Hot Blooded

and convulsions before the
jaguar was gone, the conversion was complete, and he could issue the command for
healing sleep. He wrapped his arms and body protectively around hers and wept
while the candles burned brightly and the water lapped at the edges of the pool.

----
Chapter 11
    Â« ^ »
    RIORDAN paced back and forth, his restless nature showing through his
normally calm demeanor. Juliette had been in the house with her sister and
cousin for most of the night. Dawn was only a couple of hours away, and he had
yet to spend time with her. He understood completely the need to be with her
sister after such a trauma, and he tried hard to suppress the selfish part of
his nature, but fear was an ugly, clawing thing that kept him on edge. Solange
and Jasmine wanted nothing to do with men. Riordan didn't blame them. Jasmine's
gentle nature could barely tolerate what had happened to her. She was hanging on
to her sanity by a thread. Juliette would help with her healing skills,
strengthened by Riordan, but he knew the two women were a tremendous influence
on Juliette. She also had a nature that demanded loyalty and responsibility.
Jasmine was in pain, was terribly wounded. Juliette might feel she needed to
stay with her.
    The moment they had risen, he had fed, taken care of her needs and kept his
promise to her family, bringing her straight to them. He knew they needed to be
alone, and he had been the one to suggest he wait outside, but he couldn't help
wanting to protect her from the pain of what Jasmine had gone through. It was
difficult in the ensuing hours to keep his mind firmly away from hers to give
Juliette and her family complete privacy, but he managed by pacing restlessly
back and forth just in front of the small house.
    He heard the door and spun around. Juliette was framed there, holding Jasmine
and Solange to her, hugging them hard. She emerged with a bright smile on her
face and tears in her eyes. It was obvious she had been weeping on and off for
hours. Riordan's heart moved in his chest. He opened his arms, and she came into
the shelter of his body.
    He glanced over her head, nodded when Solange and Jasmine both lifted a
tentative hand before closing the door. "I am so sorry I could not be there to
comfort you," he whispered, brushing soothing kisses along her temple and down
her tear-stained cheek. "I wanted to be there for you."
    "I know. I carried you with me and leaned on your strength more than once.
She needs time, Riordan. Please don't take the way they are personally. They'll
come to love you, I know they will."
    "They have given me acceptance," he pointed out. "I did not even expect that
much, so I am grateful."
    "I want to shift into another form and run away for awhile. I want it to be
just you and me somewhere beautiful where I can't think about terrible things
happening to people I love. Take me away, Riordan. Let's go find our pool. Let's
just be together where I can't think anymore."
    "Would you like to try a leopard form? I often use it to travel through the
forest."
    She tugged until he let her loose. "That might be best. I still feel like a
cat inside." Being close to Riordan definitely brought cat traits out in her.
"Let's try." The thought of losing herself in an animal form was enticing. It
had been wearing, all those long hours, holding her baby sister, rocking her,
crying with her. She looked up at Riordan. "In the end, there's no real way to
take it back. No way to help her." Juliette looked ashamed for a moment. "I
almost asked you if you could remove her memories."
    "Not with that large of a trauma. I could perhaps lessen the impact, but it
would be in her memories and she might not know why she had reactions to things
that were upsetting to her. If you want me to try—"
    Juliette shook her head. "Jasmine is strong. She can survive this, maybe
better than the rest of us. I've never seen Solange so filled with sorrow. We
chose to remain here, moving from place to place because mom told us the males
were kidnapping women they suspected of being of jaguar blood and bringing them
here. They have no one else, no hope of rescue other than us. So we stayed."
    "Now there are others to help, Juliette. I will. My brothers will. My people
will."
    She smiled at him, for the first time, her heart lightening. "Our people,
Riordan. I'm Carpathian now."
    He trailed his fingers over her cheek, framed her face with his hands and
bent his