Hot Blooded

from the inside and took your sister out the back. One was carrying her. They
were in the form of men. See." he crouched beside the tracks. "This one is
suddenly heavier, and he's bearing a weight. Jasmine is not struggling."
    "She's unconscious," Juliette said. "She would fight them with her last
breath. We all watched my mother die. Solange saw them kill her mother and yet
she raced in, without hesitation, to try to stop them." She turned back to study
the blood. "She isn't hurt too bad."
    "One remained behind, a big male, and he shifted into jaguar form. He
probably didn't want to harm her when he saw she was female and she shifted on
the run. After all, she is probably extremely rare." Riordan followed the
tracks. "She got away, into the forest. The big male is after her." He turned
back to Juliette. "Which one do we go after?"
    "Maybe we should split up. I'll follow Solange. We've fought together before,
and I know how she thinks. She'll accept me. You go after Jasmine. You're far
stronger and can travel faster. You have a chance of getting to her before they
hurt her."
    "Dawn will be breaking soon, Juliette. I will have to go to ground. If I do
not reach your sister before that time, she will spend another day in torment."
Riordan cursed the vulnerability of his heritage. "I cannot walk in the sun."
His fingers brushed her cheek. "You will burn, Juliette. Your skin is no longer
able to stand intense sunlight and your eyes will burn."
    "I don't care about my skin." Juliette pushed past him and studied the
ground, the direction the group of men had taken. She tried to think who would
need her the most. Riordan was fast; he could get her close to her sister before
he would have to get away from the sun. "Jasmine's already been with them for
hours. If you don't think you'll have enough time to get to her then I'll have
to trust Solange to get away from her attacker alone. We have to find Jasmine
fast, Riordan."
    Riordan circled her waist with one arm, lifting her. The surrounding jungle
was a blur as he raced through it. She had no idea how he could focus on the
tracks, on the small bruised leaves, snapped twigs, and occasional footprint
when he moved so quickly. She didn't need to tell him her younger sister was in
dire trouble; he could read every worry in her mind. When the males shifted
form, they were without clothes. Jasmine was alone and without protection.
Juliette could only pray that the males would want to get her as far from help
as possible. She tried not to think of her cousin—alone, hurt, running for her
life.
    I can send for my brothers, but they are hundreds of miles away. They
would not be here for several risings.
    Solange will fight. They will not take her easily
. Even as she
thought it, a wave of hope went through her. It was true, Solange was a fighter.
She would never surrender, never give up, no matter how injured she was.
I
feel as if I'm deserting her, but she has a much better chance than Jasmine
.
    From what I have seen of your cousin in your mind, she would want you to
go after Jasmine.
    Riordan was all too aware of the time slipping away from them. The jaguar
males were adept at losing themselves in the forest. They had spread out,
weaving through the trees, more cunning now, obviously certain there would be an
attempt to follow them.
    The wind rose in a sudden rush off the forest floor, carrying a swirling eddy
of vegetation, leaves and twigs and petals of flowers in a dark funnel straight
toward the sky. The debris burst over them, a cloud of missiles hurled from the
ground by unseen hands. Riordan reacted instantly, instinctively swinging his
body around in midair to better protect Juliette. Debris embedded in his skin,
drove for his heart. He swore in several languages as he raced to get them to
earth where he could fight without the burden of Juliette's human form hampering
him.
    Remove your clothes now and as soon as you feel the ground under your
feet, shift and blend into the trees. Hide your true self deep within the
animal.
    It was the grimness in his voice that had her obeying without hesitation. She
couldn't always shift to her other form, certainly not at will in the way he
did, or even the way Solange was able to do, but she recognized they were in
mortal danger. She managed to wiggle out of her jeans and unbutton her blouse
before they were on the ground. She tossed her clothes away from her, willing
the change,