potatoes that Daisy had created on her plate. Her mouth twisted in disgust and she pushed the plate away from her, covering it with her napkin. The lion, on the other hand, continued to stare at Daisy as though she were the most fascinating thing he had ever seen. Christian considered jamming his steak knife into his own eye. The sharp point of the knife glittered at him.

Outside, the storm continued to rage on, rattling the windows and pelting the pane with fat drops of rain. The dining room was plunged into darkness as the lights went out. In the opaque blackness that surrounded him, Christian could hear Daisy’s harsh breathing and the growl that underscored it. She was close to changing. He could feel the leopard attempting to claw its way out as though it were trapped in his own body. Could feel its fury, its frustration.

There was an answering growl from across the table. The lion could sense the leopard emerging and wanted to play. Christian gritted his teeth. His shoulders tightened and his legs tensed up. He could easily take the Chieftain and Alec, too, if he had to. But there was no going back once he did. He couldn’t afford to engage either of them now.

Beside him, Daisy inhaled audibly. He reached out for her hand and wrapped his fingers around hers. Though she was resistant at first, she soon stopped trying to pull her hand away and threaded her own fingers through his. In another moment, her pulse quieted and her breathing slowed. All of the lights slowly blinked on.

“I didn’t realize this part of the country experienced such harsh weather in this time of year,” the lion remarked casually.

“It doesn’t,” Alec replied with a frown. He shifted his glare to Daisy’s hand which was clasped within Christian’s own and his frown deepened. “It was actually supposed to be a nice and clear tonight.”

“I had a relative who was very powerful,” the lion said. “Her moods and feelings affected the weather itself. I remember, when I was a child, an instance when she was very angry at my father. A freak storm tore through our county and caused an old tree to fall on our house.”

He was looking at Daisy as he said it, so Christian had no doubt he was talking about her. He had heard about weres who possessed powers beyond the wildest dream of a sorcerer; the reason for it was not known. Some believed it was from blood-mixing, but some were just “blessed” with skills that others weren’t. He encountered a were once who was able to create fire with his mind. He himself could influence the weather. When it had first started to rain, he had believed it was his own doing as his moods had been swinging from dark to bleak. This storm, accompanied by thunders that shook the house and lightning that slashed across the sky, was not his to claim.

“I rather doubt this storm was caused by anyone in this house,” Alec said with a chuckle. “There are no magicians or conjurers here.”

“That you know of.” The lion leveled his blue gaze on Christian. “What is your background, Mr. Lebeau?” His eyes shone with shrewdness. “I must admit, I can’t even tell what kind of were you are and I’ve always been confident in my ability to be able to do that.” He shifted his attention to Alec. “How about it, Sawyer, won’t you tell me about this man guarding your sister?”

Though Daisy had glared at the lion, she was soon staring at Christian with interest. Christian did not return her scrutiny. Instead, he looked at his old friend and wondered what he would tell the lion about him. Alec did not know everything about him after all.

“Lebeau’s reputation with me is sacrosanct,” Alec replied. “I would trust the man with my own life. As for his background, I know enough of it, but it’s not something I will disclose to you. I beg your pardon, Chieftain, but I do believe the man is entitled to his privacy.”

Daisy looked at her brother, one eyebrow raised archly. “Do you know what he is?”

He didn’t know. He couldn’t know.

“Is it important?” Alec shot back.

“Not at all.” Daisy picked up her glass of merlot and took a tiny sip. “I have always wanted a were-panda of my very own.” She drained her wine in one long swallow and stood up. “Now if you’ll excuse me, this dinner has gotten very boring. I believe I will now retire to my chamber and watch some Law & Order.”

“Sit down, Daisy,” Alec said.

Alec’s tone was weary, but there was fury that simmered just below the surface. His eyes flashed, the olive dissolving into a deep molten gold. Beside Christian, Daisy had become absolutely still and still he could sense her leopard. He could picture it in his head, the dangerous feline pacing in its cage, desperately seeking a way out. A bead of sweat formed on Daisy’s temple and slid down her cheek. She was in pain. And he couldn’t do a damned thing about it.

And yet, after sparing him a quick glance, she returned to her seat, folding her hands on her lap.

“Thank you,” Alec replied, studying his sister briefly before returning to his food. After surveying what was left on his plate, he pushed it away with his finger, then looked up. “Who’s ready for dessert?”

Just as Alfred was setting down a serving dish filled with little tarts and other assorted sweets, Daisy released a wail that felt like razor blades on Christian’s skin. The legs of her chair scraped against the floor as she shoved it back against the table, her body curling in obvious pain. Her mouth opened in a silent scream as her dark hair retreated into her scalp only to be replaced by a golden yellow fur with black and brown spots, which soon enough covered her entire body. Her bones broke and snapped into place, her torso transforming into the long, lean body of the leopard.

“She’s changing,” the Chieftain said in amazement.

“No shit, Sherlock.” Alec dropped to his knees on the floor beside his sister. When he tried to touch her shoulder, her jaws snapped shut a mere inch from his fingers, almost severing them.

Now fully changed, the tattered remnants of her white dress surrounding her like wilted rose petals, the leopard released a roar that rattled the windows and the chandelier.

“It’s all right, chaton,” Christian murmured, holding out his hand for the leopard to sniff.

“I wouldn’t do that, friend,” the Chieftain said. “This beauty of a cat looks ready to pounce.”

Christian ignored him and gingerly placed his hand on the leopard’s head. Its amber eyes evaluated him carefully, as though it were trying to decide whether it wanted to swallow him whole or tear out his throat. Christian stroked its left ear, then brought up his other hand to cover its right ear as he scooted closer to it, whispering little phrases in French in an effort to keep it calm. The leopard seemed to be listening, allowing him to get even closer until they were face to face.

He ran his hand along the leopard’s smooth flank as it continued to stare at him. Its pink tongue flicked out and touched its black nose. He closed his eyes, chanted under his breath, and cupped the leopard’s jaw between his hands. He called to Daisy’s life-force, attempted to seek the silver cord that bound them together, but he could not sense it. Whatever made Daisy who she was—the sparkle in her eyes, that lilting laugh that tickled his insides—was deeply buried inside the leopard. The woman who antagonized his dreams day and night had ceased to exist for the moment.

To be continued…

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Dionne Galace lives in San Diego, California, just a few minutes away from the beach. She enjoys body-surfing, swimming, hiking, and trolling around comic book stores. She is a huge fan of The X-Files and lives in hope that she will see Mulder and Scully get married… in any shape or form. She is not a fan of hulabaloos or tomfooleries, but is quite fond of shenanigans. She is currently working on a kickass YA novel that somebody, anybody should buy already… ’cause it’s kickass. Ask Shuzluva.

Stealing is not cool. Ask Jane from Dear Author, if you don’t believe me. Props to April Martinez for the fabulous cover. She is one talented, gorgeous babe. Join me in giving her a terrorist fist jab over these internets.

Note: Hey, other writer-types, do you want to contribute to The Serial? If so, holla at yo gurl and I’ll hook you up, yo.

Till, then… Love, peace, and snarkage, my babies. Peace!

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