Disclaimer: I only own the character of Sam, all else belongs to Rachel Vincent.

Parker had been carrying Sam for a few miles. By the time he finally got her to give in, they had been running for 12 hours. She submitted to him because she didn't have anything left in her body to give. Normally the stray toms couldn't keep up with her, but this tom was in better shape than any she'd come across before. Sam grimly acknowledged that he could do whatever he wanted to her. Against this cat, she was defenseless, but she hoped initiating would make him less inclined to hurt her. She planned on seducing him after he finally stopped carrying her.

"Where are we going?" she whispered against his chest.

"Somewhere safe. I'll protect you now."

They finally came to a dense part of the forest with big hollow logs laying dead on the ground. Parker set her on her feet but held her close just in case her legs gave out. They were both naked, and the intimate contact made his blood buzz. Setting those thoughts aside, he reached into a log and pulled out the small emergency kit. It had a couple sets of clothes, about a day's worth of food, and a prepaid cellphone.

"Here, Kitten, put these on. You're freezing, and it's only going to get colder tonight while we wait." Parker gave her a long-sleeved shirt and a pair of men's jeans. "I know they'll be a little big, but I don't think you have enough energy to shift. Try if you want though, Kitten." He smiled at her with soft, kind eyes. Her heart raced thinking about what kind of cat he might really be. How could he smile at her like that unless he was actually kind or really crazy. She didn't want to think about it anymore and turned away from him.

"I know you probably won't believe me, but you are safe with me. I can't imagine what you've been through out in the free-zone alone..." he stopped and his words hung between them in the air. She heard the rustle of cloth as Parker put on his pants.

Sam swallowed the lump in her throat and turned to face him. "My name is Sam." she said. He smiled at her again, and said, "Mine is Parker. Don't worry Sam. Everything will be all right now. Hang on, I've got to call my alpha. He'll know what we should do." he turned away and walked off. Sam stood there holding the over-sized clothes and started to cry. She put the pants on, but they wouldn't stay up. She stepped out of them and wrapped the shirt around her. It was long and covered her all the way down to the middle of her thighs. It wouldn't be enough to protect her from the cold though. Her eyes drifted to the food.
~He did say I could have what I wanted...~

Sam ate everything in the pack so fast. She hadn't had real food since before she was turned. There was smoked deer jerky and granola bars with dried fruit. It was delicious, but everything was gone before she realized it, even all the water. There wasn't anything left for Parker. She hoped he meant what he'd said otherwise... She wouldn't let herself think about that. Out here, there weren't even other strays to challenge him for her.

He came back to her and put on the other shirt from his pack. He went for the food, and chuckled when he saw it was gone. "Poor kitten," he said. "I guess you were hungrier than I thought." He smiled. "I could go catch us something else, but I won't leave you alone again. Do you think you have enough strength now to change and hunt with me? Maybe we could get a deer, well at least a rabbit." He looked at her with those kind eyes again, and Sam broke down. Tears ran down her cheeks unchecked. She started shaking and slumped forward to the ground. Parker was startled by her reaction. He knelt and pulled her against his chest. She hesitated briefly and then clung to him like a life-preserver. Her sobs racked against him. After a couple minutes, she calmed down and looked at him with sad, deep green eyes. Sam backed away from him.

She absorbed his battle scars. There was a nasty one down his belly, three deep claw marks, like someone, or something, had tried to gut him. Small scars decorated his chest, and there was even a thin one on his neck. She traced the deep lines down his stomach, and she heard his breath catch. Taking him in, she finally felt confidence in his claims of her safety.

"I've followed you deep into the free-zone. We need to lie low until my partner, Owen, can come get us. He'll be here in the morning, so we should get some food and settle in for the night." He was dead tired but determined to keep the tabby with him. He smiled kindly at her. "You could sit with me and stay warmer if you want." She slunk over and snuggled into his lap. He was like a furnace, and she couldn't get enough of his body heat. Parker wrapped his arms around her and rested his chin against her shoulder. "What were you doing out here alone?" he asked. She smelled earthy, and her hair was soft despite some tangles.

"The first time I was attacked by a tomcat was when I was turned. He abandoned me out here because he didn't think I would make it. Just gave me up for dead. He was..." Sam stopped, bombarded by painful memories. She had been a normal human before Frederick attacked her.

Parker's grip tightened around his charge. "You don't have to worry about him anymore, Kitten." The memories fled, and Sam was left in the arms of a different kind of tomcat. He wasn't trying to overpower her and force himself inside her. With him, she felt human again, and all she'd been through felt like more than she could handle. Sam turned and held his gaze. Her hands gently touched his face. The stubble on his chin tickled her palm, and she grinned.

His breathing was shallow and controlled. Parker stayed very still and let the tabby explore his body. Her touch was feather-light. He couldn't help getting aroused. She kissed the scars on his neck and chest, slowly making her way south. He grunted when her tongue snaked out at the end of his stomach scars. It was like she was trying to erase the marks where Miguel had tried to kill him.

"Kitten?" His voice was husky, and his eyes were closed. "Why are you doing that?"

"Don't you like it?" she said. Her fingers slipped beneath his waistband, and he snapped out of his trance from her touch. "Stop, Kitten."

"Oh, you don't mean that," she murmured. Her whole hand was in his pants now. Her fingertips brushed lightly against his engorged manhood. "I can tell, Parker. Let me thank you for the food."

"Kitten..." Parker's body jerked when her small, soft fingers wrapped around him. He felt her other hand undo his pants and pull down his zipper. He caught her chin with his palm. "Please don't do this." His eyes burned with passion. He wanted to sink himself deep inside of her. He wanted to let her body cradle him, but he knew it was wrong under these circumstances. She thought she had to pay him for the food with her flesh. The thought made him ill. Her face started to fall. He quickly said, "Trust me, I want you. I just can't let you think you have to pay me for your food with your flesh. It's not like that with me or my Pride. It'll never be like that for you again. I just wanted you to not be hungry." His body continued to betray him, and it quivered when she stroked his shaft. He moaned and closed his eyes again.

"I..."

"Is it okay if I want to? Will you teach me what it's like to be with a man, instead of a monster?" Sam asked him quickly before she lost her nerve. Those eyes grilled him, burned into him with ferocity. "Please?"

Parker's heart was racing. Before he could think about it, her shirt was off and his pants were down. He let her push the fabric off his shoulders. It pooled behind him. He loomed over her a little differently now. He wasn't wasting time anymore. His mouth descended on hers, and he kissed her like he hadn't kissed anyone in years. His tongue explored her, conquered her, and she gave into him profoundly. She granted him access anywhere he tried to go. Sam laid out on the ground with her thighs spread apart for him, so he could taste her. She whimpered and trembled underneath him. He meticulously explored her body, trying to show her how good a man could make her feel. Based on her moaning, he knew he was doing a good job.

His lips kissed up her stomach, between her breasts, and settled at her neck. He lapped her skin with the barbs on his tongue. He felt positively feral causing a partial shift of his eyes and tongue. Her breath caught when she saw his golden cat-eyes. They were dilated, looking at her like she was his prey. He huffed by her ear and tried to drown himself in her scent. He rubbed his cheek against hers, and she rubbed him back. "That's it big boy. Claim me."

Parker's hand gently touched the folds at her core. His fingers dipped inside her and rubbed her nub. Quivering, she begged him to go inside. "Please, I want you inside me." He couldn't hold back anymore and plunged himself deep within her. He let out a shuddering breath. "Oh, Kitten" They rocked together, and Parker buried himself up to the hilt a few minutes later. Sam wouldn't let him out. She wrapped her legs around him and held him tightly. "Mark me, Parker. I want every stray out here to know I belong to you." She sealed the deal by biting him along his neck a few times. Parker couldn't help himself captured and surrounded by her, and his seed spilled inside Sam. They didn't have any protection, but neither of them cared at that moment.

Sam was panting and holding Parker for dear life. He had been better to her than she ever would have hoped. His arms were secured around her, and she gingerly rubbed her cheek against his. Cat for claim me, she had learned from the strays who had owned her before. He reciprocated, and she breathed in his musky scent.

"Thank you," she said barely loud enough for him to hear her.

Parker pulled out of her gently, and she slept on his chest.