He returned to the tree where he'd left his clothes, only to find Saria sitting in it, waiting for him, the rifle across her lap.
"Wait," she called to him. "Don' shift yet. Is it safe for me to come down?"
Drake looked up at her, his leopard staring, curling his lip, wrinkling his nose and grimacing with an open mouth, indicating he found Saria's leopard very attractive and close to her heat. Only Saria would chance sitting in the crotch of a tree bough with a rifle in her lap and casually ask afterward if she was safe. The leopard nodded.
She didn't hesitate, skimming down the tree recklessly, although he noticed she faced the leopard the entire time and never lost her grip on the rifle. He could have told her his leopard would be on her in a second, far too fast for her to protect herself had she been an enemy, but he couldn't help admiring the way she attacked life head-on. She was leopard and she chose not to fear it, but to take an opportunity to examine a leopard up close.
The measure of her trust in him humbled him. He hadn't earned it. Her instincts had to come from a life together neither fully remembered, but their leopards did. Whatever the reason, he wasn't about to let her down. He took a firm grip on his leopard, who all but knocked her over, rubbing himself all over her skin. He used his large head to rub and mark his scent glands over her.
She sank her fingers into the thick fur, her expression one of pure joy. Drake could tell she didn't know the male leopard wanted his female leopard's counterpart to absorb his scent throughout her body to warn any rivals away. He waited patiently, although he was aware of every minute ticking by, allowing Saria a chance to stroke and caress the leopard as much as she wanted.
"Can you shift with me touching your shoulder? I want to see it up close and feel it." She looked the leopard right in the eye, unafraid of that piercing, intelligent stare.
He was going to be stark naked when he emerged, but if that was what his lady wanted, he could accommodate her. He was a big man, with a deep chest and the heavy, defined muscles of his kind. His thighs were twin columns of muscle, his waist trim and his hips narrow. Even for a shifter, he had an impressive cock, and as he shifted, with the same, quick transition, the sight of her gaze jumping to his groin sent a rush of hot blood filling him. She raised her eyes slowly to his face.
"No doubt about it, honey, my body definitely belongs to you," he said and snagged his jeans. He drew them up carefully over his rather painful erection, willing himself to relax. She hadn't run, although for the first time, she looked a little shaken.
"You're very fast at going from human to leopard."
"I have to be. I run a team that rescues hostages and protects people in dangerous situations. We have to have certain skills to be able to do that without getting killed."
Her gaze moved over the injuries on his body, the old scars and newer raw wound made by the leopard fight. She had to have seen the terrible scar running down his leg--unless--her gaze had jumped to his groin again. The instant rush was hot and urgent. She licked her lips and his cock jerked, straining against the material of his jeans.
"What if I can't take . . . I mean, Drake, you're bigger than I imagined."
"You grew up with men."
"Brothers. I didn' look at them. I'm tellin' you, they were rarely there and when they were, inevitably I went into the swamp."
He drew on his shirt and reached for her, catching her shirt and pulling her to him until her body was pressed tight against his. He transferred his hold to the nape of her neck. "You can take me. You were made for me, Saria. And I'll make certain you're ready. Keep trusting me, honey. I promised you I'd get you through this."
Her dark gaze searched his face with a mixture of trepidation, confusion and serious speculation. That was his Saria, refusing to retreat. He kissed her. Hard. Deep. There was heat rushing like a firestorm through his system. She belonged just where she was, against his body, his mouth on hers. He could stay there forever. His hand slipped over her back, down to her bottom, to press her tightly against him. He kissed her until neither could breathe. When he lifted his head, she had that dazed look of desire he'd come to relish in her eyes.
"We've got to get this done," he murmured, against her lips.
"Get what done?"
He laughed softly and kissed her again. "Take me to the dump site, honey. We're going to have company soon and I'd rather we're back at the bed-and-breakfast."
"Oh. Yeah." Saria blinked up at him.
He kissed her because he had to. He could live on her kisses. He'd kissed other women, but there hadn't been--fireworks. Soaring. Lust crawling through his body mixing with something he feared was fast becoming love. Could it really happen that fast? Falling into her eyes? Addicted to her taste? Needing her until the clawing ache consumed him? He had seen a few of his friends fall, and he'd thought they'd gone a little over the edge. Had it been like this?
One moment he'd recognized her as his leopard's choice, but the next, his leopard hadn't mattered all that much because she was his choice. He could barely take his eyes from her. He loved that little stubborn chin. Those enormous dark eyes with all those beautiful golden flecks and sweeping long lashes. Her mouth, so soft, so hot and perfect. Her straight little nose. Her matter-of-fact way of approaching life head-on.
"You have to let go of me if we're going to find the sites again," Saria pointed out.
She stayed still, her arms around his neck, her face turned up to his, her body pressed close. Drake could feel her soft breasts against the heavy muscles of his chest. There was something so steady about Saria, like the rain forest he loved. The flow of the river, the wind blowing through the trees. The air he breathed. She was everything wrapped into one woman. He might be losing his mind, his thoughts so damned poetic he wanted to laugh at himself. What was it about her?
"Drake?" Her lashes drifted down over those dark, dark eyes.
"Yes, baby?"
"Kiss me again."
"If I do, we might not get out of here."
"Does it matter?" Her lashes fanned her cheek. Her lips parted in invitation, her face turned up to his.
He heard the soft groan escape his throat. This wasn't her wanton leopard, this was Saria, her body moving restlessly against his, an innocent awakening, a giving of herself to him. There was no way to resist and he didn't try. He lowered his head and took possession of that soft, amazing mouth. One hand slid beneath her T-shirt, fingers seeking the expanse of warm skin. She had a velvety, rose-petal feel to her skin accompanied by the faint scent of peaches.
He stroked her flat belly with the pads of his fingers, absorbing the feel of her, committing her to memory. Saria's tongue danced and dueled with his, stroking and caressing, drawing him deeper under her spell. His hand closed over her breast, taking the slight weight of her into his palm. There was always something exquisite about a woman's form, but Saria, he found, was different to him. The moment his hand claimed her breast, lightning jolted through him, a white-hot electrical surge that went straight to his cock. He felt full, bursting, yet at the same time, his heart seemed to leap right out of his chest. The mixture of such intense lust with such tender love was both shocking and exhilarating, an aphrodisiac he hadn't expected. He hadn't expected his heart to be involved so fast, but he'd long ago learned journeys took their own turns, and with this one, he was in one hundred percent.
"You're such a miracle, Saria," he murmured, his mouth wandering over her face. He kissed her eyes, her nose, the corners of her mouth and that sweet, stubborn chin.
"I'm just me, Drake," she sounded bemused.
He smiled down at her. "And that, honey, is the miracle." He trailed kisses down her throat, his teeth nibbling along her neck, down to her breasts as he bunched her shirt in one fist. His mouth closed over one breast, suckling strong right through the thin lace of her bra. She cried out and arched against him, pressing more deeply into him. His hand came up to roughly massage the soft mound.
A bird called loudly, answered by anothe
r one. Drake's leopard leapt and was answered by Saria's female. Drake actually felt the rush of fur sliding under her skin, the scorching heat, and he inhaled the wild, exotic scent. His tongue lapped gently at her nipple once more before reluctantly lifting his head.
"Damn it, honey. We're out of time."
She let out a little gasp of shock, as if she was coming back from a great distance. He dragged down her shirt, and steadied her, as he lifted his head, scenting the air. "They're coming at us as men, rather than leopards. That's not good, Saria. Get back to the boat."
She looked around her for the rifle. She'd set it against the trunk of a tree without realizing it. She shook her head. "Seriously, Drake, I don' know what I'm doin' when you're kissin' me."
Drake put his arm around her and drew her beneath his shoulder, holding her close for a moment. "I should have known they'd come after us as fast as they could. They don't want the other members of their lair to know what they're up to. Will Charisse tell on her brother?"
"You saw her. No way. He covers for her all the time."
He nodded. "I'm armed, honey. I'll stay here. You take the boat and head . . ."
She shook her head. "It's not goin' to happen, so stop right there. We're not splittin' up, although I appreciate the gesture. No sense in arguin' with me, Drake. I won't change my mind."
He took her at her word. "They're going to use bullets. We need a place to defend. I'm not willing to risk the open water with me in the boat with you."
"Neither am I." She sent him a rueful smile as she immediately signaled him to follow her. She moved with confidence through the tangled vegetation. "I'm guessin' they're goin' to shoot you on sight and hope I'm not in the way, unless they don' want a witness."
He'd thought of that. He also was a little worried about what three leopard-driven, lust-filled, out-of-control men would do to Saria if they caught her alone. He was certain Armande had attacked her once. Where the hell was the leadership?
"I might have to kill them." He said it straight, with no apologies. "They're hunting us and I can't take any chances with your life."
"I'm well aware of the position they're puttin' us in." She shot him an emotion-laden look over her shoulder. She kept moving, winding her way through the heavier reeds and tangles of brush. "Don' step there, not even on the edge. The crust is thin here and you'll fall through."
He didn't bother attempting to hide their tracks. These men had grown up in the swamp and were hunters. They were also leopards with all the instincts and advantages of their cats. He stepped exactly in Saria's footsteps as she made her way through a narrow strip of land that was barely thick enough to support them. The reeds began to thin and brush took its place. Rather than cypress trees with the knobby-kneed root systems, evergreen and pine appeared, the grove growing thicker as they went deeper into it.
"You've been here--a lot. I thought no one came here."
She sent him a small grin, not breaking stride. "It was the one place no one thought to look for me. I've been comin' here since I was a child. It's my private refuge. No one else comes here, so I found a place around the other side to pull my boat onto shore and hide it."
"You're taking us through every pitfall you know of, aren't you?" The terrain had gone wet and soft again. He skirted around the areas she did. His leopard shifted inside him, stepping far from the spots that looked as if they might be quicksand. The Spanish-moss-covered cypress trees were back, growing in the thin soil. Around them palmettos, irises and marsh grass vied for space with tangled vines.
Turtles rested on logs and one sat on the bank. Birds were everywhere. Saria didn't worry about disturbing them. The buzz of insects was constant, becoming a kind of music in his ears. He found he was becoming accustomed to the sounds of the swamp. He knew the rain forest in the way she did her environment and he followed her without question.
She suddenly tugged at his arm to avoid stepping near a tree concealing a water moccasin.
"Should have seen that," he admitted.
"You were looking at my butt," she accused.
"So true." And damn it all, it was true. He figured he had a little time off while he followed her. "The view is spectacular."
She shook her head with a little snicker and picked up speed, rushing through a cypress grove that gave way to reeds. He stopped in his tracks. As far as he could see were blue heron and snowy-white egrets. They walked gracefully in the shallow water, dipping beaks into the waters, fishing.
"I've never seen anything like that."
She looked pleased. "I knew you'd think it was cool. You should see them when they take to the air."
"Have you photographed this?"
"Yes. But the money shot is as they're actually risin' to fly, with their wings outstretched, barely skimmin' the water."
"You're really very good, aren't you?"
"Yep. And I'm goin' to make a name for myself with National Geographic. I want my own book someday." She began walking rapidly again.
"How would you feel about photographing the rain forests of the world?"
The ground went solid again and the cypress trees gave way to another tangled grove. Saria ducked her head to go underneath a low-hanging branch. Something spit splinters at them both and the sound of a shot reverberated through the swamp. The air groaned under the sudden migration of birds as they rose in fright. An alligator slid into the water with an ominous plop. Drake took Saria down, his body covering hers.
They lay very still for a moment, hearts racing, Drake swearing silently.
"They shouldn't have been able to follow so fast," she whispered.
"They're using both animal and human form, which is against every law we have." His voice was grim. "Slide out from under me, Saria. Reach for your leopard. She'll rise to the surface to protect you. Don't be afraid of her. Her senses will be sharper than yours."
"What are you goin' to do?" she asked. For the first time he could hear fear in her voice and it tore at his heart. Damn them all, they were going to die today for this.
"You don' want her hurt, come out by yourself," Armande challenged.
Saria caught his arm. "Don' even think about it. They know I would never stay silent if they killed you."
"They'll get their chance at me. You start crawling forward and when you get to that heavier brush, break to your right. There's plenty of the cover unless they get crazy and spray the area with bullets. Give me a minute before you decide to shoot anyone. I'm going to shift and go after them."
"They'll kill you, Drake, and you know it. That's what they want. They can explain the killing of a leopard, but not a human being. They're goading you into shifting."
His leopard roared with fury, determined to remove the threat to his mate, uncaring about human life. The three men had dared to fire a weapon near Saria--they deservyouath. He felt the familiar ache in his bones, the convulsing of muscles.
"No." Saria turned under him, onto her back, throwing both arms around him, holding on tightly, as if she could somehow hold off the fur slithering beneath his skin and the teeth filling his mouth. His shirt ripped with the ropes of muscles banding over his body. She refused to let go, even when hot breath blasted her throat. She closed her eyes, refusing to look at his face changing, but she never once let go.
There was a moment when he wasn't certain he could stop his leopard. Stiletto-sharp claws burst through his fingers and it was all he could do to bury them into the soft earth on either side of her head while he breathed his leopard into submission.
Her hands framed his face. There were tears swimming in her eyes when she opened them. He knew she was staring into eyes pure leopard.
"Please, Drake," she whispered. "Don' do what they want. Stay with me. We can fight them off."
He had no choice. Not if she was going to cry. The real knife to a man's heart was his woman's tears. He bent his head and kissed them away gently. "Let's go then. Crawl out of here, stay low and don't move brush."
They were
both soaked from the wet ground and she shivered a little, still holding him tightly.
Behind them was an explosion of sound, a wild roaring growl and the sound of a man's high-pitched scream of terror.
9
SARIA went still, lying beneath Drake in inches of water and mud, looking up at him with terrified eyes. The noises emanating from the groves of trees around them were horrifying. It sounded as if a thousand leopards were fighting over prey. The birds took to the air again, the sounds of their cries mingling with the ferocious growls and snarls rising in volume. Branches cracked and the brush trembled as heavy bodies slammed into them.
Drake rolled off Saria and reached to help her up. She took a better grip on her rifle, dropping behind him as he took the lead, working his way back toward the sounds of the battle. He opened his shirt in preparation for the change. Soaked and covered in mud, they ran through the brush, batting at spider webs as they wound their way along a narrow trail, avoiding sink holes and quicksand until they came to the grove of evergreen trees.
Five men, all heavily armed, surrounded two golden leopards and a huge black one. Drake drew his weapon, but Saria pushed the gun down.
"Don' shoot. That's Elie Jeanmard and four of my brothers," she whispered, her voice trembling a little. "The black leopard is my oldest brother, Remy. I saw him once like that."
Drake rocked back on his heels. He had expected to have to take on her brothers, but not all together.
Clothing was strewn around the ground, ripped and shredded. From the scent, Drake knew the two golden leopards had to be Armande and Robert. They had shed their clothes quickly, to keep from being attacked in human form by the ferocious black leopard. Remy had burst out of the trees and rushed them, giving them little time to shift before he hit Armande, driving him backward ">