Chapter One

The females leapt on each other, their slim, sexy bodies intertwined. They were young, energetic and enjoying the hell out of themselves. Sleek, aggressive, they fell to the ground, rolling over each other as they growled and nipped at one another.

Race Ogden remained unnoticed, hidden in the trees and shadows. He controlled urges that pumped furiously through his veins. As long as the winter breeze continued from the north, they wouldn’t pick up his scent. Which was a damn good thing. The smell of his lust and carnal desire smelled thicker than anything else around him.

All three females were perfect, gorgeous and primed for the taking. They were wound up, frisky and attacking each other without hesitating. They rolled around on the cold, hard ground. They all had sleek golden fur and black rosettes that made it hard to tell at times where one female ended and another began. Their claws and white teeth dominated against the dark backdrop surrounding them.

Race fought to calm his raging cravings so that he could smell his surroundings—other than the females and his lust. It was cold and snow was on the way. The frigid temperatures kept the scents in the air crisp, held on to them and didn’t allow them to mingle with each other. He didn’t smell intrusion, but he forced himself to pull his attention from the glorious view before him and look at his surroundings.

The females didn’t know he was there, not that he feared their attack, if anything he craved it. But for now, he would enjoy being a voyeur and allowing the females down time they obviously craved. Although they’d never seen him in his fur before, if any of them got a good whiff of him, they would know who he was. Leopards’ scents were stronger in their fur than in their skin but still the same. Race kept his presence unknown though, a skill he’d mastered over the years as a hunter. The females went to some effort to get away from the leopard sanctuary and enjoy time alone. He would go to the same amount of effort to enjoy one hell of a seductive show.

If another male caught wind of these three while out on a run, the females would get his protection whether they wanted it or not. Times were bad and single females, especially ones as wild and hot as these three, were in danger the moment they stepped outside alone. Hell, if it weren’t for his level of self-control and ability to hide his emotions so they couldn’t be smelled, they wouldn’t give him the time of day in his flesh. None of the three ran with any other leopard when they were in their fur. They were a tight litter, enjoying only their own company.

Race jerked his attention back to the females. Karma Sheridan, the middle littermate, roared, slapping her tail from side to side as she curled her lip and strutted sideways toward her littermates. Before she could pounce once again into the pile, the oldest of the three, Maurie, rammed into her, sending both of them toppling into the youngest, Darla. The three females rolled over each other, looking like a large pile of golden fur with black rosettes and teeth and claws.

If they weren’t the sexiest litter Race ever sniffed out!

Winter so far was nasty fucking bad. They were all shacked up in a group of cabins, a new project set up by one of the other hunters where leopards, or any species, could stay and be guaranteed protection. Not even the hunter or his mate who ran the sanctuary were sure why the females had arrived, but they’d settled in and kept to themselves. Once winter attacked hard, none of them were going anywhere. For several months now while blizzard after blizzard whipped through the place, he watched this female litter, pouncing when he could, and loving it every time they struck back. Normally he hated wintertime, but these females could melt snow. And if he were patient, possibly before spring he could get a piece of tail. If not, he would make sure no one attacked them while they played.

The three females had a secret and maybe that was their reason for coming to the sanctuary. Race doubted anyone else at the cabins realized this, but the three of them saw visions and fought to keep anyone from knowing. If it weren’t for his voyeuristic addictions, he probably wouldn’t have found out. While most leopards bragged that they caught glimpses of the future, whether they did or not, the Sheridan litter did everything in their power to keep anyone from smelling out their secret. Honestly, he didn’t blame them. Lately, rogue leopards were coming out from under rocks, anxious to snag a gifted leopard and take them to Leo Pard, a bastard who was willing to pay cash for leopards, as if he were buying a fucking pet.

Again Race sniffed the air. He was hard as a rock from watching the three females play with each other, although dwelling even for a moment on how fucked-up things were lately turned the air around him spicy with his outrage.

He shifted his gaze, and his muscles worked into a fury as the smell of other leopards was suddenly too strong to miss. The females stilled to stone. They weren’t alone anymore.

Karma shifted, sniffing the air and stepping in front of her littermates. Maurie bit Karma on the shoulder and curled her lip as she grumbled a quiet reprimand. Darla sunk to the ground, her bright golden eyes nervously glancing around at the darkness. But Karma looked ready to attack and kill anything or anyone who moved. He didn’t doubt for a fucking second she’d take a bite out of him if he stepped in to offer protection. As it was, she lunged at her older littermate, refusing to back down, and pushed Maurie and Darla together before again turning to glare at the dark woods around them.

It took more effort than he usually used not to leap out from his hiding place when the snow crunched and several leopards appeared through the trees and strolled toward the females. Race smelled the ugliness building in the air. The rogue males grinned, but the smell of lust mixed too strongly with the pungent odor from greed. He feared their secret wasn’t as well kept as they thought it was. These leopards might have rape on their mind, but they were hard from picturing the reward they expected to get once they turned these females over to Leo Pard. Race had seen it too many times in the past and it made him want to fucking puke that his species had come to this. His own kind would hunt down and sell each other for profit.

Well, no one would capture any of the Sheridan litter tonight. Not while he still breathed.

The wind picked up and blew furiously around Race, forcing the bare branches to rustle against each other. Their scratching sound didn’t tick him off as much as the thick smell of testosterone that damn near made him gag. And kick tail until the mangy punks were knocked down far enough that their egos didn’t stink.

The males moved closer and Race tensed, ready to say fuck to his cover and take out two of them just to show the third one how much he would suffer for sniffing around these three females.

His muscles twitched in his hind legs. Race saw his shot, a clear line between two small saplings where he could leap and land on the closest male. His heart raced and he held his positioning, ready to jump, waiting for just the right moment. This wasn’t the first time he’d scoped out a scene and waited through torturous pain for the exact second when he knew his attack would be victorious. Race always fought with honor and always to kill.

Maybe none of them were his females. But he’d been staying at the sanctuary with them for several months now. They were fighting hard to keep a secret from smelling. Maybe their personal lives weren’t his business, but he’d talked with these females, shared kill with them, and he would protect them. Hell, he’d fuck them too if they gave the slightest indication any of them were interested. Especially Karma. But no matter how hard any male tried getting close to this litter, all they got for their efforts were bloodied and bruised.

Karma growled louder, glaring at the males while standing in front of her younger littermate. Maurie stepped around Karma, swishing her tail from side to side. These females didn’t flirt with any male. Yet Maurie made her intentions so blatantly obvious the males in front of her looked ready to attack for the honor to be the first to enter her. Maurie purred, appearing thrilled that the males wanted her.

What the fuck?

If any leopard described this scene to him he would call them a liar to their face.

Maurie’s scent changed quickly enough that even the frozen night couldn’t keep it from drifting to him with his next breath. She strutted around the males, behaving so differently than usual, he almost worried something was seriously wrong with her. She rubbed against one of them. He growled loudly, very willingly accepting her invitation.

Race looked at the other two males, and then at Karma and Darla. As hot and bothered as Maurie seemed, her littermates stood and watched her blankly. He didn’t smell a single fucking emotion coming off either one of them. That was about as odd as Maurie’s sudden hot-to-trot attitude.

Maurie moved between the males, slapping her tail and strutting like a bitch in heat. The males might not be as stunned as he was, but they were noticeably affected. Single rogue males seldom found a single female anxious and willing to raise her tail for him. Maurie rubbed her fur against one of the males’ muscular side. His eyes glowed and he grew aroused so quickly that Race wasn’t sure how much longer he could stand by and watch.

Something else drifted through the air. These three males weren’t alone. There were other leopards moving in slowly around them. Race wasn’t sure he wanted to see how this scenario played out. Now he knew their time was up. Another second or two and it might be impossible to survive the attack. The females would be gang-raped and then hauled off for the reward money offered when turned over to Leo Pard.

Race had attacked under worse odds before, but every time he was smart enough to attack before the fight lost honor. He wasn’t sure how many more leopards worked their way through the frozen woods, but best to attack while the odds were somewhat in his favor. He got ready to leap, and if he weren’t watching the small party in front of him closely, he might have missed what happened next.

Race stared in disbelief when Maurie turned on the male she snuggled up against. She attacked so quickly, so viciously, that the metallic smell of fresh blood filled the air before Race saw a sticky dark fluid cover the male’s coat. The male collapsed, spasming a couple times as he bled out, before resuming his human form. The other two males gawked like idiots by Maurie’s sudden change of behavior. Karma and Darla took advantage of the moment and sprung into the air before the males could react. The three littermates attacked the other two and killed them before either could howl out a warning.

Holy fucking crap! Race was so damn impressed by their fighting abilities it almost got him hard all over again. Darla jumped on her older littermates. Maurie growled a fierce reprimand, snapping at Darla. Karma nuzzled the younger leopard, glaring at her older littermate while offering Darla a bit of reassuring comfort.

The comfort didn’t last long though, before Karma raised her head and sniffed the air. The females smelled the same thing he did. The other leopards were approaching quickly. Standing over the mutilated bodies and letting the smell of their deaths confuse the issue wasn’t a smart strategic move.

Race almost made his presence known. He needed to get the females out of here. But they headed out, although they weren’t going the right direction. The cabins were behind him, through the trees, and the three females darted to the west, in the opposite direction of the approaching leopards. They tore at the ground with their claws ripping into the frozen land and tearing clumps of hard mud that showered the air behind them.

Race didn’t hesitate. Granted, now the females would attack him, acting before thinking and believing him to be one of the other leopards. One thing being a hunter taught him over the years was to sniff out a leopard in a situation, noting their strengths and weaknesses. He didn’t know the extent of the females’ visions, but he did know that leopards with the gift all saw things at different levels. Maybe the littermates possessed a form of telepathy, which made them almost an invincible force if they could communicate at a level other leopards couldn’t detect.

This wasn’t the first time Race dealt with leopards who saw visions. Although sniffing around the females for several months made this a bit more personal. Lately, word traveled that leopards were sniffing out their own kind—those who had visions. They captured their own kind and then sold them out to one insane motherfucker, who seemed convinced that Earth would be a better place without leopards on it—at least not leopards who ran free and made their own decisions. Pard wanted to own leopards, breed them as he saw fit. None of that would happen while Race was alive.

Events in the past didn’t matter right now. Race was given his name for a reason. The icy chill in the air made his eyes water and a cold mist in the air froze to his fur, but he didn’t give a rat’s ass. He ran full speed, pacing the females easily, and knowing his presence would make them run faster. They would assume he was part of the posse with the three dead leopards, which would make them haul ass faster.

He slid on the hard-packed snow when the females split and ran opposite directions around a lake.

What the fucking hell? Race glanced at the youngest and oldest, Maurie and Darla, as they high-tailed around the embankment of the lake. Karma took off in the other direction. Stupid little female. Granted he’d only spoken to her a few times at the leopard sanctuary, but he could think of a few choice words to growl at her right now. One of them being she was way too fucking hot to be running alone. Especially with the smell of death lingering in the night air. She might think she could take care of herself, but with so many males behind them, she ran with a death wish. If that were the case, she wouldn’t get her wish tonight. He’d fucking see to it.

Tearing around the slick edge, he only took a moment to take in the frozen lake. Anyone who lost their footing at this speed would slide at least to the middle of the iced-over water. He didn’t plan on finding out how frozen the lake was.

The lake was pretty good size though. There better be a damn good reason why Karma suddenly felt the urge to race through the night by herself. Although he was sure by now she knew she wasn’t alone. He watched her shoot a furtive look over her shoulder but return her attention in the direction she ran so she wouldn’t trip and send that hot fucking ass of hers sliding over ice.

As awesome of a view that he had watching her slender and athletic body run at full speed, Race looked ahead of her and breathed in all the scents around them. It was definitely colder than it was when he left his cabin, and the frigid air smelled clean and undisturbed.

Where are you running, little cat? There wasn’t shit around them that he could see, other than the lake and miles of snow-covered ground. Even the trees were sporadic this way.

Karma looked over her shoulder and they made eye contact for a moment. He slowed when she did, and if she were focused, Karma would see he didn’t plan on attacking or she’d be underneath him by now. Not that the idea didn’t have its appeal, but he was here as protector, whether she liked it or not.

As the bank curved and the end of the lake came into view, Karma slowed more. There wasn’t anything around them though, not even trees. A hell of a lot of undisturbed snow spread out in every direction and the sky was pure inky black. Stars barely twinkled, as if it were too cold for them to come out and shine. If he didn’t know better, Race would think they were completely alone out here in this frozen wilderness.

Sucked that they weren’t. He could think of quite a few ways to stay nice and warm with this hot little female.

Karma barely trotted now and danced sideways, watching him warily with warm golden eyes. Race couldn’t help feeling he was being played, but he didn’t get her game. It would take nothing to pounce on her, force her down and slide into that tight, hot pussy of hers. She didn’t look as if she extended an invitation. But she watched him, moving toward the end of the lake but no longer running.

You don’t smell like you want to be caught, little female, he growled.

Karma flattened her ears and her eyes widened.

Those males aren’t going to hesitate when they get here. Are you going to help me kill all of them?

This time she looked to the north, toward the other side of the lake. Race glanced that way as well. She lowered her head, letting out a low rumble while muscles flexed in her shoulders. Her golden fur with black rosettes was shiny and sleek over her slim body. Karma’s head was narrow, her cheekbones high, and when she opened her mouth, long white teeth contrasted against the darkness around them. But it was her scent, rich and musky, that slowly wrapped around him and created a need inside that grew painful and ruthless the longer he studied her. It mixed with the powerful urge to protect her at any cost.

He felt the ground move before Karma stiffened and looked past him nervously. The other males were catching up with them.

Maybe Karma didn’t have a game. She didn’t move, but instead suddenly looked nervous and smelled worried. That’s when it hit him. She was the bait to distract the group of males from her littermates. She studied the other side of the lake, searching for her littermates. Why would the three of them decide to sacrifice her to protect the other two? And where were her littermates headed?

Damn the brave little female.

It’s time to go, Karma. He moved in on her, growling orders. She didn’t move and he pushed up against her. That’s when she stiffened and raised her head quickly.

He growled loudly. Did it take you this long to recognize my scent, little cat? We’ll discuss this later. Now it’s time to haul ass. Lead the way or I’ll haul you. Either way, unless you’re into gang rape, we’re leaving now.

He lowered his head, pushing against her with his forehead, and then nipped at her soft fur. Karma’s fresh aroma filled his nostrils. She smelled so damn good. And later they would discuss the motivation behind her actions, but right now it was time to protect her cute little ass.

Grabbing her in his mouth by her nape, Race lifted Karma and then tossed her forward. Then butting her with his head, he got her moving after she tumbled head over paws once or twice. Karma picked up speed, and within a few minutes ran as hard as she could around the lake until they were on the other side.

Now she headed back in the direction of the cabins, racing along the other side of the lake. Race stayed on her heels, glancing across the dark, still water and seeing a group of leopards who circled the area, sniffing the ground and then looking their direction. Karma didn’t run as a single female anymore. With Race at her side and his smell mixing with hers, she wouldn’t be attacked by the males. For now she was safe.

But her actions, the way she and her littermates attacked and killed the males as if they planned the trap and sprung it with excitement, and then breaking off from her littermates and becoming bait, didn’t make a hell of a lot of sense.

They were almost halfway past the lake when suddenly Karma bolted away from him. Race leapt after her and slid on the snow before hauling ass and grabbing Karma. She turned on him, attacking furiously.

Since it wasn’t his intention to hurt her, Karma got the edge and slid away from him on the hard, frozen snow. Regaining her footing, she raced to the north. It was hard keeping his footing but Race didn’t lose her. He couldn’t catch her though, as she ran with all the speed she had, which wasn’t near as fast as Race could run, but curiosity drove him now. He wanted to know where the hot little female was going.

Then, surprising him again, Karma slowed drastically until she stopped and turned around to face him. Race breathed in her scent, and if he didn’t know her somewhat, he might have misunderstood the change in her aroma as being aroused. Karma started strutting toward him, batting her tail mischievously as her eyes grew wide and she looked up at him with more interest than he’d seen in her since he met her.

Buy your copy of Vision Controller here.