Hot Blooded

vampires in South America he was very familiar with their current surroundings.
He dropped to earth in the rise of mountains, heading for a deep cave with
natural hot springs. The soil was rich with minerals and the cave would be a
natural protection against enemies. He could set strong safeguards and know
humans and animals were safe from accidental encounters.
    It took only minutes to prepare the cavern. Candles sprang to life, casting
eerie lights across the shimmering pools. He placed Juliette on a soft bed he'd
fashioned of rich soil that cushioned her body in welcoming arms. "I know it
hurts, Juliette. I had no idea it was so painful."
    We really didn't have much of a choice
. Juliette didn't try to
speak. Her raw throat wouldn't allow it, and in any case it was too tiring. She
could feel the beast in her fighting for life, resisting the change in her body.
The jaguar didn't want the reshaping of organs and tissue. Juliette was just too
weary and in too much pain to care.
    I would have converted you without the attack from the male
. He felt
compelled to confess it, settling next to her, holding her in his arms, lifting
her fingers to his mouth.
I would not have been able to continue without you
.
Riordan wasn't certain it was an apology, only that he wanted her to understand
his conflicting emotions.
    I would have been unable to continue without you. Riordan, so stop
beating yourself up. Get my clothes off, I can't stand the weight of them
against my skin
. The last was said in desperation.
    He stripped her clothes away without a thought for the material, shredding it
from her body as quickly as possible. Her skin was hot to the touch. Riordan
dipped his shirt into the coolest of the pools and bathed her face and wrists.
    "I dreamt of you once," he said softly as he squeezed droplets of water over
her throat and down the valley between her breasts. "You were laughing. I
remembered the sound of your laughter for years afterward. It kept me going at
times when I could not find a reason to continue." He pushed the hair from her
face. She was sweating. The beads of sweat mixed with tiny beads of blood.
    I dreamt of you, too
. There was happiness in her voice, the only
thing that kept him from crying when a convulsion took hold of her and pain
lashed for what seemed an eternity. She gripped his wrist, held on, trying to
breathe through it, stay on top of it. When the wave released her she sighed.
I still think you're a dream
.
    He had to swallow several times before he could speak. "Even now, with what
I'm putting you through?"
    Her eyes flashed, a reminder of her passionate nature, the fire contained in
her feminine body.
I am jaguar. I have choices, and I make them. I wanted
you from the first moment I saw you. As a jaguar, I have no future. With you I
do. As a jaguar, there is no happiness, with you there is. I know the
difference, Riordan
.
    Before she could say more, the next wave hit her, even stronger than the
last. The jaguar was not going to let Riordan have her without a fight. Riordan
ground his teeth together, trying to take the pain from her, the bursting fire
that rushed through her body and seared her insides. She was stoic about it,
enduring the pain without a complaint. There wasn't a hint of blame in her mind.
When the wave passed she inhaled the scent of the healing candles.
I'm going
to be sick
.
    It was his only warning and he moved quickly, holding her while her body rid
itself of toxins. She was violently ill even as another wave of pain raced
through her. Riordan was cursing when it ebbed away.
    Wrapping her in his arms, he carried her into the coolest pool, submerging
both of them up to their necks. He buried his face against her neck. "Are we
going to survive this?"
    She smiled. Not physically, but he felt it in his mind.
You are such a
baby when it comes to me. I see you all rough and tough when you're scaring
everyone around you with your bad-boy image and you fall apart because I'm in
pain
. She caught a glimpse of something else and it brought tears to her
eyes.
You're falling apart because of what happened to Jasmine. Riordan, it
wasn't your fault. How could you think that
?
    Before he could answer, the blowtorch blossomed in her stomach and lungs,
eating through her until it was so great she convulsed again, her brain shutting
off to prevent her from overload. All Riordan could do was hold her, feeling
helpless and guilty and angry