Hot Blooded

first heard the voice of the vampire calling to him for help. He was
certain the vampire and his human accomplices were responsible for the net that
had nearly claimed him a second time.
    Juliette laughed aloud as Riordan raced across the sky. Twice she reached
out, trying to touch a cloud, unable to resist.
This is astonishing
.
She felt a part of the night sky, the stars and the clouds and even the rain. It
was as though she had merged with nature. She expected to feel fear, but she
felt elation, joy, completely alive. It was every bit as wonderful as running
through the jungle in the form of a jaguar.
    Do not ever feel regret, Juliette. You will be able to shift into many
forms and effortlessly hold those forms.
    I have to tell you something
. The smile faded from Juliette's face.
Riordan caught the uneasiness rising as he followed the directions in her mind.
We have to move often. We have several homes
.
    He waited. It wasn't what she wanted to tell him. She was hesitant, very
unlike his bold Juliette. She carefully turned over her words, trying to
formulate the best way to get him to understand.
    Juliette. You must trust me. Just say what you need to say and trust me
to understand.
    She could see the canopy far below her. The leaves of the trees were
silver-black in the moonlight. The raindrops dazzled her eyes, glittering like
diamonds as they fell from the clouds.
We have seen terrible things from the
males. Young girls unable to shape-shift beaten and abused. Solange, Jasmine and
I vowed never to have anything to do with a man other than the necessities
.
    Necessities? She meant sex. Riordan felt his heart pound. Something black and
dangerous swirled in his gut. It was ugly and volcanic, and he was ashamed of
his reaction. She was telling him something terribly important, not only to her,
but to her life, and his first thought had been that the necessity was sex with
another man. He despised himself for being so petty. She was a beautiful and
sensual woman. Many men would find her attractive, and he should be proud of
her. Lifemates trusted one another implicitly. It was impossible to lie to one
another or hide anything, and as they grew to know each other better it would be
natural to spend more and more time in one another's mind.
    I am not such a man, Juliette. At my worst, I would not harm a woman or
child. It is abhorrent to me. I had no idea my returning emotions would be so
overwhelming and intense, but I know myself well. I would never, I could never
hurt you or your sister and cousin.
    Juliette leaned into him, felt the tickle of feathers and immediately wanted
to be able to join him in the form of a bird.
You don't have to tell me
that. I already know you wouldn't ever hurt a woman or I would never be with
you. I'm concerned my family won't be very accepting of our relationship
.
    I will win them over.
    Far below them, near the edge of the rain forest, was a small settlement.
Riordan began his descent cautiously, one part of him scanning the area below
for signs of the vampire.
Always scan to look for danger before revealing
yourself
.
    It feels a bit intrusive. You pick up random thoughts
. She was
studying his ways carefully, trying to learn as much as possible.
I would
hate to pick up my sister's thoughts or worse, my cousin's
.
    He laughed as he set her gently on the ground, shifting back to his natural
form as he planted his feet in the thick vegetation. "You can avoid scanning the
thoughts of your family. You will learn to tune things out once you refine the
process. Start experimenting now with volume and reading the air. You can feel
danger vibrating. If there is a blank spot where what seems natural to you is
not there, a vampire is attempting to hide his presence from you."
    "Do you always know a vampire is a vampire?"
    "Unfortunately, no. If a vampire is skilled, such as a master vampire, he
could easily walk up to one of the hunters, greet him in the way of our people
and go on his way unscathed."
    "How frightening."
    "Stay here while I feed. You should be safe for the moment. There is a feel
to the forest, as if the animals are in hiding."
    Juliette went still. She had been so busy trying to think as a Carpathian, so
wrapped up in Riordan as a man, that she had forgotten the first rule of living
in the jungle. She hadn't paid attention to the warning system of the
inhabitants. Riordan strode away from her, melting into the shadows so that it